PM Collective - The ART of property management
The ART of property management with Ashleigh Goodchild is a leading platform supporting collaboration not competition through an online community and events throughout the year with one purpose: to create happier property managers. She creates connections for property managers looking to create momentum in their careers and personal life. Join Ashleigh and her guests as they discuss challenges, struggles, mental health, mindset and give advice to property managers and anyone in the industry. To get the support in your property management career, join our PM Collective Facebook and Instagram community.
PM Collective - The ART of property management
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff: How I Built a Successful Business Without the Roller Coaster
I reflect on my guilt-free 20-year business journey that's been surprisingly drama-free compared to the roller coaster experience many entrepreneurs describe.
• Don't sweat the small stuff - budget for issues and solve problems quickly to avoid stress
• Make quick decisions rather than overthinking - "don't worry about making the right decision, just make the decision right"
• Stay curious by attending demos and networking events even when not planning immediate changes
• Learn from peer-led mentoring, not just from trainers who haven't recently been in your position
• Implement weekly "one percenters" - small consistent improvements that compound over time
• Create a supportive culture where team members aren't penalized for honest mistakes
• Avoid stubborn thinking that prevents you from learning new approaches
• Balance expert training with practical knowledge from peers facing the same challenges
If you're struggling with your business or feeling stuck, reach out to me. I'm always happy to chat with no agenda, or you can explore more structured support through PM Collective with our weekly one-percenters, fortnightly check-ins, and direct access to personalized guidance.
PM COLLECTIVE - GUIDE AND SHAPE AN ENJOYABLE FUTURE
We believe in making industry-leading education and support accessible to everyone. Our community is packed with free resources, expert insights, and innovative training designed to help business owners, property managers, and BDMs thrive.
This podcast is kindly sponsored by Plumbing Bros
So you've just got me again today for a solo podcast. I don't, I'm just actually I'm just going to have a chat. I don't have any topic for today, we're just having a chat. So it can be like one of those background podcasts that you listen to when you're driving or in the office, like I'm hanging out with you.
Speaker 1:But I, what I was actually going to chat to you about, was something that I feel really guilty about sometimes and I think it's just my personality that just really. You know, I don't know whether I block out crap stuff or if I don't remember, I don't know. But sometimes, like I read things on social media or I just see things and I hear things about people starting businesses and they say, oh, my God, it's worth it, but my God, it's a roller coaster. They talk about starting business as being this massive roller coaster and you know, but it's all worth it and it's, you know, it's this stressful and it's, you know, like all the drama I guess associated with starting your own business. And I have this incredible guilt because I don't remember ever having any drama and like, maybe, if you ask my family, maybe maybe they said I did, and I just don't remember and I actually genuinely don't know whether I did or I didn't. Isn't that really bad? I mean, it's actually really good, I think, but it's sort of bad. And so, like I see these people, you know, talking about the first five years of business and I just feel guilty because I don't think I had that much stress.
Speaker 1:And then, equally, I see businesses where they've been operating for 20 years and they should be absolutely enjoying the fruits that this business is bringing them and they are just working their little asses off and they are just working so hard and under so much pressure and, again, I feel so incredibly guilty that they've had the business for that long and they're still so, you know, actively working, like on the tools, you know, in the day to day. And then I also equally see businesses where they've had really really good businesses for, like you know, 20 years and generally they're, you know, an older male. And then, just because they simply haven't stayed relevant or, you know, moved with technology and AI, that they start losing their team and that results in losing properties off their portfolio, which, and because they're not up to date with all the technology and anything that's relevant, they are just falling so far behind that it's just too hard to get out of. And then, ultimately, what we're seeing is some of these businesses that haven't refreshed or moved forward. They are literally dwindling down to nothing. And I just think what a shame for people, for business owners that were once in their prime and had really good businesses and just because of that one small mistake of not staying relevant, they literally won't have a retirement fund. Do you know what I mean? And I just feel guilty. So that's sort of what I was going to unpack today.
Speaker 1:So I guess if someone had asked me you know what are a couple of things that I've done in business that have made my life easier, I would say that it could come down to two things. The first one is I don't sweat the small stuff. I don't worry about little things like even just today, one of the girls was having a problem with a carpet in a rental property and you know, when you get the carpets cleaned and there's been a dog in the property and it even smells even more when the carpets get cleaned and it's been done twice and she's got a tenant that is, you know, really upset because the house stinks the new tenant thinks the house stinks. Carpets have been professionally cleaned twice. You know an owner probably hesitant on replacing carp. She's like what do I do? Like I'm just at a standstill and I said you know what? Just there's a pet odor specialist that that specializes in pet odors for carpet. Get them out there. If the owner won't pay, let me know and I'll foot the bill and then move on from it. Because I could see that she was really stressed about this situation and it just was like you compounding onto already a stressful week for her. And it doesn't matter like what might be a couple of hundred dollars, like just get it done and move on.
Speaker 1:And it's, I think, because I've always had that don't sweat the small stuff mentality. I don't get bogged down with those problems, all those stresses, and I think that's probably something that has made my life a lot easier. And I think with all businesses, like I remember my sister used to own a supermarket and in the supermarket there was always a percentage inside their budget for stolen goods, because every supermarket has stolen goods, and so that's the mentality that I've always had that in business you always have to have a percentage or an allowance for issues to make them go away, to solve them to make your team's life easier, and that's the way that I've always had. And do you know what? Like on a big portfolio, it wouldn't be more than a couple of thousand dollars a year, and that's not a lot in a big portfolio. So I think that that's absolutely one reason why my life is a lot easier, because I haven't got bogged down in those little, you know, minuscule things. And the Second thing is actually no, let's just go back to the first one just for a little bit longer, because I'm just having memories now of people that come to me in the industry, where they do have bosses that carry on about those expenses.
Speaker 1:And, oh gosh, I hope if you're listening to this, if anyone's listening I hope you're not making your property manager pay for any of those bills or any of those mistakes. Personally, I don't think you should ever do that. I just want to put it out there. I've had a team before who've come to me and they've made a mistake and they've said Ash, I'm so sorry, I'll pay that, and I'm like you will absolutely not pay that. It's a mistake. That's exactly what it is. These mistakes don't happen multiple times, or the same mistake doesn't happen multiple times.
Speaker 1:So I'm a real firm believer in that Like be kind, be kind to your team for errors and mistakes and be kind enough for them to approach you when there is an issue so that you can resolve that and have that same sort of attitude and mentality to not stress anybody out in a situation. You know a stress-free team is a really happy team. So that's I guess. Yeah, I just want to finish off that by mentioning that situation and what happens in some offices, so that if I was going to put down, like I said, two reasons why I've had a relatively stress-free and what happens in some offices, so that if I was going to put down, like I said, two reasons why I've had a relatively stress-free, relaxed business my God, you know business experience, like we've had a business for 20 years it would be hands down that not spending the small stuff Okay, that one's over Now. Not spending the small stuff Okay, that one's over Now.
Speaker 1:The second thing that I would also do that I think has been incredibly useful to save me on time and energy and stress, would be making quick decisions. I think I'm pretty good at making quick decisions. I don't overthink them. I think I'm pretty good at making quick decisions. I don't overthink them, I just do them, and whether it's the right decision or the wrong decision, it's the decision and you run with it. And I think it was Oprah and actually this is a quote that I use on my investors sometimes when they've bought like a shithole property and I say to them don't worry about making the right decision, just make the decision right. And I'm pretty sure it was Oprah or Dr Phil that said that, and that's something, again, that I always remember, because it's not about making the right decision, but whatever decision you do, just make that the right one, and changing that frame of thinking I think just does wonders. So if there is something that you can put up on your mirror at home, that would be my quote. I think it's a fabulous quote and, yeah, and just roll with it.
Speaker 1:The third thing I wasn't going to do a third thing, but a third thing would be always being curious is really important. So curious with demos, like I'm always looking at demos, always staying up to date. There are products that I would never use, but I still want to know all about them, because I never know in my business journey when I might want to use them when I've had a pain point, when I've cracked the shits over something and I'm like you know what I'm moving now, so always knowing what's available, what the competitors of your products are doing. Like I said, I do full disclaimers. When I jump onto demos, I say to them listen, just so you know, I'm not interested in moving over to your product, I just like to stay up to date with what's available in the industry because at some stage I may have a pain point and I may want to know about your product, but that's not right now and just being honest with people is really important. So that's exactly how I frame the demos when people ask me me. I just had a demo with a AI phone system where they call your clients and your leads.
Speaker 1:Now, mentally, I'm not there yet. I know that I'm going to have to be at some stage and then very, very near future, but not right at this moment to make a decision. But you know what Cool program, happy to know all about it and also excited that there will be a stage in my business where I will make that move and I will make that final call to say you know what? Can you just do me a refresher demo Because I think I'm ready now.
Speaker 1:So being curious, I think, is a really good one to stay up to date and it just allows you to broaden your mind, to not have blinkers on with what you've got and not be stubborn that what you are doing and what you've got is already the best option. It's really important not to be stubborn with that. And actually that leads us into the networking side of things and coffee conversations, which I always encourage everyone to go, and there are still people that are a little bit stubborn in their thinking, of their thinking behind what Coffee and Conversations is about. And the networking is honestly incredible with what you can learn and I always find it interesting because there's, like you know, key franchises and key players that you know just don't come along and you know, I know what they think. But I also just think it's naive not to come along to something and naive to think that you are already running your business to 100%, like surely there is something new, like I've been in the business for a long time and I still learn something new every single time I go. So I just I don't like the stubbornness behind the attitude of like not thinking they need the networking. So it's sort of similar to, like you know, conferences and courses.
Speaker 1:I find that the speakers are always great and you know you always do learn things from speakers, some more than others but where you get the most value is from people that are on your level, who are in your role, doing exactly what you're doing, and are so relevant to your pain points. You know lots of coaches and trainers are wonderful, but they haven't sat in your chair for a long time and I think that it's incredibly important to have a balance of mixing the training and education you get from the experts, absolutely, but also a really nice, healthy balance from the education that you're going to get from your peers, and that's sort of what I call that peer-led mentoring, which is really important and which is what I do inside PM Collective. You will notice that in those that are members inside PM Collective, it's very much a collection of experts and you learn from everybody and there are obviously, you know, the big experts and trainers, but they're also the people that are, like I said, in your position, relevant to the current market, relevant to the current pain points, sitting in your chair, just like you are, that are experiencing the same things pain points, sitting in your chair, just like you are, that are experiencing the same things, and that peer-led mentoring oh my gosh, that is really where I learned the real practical day-to-day stuff. Annual investor audits is a classic example of something that I started doing inside the business and I was like you know what Everyone needs to be doing. This, I'm doing it, this is how I'm doing it. This is the problems that came up. This is how I dealt with it. Now you can go do it and do it inside your business and being able to share that, I think, is really really good because, like I said, it's that will evolve and as it evolves and as I deal with a new wave of investors, then I will, you know, bring it to the market again with you know again what's relevant. So that's, I find, something that's been incredibly important with the success of our business and really that learning. So, while I didn't have a topic for this podcast, I have done very well in having a really good 15-minute chat with you and hopefully that shares with you.
Speaker 1:What did I say? Maybe three. I think I've ended up with four tips of reasons why I feel that I mean in energy as successfully, sorry, successful. How am I going to say successful? Successful energy business. I think that's what I want to say, I, but that's what I mean by successful. Yeah, the energy of my business from day one has been great, easy, fun, happy, enjoyable, and that's ultimately what I wish for every business, whether you're on day one or you're on. You know, you're 20 years into the business as well. That is what you should have at any stage of your business, and if you are listening to it and you don't, you're not happy or you are stuck in where you are and you are stuck on the tools, and you shouldn't be after 10 years or 20 years.
Speaker 1:Reach out to me If you're not a. I mean reach out to me regardless if you're a member or not a member. I'm always very happy to chat with absolutely no agenda. I've got a lot of people that just say Ash, can I have a Zoom? I've got a problem and I'm like yep, sure, no worries and get on the Zoom. But if you are interested in just getting that little bit of extra support, then what we offer, or what I offer inside PMC, is we do weekly one percenters. So every week there's a one percenter email, which is something really little. It's a five minute video of a little tiny task you can do in your business just to work on it and move forward to stay relevant. That little one percent and when you do one percent every single week, that's a lot moving forward. Um, even for the person that is stubborn and finds it hard, you'll find those little one percent emails super easy. Um, you've got your fortnightly check-in, so a lot of people just like just check into that if they just have questions and answers or simply just want to connect. A lot of solo business owners out there just use that just to say hi, which is great.
Speaker 1:The other features inside PMC we have got, obviously, the library. We've got the pathway, so we've got onboarding pathway. So if you've got any new staff members starting with you, then we set them up with their 20-day onboarding course, which is just every day a you a 15 to 30 minute video for them to watch on plumbing education, electrical education, inbox management, conflict lots of things that you probably naturally wouldn't do in a normal onboarding process and we've got that sorted for you. You've got your pathway, so your property profiling pathway pathway if you're starting to work with a lot of investors. You've got, um, social media.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, yes, you've sort of got all of that support, and then one of the the biggest ones that's well, there's two things actually that are pretty big, um, one is that you've just got access to me. Like I've got people, some that see me every week on zoom, some see me every fortnight, some just reach out when they need me and we literally just go through random stuff. Maybe we're updating their triggers in PropertyMe, or we're updating their templates, or we're having a chat about their social media, where, you know, we're just chatting about a situation that they just need a bit of support on, whatever it is. Then my members just book me in for an hour Zoom just to go through anything and just to help them, which is really, really helpful. And then what was the other thing I was just going to mention, oh, is anything that I do bring to market. Then my members do get access to all of that as well.
Speaker 1:So, like I've been told that I'm a bit of a tomorrow person, so when I say that, what I mean is I'm always thinking of like ideas for the future of the industry, and so I trial them in my business and when they work, then I bring them to market like the annual investor order, which you know you could probably say in some form has been done in the past, absolutely, but not in the way that I have brought them in for the current investor. So we've got that. That. You know. That was trialed and then came to market. The property profiling and charging for that was a big one as well, and that support the fee schedules. Changing them up a bit and trialling new things is something that we're still sort of in the process of testing.
Speaker 1:A few options. We think we've got one that is actually responding really well in the market, which we'll start introducing soon. Well in the market, which we'll start introducing soon. So you know, all of those types of forward-thinking ideas I do bring to my members and with in-depth sort of pathways and courses to implement them in, are needing as well. Actually, the other thing that I've just brought in which is really cool is the branded content, like a content engine for people who need help with ideas, which is pretty cool. So we've been setting up businesses with their own brand in that engine so that they have access to all their content that they need that's bespoke for their office, which is pretty cool. So, yeah, lots of different types of things.
Speaker 1:So if any of that resonates, any of that's something of interest, then by all means reach out.
Speaker 1:Let me know and I'll let you know what options best, whether you're an individual or a team, means reach out. Let me know and I'll let you know what options best, whether you're an individual or a team, but otherwise, you know, access the free stuff podcasts, coffee conversations, free webinars that come up on my app. Actually, I've got free content that I put on there as well. So there is lots of free stuff that you can absolutely utilize if that's sort of what's needed for you at the moment. So I think that's enough of me rambling. I hope you enjoyed your drive, wherever you were driving, and I hope that that sort of gave you a little bit of yeah thoughts in regards to business, where you're at, and you know, are you really where you should be or do you have improvements, or you know focus points that you need to pay a little bit more attention to. So, by all means, reach out if you need me. You know where I am, and love to you all.
