Put me in Coach, I’m ready to play. You’ve heard the song. You also know that singers have vocal coaches. Athletes have several coaches for various skills. Many naturally talented people employ coaches, but why? Why would you pay someone to coach you on something that comes naturally? To be better. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. There is ALWAYS something new to learn. Coaches can bring new perspective and save you from yourself when needed. I have been using a business coach since 2013. Her name is Michelle, which makes it convenient when I have an premature senior moment! She is my biggest cheerleader. She encourages when needed. She sets me straight when needed. She makes sure I am doing the activities that I need to do in order to reach my goals and helps keep me on track. She has contests with me because she knows I am competitive and she helps keep me motivated when I have had a particularly difficult day, week or month. She shares a lot of books and articles with me that are appropriate for me at the time. I remember one time, in particular, when I sat in my car crying (it takes a lot to make me cry – unless it is an animal story) while she made me read Negative vs Positive phrases because I felt like a failure and wanted to give up. It would have taken me a lot longer to get out of the place I was in, mentally, and perhaps would have had a very different outcome if I hadn’t had her to lean on. Most of us have friends that we can go to when we are having a bad day or a business associate whom we can ask for advice. I have learned that they are not always there for you. They don’t always have your best interest in mind and even sometimes, they don’t want to see you succeed. A mentor or a coach gets paid to do all these things. If you succeed, they succeed. If you are stuck or if you know you have some unlocked potential, I encourage you to look into a business coach. Find one that fits your personality and one that will challenge you to be better. Here is a shameless plug for mine (I promise, she doesn’t know I’m doing this): Michelle Broadbent Southwestern Consulting Professional Sales Trainer and Coach C: 615-347-4370 O: 615-371-0202...

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  As I sit to write this, I have four little eyes staring at me. Two from my Silky Terrier, Tyler, and two from my Yorkshire Terrier, Livvie. I said “blog, not dog!” But as they look up at me, I know all they are thinking about is when I’m going to be done working so I can throw a Frisbee, when will we go for a walk, and if they are really good while I work, will I give them a treat. And then I think of everything they teach me on a daily basis. Nothing earth shattering. Nothing you haven’t heard before. Just simple life lessons as known by dogs. Take a walk every day. Get some exercise, no matter how little it is. I have a fitness watch that buzzes at me when I haven’t had significant movement in an hour. Some days that thing drives me crazy and seems to go off every 10 minutes – nope, it’s been an hour. Maybe it means parking farther from the restaurant for your lunch meeting. Maybe you will take the stairs instead of the elevator when going into that office building. Whatever you can do, you will be better for it. Forgive and forget. I must admit, my two “babies” sometimes fight with one another. Jealousy, dominance, whatever it is, they get ticked off sometimes. 10 minutes later, they are playing or laying with each other. Humans get upset at each other but we should be able to talk it out – even yell it out at times – and then work it out. We don’t do anyone any good by holding grudges. We’ve all made mistakes. We’ve all hurt someone. So, next time you feel the need to get upset, don’t let it linger. Chances are, the person you are upset with is already over it and you are just making yourself miserable. Stare out the window. My dogs have a chair they like to perch on in our living room. It is by a window. They will sit there for hours and let you know when the neighborhood kids are walking to school, when the UPS driver stops by, or (heaven forbid) a cat decides to lounge in one of “their” porch chairs. A lot of those hours, however, are spent just looking out the window. I don’t know if they daydream but I think that’s what we should do every day. Stare out the window for a minute. Think of all the possibilities that lie ahead – and then go make them happen. Greet your loved ones enthusiastically. This is a big one for my girls. I have gone out to my car to go to work and had...

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  A lot of people have asked me lately, “What is Airbnb?” Wikipedia.org says that “Airbnb is a website for people to list, find, and rent lodging.  It has over 1,500,000 listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries.” Most people I encounter think Airbnb is the thing – kind of like Kleenex is a brand and tissue is the thing. People call short term rentals Airbnb. So whether or not you use Airbnb.com as the tool, it is a short term rental property. So what do you know about short term rentals? Many investors and real estate agents know enough to be dangerous, and, yes, it can be dangerous. What’s the danger? Do you need a permit? Do you have to pay taxes on the income you receive? Does your neighborhood  allow short term rentals? What kind of insurance do you need?   The answers to all of these questions is – it depends! With the influx of short term rentals, inevitably there are people who are not aware of these dangers. Don’t be one of them. If you are thinking about investing in or turning your property into a short term rental, do your homework. If you are buying property for the purpose of short term rental, it would be wise to hire a Realtor with experience in short term rentals. They can help answer questions as well as lead you to the local ordinances and help you avoid pitfalls. You will want to decide whether you want to manage the property on your own or if you will have a management company handle advertising, turning the property for each guest, maintenance requests, bookings, cancellations, collecting and refunding money, etc. There is definitely money to be made in short term rentals if you have a great property in the right location. Some short term rental owners make enough money in one week to pay for an entire month of mortgage payments – or more. Don’t be afraid of short term rentals, just be educated. We’ll talk about short term rentals more in the coming weeks so stay tuned!   Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles via...

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  Ever wonder what happens after you list your home with a Realtor? Here are a few things to expect when you’re selling.   You may get calls to show your house at a moment’s notice. This can be disruptive in the middle of Sunday dinner or when you have just put the baby down for a nap. Besides remembering to make your bed every day and keeping the house neat and clean, it may be helpful to keep a plastic bin by the door. This can be used to toss things in when you get those last minute requests. Simply take it with you when you leave the house.   People will look in your closets and built-in cabinets and drawers. Buyers need to see how much space there is for clothing and other items. If there are things you don’t want to be seen, store them or go ahead and pack them for the move. It is also a good idea to hide medications. We never want to think a Buyer would come into our home and take things that don’t belong to them but, we can’t be too careful.   Buyers or Buyer’s children will touch things. If you have breakables or valuables, put them out of reach or put them away. Realtors do their best to corral little ones but when there are too many of them, the parents are asking questions about the house and there are toys in the house, sometimes it is inevitable that items get touched and moved.   Lights may be left on or turned off. You may like to leave a light on for your arrival home after work or you may want every light in the house turned off to save electricity. No matter how you like it, it may not be that way when you return. The agent may not get the instructions. There are some homes that have multiple panels and switches that work the same lights. Most people do their best to leave it the way you had it or turn off most of the lights if you have left them on for the showing but it may not be perfect.   Doors may be left unlocked or doors that are meant to be unlocked will be locked. It is unsettling to think that someone could leave your house and not lock the door behind them, but it happens. Front doors are less likely to be left unlocked than back/side doors. Agents have locked doors only to have Buyers go behind them and open them again. On the flip side, if you do not lock the door from your house to the garage, a good...

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