In 2015 I started managing apartments in Madrid. I knew a little about marketing. I built my first website in Joomla. Blood, sweat and tears — but I got it done.
What took much longer was building a business with enough clients and enough income. And during that process, the doubts were real.
Was it me? Should I just stop?
“Vooral doorgaan”: keep going
My husband kept giving me a push on difficult moments. Just keep going. And I thought of Barrie Stevens — the British choreographer who became legendary in the Netherlands for one simple phrase he repeated as a jury member on the Soundmixshow in the nineties.
“Vooral doorgaan.”
Keep going.
So I did.
And something unexpected happened. By holding on, I built experience. Real experience. The kind you cannot buy or shortcut. Eleven years later, I feel that I have mastered my craft. And that mastery has given me something much bigger than a business.
What mastering property management gave me
It gave me grip on my own life. Not reacting to everything that comes at me. But acting consciously. That feels like inner strength.
It gave me confidence and self-worth. Every time I chose my long-term values over the easy way out, I proved something to myself. I can do this.
It gave me growth. Because when you feel you are mastering something, you grow as a person. Your work starts to mean something.
And it gave me resilience. I know where I have influence and where I don’t. I know where I need to improve and where I need to hold on. That makes me stronger.
Property management is not a glamorous profession. But it has given me all of this.
Sometimes the most important thing you can do is just keep going.
Want to learn how to build systems that give you that same grip on your rental business? Join my free webinar.
And if you want your property in Spain to run like a real business, take a look at Casas Creating Cashflow, my programme for owners and property managers.
