Membership
Report
(Click here
to go to the Membership page)
There were
no objections to the
application for Roy Anderson so he can be invited to a meeting.
Recently
submitted membership applications:
[membersonly/archives/applications/submitted_applications.htm]
Social Report
(Click here to go to the Social Event page)
The next rafting trip is on April 23rd.
Speaker Coordinator Report
(Click here to go to the Speaker Schedule)
Main Speaker
Spotlight Speaker
Treasurer Report
5 members still owe dues for the current
quarter. Please try to get them in as soon as possible.
20-34, 44-38, 44-43, 24-20, 10-31, 13-30, 06-30, 03-13, 27-21,
27-30, 27-23, 48-12.
This week's
leads focus...
Mike Whalen was today's Business Spotlight.
Mike started his business back in 1986 at the age of 19.
He started out doing awards but has since expanded to doing
promotional items, imprinted sportswear and more. He has
also added a showroom. He brought in samples of items he
is working on this week to give members an idea of all the
different things he can do. In fact, there is not much he
can't do. The biggest problem he faces is time. Most
customers wait until the last minute to place their order.
Fortunately, most work is done in house and he carries a large
inventory so he can usually meet the deadline. With more
distributors in town, competition has increased so Mike's most
recent challenge is to educate customers an quality.
Steve Chilton has information on the new
"Do not call list" for cell phones if anyone is interested.
Gary Nelson would like to be on the "Please call list"!
Bill LaLonde was injured on the job this
past week. He has a few broken bones but is otherwise
doing well.
Did I hear right? Gas prices are
slightly down? Don't tease us Sandro!
Amy Ahrensdorf wants to know how other
people in the group that enter client's homes deal with personal
liability issues. Roman Okonowski suggested that she be
aware of the different exposures that she has and make sure she
has the applicable home and/or business insurance coverage to
cover those exposures. Randy Clark spends a lot of time
educating his customers and has them sign a form that they
understand the potential risks. Chris Curran agreed that
this was an excellent practice. Roman also told us that,
unless you are continually negligent, you should not be
concerned that you insurance company will drop you if a claim is
filed. Mark Dreher and Lisa Wolfe both suggested that you
fire "stupid" clients. If you see red flags, don't even
bother with them. They are a liability that you don't
need.
Mike Whalen's rotary club is holding a
silent auction that raises money for scholarships. Any
items that members can donate would be greatly appreciated.
Pat Cox
Nordin
Properties, LLC
Pat currently holds the property management
position in MABE. When she first joined, that was her main
function. But she has parted ways with some of the
properties and is only providing this service for clients and
friends. She now focuses on being an office manager and
running a team of real estate agents.
Pat's background is in real estate.
She retired from that field 13 years ago. Then her husband
asked her to come in part time to help out while he replaced his
former office manager. That was 5 years ago. And
part time ended up being 60 hours a week.
Pat's family moved here when she was only
4 years old so she calls Arizona her home. They had lots
of animals growing up. She spent a lot of time riding
horses and hanging out at the lake.
Pat and Les are both on their second
marriages. They have been together 31 years. People
that knew them never thought it would last. This past year
has been a difficult one for them personally. They lost a
very dear friend to cancer. Pat is still trying to work
through it.
Business, however, has been going strong.
They have grown to 8 active agents and are hiring 3 more.
They have 4 full-time staff and 2 part-time staff. They
have moved offices three times over the last few years to
accommodate their growth and they are at capacity again.
Pat credits their growth to joining a
coaching group. They spent a lot of money on it but it has
allowed them to grow quickly. They meet by phone, in
person and via email on a regular basis. They help each
other by sharing experiences in the industry.
They have only a moderate turnover in
their business. Most people leave believing that they can
do it themselves and keep all of the money but they usually end
up sorry the left and wanting to come back. They now make
agents sign a 3-year non-compete contract. In fact, before
even hiring them, potential agents must take a personality test,
do an online real estate simulator and go through a series of
interviews just to make sure they are a good fit for the
position.
Business is crazy right now. There
are tons of buyers and no inventory. People are lined up
wanting to buy homes and property. She warns people to
make sure they are getting the best deal as profit margins in
this current market are low.
As a business owner you have several
options. Whether or not you should buy or lease is a
personal decision. It depends on your particular needs and
circumstances. You need to determine how long you plan on
being at that location, etc. You can get together with
other business owners and become tenant owners of a property.
Just make sure it will be a good fit and everyone knows their
responsibility to avoid conflicts. If you need help, Pat
has an agent that specializes in this particular area of the
market.
[membersonly/archives/former_members/cox.htm]