Agency Update February 5, 2014

When no one steps on my dreams there’ll be days like this
When people understand what I mean there’ll be days like this
When you ring out the changes of how everything is
Well my mama told me there’ll be days like this

Oh my mama told me
There’ll be days like this
Oh my mama told me
There’ll be days like this

The lyrics of this classic by Van Morrison have been stuck in my head for days.  From the first blog I said I would chronicle the progress of the business.  So today I take a moment to jot down my thoughts, in between technical support calls with Microsoft, processing listing photos, researching information for Buyer clients and oh—mopping the floor.  

Yes, I have quickly gained full grasp of the old saying “chief, cook and bottle washer.” 

I can’t say that I wasn’t warned.  Owning a small business is a lot of work, for which I was prepared.  Real estate is of course a seven day a week job, especially if your market is at a ski resort that doesn’t shut down from opening day in November to closing day in late April—that I knew.  What I didn’t know was the education I’d get learning the art of triage.  Though I wouldn’t compare a small business crisis to a medical emergency, it’s the process of deciding what that day is a priority to get accomplished.

Years ago when I was a print journalist I used to say that I knew a little bit about a lot of things—and while I would like to say I know a lot about real estate, particularly Bethel and Sunday River area real estate, I’m very much on a learning curve regarding everything from social media to website management to tax implications of owning a small business.  Other things I have learned:  Swiffer wet mops rule and Go Pro cameras are really, really cool.

It’s all been a blast and I still look forward to coming in to the office every day.  I was told by many that struck out on their own that I would never look back, and that is true.  Besides, time moves forward and we need to do the same.

With all of the daily successes there have been the occasional setbacks, including in the past week.  When it happens, I think of an old friend who had a spate of difficult things happen in his life.  “This too shall pass,” he would say.  I remind myself of the same and I sing that Van Morrison classic and step forward.