My mother has been a real estate agent for nearly 10 years now. A couple years ago she was in need of an office assistant who she could rely on to take things off her overloaded plate. As fate would have it, her time of need came during the same time I was moving home for the summer between semesters at college. So she asked me, her blooming college undergrad to take on the role. I definitely learned a lot about the business but completing CMA's wasn't the most valuable lesson I learned during that summer. Think about it, I was a 19-year-old college kid who was already reluctant about spending a summer at home. (Let me note that this was the one and only summer, or any actual length of time, I spent at home during my entire undergrad career). Initially, thinking about spending every day with the woman who had spent the last 19 years nagging me scared me.
I decided to enroll in real estate classes and obtain my Michigan Real Estate License. I figured if I was going to do this, it was going to be legit. Nearly three weeks later, I had my license and I was put to work. I did all types of office work for her. Processed billing, answered phones, processed current market analysis, showed homes, made my mother lunch and ran her errands - all the things an office assistant and daughter should do for her boss and mother. In all honesty, it was extremely difficult for both of us in the beginning. We didn't know how to approach each other as professionals. She spoke to me as her child, and I responded as her daughter - not the kind of relationship you want bottled up in a small office all day.
We soon learned how to interact with one another in our small office. Eventually, the things that were driving us batty ended up benefiting us. I knew her quirks - the things that set her off, how to approach her during any given situation, when she was stressed, when she needed help, etc. She knew the same things about me. So we learned to take what we already knew about each other and use it in a positive manner.
Earlier today my mother asked me to take on her marketing and promotions. She has a website and her own personal FaceBook, but her actual company has no online personality whatsoever. I have to be honest, after reading her email the first time through, I said, "no way". I let it sink in and I realized that I opened and read that email as her daughter. This is a great opportunity! I get to head the entire project. This is a good chance for me to see what I am capable of without much guidance - see what I know and what I don't know. I know I've got a lot to learn, and I'm probably going to need a lot of help... but I guess that's why I have this whole network to turn to!
Well there's a little insight. Until next time...
-Nikki
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