Property management isn’t just about managing spaces. It’s about fostering environments where residents feel a genuine sense of belonging.
Science has proven there’s a simple, yet powerful way to instantly cultivate connectedness and trust – and it’s physical warmth.
In this blog, we’ll explore a scientific study that sheds light on the link between tactile temperature and feelings of interpersonal warmth (that pleasant, content feeling you get during a positive interaction with someone).
Understanding this connection can be the secret to building stronger multifamily communities - and at the end of this blog, we’ll share one simple trick that can revolutionize your community-building efforts.
The Origins
The concept of “warm” and “cold” personalities dates back to 1946, when researcher Samuel Asch demonstrated the transformational power of using the two terms as personality traits in first impressions.
Simply stated, when you meet someone, your brain almost immediately decides whether that person is warm and friendly, with good intentions, or cold and distant, with negative intentions.
The “warm-cold dimension,” along with competence, are the two main components of a first impression. The warm-cold assessment is the immediate “first pass” as to whether someone is a friend or a foe, and competence is the “second pass” evaluation of whether someone has the capacity to act on the intentions you perceive.
So why do we naturally use terms like "warm" or "cold" to describe people? Asch hinted at something interesting – our brains love drawing from concrete physical experiences to make sense of abstract psychological concepts.
Think about it. When you hold a hot cup of coffee, it feels comforting, right? That physical warmth activates memories of other feelings related to warmth, including trust and comfort. Take formative early experiences with caretakers who provide shelter and safety, for example.
In plain talk, if you've got a toasty beverage in your hand, you're more likely to feel connected and trust the people around you. Conversely, if you're cold, you'll feel more distant and guarded.
The Science
Now, let's delve into the neuroscience of it all.
Research has proven that the insular cortex, a region of the brain, processes both the physical and the psychological versions of warmth information.
To put it simply, the insular cortex is involved in both feeling warm physically and deciding if someone is trustworthy or not. It's like your brain saying, "I feel safe and warm – this person must be okay."
The Study
In 2008, based on Asch’s theories and the knowledge of the insular cortex’s functions, a team of researchers set out to test the hypothesis that tactile experiences of physical warmth activate feelings of interpersonal warmth - and that interpersonal warmth subsequently influences judgments of and behavior toward other people.
In the first experiment, participants who were asked to briefly hold a cup of hot coffee perceived the person who handed it to them as significantly warmer than those who were asked to hold an iced coffee.
The second experiment extended these findings to participants' own behavior. Under the guise of product evaluation, participants were asked to review a hot or cold therapeutic pad. As a reward for their review, participants were given the opportunity to select a gift certificate for themselves or gift one to a friend. Not surprisingly, 54% percent of heating pad evaluators gifted their reward, in comparison to only 25% of cold pad evaluators.
The Opportunities
At this point, you’re probably wondering how any of this relates to multifamily.
But, if you stop to think about it, understanding the immense impact of physical warmth on interpersonal perceptions and behavior can be a true game-changer for property management.
A coffee amenity, the ultimate source of physical warmth, may seem simple and unassuming, but it has the incredible power to build trust and likability in your community.
Want to immediately build rapport and trust with prospective residents? Hand them a warm drink before starting a tour.
Want to help residents build relationships? Host tasting events where everyone has a hot beverage in hand.
Want to generate a positive connection with your on-site team or candidates? Treat them to a warm drink during team-building activities and interviews.
Recognizing the profound influence of physical warmth on interpersonal warmth opens up exciting possibilities for community-building. With the help of coffee amenities like SipWithMe, property management leaders can turn the simple act of sharing coffee into a powerful tool for community development, making properties not just spaces to inhabit but communities to belong to.
Interested in cultivating connectedness with coffee at your property? Learn more about how SipWithMe can help you elevate your resident experience, decrease your operating expenses and build a stronger community.
In the latest episode of the "Multifamily Excellence" podcast, WithMe Founder and CEO Jonathan Treble interviews Girish Gehani, the COO of Trilogy Real Estate Group.
Trilogy Real Estate Group is a vertically integrated multifamily powerhouse, boasting a remarkable $4.5 billion in transaction volume across 14 thriving U.S. markets.
During the interview, Jonathan and Girish dive into an array of industry topics, including the game-changing strategies that have propelled Trilogy to success.
One of the most interesting insights Girish shares is the invaluable role supplier relationships can play in learning about and understanding key trends in multifamily.
He notes, "I've probably learned more from our third-party supplier partner relationships than I have from people who are sitting on my side of the table."
But why are these relationships so invaluable for property managers?
Girish explains that suppliers like WithMe engage with a multitude of clients, resulting in a unique and well-rounded vantage point of the industry. Supplier relationships have the ability to extend far beyond transactions, offering owner-operators a frontline view into market demands, operational intricacies, resident preferences and potential areas of innovation.
Girish emphasizes, “I spend a lot of my time creating those relationships in a true and authentic way, and it's been invaluable.”
This sentiment rings true for the team at WithMe. As a supplier, we are often boots on the ground, meeting with property managers all across the U.S. To deliver superior products and services, we closely monitor the operational challenges our clients face. As a result, we accumulate many data points that offer valuable insight into various parts of the industry.
Over the last year, here are three of the significant trends we’ve observed:
Labor Shortages and Overburdened Teams
Property management firms have been struggling with labor shortages for quite some time now, particularly when it comes to on-site roles, such as maintenance and leasing.
It’s undeniably a complex issue. Operational bottlenecks often stem from understaffed teams, causing delays in addressing resident needs and maintenance issues. This not only impacts the efficiency of operations and quality of service, but it also places an ever-increasing burden on existing staff members, leading to potential burnout.
To combat these issues, the industry has been turning to automation and AI.
Focus on Cost Control
With interest rates and insurance premiums continuously on the rise, property managers are under immense pressure to control costs. The challenge has been finding ways to reduce expenses without compromising service quality.
Seeking vendors and suppliers offering all-inclusive, flat-rate packages can help maintain fixed and predictable costs in an unstable environment. This especially rings true for amenities like coffee and printing, where wildly unpredictable and staggeringly high costs have become the norm.
Pilot Fatigue
The rapid rollout of new technologies in recent years has led to an unforeseen challenge—pilot fatigue.
In times like these, it’s important that property managers exercise a high level of discernment regarding the technologies they adopt. This involves developing a clear evaluation framework, particularly assessing the compatibility of new technologies with existing systems, evaluating their scalability, and ensuring comprehensive training and support for effective staff adoption.
Want to delve deeper into Jonathan and Girish's conversation? Listen to the full podcast episode on your favorite platform. If you like what you hear, be sure to leave a review and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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Multifamily proptech company brings its innovative coffee amenity to the greater Charlotte area, with Summit Coffee serving as exclusive roaster partner.
Chicago - (December 21, 2023) SipWithMe, the innovative bean-to-cup coffee amenity for multifamily, launches in the greater Charlotte area this week. Committed to supporting local roasters, WithMe has selected North Carolina-based Summit Coffee as its exclusive roaster partner in the market.
SipWithMe is not only elevating coffee amenities in apartment communities all across the United States, it’s also helping property managers reduce their operating expenses by up to 60%.
Every SipWithMe machine is stocked with locally sourced beans and can craft more than 20 roast-to-order, barista-quality beverages in seconds. SipWithMe devices in Charlotte will feature three hand-selected Summit blends: Pitch Black, Basecamp, Kilimanjaro. Residents can conveniently order through their electronic devices or on the machine’s HD display.
Designed with the unique needs of property managers in mind, SipWithMe offers proprietary allowance technology to prevent excessive consumption, as well as inventory management assistance and robust live support.
“We are elated to be working with Summit Coffee,” says Jim Carbone, Vice President of Operations for WithMe, Inc., parent company of SipWithMe. “Their mission to create moments of joy through coffee perfectly complements our commitment to create a memorable coffee experience for multifamily residents, and we are thrilled to be able to support a roaster so dedicated to protecting the environment and enacting positive change in communities around the world.”
Founded in 1998 in Davidson, North Carolina, Summit Coffee is an award-winning roaster with more than a dozen cafes across the Southeast United States. They are certified Organic, Climate Neutral and a member of 1% For the Planet. Committed to using their platform to help others, they have implemented myriad campaigns benefitting foundations in their immediate communities and beyond.
“Summit is excited to partner with SipWithMe to bring great coffee to residents across the Charlotte metro area,” says Wholesale Manager Katie Stanley. “We look forward to their growth and to seeing more people enjoy Summit's coffee throughout their partner properties.”
In addition to Charlotte, SipWithMe is currently available in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, South Florida and Washington, D.C.
About Summit Coffee
Based in North Carolina, Summit is an award-winning coffee roaster that prides itself on providing customers with the best version of the coffee that they want. Summit is certified Organic and Climate Neutral, as well as a member of 1% For the Planet.
Summit considers it their purpose to create moments of joy. They aim to offer these moments through their 12+ cafes in the Southeast U.S.; through their dynamic wholesale partnerships, delivering coffee to customers all over the country; and through their intentional impact efforts, where they invest in their local communities and coffee farmers around the world. For more information, visit www.summitcoffee.com.
About WithMe, Inc.
WithMe, Inc. makes people's lives better every day through convenient, technology-powered amenities for the multifamily industry and beyond. WithMe’s PrintWithMe and SipWithMe solutions make resident printing and coffee simple, helping property management leaders deliver an elevated living experience and meet evolving resident needs for remote/hybrid work spaces, while simultaneously decreasing spend, controlling costs and saving time for staff. PrintWithMe powers printer amenities and staff solutions at thousands of multifamily, cafe and coworking locations across all 50 states. SipWithMe, which is now available in major markets, is disrupting the coffee amenity category. WithMe is an Inc. 5000 fastest growing company, appearing on the list for the past three consecutive years. Learn more at www.withme.com.
It’s that time of year again.
Time to make New Year’s resolutions.
Love them or hate them, they can be a catalyst for positive growth, development and improvement.
This year, alongside your annual resolutions to start a new hobby, improve relationships or cultivate better habits, why not resolve to explore new ways to make life better for your residents and your team members?
To help get you started, we’ve compiled a list of 10 resolutions tailored to the unique challenges facing property management leaders - along with practical insights and valuable resources to help you achieve them.
10 New Year’s Resolutions for Multifamily Property Management Leaders
One of the cornerstones of successful property management is cultivating a sense of community among residents. Resolve to create shared spaces and host meaningful events that bring people together, fostering a sense of belonging. This not only improves resident satisfaction but also contributes to a positive living environment.
Need inspiration? Check out the playback of “Home Is Where Your Apartment Is: Building Community to Enhance Resident Retention,” an enlightening webinar featuring a panel of multifamily experts who offer expert strategies and tactics for building community, from setting the stage at move-in to hosting meaningful events.
Strive to go beyond providing your residents with basic services. Resolve to enhance their living experience by offering amenities, services and events that cater to their needs and desires in a memorable way.
The right tech-powered amenities can make achieving this resolution effortless. Take a community printer. Printing is a service residents want and need (confirmed by The Wall Street Journal), but having to email documents to staff members or deal with an unpredictable DIY solution is more headache than helpful. A solution like PrintWithMe is hands-off for staff and empowers residents to print from their own devices, on their own time.
Beyond distinctive amenities and memorable events, remember that creating an elevated experience starts with you. Go above and beyond when the opportunity presents itself - and it won’t go unnoticed. Reserve a spot for the moving truck. Carry up groceries. Hold the door. Engage in small talk. Sometimes, the smallest gestures make the biggest impact.
Investing time and money into creating an elevated experience doesn’t just benefit your residents - it also benefits your bottom line. Happy residents are more likely to renew their leases, minimizing vacancy periods and associated turnover expenses.
A motivated, satisfied and properly equipped on-site team is essential for effective and efficient property management. When your team is content, they are more likely to be engaged and dedicated to achieving property management goals. Resolve to prioritize the well-being of your team members by providing the right tools and training opportunities, recognizing achievements, and fostering a positive work environment.
An oft-missed piece of creating a positive environment is ensuring that team members derive a sense of value and pride from the work they’re doing. Inefficient processes and an overabundance of menial tasks can quickly lead to discontent and burnout. Software platforms and tech-enabled amenities that automate tasks and create operational efficiencies can be powerful tools in creating a great experience for on-site teams. When they have time to focus on what they were hired to do, they are more likely to feel accomplishment, pride and a sense of purpose.
There’s no denying that interest rates and insurance premiums are uncontrollable right now, but there are plenty of ways to control costs across services and amenities. Resolve to implement cost-reduction and cost-control measures without compromising on service quality. This not only contributes to increased NOI but also ensures financial stability for the property.
Start by identifying areas where your costs have significantly increased and/or vary wildly from month-to-month. Seek out vendors and suppliers that offer all-inclusive, flat-rate packages to help keep your costs fixed and predictable in an environment where instability is the norm.
Coffee is a great example. When you have no way to limit consumption, variances and skyrocketing costs are the norm. However, there are helpful solutions specifically designed to help multifamily properties control (and often reduce) their coffee costs. SipWithMe, for example, offers innovative software that gives property managers full control over how many cups residents are drinking, as well as a full range of all-inclusive packages that make budgeting a breeze. The solution helped a portfolio of class A properties in Chicago reduce their OpEx by an average of 50%.
If you’re trying to DIY services or amenities, there can be significant cost savings in working with outside vendors and suppliers who have economies of scale and volume discounts on their side.
Streamlining operations is crucial for success in property management. Invest in technology and processes that enhance efficiency, from streamlined communication systems to advanced property management software.
Don’t discount the power of tech-enabled amenities in further streamlining processes and creating efficiencies. Outsourcing support and maintenance creates significant time savings, giving you and your team time to focus on more important tasks.
In a competitive market, differentiation is key. Resolve to keep close tabs on what your competition is doing and set your property apart with distinctive amenities, exceptional service and innovative programs that attract and retain valuable residents.
For maximum ROI, seek out amenities and services that don’t just pack a punch at first glance - but continue to bring value to residents after move-in.
Sustainability is a growing concern, and property managers can play a role in minimizing their property’s environmental impact. Resolve to adopt eco-friendly practices, from energy-efficient lighting to waste reduction initiatives. Not only is this socially responsible, but it can also result in cost savings over time.
Make a conscious effort to partner with third-party vendors and suppliers that offer eco-conscious products and encourage the adoption of environmentally sound policies.
As a property management leader, you are an integral member of the local community. Resolve to strengthen ties by supporting local businesses and participating in community events. Not only will this help you build visibility and rapport, it will also help your residents develop a sense of connectedness with the area. And when residents feel connected, they’re more inclined to want to stay where they are. Who doesn’t love retention and renewals?
You can also support the local community by embracing services and amenity solutions with local connections. And that doesn’t mean they have to be locally based. Some national suppliers partner with local companies for quality assurance and to help support local economies.
Technology is continually advancing, and if you resolve to remain flexible and open to innovation, it can give you a major competitive advantage in the long run. Strategically investing in new trends and technologies has the potential to help you improve your efficiency, increase resident retention and satisfaction, and stand out from your comps.
What’s trending and emerging in 2024?
With an onslaught of data privacy legislation on the horizon, resolving to safeguard resident, staff and company data is almost non-negotiable.
The fundamental way to keep this resolution? Stay abreast of changing laws and regulations to ensure compliance and avoid legal issues. If you need to get up to speed, a great starting point is this cyber risk management webinar, where two of today’s top data privacy attorneys delve into the current legislative landscape and address the challenges inherent in multifamily operations.
If you don’t have a thorough understanding of how personal information is processed at your property, consider investing in data mapping, which clearly identifies all third parties processing data and pinpoints compliance gaps that need to be filled.
By embracing these resolutions, you can navigate the challenges of the coming year with confidence and effectiveness. Building a sense of community, prioritizing resident and team experiences, and staying ahead of industry trends are crucial steps toward achieving success in the dynamic field of property management.
Let WithMe, Inc. help you keep these resolutions with PrintWithMe and SipWithMe, tech-enabled printing and coffee amenities designed to make life better for residents and on-site teams.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Multifamily Excellence, Girish Gehani, COO of Trilogy Real Estate Group, shares the game-changing strategies that have propelled Trilogy to success.
Girish emphasizes the fundamental importance of cultivating strong relationships — both with clients and third-party organizations — and discusses how the relationships he has built over the course of his career have ultimately shaped Trilogy's innovative approach to property management.
Girish also shares actionable insights on preserving company culture and DNA amid rapid expansion. From developing a robust mentorship program designed to turn employees into brand ambassadors to his commitment to one-on-one connection, Girish explains how he has continuously leveled up his leadership skills and helped Trilogy remain true to its original core values.
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The holidays should be a time of joy and excitement, but for those who can’t be with loved ones, they can create feelings of overwhelming loneliness and sadness.
On-site teams have the incredible opportunity to help residents feel the warmth of the season, literally and figuratively, with an unassuming amenity - the coffee machine (bonus points if it’s SipWithMe)!
A holiday coffee and cocoa tasting can be an easy and cost-effective way to generate meaningful resident interaction and create holiday cheer - and we’re here to help you sleigh one with a few tried-and-tested tips from our playbook!
Coffee and cocoa tasting events not only remind residents about your amenity, they also foster meaningful interaction.
And what happens when residents build strong relationships in their building and have access to amenities they truly value? They’re more likely to renew their leases.
This holiday season, treat your residents to holiday warmth and give yourself the gift of increased satisfaction and retention.
Multifamily proptech company brings its innovative coffee amenity to the greater Boston area, with Atomic serving as exclusive roaster partner.
Chicago - (December 5, 2023) SipWithMe officially launches in the greater Boston area this week, offering multifamily properties access to an innovative bean-to-cup amenity featuring locally craft roasted coffee from Atomic Coffee Roasters.
SipWithMe is elevating coffee amenities in apartments across the United States while simultaneously helping multifamily properties reduce their operating expenses by up to 60%. SipWithMe devices are stocked with locally craft roasted coffee beans and can brew more than 20 hot beverages in under 60 seconds. Residents have the ability to customize and order drinks through their electronic devices or using the machine’s built-in HD screen.
All SipWithMe devices in Boston will be stocked with three carefully selected blends from Atomic: Black Velvet, Rocketeer and Cosmo.
“Atomic couldn’t be better suited to be our partner in Boston,” says Jim Carbone, Vice President of Operations for WithMe, Inc., parent company of SipWithMe. “We have worked tirelessly to create a coffee amenity that helps multifamily properties elevate their resident experience, and that mentality is in perfect alignment with Atomic’s commitment to elevating coffee experiences.”
Led by brothers Spencer and Logan Mahoney, Atomic has been a mainstay in the Boston coffee scene since 1996. All of Atomic’s coffee is specialty grade, ethically sourced and roasted to order in small batches.
“We're partnering with SipWithMe after first meeting their team at the 2019 Speciality Coffee Expo here in Boston,” says Logan Mahoney, Atomic’s Director of Business Development & Strategic Partnerships. “After hearing about their plans for expansion, their focus on coffee quality, and the user-friendly experience, we knew we wanted to be the Greater Boston area roasting partner. The team has been terrific to work with thus far, and we're excited about the opportunities in Boston and beyond.”
In addition to Boston, active SipWithMe markets include Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, South Florida and Washington, D.C.
About Atomic Coffee Roasters
Roasting coffee on Boston's North Shore for over a decade, Atomic Coffee Roasters is a second-generation family business that's on a mission to spread positive energy and elevate coffee experiences. For more information, visit https://www.atomicroastery.com/.
About WithMe, Inc.
WithMe, Inc. makes people's lives better every day through convenient, technology-powered amenities for the multifamily industry and beyond. WithMe’s PrintWithMe and SipWithMe solutions make resident printing and coffee simple, helping property management leaders deliver an elevated living experience and meet evolving resident needs for remote/hybrid work spaces, while simultaneously decreasing spend, controlling costs and saving time for staff. PrintWithMe powers printer amenities and staff solutions at thousands of multifamily, cafe and coworking locations across all 50 states. SipWithMe, which is now available in major markets, is disrupting the coffee amenity category. WithMe is an Inc. 5000 fastest growing company, appearing on the list for the past three consecutive years. Learn more at www.withme.co.
Happy National Entrepreneurs’ Day!
The United States is renowned as the most entrepreneurial country in the world, but it wasn’t until 2010 that there was a day set aside to celebrate the achievements of its dreamers and innovators.
National Entrepreneurship Week was first observed November 14-20, 2010, with November 19 earmarked as National Entrepreneurs’ Day. The holiday is the handiwork of David Hauser and Siamak Taghaddos, two entrepreneurs who lobbied for a nationally recognized celebration of the trailblazing men and women who built something from nothing, created jobs, and made America what it is today.
As the years have passed, the celebration has evolved and grown. On October 31, 2023, the President declared November 2023 as National Entrepreneurship Month and November 21, 2023 as National Entrepreneurs' Day.
WithMe is proud to celebrate this holiday, and it only seems fitting that we mark the occasion by highlighting the achievements of our visionary CEO, Jonathan Treble, and the entrepreneurial endeavor that brought WithMe to life.
Seizing an Opportunity
It was a blustery day in Chicago, with 10 inches of snow covering the ground, when Jonathan Treble needed to print concert tickets. To add insult to injury, it was the weekend. It took two hours, thirty dollars and one soul-crushing visit to Kinko's to get the job done.
The year was 2014. PrintWithMe didn’t exist, and mobile ticketing was far from the norm. Concertgoers everywhere were dealing with the same dilemma every day. Where other fans saw major inconvenience, Treble saw incredible opportunity. He set out on a one-man mission to make printing convenient for everyone, everywhere.
“After experiencing the printing problem a couple of times, I had a ‘lightbulb moment’ and realized that a network of pay-per-use printer stations would not only be feasible from a technology perspective, but also viable from a business perspective,” says Treble.
So, later that year, in July 2014, Treble bought a printer at Staples and coded a checkout system with the help of some friends. The rest, as they say, is history. What resulted was PrintWithMe, a self-serve, wireless printer station that allows users to print documents via email from any digital device.
Building a Customer Base
Two short weeks after crafting the PrintWithMe prototype, Treble found his inaugural champion in Eva’s Café, a cozy eatery situated near his apartment in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood. Opting for a highly personal sales strategy, he boldly approached a shift leader (who also happened to be Eva’s nephew) about the possibility of placing a PrintWithMe kiosk in the café. Much to Treble’s surprise, his proposition was met with few objections, and the restaurant almost immediately agreed to partner with him. Their PrintWithMe device went live on August 1, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony officiated by Eva.
That initial interaction left Treble optimistic he could earn the trust of other Chicago café owners using the same direct and highly personal approach.
Inevitably, the enthusiasm of local business owners proved to be overwhelming. However, as with much new-to-market technology, consumer early adoption of the self-service, wireless printer stations was limited.
“I had to make some inferences that there was enough demand for the business model to work at scale,” explains Treble. “It wasn’t until about two years in that I saw a more robust level of demand and revenue from our first batch of apartment building customers.”
Innovating
As Treble began to work more closely with multifamily properties, he noticed a trend in property managers referencing printer amenity misuse and uncontrollable consumption. To address the issue, PrintWithMe developed proprietary Print Allowance technology that gives property managers the ability to set a limit on the number of free pages per resident, actively track usage and automatically charge residents when their allocations are exceeded.
In the words of Treble, the development and implementation of this technology was “one critical feature change that helped us not only survive, but thrive, as a company.”
Developing a robust client base in the multifamily space also brought about innovative additions to the PrintWithMe product mix. At the recommendation of Bob Flannery, one of PrintWithMe’s multifamily property executives, Treble began to explore the possibility of expanding the company’s services.
“Bob said the outsourced business model we had pioneered for printing services, where we completely managed and maintained the amenity, as well as developed custom software to suit the apartment building context, would perfectly fit coffee service as well.”
Upon further investigation, Treble identified striking parallels between mobile coffee and printing amenities in residential spaces. “They both involve hardware, a consumable supply of goods that need to be managed and a tendency for ‘abuse’ by select residents.” Thus, SipWithMe was developed, and the parent company, WithMe, Inc., was formed.
SipWithMe elevates the resident experience through reliable, easy-to-use technology, barista-quality beverages, and locally sourced coffee - all while helping properties decrease their spend, control costs and save time. The service incorporates the same groundbreaking allowance technology first introduced through PrintWithMe, giving owners and operators full control over resident usage.
SipWithMe was met with overwhelming response, and it is currently disrupting multifamily coffee in major markets all across the United States.
Building a Team
Visit the WithMe website or any of its social accounts, and you will quickly discover that culture is of the utmost importance. However, building that culture was a lengthy process. Determined to personally confirm his theory that PrintWithMe was best suited for a direct sales approach, Treble spent more than two years tirelessly canvassing Chicago on his own, often logging more than 80 hours of work per week.
Throughout the first four years of PrintWithMe, Treble built a small team of contractors and team members, but they all, admittedly, had a “work first” mentality, not unusual for a startup. Unfortunately, that mindset left little time or room for prioritizing culture. It wasn’t until years 4-6, when the team grew to 10, that Treble “started realizing that creating a genuinely positive culture would result in a competitive advantage and long-term benefits to the business.”
While eloquent words about culture may look impressive on a computer screen, the true indicator of culture lies in employee retention and satisfaction. According to Treble, “We truly live out the values we post on our website. We don’t just pay lip service to them. I have also found that newer employees (those who joined in the last 1-2 years) have self-selected to apply to WithMe because of our clearly stated values. They are, therefore, more likely to stay with us, which is a virtuous cycle.”
WithMe monitors Employee NPS twice per year, and satisfaction is consistently strong. Despite WithMe’s hypergrowth and the rise of negative employment movements like “The Great Resignation,” the company has also enjoyed relatively stable retention.
Learning and Growing
For those with entrepreneurial aspirations, Treble’s greatest advice is to voraciously consume literature. He believes in taking the time to identify subject areas that are a source of weakness or challenge – and then reading books at every comprehension level to gain a well-rounded understanding of each subject.
As Treble says, “Entrepreneurship is like an extreme sport. You need to rapidly learn new things merely to survive in an unforgiving environment.”
In addition to educating himself through books, Treble has also found podcasts to be crucial to his success. He cites The Marketing Book and Recruit Rockstars as two of the most influential in building WithMe.
Finally, Treble stresses the importance of finding steadfast mentors to help navigate the taxing and complex world of entrepreneurship. He counts Orazio Buzza at Fooda and Tim Thornton at PayPal as two of his greatest mentors.
As evidenced by Treble’s path to not only launch WithMe, but to continue to deliver new tech-powered convenience, entrepreneurship is a journey, not a destination. It requires continual self-evaluation, self-reliance, self-discipline and self-confidence.
Interested in learning more about Jonathan’s entrepreneurial journey? Connect with him on LinkedIn, where he regularly shares entrepreneurial insights and musings, and be sure to subscribe to his podcast, Multifamily Excellence, where he leads candid conversations with mutlifamily’s top minds.
At WithMe, we firmly believe a company is only as strong as its team.
In the inaugural episode of the "Multifamily Excellence" podcast, WithMe Founder and CEO Jonathan Treble interviews David Danish, SVP at LivCor, to uncover valuable insights on building high-performing and fully engaged teams.
Let's face it – employee turnover in multifamily is particularly high. Property managers, leasing agents and maintenance teams often face burnout and undervaluation, contributing to industry-wide labor concerns.
David's insights offer a roadmap to not only retain but also empower your team. Inspired by his philosophies, we've distilled four strategies for creating teams that endure the labor challenges of the multifamily industry and contribute to the long-term success and growth of your organization.
Onboarding: A Strategic Investment
Focus on creating a robust onboarding experience. Ensure new team members are exposed to the right individuals, relationships and skills needed for success. Initially, a detailed onboarding process is needed to ensure that individuals have the necessary tools and connections to do their job. Over time, acknowledge that the proximity to individuals' work during onboarding needs to wane for the team to grow and become scalable. Onboarding is a strategic investment in the long-term team and organizational success.
Empowerment and Trust
Hire individuals smarter than you. Treat team members as colleagues with different responsibilities, fostering a non-hierarchical atmosphere that respects ideas and empowers decision-making. Ask questions and encourage open dialogue to create a collaborative and inclusive environment.
Care-First Culture
Prioritize the well-being of team members by considering their personal lives and respecting their work-life balance. Show care through simple gestures like understanding meal breaks or accommodating different time zones.
Plus-Two Hire Philosophy for Scalability
Embrace the "plus-two hire" concept. Select team members who not only excel in their current roles, but also have the potential for two additional promotions. Assess every prospective new hire with the mindset of their long-term success within the organization, considering their ability to adapt and thrive in evolving roles. Acknowledge the role of the "plus-two hire" philosophy in sustaining rapid growth, especially during periods of expansion.
By prioritizing onboarding excellence, fostering empowerment and trust, embracing a care-first culture, and adopting a plus-two hire philosophy, you're not just building a team; you're constructing a path toward the sustained success of your organization.
Want to learn more about David's perspective on building high-performing and engaged teams in multifamily? Listen to the full episode on your favorite platform, and if you like what you hear, be sure to leave a review and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Multifamily Excellence, you'll hear from David Danish, Senior Vice President of Revenue Management, Marketing, and Strategic Initiatives at LivCor, a Blackstone Company.
David shares insights on his multifamily career progression, from his first role at Nessel Development to the years he spent working his way up to an influential leadership role at RealPage. He emphasizes the importance of creating a people-focused culture and shares his unique approach to leadership that relies heavily on empowerment, inclusivity and authenticity.
He discusses the challenges and opportunities in transitioning roles, the role of data-driven decisions in business strategies and the significance of authenticity in leadership. David also touches on diversity in leadership and the demands of a fast-paced work environment, highlighting the importance of aligning with a company's core values for career fulfillment.
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