in business, the message is always – grow.

there are different methods for this, there are differing opinions about this – but the message stays the same. this summer though, we are learning, once again, how to go against the grain.

we have decided to get off the hamster wheel. we have decided that we are unwilling to accept the standard of business owners running themselves into the ground.

i have, at times this past year worked weeks on end where my hours were 4:00am to 9:00pm. as you can imagine, this is extremely difficult, unhealthy and not sustainable.

there must be a change.

and change is scary at times, especially when it has to do with your very welfare. but the breaking point has been hit and we are ready to step out and decide afresh how we will do business.

it’s a great desire of mine that we do business well. that we struggle through the difficult in order to be set apart from the norm. i have worked for too many years where i saw the field of property management as abusive and unfriendly. that’s not who i am. it must be better.

but better is very difficult to sustain when you are working 17 hour days!

it’s now gone from unsustainable to impossible for us.

so this january, we begin our new chapter. one where we place the values of our minds and hearts alongside the values of how we want to do business. we can no longer compartmentalize our needs to live our own full and rewarding lives apart from doing business well.

so we get off the hamster wheel.

we make vows to live a whole and balanced life. we will no longer live to work, but work to live.

how will we do this?

we will reduce our workload. we have already made preparations to reduce the number of units we are managing by two thirds. this sounds scary to a lot of business guru’s as the sign of troublesome times ahead. we see it as returning to where we should have been.

we will value our work and work in valuable ways. we have undersold our service this past year and are learning the value of those clients who truly appreciate the extra touches we offer. after all, we aren’t and never intended to be the big impersonal firm or the mom and pop. we are still venturing to figure out what it means to be something completely different.

we will be selective of who we work with. just as owners and tenants alike, interview us, we are learning to interview those we do business with. a good fit is one of the most valuable aspects for us. we have chosen to do property management the way we want; honoring all the people we work with and taking the time to get to know and hear the stories each of us live. this takes time and it means that the people we work with will need to understand this. instant response may not come as we deal with people as humans not cattle to herd through our processes.

we will simplify. we are moving our business to our home and have said our fond goodbyes to the great staff we’ve had this past year. jomo and i will now run the business solo and what a wave of fresh air that brings. the simple really is better sometimes.

and all in all, we’ll see where this takes us.

but this i know is true…

…we’re on the right track now.