Employees: The good, the bad, and the ugly.

[Trevor Kolb]

After reaching out to my first mentor and employer, I found out things aren't going as well for him as they used to. When asked what was bothering him, his response was "Good help is hard to find" meaning his employees were no longer the workforce he needs to achieve success. 

My next question was,"If not the restaurant, then what?" to which he responded, "a solo career". I scoffed, as this man was one of the hardest working men I had the chance to work under. Now, to know he feels defeated not by his work, but by his employees, I feel a sense of disappointment. At the same time, I know he is very smart and can achieve success with the right direction.

Any business can achieve great success when everyone involved does their part. When employees begin slacking and work is no longer being completed, your business suffers. How then, can we combat this trend? Making the tough choices.

Bad employees are very simple minded, either they don't care about the job or they don't care about their co-workers. Regardless, they can make or break your business. Take the time to find out what makes an employee unhappy, and you can figure out your next move. If whats causing their unhappiness is something you have the power to change, such as fixing a broken piece of equipment, I recommend making the change. If it's something uncontrollable, like their own attitude about other employees, it may be time to consider letting them go. Unsatisfied workers will always underperform, so it may be better to cut your losses and find the right canidate to help you achieve success!

I also ask him about his Rental Property. It was his first house, right down the street from the local high school. Fantastic home with plenty of updates the last I saw, and one he rented to a tenant right after purchasing a larger home for his growing family. His response was disheartening. "It's not going so well."

In an effort to help his family, Josh made the biggest investor mistake (in my opinion). He rented to family after his long time tenant moved. Ouch! Right on queue, I immediately suggest that he make the tough call and begin the process of giving them the boot (kindly, of course). Of which, he stated that it would be something to think about.

After briefly discussing my own endeavors into Real Estate, our conversation ended. Though it was great to catch up with my first mentor, I can finally understand that success and failure will both be apart of my future. Learning and adapting over time will become the greatest skills to master. I look forward to the remaining trials that lie ahead of me, as I want to show others that success is attainable.