“Perfection is great, doing it is better”
This is a quote I reiterate often, partly to help others and partly to help myself. I was told it originally came from Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook – who said it first is not important to me – the principle behind the words is though
Like many of you reading this, I am a perfectionist, in a positive sense this can be a great way to be. You will often work to a much higher standard than the general population, ensuring all the t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted. There is generally no need for someone to go back over your work, redoing the basics. Rarely is a perfectionist described as sloppy or inconsistent
In a negative sense it can mean that we can procrastinate about something to the extreme and not allow ourselves to act. It can often take us a long time to complete a simple task as we MUST ensure its “just right” before allowing anyone else to see it. This is a common trait in artists, many of the greatest works have never been viewed, because “they were not quite right” – in the eyes of the creator
For me the greatest challenge comes in the form of obsessive thinking, once I have a vision for something I can become completely consumed in delivering that exact thing, often failing to deal with the mundane (but essential) everyday things
I have ripped out newly laid limestone bathroom floors before as the colours didn’t look quite right, rebuilt the same chimney three times as I was not happy with it. Completely removed more newly installed door linings than I can remember – adjusting them by around 20mm, so visually, they line up perfectly with another door or window – the list goes on!
Don’t get me wrong this has stood me in extremely good stead, every property I have sold has broken the ceiling price in the local area, my brand has always been known for exceptionally good quality. The sacrifice you make is that sometimes you don’t get the same profit margin in the short term . . . in my experience in multiplies many times over in the long term though
My biggest lesson in property development has been learning to let go of my natural impulse to “over do, absolutely, everything”. This took many years, I have probably still not completely perfected it, possibly I never will
I would never allow want my brand to be associated with anything less than top quality. However, top quality does not mean that “everything” needs to be the most expensive & the most well recognised brand. The trick is knowing what can be standard type of finish (but still good quality) and the parts that NEED to be extremely high quality – these create the WOW factor
I have a whole section on this in my course The first timers essential guide to property renovation & development . When I work with one-to-one clients, they often start out believing that to achieve a high-end finish, absolutely everything needs to be the very best money can buy. Often, they are lost for words when I share the figures for what certain elements have cost. Don’t get me wrong, you do need to spend out on some things, just not everything
Once I got my head around this and started focusing on the areas that really added value, not only did my life get easier but my profits grew much faster
For those who are keen to start their journey, I have created a Free mini course, it’s packed full of useful info
By the end of the course, you will be able to;
- Get yourself in the perfect position to invest in your first property
- Understand how to minimise risk with your first property investment
- Point out what REALLY adds value to any property renovation
- Maximise the end sale price of your first investment property so you don’t leave any money on the table
>>> Click here to sign up and get started on the journey >>>
As always, if you have any thoughts or questions on this or anything else property related, I would love to hear from you?
Cheers George B
