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 tenant's can't afford rent
I'm worried about the rise in living that my tenants can't pay rent
Everyone is talking about the rise in the cost of living. Your petrol is not lasting you long enough, food prices have increased and don't get
me started on electricity! You are not alone; everyone should be concerned
Will the Government put in rent holidays for tenants?
What many landlords are not talking about enough is the impact this will have on tenants. Unlike COVID, where there were rent holidays,
no such schemes are being announced by the Government. With a third of tenants living in poverty (JRF foundation) this will be a massive
blow. So let's break that down. Many people living in poverty do not have the luxury of looking ahead. They are living day to day.
No imagine what happens when their bills go up, but their salary/benefits aren't? What happens then?
Something always gives, and chances are they will get in touch with the landlord/ letting agents to discuss rental payments.
How can I help my tenants if they can't pay rent?
First of all, please do talk to your tenants. We at My Landlord Cares LTD (ethical letting agency) have these discussions as part of our intensive 6-month introduction
programme. We get to know our tenants, we understand what they are having issues with, and we link them up with local schools, community groups
and neighbours. This means they build up good relationships with us. We have discussions about affordability with them, and if we identify
issues, we are able to refer them to statutory agencies.
One of our tenants Miro, says 'Badrul from My Landlord Cares helped me to understand what will happen in terms of my bills. I never thought
it would be this bad. We spoke about ways to save electricity (I like the house warm!).'
This means we are aware of issues before they become problems, and we can work around them. We can work out a plan with landlords and everyone
is aware of what is happening.
Isn't it better to be proactive than reactive?
To find out more about how we can help, drop us a message
Changing mindset
Over the last year, I have been fortunate to undertake some amazing transformational ways of thinking with a group called @Newconstellation. Our remit was to re-imagine Sheffield. I was surrounded by some amazing people. I can proudly say that these people have become good friends. What our core values are (taken from @paulcollier)
We have come together from a range of different backgrounds
We are forward-looking
We have a common purpose
What is a common purpose?
Common purpose is when people come together to tackle issues; they leave behind titles. egos and roles at the door. They bring their true self to the table. Amazing, isn’t it? Imagine if we did more of this, how much would change
Your network is your networth sound familiar?
I hear this a lot, ‘your network is your net worth,’ and usually I am like blah blah blah…. (my pessimistic side is coming out!) But I have learnt over the last few months that this is so true. I always say network as just acquaintances, and I worked harder to build relationships. Relationships are different because they take time and trust. No sales pitch and hard sales, just good old human-to-human contact.
And this constancy in approach is paying off. People are referring back to our work, signposting us to others, and we are getting direct contact from landlords/ investors.
Relationships are at the core of everything we do, and only on solid foundations can we start to build walls.
A pet is a family member for most
Now if someone told you to let go of your child, wouldn't you think that is daft and they must be bonkers? Then how is a pet any different? Unfortunately, not all pets receive the love and affection they deserve. But in these times of loneliness and isolation, we need to make things easier for people, not harder. Many pet owners are willing to pay extra cleaning fees and increased deposit amounts to bring their loved pets with them.
Would this not be better for a landlord than a tenant sneaking them in? As part of our commitment to better social value, we allow pets into our properties. For a skeptical landlord, there is software like PetScore that rates pets and will provide more peace of mind.
New record for My Landlord Cares
We completed our latest property recently, and within 8 day,s we had tenants move in!
Now, let's be honest, the property came in good condition, so it did not require much work, and we paid a good price for it. We had to undertake all the necessary checks and certifications, this was no easy task, considering the shortage of good tradesmen at the moment.
We undertook 2 full days of tenant viewings. It is quite sad how bad the situation is due to the shortage of housing available within the Private rented sector. Not many people want to purchase but are keen to rent. All they ask is for is a fair rent and a good landlord. In the end, the tenant we selected was a family member of a current tenant. They had been viewing properties for 3 months and wanted a good house that they could make home. When we came up as landlords, they were really keen to get on board with us due to our reputation and track record with her family member.
We were always told 'treat others as you want to be treated' and we always treat our tenants with respect and dignity and we receive this back
Evictions taking an average of 45 weeks
Despite all the checks and all the references, your tenant has become a nightmare. It can be really hard; someone who was an amazing tenant can change, or their situation can change drastically.
Did you know that the average time it takes from claims to repossessions is 44.5 weeks (information provided by NimbleFin). That is a really long time to deal with anti-social behaviour or no rent!
We undertake many informal reference checks to get the right tenant into your property, and we undertake regular inspection visits. We will support you in these situations. Many of our landlords come to us when the situation is tough, and we help them make sense of things. Are you in this situation?