I used to be wracked with guilt every time I took a phone call from a client in the evenings. My husband and kids would all roll their eyes in unison. I used to dread turning the corner on my street every time I got stuck at the office working late. Coming into the house would be like facing a firing squad. Starting and running a business is one of the biggest challenges I have faced so far in my life. I found it to be extremely rewarding each day, but boy did my family feel neglected. Then something magical happened...I realized that if they were included in this process, we could all feel like we were contributing to something together.
My husband was always next to me when I took those evening phone calls. So, I started using the speaker phone so he could listen to both sides of the conversation. We spent time during the evenings going over each real estate document's purpose and execution. We all spent time learning the online transaction management software that my company uses to process transactions. I'm happy to say that a year later, my husband runs a rockin' documentation team! My 8 year old is a total computer whiz - he now thinks it is a treat to add new staff members to all of our online transactions when they are hired. He also knows how to upload property pictures from the MLS into the online transaction.
Before, all my family knew was that I worked late and was sometimes stressed out. Now, they have a total appreciation for what I have been doing all these years and they feel like they can actually help out to keep the stress levels down. They all really take pride in what we are doing.
This has been a great thing for all of us. My kids are not only learning about real estate, but they have learned about responsibility and how to earn their allowance. I even took it a step further with the kids. When I have work that needs to be done that they can handle, I have them "bid" on the job and we negotiate what they'll get paid. I figure it is never too early to teach them how to navigate successfully in the business world.
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