Hi everyone and welcome to the MacRAE’S Growth Challenge, Inside with B2B and manufacturing leaders where we uncover their stories, strategies and solutions to overcoming growth challenges in their industries. I’m your host Maria and in each episode we will dive deep with founders, CEOs and industry experts to explore how they scale, innovate and lead in today’s competitive landscape. So today we have Ewa. Ewa, why don’t you introduce yourself?
Yes, thank you so much, Maria, for having me here. Hello, everyone. My name is Dr. Ewa J.Kleczyk and it’s a pleasure being here. I’m an executive. I’m a co-founder of Kleczyk-Strout Foundation and a co-founder of a small real estate company called EJR Management. So both of these organizations are co-founded with my husband. So we have plenty on our hands to do. So I’m looking forward to sharing some of the learnings that we have got and hopefully
We can learn together and answer any questions that anyone might. It’s on anyone’s head how to do a business, how to start a business and how to promote it. Thank you.
I love
it. Yeah, we definitely want to dive in, especially with how to promote a business because reality is, I feel like a lot of people have a lot of different ideas about businesses, but then bringing it to life, it’s one of the hardest things to do. So why don’t you tell me what has been your secret sauce to taking a business from the idea to actually a running business that is helping you grow and employ other people as well?
Yes, thank you. So I’m going to start with EJR Management. That’s our small real estate company in Northern Maine. My husband is from that area and we figured that it would be good to give back to the community provider, scalable and guess affordable housing, but also contribute to the community. I always say that
If you want to have, if your community needs to have certain amenities, you need to invest in it. So I think with that in mind, I always think about it, how to evolve or how to engage in a business to make sure that we can, ⁓ that we can be successful. So coming from a, to a smaller,
community. Definitely there are some challenges because not everyone will necessarily think about you or want to work with you and so forth and there is a lot of…
small business competition. So it’s really how do you access your market? How do you go in there? How do you make the relationships with those who are living in that community to make sure that we serve your needs? So for us, it was having those relationships, building those relationships, and then finding the niche of the market, which is for us is lower income individuals where we can work with organizations, individuals, and then ⁓ provide the services the way they need it, meaning bring affordable housing.
at the right time, especially in the time when housing becomes a little bit scarce to say the least, knowing the increasing market prices and how much everyone is moving around as a result of remote working and the ability to pretty much choose where they want to be.
Yeah. What has been ⁓ one of the biggest challenges for you when it comes to attracting ⁓ people in your niche?
Great question. it’s, you know, first of all, it’s finding reliable renters for us. So it’s a, how do you do that? What platforms do you use in order to make sure that you can have…
your renters access them easily, that you can track their payments, for example, and that you can then ensure that you are compliant with all of the rules and regulations for a given state. So that’s one. Second, both also selecting the partners you work with, whether you work with a real estate management company that helps you find these right renters, whether you work with other contractors who can help you with renovating or upkeeping those properties, or if
even thinking about it, where are going to do banking? Depending where you’re going to decide on it, that’s the access to loans, the access to the day-to-day activities when it comes to your, I guess…
financial steps are really important. So this was really something that we had to consider and then work through and really through many steps that failed, like every single business, we have identified the right balance that can allow us to continuously bring new investment properties for low income housing, as well as then getting them renovated and then ultimately rented and working with those renters who choose to rent from us.
So if we had to like just take a step back so the audience really understands. So who is it the primary people that you are trying to attract? Is it actual renters? Is it investors? How does it work? What is the flow here?
So we are trying to attract the renters. So we are trying to provide affordable housing so individuals who not necessarily are low income, but in today’s reality, many young people, for example, are not able to buy a house because it’s so expensive. So we have a few younger renters who, as a result of the fact that we provide affordable housing, they can have a place that they can live and establish their family.
know,
start working or go to school and have a high quality of life. Second, also thinking about those who might be lower income and working with state agencies to also make sure that they know about us, right? So how do you go to them so then they can support their constituents, are those who require lower income housing, and we can work with them to bring the two to fruition.
Yeah, that’s amazing. How like those renters, those young people or people who, you know, just not making enough money to basically buy properties or even afford luxury rentals by any means, how do they find you? Is it just like a matter of that? Do you have social accounts? you, is it a website? Do you have a directory? How?
So we do have a presence on social media. So we do have a Facebook page, EGR Management. We do have a website, EGR Management main, and everyone can go in there and identify what is open right now and send any inquiries. But I do want to mention that we don’t talk about it in today’s social media. We don’t talk a lot about the word of mouth. That is extremely important in the market because that’s what carries you.
That’s what really establishes you and we had quite a few people come in because someone mentioned, these people might have an open property. And I think making sure that you establish the right relationships with your vendors, with your neighbors, with those who are actually renting from you, they are your best way of advertising for you. the moment you have an opening or you are thinking about buying a new property, they can really help you with ensuring that your occupancy.
is taken at the time when it’s ready.
do think that makes you so relatable to those people and helps you build so much trust? Because it sounds like you’re very trusted by your community. What do you think is the reason?
Yeah.
So I would say it’s less about me, it’s more about my husband. My husband grew up there, so he knows many of the individuals. father lives there as well. So it’s a little bit of a family, I guess, enterprise where they are working together. But it’s also many of his high school friends having businesses and supporting each other. So I think it’s also creating the network and that community where you support
your other vendors and ultimately they do the same for you. So we often don’t think about it how partnerships are important, but they are really important. And also making sure that you are surrounding yourself with those partners that have similar way of thinking about what the community needs to be, where are you headed, who do you want to attract, because that’s what builds your community. That’s what makes that community move and allows you then to grow and expand and work in harmony with those who are
providing supplemental or complementary services to yours.
is the end goal here? You sound so passionate about this. I’m sure your husband is even more passionate about this than you are. What is your guys’ vision? Like let’s say one year from now, two years from now, what’s the vision?
So the vision is we want to continue getting new properties and establishing them and making sure that in the neighborhood, in the community, there is affordable housing. We are also thinking about it through our Kladzik Stroud Foundation. Can we expand it to create a safe way house for battered women, for women that need shelter? So we are thinking not only providing continuously establishing new properties and expanding the outreach, but it’s
also thinking about it how we can combine our foundation with the real estate company and and really
change the framework of what we are thinking about those who need housing. And I want to mention one thing. We often think about it that those individuals who are renting, especially renting mobile homes or living in trailer parks, that that’s what you’re choosing. But I think we also need to change the narrative. Sometimes that’s the only thing they can afford. And we don’t talk about that in today’s world.
having young people sometimes cannot afford. If a house costs $200,000, if you put in 20%, that’s 40 grand. For someone who is 20, 25 years old, that might be very difficult to accomplish. So I think changing that narrative also and relating this that we all are at different times of our life and having affordable housing, being able to help someone start your journey, I think is very important and also makes it much more
It’s much more approachable, but it also decreases or removes the stigma that might be associated with certain types of living or certain types of properties because it also allows it to say, maybe my son or my daughter will be in the situation and how would I want to make sure that I can help them? So I think we are trying to…
in northern Maine where the communities are much, you know, there is much higher poverty level, trying to change the narrative as well and make sure that the stigma doesn’t, it’s not the cycle that everyone is thinking continuously about.
Yeah, you must be such a pillar of the community.
Well, we are trying. is quite a few other organizations that are thinking very much similarly. And I think that’s what makes it great. The community is becoming much more popular and ultimately better place to live as a result of the fact that we are doing this. And I want to mention something. We don’t, we actually live outside of Philadelphia. We don’t live in the area there. So for us, it’s a really a way of passion to do this and make sure that we can give back to
to a community that needs a little bit of improvement and love and making sure that we can support those who might not have always the abilities to support themselves in a particular time. So it is something that we really enjoy, but it’s also, we are also a business, right? So we are running a business and I don’t want to remove that from this. So I don’t want to sound that this is only all altruistic. Well, it is also driven by it. It is also a business.
investment in our own livelihood, it’s in our own retirement plans and also being able to really be entrepreneur, we’re also doing something that is altruistic and can help ⁓ uplift someone else. So I think it’s a good balance of both and I think many successful organizations in today’s world
are actually doing both. They are trying to find a niche where they can do both and have the profits, have the investments, be surviving and thriving, but also being able to give back to the community they are in or the community they support.
Absolutely. think that’s so important to have a transparent conversation about these things because At the end of day you guys have to sustain yourself in order to continue doing good, right? Can you speaking of you know business every business comes with challenges? Can you share with our audience? Let’s say some of the biggest challenges that you guys face as a business. Let’s say from growth opportunities so attracting new new tenants
Absolutely.
What is the biggest challenge there?
Well, the biggest challenge is, I think, is making sure that your renter’s media obligations, that they are required. And as I mentioned, we are working with affordable housing, so that not always is the easiest thing. And it does require for you to learn. And I never thought about that, right? That you, I’d say, very often for myself, for example, I…
pay my bills. But when you are an individual who might not be in a circumstance, whether it’s by their own doing or by whatever is happening around them, that becomes harder. also understanding what is the…
balance here, A, to make sure that we can be sustainable, but also make sure that we are fair to those who are renting from us. So I think this has been an extremely interesting thing to figure out what the balance is, how do you then decide which renters you don’t want to be working with and so forth. The second thing I would say is it’s also deciding
where you want to invest and what are the properties you want to be investing in. So you have to think about it. You are the price you’re paying right now. You have to think about it. What do you have to do to that place? But also thinking about what is the future of that of that property that you are doing and what is my future income? Because, mean, clearly the moment you buy a property, depending whether you’re paying all in cash or you are taking a loan, there is some ROI that you have to think
about and the timing that you require, but also your longevity. Is it short term? You’re going to buy it, change it, know, rebuild it and then sell it, or are you going to keep that for several years and hoping that that income is going to come in? So most individuals don’t think about it. They don’t talk about it, but it’s a balance that you have to do. Sometimes I do have to say intuition comes in.
very strongly so you have to also think I am extremely analytical individual how do you balance that but you always have to remember is it is what your short-term goal versus long-term goal and how do you ensure that both of these are at the level that you want them at the given time in your organization and again every organization’s goals change ⁓ over time so what was couple years ago it’s not what it’s right now for us
Absolutely, when it comes to investment property, where the property is located, who’s around it, what condition is it in, can you turn it into units, can you not? Yeah, all of those things really play a huge role here. And you’re so right about what you said. How do you do so good, but at the same time, you understand that you’re dealing with a demographic that…
Financial responsibility might have not been always a top priority, not always due to their own fault, but just the processes, right? So you have no problem attracting renters. It’s how do you filter for qualified renters that this is the challenge for you guys.
It is a challenge and also knowing how do you do research with such a population. I think it’s definitely, I mentioned that we get a lot of referrals from individuals renting from us, of those who might be associated with us through being a vendor of ours. So I think that definitely helps. However, even then, you might not always get the right vendor. And I’m assuming we are not the only ones there.
a lot of companies, management organizations are having the same thing. But it’s really doing that screening and then being able to follow through and follow up on what it is that, what is the, the.
future cash flow for these individuals trying to also estimate this. And also maybe thinking about it, maybe you wanna have someone that is known in the town, right? Sometimes I don’t wanna say for different cultural reasons, you want to, know, some individuals are much more responsible when they know that others will hear about it, right? So it’s a ⁓ balance of many different things that we have to consider and then plan for and then try to work through and say, what is the risk rule?
⁓
What is the analysis that we have to do in order to understand whom to bring in? To your point, most people don’t realize, but in other main, the housing situation is very scarce. There’s a of people without housing. So there is a lot of demand with much less supply. so you do have a lot of renters that want to be coming in, but it’s also for those of us who are renting or who are trying to rent to others, what is the
level of review that you need to do in order to make sure that you as a business sustain yourself. Because if it’s only one renter amongst many, that’s fine. But if it’s of a sudden a larger percentage, that’s ultimately cuts in into your own profits and your own benefits in the future.
If we even talk about like top of the funnel of those renters, right? Because those are still your main people. What do you think needs to happen ⁓ from either a marketing standpoint or a publishing standpoint or attraction standpoint to start getting more quality, right at the top of the funnel before they even start going through the funnel. What do you think needs to get done in order for you guys to start attracting better quality renters?
Great great question. so, know, first of all, I think and I was and I was thinking about it is the proximity to the larger city which is In this case is banger how close that is and making it Making it clear that it’s only let’s say 20 minutes or 40 minutes away From where the main jobs are so I mean many of us always want to have a low commute But the young people for example the 40 minutes might be a lot of time that they’re gonna be spent
So I think that’s one, if you want to be marketing to younger individuals who have income.
that can sustain, you need to make it attractable or little bit attractive to them to make sure that they realize. So it’s definitely the opportunity to find a job, the commute time, and also selecting properties for them that will give them those amenities that are required. For example, some of the properties have beautiful views. So it’s how do you attract to that, right? We have some renters who love their mornings sitting on their porch and drinking their coffee because the sun
coming or the other way around, sunset. So I think you have to think about what, whom certain each of the properties will be really beneficial for and then attract those types of individuals because I think that’s what’s going to change. And I’m going to mention not every property is for everyone. So I think you almost have to do a segmentation. What is that ⁓ a group of properties that some individuals will be willing to go for and others will not. So we do have a
Airbnb so we were we have a little cabin in the middle of the woods and it was a you know a little bit of a trial type of situation where we were promoting in different ways and I think this year we probably fought the best way where we have really short-term renters who love the outdoors who don’t expect certain amenities that are fine being in the middle of the woods and but it took a couple years before we really got the right audience come
in and renting and renting for a longer time frame especially when you’re in the middle of the woods you might not have a store so if you want to go to a morning coffee every single day well if you have to drive an hour that’s a little bit more challenging than something like that so I think thinking about these details and and and like with everything give yourself a little bit of ability to have the error fail a little bit see where you need to adjust and pivot accordingly at the right time
Yeah, pivoting fast is so important in a fast changing market. When you how does I’m so curious. So I know that you guys promoting a little bit on Facebook. I know you have a website. I know you have Airbnb for but in the digital world that we live in with AI coming so quickly and you’re trying to attract younger people.
What, how are you guys utilizing the short attention spam of the young people to try and bring them towards the properties?
So this is exactly what I’m working on right now, trying to optimize all of the social media and all of the platforms. So the platform that we are working with right now, it’s also now driven by AI. So that allows us to advertise within the appropriate group of individuals or renters that already signed up on that platform. So that’s one. Second for me is thinking, I’m an analytical
person I love AI so I’m trying to play with different different AI platforms to also create those little videos and short messaging that can then go resonate with people on TikTok, right? I mean I’m a little bit older than you are so me going on TikTok is a change but it’s an exciting thing so I think it’s also thinking about it when where young people are residing to
to approach them in a way that is going to resonate to them. And then when you’re thinking about older people, different income levels, then you also have to change how you’re doing this. So this is where the word of mouth or joining some parties or going to the store, that’s when it resonates. So think in digital media platform, you definitely need to ensure that you know whom you’re going to try to attract to.
And then what is your skill set for reading digital media and social platforms in the appropriate way? Because let’s be honest, someone who is 70 years old, it’s not going to probably watch TikTok or very rarely it’s going to watch TikTok. So I think you have to be mindful of that as well.
Yeah, you got to go where your people are 100 % definitely word the mouth and trust billing is definitely for the older generation and where people younger we just find everything online, right? It sounds like a lot of work. Are you doing all this by yourself? Like you individually are sitting and planning all of those things out.
Yes, I am. So this is lot of work. do, as I mentioned, I do use the AI platforms to help me with brainstorming and ideas. And I do want to mention to those of you who have not used some of those major platforms, use them because they are a great way for really thinking through all of the different things. And they can also review your websites. They can also review your social media and give you some of the pointers. And to be honest, that has been probably the best thing. It’s not only challenging.
myself, but it’s also thinking about learning the other technologies. And in today’s world, you have to write, otherwise you’re not going to be staying current. And then, and then thinking about what’s going to work and then trying it and seeing and, ⁓ and then quickly pivoting. I do think that over time, we’re going to be in a somewhat of a interesting situation as the climate is changing, as people are going to be moving up to Northern States.
it’s going to change how real estate looks. for those of you who are thinking about it, is it sustainable to have business in Northern States? I think it’s probably right now becoming even more sustainable because of not only the remote work and people wanting to be away from the hustle and bustle sometimes, but it’s also the future that is going to come in when it comes to climate changes, thinking about the…
Weather right now. I’m in Pennsylvania with that that home nor Easter is coming through and it’s pouring rain and New Jersey sure is being flooded So there’s a lot of things happening and I think thinking about the those of you who are thinking about engaging in any Real estate think about it. What do you want to do your your investments and not only think what is right now? Unless this is your short term, but also think about it if you want to stay long term
where is the best place to do that and where the markets are gonna grow in the future.
It sounds like having a digital print that can attract people from beyond is extremely important here.
It’s absolutely extremely important. again, the moment it’s a right now we’re doing affordable housing, the moment we have more properties that are more to the higher income or the more affluent community, that’s even more important because that’s where the money is coming from. Right. So it’s a it’s you have to be again, you have to be mindful who is your audience, but then also be thinking about it. What is going to be be in the future?
So maybe in the short term, are only supporting the local community, but in the longer term, your properties are being renovated, are being changed to them in the next 10 years. Again, the individuals who will be seeking to be in the North during a hundred degree weather, you know, nine months from the 12 months, and want to seek a little bit of a time off, what are they going to be coming? So I think it’s also thinking really strategically about…
where’s your market right now and then planning for the future and creating a platform where you can start slowly advertising towards it as well. Because you’re creating your own market, right? You’re continuously creating your own market.
A lot of our audience are people who are, I would say, hesitant of a little bit of the digital platforms in order to attract people. You said that you’re using some AI tools. Would you mind sharing some of the tools that you’ve been, because you’re doing this all by yourself, is, that’s a lot of work. What tools are you using that are really helpful?
So I am not very honest, I started with chart GPT.
It was simple, it was easy. the Canva to create all of those different posters and then all of the other AI tools that are the real two videos and so on and others. So it’s really stepping out out of your comfort zone. For those of you who do not know your Microsoft enterprise license now has the all of the co-pilots. You can actually do a lot of this right now. I don’t know how many of you have tried using PowerPoint.
but it can tell you, it can design for you very quickly or suggest how your slides should look or how your poster should look. it’s all of these tools are moving in, but you can do through many, Google has a whole series of it. mean, many of the podcasts now or the meets and so forth, you can do all of your AI transcripts, which is actually a great thing to then take those nuggets from those conversations and use them as a quotes with the permission of course of those who say.
But it’s great way to start doing so for those of you who have not tried with one of those platforms those judge GPT or the the other one the the one for Google and and Microsoft and You don’t have to do a lot you can start there and see how it goes ask them to write for you a an email ask them how you You know what should be the strategy because you want to promote one of your investment properties or maybe you are doing a
holiday fundraising, ask them how to do this. Because I think the moment you start conversing in those languages, and again, they don’t have to be extremely advanced. You can do it in a very simplistic way without even subscribing to many of them. And you can get some basic outcomes very, very quickly and start getting comfortable with what they are producing for you.
How do you see
AI, I we talked about a little bit, you know, attracting new people, especially for you wanting to reach more of the younger demographic and then later on moving on to, you know, better quality properties and attracting people, you know, with a little higher income later down the line. But how do you see AI in general changing the trends of your industry?
So I’m gonna say I’m gonna talk about a couple things. I think what’s gonna help to do is automate all of the renters finding the renters because you can create all of your Your your marketing promotional activities signing them up doing the background track So that can be I mean it is already highly automated So I don’t think that’s gonna be a problem It’s gonna probably change if you have to evict someone it’s probably gonna be much more automated and much more speedy to do this what I so that’s that is
Absolutely. The second thing is I think is also going to be probably advising you very quickly ⁓ How do you do? What do you need to change in your property to start? To start attracting certain individuals where maybe you want to be investing in the future as well giving you those on those prompts But what I want to mention is and we don’t often talk about it in any industry that Labor market is going to change a lot. So if you are in a more white-collar type of jobs
you’re going to be AI is going to what’s called human assisted, right? They’re going to be doing a lot of the automation with the human in the loop changes. What’s going to be interesting is that in the, in the more. ⁓
building those properties, doing the plumbing, the electrical work and whatever any other construction type of activities, it’s still gonna be human beings as well. So what is gonna change is, it’s depending where the markets are gonna be growing, it’s gonna start moving the labor to those places as well because there’s gonna be much larger need for qualified carpenters, for qualified plumbers, for qualified electricians. So while they’re gonna be leveraging the AI best technology,
to
design your house or figure out how your plumbing should be optimized or your electricity, if you’re going to be using one of the platforms to shut off your lights and put your lights on and all of that. It’s still going to be highly driven by skilled labor. So I do want to also mention that that’s going to be a huge trend that we don’t talk about it. It’s going to elevate those in the office situations because they’re going to be leveraging.
AI for their daily work, but it’s also going to create a huge need for skilled labor that we for the longest time haven’t heard or these were jobs that we didn’t really think about as very honorable or you know highly successful and I think they’re going to become even even more important and more successful in the coming years. ⁓
completely
agree with you at my craze. We do use a lot of we are in AI driven basically digital agency, right? And we find that now with AI taking over so many of the tasks that the humans now have the power to focus on the creativity. So if it’s a skilled worker, they have the ability to focus on that skill like the AI has the opportunity to take care of all the little needy like you know tiny little details that.
and just leave the humans to be creative and to grow and just expand how much we thought we could do to a whole new level, right? Because all of those little things that we used to occupy our mind that are now taken care of by digital efforts, it’s taking, it’s freeing up space. So whether it’s labor work or digital work, like the creativity is really where I feel like humans are gonna start thriving and creativity can be in any industry.
You can be a creative plumber finding solutions. You can be a creative electrician finding solutions. You can be on so many different things, right?
Mm-hmm.
Absolutely. again, if there’s anyone listening here who’s worrying about AI, I would say this. It’s like with everything. It’s like when first internet came in and we had to learn our computers.
It’s a change in how we are doing work. It doesn’t mean that it’s going to necessarily replace you. However, you have to be open to learning it. I work in the healthcare research arena and the questions have been given, what is the role of physician will be? Well, I think AI, for example, not to change the topics, but just give another context, is going to help physicians or nurses or any
practitioners make the decision faster. That doesn’t mean though that they will be replaced. These tools are going to help them make these decisions, but it’s still on the practitioner, the healthcare provider to validate it, to make the right decision. And again, AI models, as we all know, they can be biased, they can go out of whack at some points because the data or the trending or they’re to get older or…
you know, something changes in the environment for, in the economy or whatever the factors are that drives those models is going to change. And those models might not be predictable or they might not be reliable anymore. And I think this is where most of the market is going to be or the industries, all of the industrial is going to be going. We will need experts who are highly creative, who can violate these models and who can understand and be able to connect the many different points that each of these platforms are going to give us.
into one story and then drive the right decisions.
I that. I totally agree with you. What a great example in the healthcare industry, 100 % right, making decisions faster. And then the humans are still going to be responsible to make sure that the data is actually managed properly and up to date. You’re 100 % right. What a great example. Tell me, what is your, we’re going to wrap up here, but if you had to leave one piece of advice for people that are listening to us,
Thank you.
With regards to overcoming growth challenges, attracting the right people into their businesses, what’s one piece of advice that you can leave them with today?
So I would say yes. No exactly what would you want to do?
be authentic in it because I think most people are attracted to those who are authentic. We all have to make money, so that goes without saying, but also being authentic to how you run your business. business is really relationships between people. So if people like what you are doing, if people can connect with you at the personal level, your business is gonna thrive. So that’s what I would say as number one. As number two, I would say
is especially for those thinking about it or young people thinking about business, take the risk because it’s really not the risk you are taking, it’s the opportunity to do something for yourself, to something for your community regardless of what the business will be, whether it’s going to be for profit, non-profit, whatever, anything in between. And I was at a podcast with a successful entrepreneur a couple weeks ago and someone said it’s not a risk.
It’s really, if you don’t do it, that’s the risk that you are taking for not meeting what you really could have. So your payoff or your, or the alternative cost to say, it’s going to be pretty high if you don’t do this. So if you haven’t thought about it like that, it’s not a risk. It’s a really an opportunity and the risk of not doing something is much higher than of doing it.
100 % right, there’s always a cost associated in staying where you are and doing nothing as well, right? Yeah, awesome. Well, Ewa, thank you so much. You’ve been so lovely. I love hearing about the passion behind the project and how you’re thinking about things. I wish you all the best to you and your husband. I think you guys are wonderful and you’re gonna help so many people.
Absolutely.
Well, thank you so much, Maria. Thank you for having us here. Thank you.
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