Dream Town’s Ask for Sam team in Chicago leverages technology and flexibility to make a highly mobile real estate office work for them. We sat down with the two business partners that make up this team, Sam Powell and Christina Pinson, to bring you a few ideas on how being able to work from a car, coffee shops, hotels, and other spaces in the community can make running a business even more seamless and rewarding. Here are a few of their takeaways:
- A mobile office allows you to be more productive on the go. If you can work from anywhere, you can avoid traffic by arriving early for appointments and working until your meeting begins.
- It’s easier and less expensive than you think. All the tools they use to stay connected—from programs like Skype and Dropbox to device chargers and extra batteries to Wi-Fi hotspots—are relatively low-cost and portable.
- Getting out of the office helps you get to know your area better. Being able to work from anywhere means the Ask for Sam team can embed themselves in new communities and get to know neighborhoods more intimately.
- Knowing where to work helps them know where to relax. Their work-from-anywhere style comes in handy when it's time to help buyers unwind after a long stretch of showings.
- Work-life balance is paradoxically easier to maintain. For them real estate is a 24/7 lifestyle, which can be an adjustment. But both Powell and Pinson say the end result is better work-life balance and more time with loved ones.