Christina Rossini’s Post

I made a last minute decision to drive back to Cincinnati to surprise my mom for her 80th birthday. 🥳 As a business owner, I don’t take time away from work lightly. I didn’t think I could do it. Then - I remembered an important lesson that I often share but clearly needed to live myself. Taking a wider perspective gives you better focus. Whether it’s an exam you’re studying for, a business you are starting, a <insert situation here> …. taking a step back gives you a broad look at all the things that are important to you, and balances out the stress you are putting on that. one. thing. ➡️ You might find you have other areas that are more important than you realized. ➡️ Sometimes taking a few steps back to get that wider view allows you to see ‘the thing’ you think is a priority IS in fact the center of importance but there are other aspects that come into view that bring balance. ➡️ Other times, you might find a brand new path. There are a plethora of options. I’m glad I took the weekend to take the broader perspective. As I head back to Virginia, I have a much better view.

Houston, we (had a problem) 😬 Our client was a busy professional managing two side hustle businesses and a family. Her plate was full, and her team was facing a lot of challenges. We knew we could help, but how? Here's the nitty gritty of what we did to turn it all around: 📅 We sit down weekly to map out her week, ensuring no detail is overlooked. 📩 No more missed meetings—we handle all appointment confirmations. 📝 Contracts for new events are sent out months in advance, eliminating last-minute rushes. 💻 We created an event page on her website, which is now filling up with profitable events. The result? She’s no longer in reactive mode. With deliberate planning, she even managed to take *three weeks* off this summer without significant impacts on her businesses. Now THAT'S what we call a client success story! 🙌

Recognition Friday! - Kayte Foster Kayte and I have known each other since we were 5. Since first grade! We fell out of touch, as people do, but reconnected several years ago (thanks to the Facebooks 😆). Every once in a while our paths still cross. I reached out to Kayte a few weeks ago to talk about brand-building. We're connected on multiple social media platforms, and over the past few years, I've seen her posts evolve. Her content began to focus HEAVILY on her real estate business; generally what you'd expect from a Realtor, right? What strikes me about Kayte is her unwavering PERSISTENCE. Week after week for multiple years now, I'm getting updates on the Denver real estate market, some new listing, or a sale. And it's worked! She's successful in a competitive market and an industry that's always kind of difficult to fully understand. People clearly recognize her as a go-to resource for buying and selling real estate in Denver. Ultimately, her answers to my questions about how to manage putting yourself out there as a professional and persevering came down to two things (paraphrasing): 1) Not everyone is going to like what you say, the ones that do will find you 2) Just do the thing. And those are two simple rules I can understand and rely on. So, recognition Friday number 2 belongs to you, Kayte. I can't thank you enough for your perspective.

This is the beginning. One year ago I was coming back from a somewhat work trip, re-energized and ready to get after it with my sales team, with some new ideas and approaches to start implimenting. My last day there though, all of a sudden my calendar starts getting flooded with meetings. No context, no communication about what they’re for, and even after asking for some more info so I could be better prepared, nothing. I get there for the first one and we’re all blindsided by being told that our company is shutting down operations in this region. Immediately after that meeting, I then get the JOY of being part of multiple other meetings to tell the employees in our different departments... Over the next few weeks, one thing I remember is that over and over as I talked with mentors and friends about what was going on, the message was “give it some time, I’ll bet that in the end you’re going to look back and be glad this happened, and be better off for it”. Fast forward to this last Spring and I’m talking to some pretty awesome people (that I’m INCREDIBLY grateful for) about starting up a home builder, and naming it Maverick Homes of all things. Fast forward again to July, and we’re official as a company and starting our first home. A few months later now and we’re close to finishing our first home and have 5 others in varying stages of production, and some pretty awesome plans for the rest of this year and next. In the grand scheme of things, it’s only been a year. Maybe we’re just still in our Honeymoon phase. But…it’s also been a whole year! And time will ultimately tell how things play out, but right now I can unequivocally say that the advice people were giving me has come true so far. Has there been challenge and frustration? Of course. But it’s so much fun doing what we’re doing, with the people we’re doing it with. Let’s see what the next twelve months have in store 😉

What are your relationship goals for 2024? We set goals for everything else - career, business, finances, trips, etc. You constantly hear people saying “Family First” and “Family Over Everything;” but, we never hear them talking about setting any family/relationship goals. How can we improve the quality of our relationships? How can we be better people, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, cousins, friends, co-workers, etc. What type of relationships do you desire? What does that look like? What does that feel like? How do you get there? If you take the time to sit down and answer these questions, you will be jumpstarting the new year out right. “Write the vision, make it plain.”

FIREWORKS! We spent the 4th of July holiday weekend with family in Texas, and it was awesome. Of course, the weekend wasn't without its share of drama and disagreements. We watched choreographed fireworks shows and created a few of our own—but isn't that just how family dynamics work? Put a group of strong personalities together for a few days, and you might as well grab a bucket of popcorn and settle in for the show. Honesty, bluntness, accountability, and love were all on full display! Every family has its quirks, imperfections, and disagreements but most share a foundation of unconditional love paired with a willingness to call out the BS when necessary. It can be difficult and uncomfortable, but it's possible—and my family is no different. This got me thinking about how to properly vet potential partners when investing in commercial real estate. Yes, you need to evaluate their track record, operational processes, deals in progress, industry references, underwriting, and many more things... BUT don't forget the necessity of truly getting to know them. 1.  Are they FOR YOU…or only for the deal? 2.  Can they handle direct constructive feedback? Some people learn from and appreciate being called out for a mistake, while others don't think they make them. 3.  Can you be in an important professional relationship with them for 3-7 years? And finally, 4.  What does your intuition tell you about their integrity, accountability, and expertise? VALIDATE ALL OF THIS WITH RELEVANT DATA before investing or partnering…and then decide. Of course, there are dozens of questions people recommend asking, and I am not discounting those at all. I am just saying—evaluate potential partners like you would your family. Compare them with those you hold highest and trust most in your life but don’t forget to sprinkle in some grace. This approach will serve you well. LET’S GO! Heartsill Capital Partners

S and D Oyster Company Recently, I took my wife, Alice, to the S and D Oyster Company in Dallas. It is one of her favorites and, as such, I always make it part of her birthday month package. As we entered the double front doors, a lady with a big smile and sparkling eyes, held the door for us. (Alice is on a walker for balance and I am recovering from a broken back - so we appreciated the help.) When we were seated it turned out that the same lady (Dina we were to discover) was our waitress. As she came to the table, she had that same warm smile and attitude and she maintained that disposition with prompt, courteous, and competent service during our extended stay. We knew from her welcoming smile that we were going to be well attended, and we were. We told her that her approach to her job personified our book we wrote on great service, particularly the sub-title. “At Your Service - The Faces of Service” Available at https://lnkd.in/eJR2evi Here is info on the book. ——————————— AT YOUR SERVICE - THE FACES OF SERVICE We all know when we get good service and when we get bad service, but how do we achieve Great Service in our business, our clubs, our civic organizations, or wherever? That ‘how’ is the subject of this book written by Alice and Clif Holliday. The material is based on their combined 80+ years of providing service in various organizations and circumstances. Real life examples are used to make the points less abstract, and an in-depth ‘how-to’ section is included.

The first text and the first FaceTime are always the most surprising... Today, we got featured on Fox Business. It started like any other day: I got up, ran our "Monday Mile" PR with my roommates and a few friends (5:54 today!!), and then the workday began. At 2 PM, I rode my e-bike downtown, took the elevator to the 5th floor, and walked into the Fox Austin studio. Within 30 minutes, we were in and out—sharing a bit of wisdom for the youth, talking about our new "Ship to School" service for incoming students, and trying to keep the nerves at bay. My business partner Matt Gronberg and I exchanged a few hugs, took a selfie, and then it was back to business as usual. Just another day in the office, right? Then the first text came in from a moving company owner in Greensboro, NC: "Congrats on the feature! I was listening on XM radio." Then a FaceTime from my friend: "Wow, that was insane!" Followed by texts, DMs, phone calls... Wow, I had completely forgotten how impactful 'national' really is. I went back home, took a cold plunge, finished some work, and now I'm reflecting on how grateful I am for opportunities like these. Every day before this prepared me for those few minutes on air. What does my pregame prep look like? -Exercise in the morning—must sweat heavily. -Fast until noon with liquids only (water, tea, and bone broth if the workout was intense). -Have a small, clean lunch so I don't feel sluggish. -Stretch and visualize excelling in the moment—picturing myself on air, saying exactly what I want to say. -Use my Olbas oil 'Power to Breathe' essential oils stick at home and right before I go on air to create a sense of familiarity with the environment and mindset. -Breathe in, breathe out... game time. Here’s the link to the feature from today, feeling blessed: https://lnkd.in/e4yNb_48 Fun fact from the interview—that's actually not a green screen; we really were positioned right in front of the capital! 🏛

🌻 Happy FIRST day of summer AND the longest day of this year!! 🌞 BTW, this is the earliest Summer Solstice in over 200 years! 🤯 Here is a great article explaining that one: https://bit.ly/3Vw3DQc 🕶 Go and enjoy today! ⛱ #pickettinsurance #firstdayofsummer #longestdayoftheyear

Even though summer doesn't officially end for a few more weeks, as August comes to a close, it's a great time to reflect on how your summer is going so far. What have been your favorite memories this summer? What memories do you still want want to make before summer ends? #GoodByeAugust #Summer #SummerMemories #Memories #LifeCoach #LifeCoaching #Elev8LifeCoaching