Eighteen months in...

Starting out

As a small business owner, I admit to having tried to do it all myself. In the first period when you're building your business, it's very tempting to spread yourself across a wide range of skills which others have spent years perfecting. You find yourself in the role of the website designer, the marketing agency, the business development manager, the secretary, the accountant, the list goes on... and while this is a path which a lot of people have chosen to take, is it necessarily the right one?

Second thoughts

While I have enjoyed every minute of it, I often look back at that point when I started AssetPro in mid 2018, and I have to wonder whether I could have built the business to where it is today any faster, had I sought professional help to take care of the marketing, the website and other areas necessary to setting up and running a business in today's world.

I guess the answer is I'm not really sure, but I do know that along the way, I did take the advice of a lot of people including some who I consider peers and even competitors within the industry. I was also driven by a belief that there was a market for a premium offering amongst what felt like a saturated and competitive environment where each invitation to pitch your services felt like a race to the bottom against the "corporate machine."

Why AssetPro?

My key point of difference which led me to form my business revolved around the simple idea that AssetPro would provide a premium asset and property management service, leveraging my 20 years of experience and connections to offer an unparalleled level of service and critical thinking into the area of property management.

A lot of my clients came to me after they questioned whether managing their own property portfolios directly was an optimal strategy. These clients all had the same idea that management of property was a simple and relatively easy job. After sitting down with these clients, I was able to demonstrate how outsourcing the management function to AssetPro could benefit them in a number of ways.

1. It would free them up from the hassles of day to day property management

2. It would allow them more time to focus on growing their portfolios while also leveraging having AssetPro alongside them to assist with acquisitions

3. It essentially costs them nothing

The Auckland District Law Society lease is the most common form of lease used in the Auckland property market. One of the main features is that reasonable management expenses are generally recoverable from tenants. If this is the case, the argument to go with the cheapest manager becomes redundant as not only is the cost of management paid for by your tenants, but employing a cheaper manager can decrease the value of your property through poor management decisions and ineffective tenant negotiations as a direct result of inexperienced (junior) property managers.

Where to now?

The first 18 months of my business has seen phenomenal growth and success - both for me personally and for my clients.

If you are sitting there thinking that this blog post might be of assistance to someone you know, feel free to reach out and get in touch for an obligation free chat!