Why boredom is important
All we need is a bit more boredom
Now I put my hands up and admit that I hate it when boredom strikes. I feel like I am not doing enough, and I should do more. But I have learnt that these moments of idleness are the most creative.
The science goes like this…if we fill our heads with constant chatter, when does the real stuff come to the surface? But when we allow time to be, that’s when the magic happens.
In the midst of the pandemic (version 1.0,) everything had slowed down. That’s when I got the idea to set up my business, something that was simmering in the back for a really long time. Now, time will tell whether my idea was good or not, but I am glad I took action and am still following it through.
Do you give yourself time to get bored?
Look after nature, it is a gift to all of us
Nature is a gift to us
I am a big believer in looking after the Earth that we have been blessed with. It has endlessly supplied, but now our greed is surpassing all boundaries. This is why we are seeing an increase in natural disasters. Greed unchecked has really bad consequences. As humans, we have forgotten all about our contentment in our never-ending want for more.
If we can all instill a lot more contentment in our lives, we would live much more happily and actually appreciate the beauty of the world we inhabit.
We got a call from the police
There has been an incident at a neighbouring property we manage. It is a drug den, and the police can’t find the landlords! It’s landlords like these who are absent that need to face severe fines/ bans.
The tenant at the neighbouring property has smashed up the window in the property we manage, so this has frightened our poor tenants. Our tenants had kept us updated about what was happening, so we did anticipate the call from the police.
This is part of the reality of running a property business…the bits that they don’t tell you at the conferences.
Having a good relationship with tenants is key to everything. We have regular communications and build this into our tenant satisfaction measures. This could be happening in any property on any roads, but as a landlord, the onerous is on you to undertake regular checks.
How to operate with integrity?
Integrity means to stick by your values no matter what. This is hard to do because society is constantly telling you to move to the fast lane, to never be happy, to want more!
We can operate My Landlord Cares LTD through integrity by keeping it small and independent. This means we know our values are being reflected throughout our business. Yes, the temptation to seek investors and to scale is very tempting, but we realise that without strong foundations, no structure will survive. So we don’t work with everybody – if you don’t feel the same about tenants, then we aren’t the right letting agent for you.
This is how we operate with integrity, and it is a slow and steady approach, but we have made this choice. We are not here to change the worl,d but we would like to change the small part that we exist within.
How do you hold on to integrity in your day-to-day life?
What is a values led business?
Integrity means to stick by your values no matter what. This is hard to do because society is constantly telling you to move to the fast lane, to never be happy, to want more!
We can operate My Landlord Cares LTD through integrity by keeping it small and independent. This means we know our values are being reflected throughout our business. Yes, the temptation to seek investors and to scale is very tempting, but we realise that without strong foundations, no structure will survive. So we don’t work with everybody – if you don’t feel the same about tenants, then we aren’t the right letting agent for you.
This is how we operate with integrity, and it is a slow and steady approach, but we have made this choice. We are not here to change the worl,d but we would like to change the small part that we exist within.
How do you hold on to integrity in your day-to-day life?
What every small business owner knows and new ones should know?
As a business owner you are everything to your business, if you do not do then nothing will happen. It is completely different from working in a job, where you walk in and do your job and walk away (I do reminisce these days!). You are the life blood of your business, and so if you are looking to setting up your own business make sure it is something you really enjoy and it is a subject you are passionate about. My key strengths are
#multitasking
#helpingothers
#property
So you can see why I naturally gravitated around a property based ethical business. Find something that stimulates you. Running a business is one of the most challenging and rewarding things you will ever do.
Is this something that you are thinking of?
Will you defeat the odds of business failure rates?
Many business owners have to balance a lot more when first starting off, for example, like holding a job and managing their side hustle (unless you have rich parents who will bankroll you – something I didn’t have). So you have to be super determined to push through, especially when the odds are against you.
Did you know 1 in 5 businesses fail in year 1, and half of all businesses fail in year 5! But did you know most of these businesses fail because of burnout? People work so hard and expect instant results, and guess what, life doesn’t work that way. If you get instant results, then kudos to you. But play the long game, then you are more likely to succeed.
#longgame #buisness #hustle #workhard #worksmart
People overestimate what they can achieve in year 1 and underestimate what they can achieve in year 5.
Have you heard this? It cuts across all fields. In a culture of instant fixes, we struggle to undertake any long-term planning. For example, when you are planning, most people only plan for the year ahead – holidays I will go to, job I will apply for. But long-term planning is super helpful. Don’t get me wrong, I am yet to be convinced on visualisation (where if you see it you can manifest it!), but by putting your thoughts to paper, you are more likely to achieve them or more than likely find a roundabout way to get there.
Life is not linear, so expect some ups and downs, but if you are patient and you persevere, you definitely will get there. We all want to avoid the fifty-something burnout!
Go on, give it a try, scribble a few notes down (make these realistic by the way.
3 Top tips for better mental health for busy people
I am a busy person, and it has taken me ages to find the right balance. Trust me, it is still not perfect, but it definitely is better. I would like to share this with all my like-minded friends.
1. Create a to-do list not just for the day but for the week – categorise the most important (chunk out time to do this), the stuff that is fluff (like emails, admin, etc.), put them in together for one day. Trust me, you can’t avoid this,s so you might as well call this a ‘have to do day’ and reward yourself with cake afterwards!
2. Put in some time for self-care - in your busyness, do you forget about you – I know I did! I know what you're thinkin',g I am so busy, how can I find time to do this. I felt the same, but I dedicate a small chunk of my time to you every day. This could be anything, reading a book, going in the garden, having a bat,h but just consciously tell yourself this is my 5/10/…minutes to myself.
3. Mix it up – you know when you focus so much on one thing that you forget about what is around it, don’t be that person. I know what you're thinking, I am so busy already, how can I do something else! Trust me on this, by switching things up, you get a more rounded picture, and it somehow creates different neurons (brain cells – don’t ask me about the science) this stimulates you to work better. For example, if you normally do Zumba, mix it up with line dancing; if you read a certain type of book, then try another genre, instead of walking around your usual path, take a side path. By pushing yourself out of your comfort zones, you get a totally different perspective, and you can bring this different frame of mind to your busy schedule.
Do let me know how you get on
My nightmare tenants
Why should I care about my tenants?
Landlord Cath says, 'it was easy in the past to be a landlord, now things are so bloody tough. My properties used to be an asset; now they're a burden.
She is not alone. Did you know there are 168 rules and regulations around being a landlord, and many of these have fines associated with them?
The constant legislation change means many landlords have sold up their portfolios.
With the soon-to-be-imposed abolishment of section 21 (no eviction notice) many landlords are worried about how they will evict tenants. Imagine if your tenant
couldn't afford rent, could you survive up to 52 weeks without this? How would you stay afloat?
My tenants are a nightmare. What do I do?
The only way to make the situation any better is to work with agencies like My Landlord Cares LTD (Ethical letting agency), who care about you the landlord, and tenants.
Are things so bad that you can't speak to your tenants? Then we act as a trusted middle party and help both sides come to an amicable solution.
I am a landlord, and I am having problems
Then please do speak to us. We listen to you and try to help you get to the roots of your problem. Our first initial consultation is always free. So you have nothing
to lose. Abdur Rehman says 'I am a landlord and I was struggling with my tenants not paying rent, and they left the house without telling me. I wanted to know what I can do, so I Googled Landlord Advice and My Landlord Cares came up. Mahara listened to me. She got me the right advice, and she spoke to the Council on my behalf.
I feel so much better now.
Are you in a similar situation then do drop us a message
I want to help my tenants
Why should I care about my tenants?
Many landlords and property investors see their tenants as a by-product of profit-making. This is not a great business model - as a relevant metaphor,
imagine if you were a restaurant owner and, regardless of whether you were hands-off or hands-on, your conversations would gravitate around customer
service. It is not very different in the property world.
What do I get by looking after my tenants?
At My Landlord Cares LTD (ethical letting agency), we have a simple formula
Looked after tenant = twice as likely to look after the property and stay in your property longer
We provide an initial 6-month intensive introduction programme to all our tenants.
And what does this equate to I hear you ask?
Less costly voids and less costs in fixing damages ===== QUIDS IN!
And you know what a great byproduct is that tenants follow good agencies/landlords around and recommend future tenants.
Why should I choose My Landlord Cares LTD?
We are property investors and have been in this field for over a decade. We trialled our bespoke 6-month introductory programme with our tenants
and the results were outstanding. Tenants were following us around, and we could not fill the demand. This is why we launched My Landlord Cares, letting
agents.
We have skin in the game, and My Landlord Cares has a property investment arm. We want to help people and really desire to improve neighbourhoods.
We are here for the long haul through thick and thin.
Want to know more? Then drop us a message