Shelly Henderson of Henderson Properties On 5 Things You Need To Run A Highly Successful Family Business

As a part of our series about 5 Things You Need To Run A Highly Successful Family Business, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shelly Henderson

Shelly Henderson is the author of Starting from Scratch: One Woman’s Pursuit of Family, Business and the American Dream. She is the co-founder of full-service real estate firm Henderson Properties, which manages almost 1000 properties. Shelly spearheads leadership development programs to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My husband and I started our real estate business, Henderson Properties, as a hobby. We knew on our honeymoon that we wanted to own our own business one day, but we didn’t know what that would look like. We each owned a home prior to getting married, and my husband had his real estate license and was actively buying investment properties to fix up and rent while working a full-time job he enjoyed. Our story is truly the “American Dream” and I wrote a book titled Starting From Scratch depicting our journey on starting a family at the same time while starting a business.

Can you tell us a bit about your family business and your role in it?

We are a full service real estate firm offering services in property management, sales, maintenance, and renovations. Up until last fall we also had a HOA division. To my knowledge we are Charlotte’s only full-service real estate company.

My role has changed over time. I have done everything in our business except run a HOA board meeting! I currently serve as events manager, VP of the workplace and director of influencer marketing, to name a few. I like that my role(s) have evolved and that I am able to use my creativity and am not supervising anyone.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began this career?

The most interesting story is one of survival and how in late 2019 we lost 80% of our staff due to a “mean grown girl” population in our company and a few bad hires. But through it all we came out ahead, with a new way of hiring just in time for the pandemic, which could have taken us down with the wrong people. We survived and are here to tell the story.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

So many lessons! Most amusing would be in July of 2016. We had not taken a week’s vacation in 10 years, because when we were gone for more than a few days, something always happened. So we only took long weekends until we decided to go to Germany, because our youngest son had graduated from high school and had taken German since sixth grade, and we wanted to show him what he had studied and award him for sticking with it for all that time.

On the way to the airport, literally, our communication system crashed, downing our email and phone system. We made the decision to keep going to the airport instead of turning around because we had faith in our team that they could figure it out without us with the resources we had in place. We didn’t have email or phone access for over 10 days, but everyone survived and made the most of it with cell phones or written communication using personal email or USPS. For a heavily customer service-based business this was a big deal. That may have been a turning point for us, that we needed to keep going and trust the process and the people that we hired.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

What makes us stand out is that we are reputable by being authentic and real. We admit failure and share successes. We have withstood the test of time through the housing crisis of 2011 and the pandemic. We have learned from our mistakes and have evolved through time to be the best company we can be, using the latest proven trends and technologies to help us work smarter and not harder.

We use a process with our divisions called EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems) to guide our teams. This system helps us in weekly meetings to identify, discuss and solve issues and/or problems that each division is facing. It allows the group to hold each other accountable as well as work together to find common ground to better the way we do things. It also weeds out the ones in the group who are not team players or who cannot work at a higher level and want what the group wants. And that is ok. It is part of the system to meet our goals and work towards being the best we can be. We are not afraid of change. With it brings improvements, and change is the integral part of our growth and development.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes, so glad you asked! I am working on my personal brand, shifting some of our marketing efforts to reach more women in the real estate world who want to become homeowners and/or real estate investors. It is easier than some may think or the media lets on. I want to show the positive side to homeownership and how it can create generational wealth with the right team, and attitude with the “It isn’t how much money you make, but what you do with what you have” mentality.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I have to say my husband Phil. We make an awesome team, having learned early on what our strengths and weaknesses were. Therefore, we have never honestly had an argument over work. We have a common goal to positively affect people’s lives, especially those who work with us and whom we serve as clients. I would love for you to read the rest in my book because there are a few stories about the challenges getting to this stage!

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

Yes always. Every day! I live my life with faith and gratitude, focusing on what I have, not on what I don’t have. We all have a story to tell and share. I am no different and feel that as a business owner I have a responsibility to help and serve others the best I can. At Henderson Properties one of our core values is we want to “positively affect the quality of your life every day,” not just in real estate.

Ok thank you for that. Let’s now pivot to the main parts of our interview. How do you define a family business? How is a family business different from a regular business?

My family business is a business that cares about our people. I have never said someone “works for me” but that they “work with me.” I have often been misunderstood in my role as businesswoman. Within a small family business there is more interaction than say at a huge corporation. Not bad or good, that’s just what it is. Therefore I think it gives others more interest in what you are doing, saying, etc. Others think they “know” you or make assumptions of you.

On the positive side I have tried to create a real family atmosphere where we share in others’ celebrations as well as sorrows. We are there for one another. We offer ways to get to know each other, but ultimately it is the employee’s responsibility whether they want to take us up on it or not.

In your opinion or experience, what are the unique advantages that family owned businesses have?

The unique advantages are employing family. In my case, both my young adult sons now work with us. I couldn’t be happier or prouder because I get to spend time with them on a daily basis. We are all working for a common goal that one day could be passed on to other generations. I also take pride in that we get to help stimulate the economy and employee people so that they have a means to take care of their family. Truly, small businesses are the heartbeat of America.

What are the unique drawbacks or blindspots that family owned businesses have?

I mentioned above but also will add that most people think that the owners are “rolling in it.” That is often not the case! We are working to pay taxes, insurance, payroll and benefits for others. Not to mention sleepless nights, stress, and at times conflicting opinions about how decisions should be made. It’s also worthy to note that we have to shield ourselves from unwanted opinions and rumors that some think they can

assume. Taking the high road is often lonely.

What are some of the common mistakes you have seen family businesses make? What would you recommend to avoid those errors?

1. Hiring! Do not hire just to fill a position. Hire true talent; someone who is coachable and positive and who genuinely wants to be there.
2. Have clear-cut policies and procedures documented so that when or if someone leaves without proper notice, their duties can go on without too much delay.
3. Terminate said hire swiftly if it isn’t working. The longer a person stays who isn’t doing their job, or creates office stress with others, the more chaos they will create before they leave, often forcing good employees to feel like they have to leave and or find a new job.

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders of family businesses to help their employees to thrive?

I do believe that most come to work for a small business because they want the family feel and not the high-pressured stress of a corporation. Therefore give them opportunities to feel that vibe and offer them ways to improve their skills. If you can’t offer benefits, offer something else. The beauty of a small business is that you are not run by a board, so you can do things your way and a bit differently, creating your own unique work environment to fit your brand.

How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean with a story or example?

Doing what needs to be done, whether or not anyone is watching. But believe me, everyone is watching. Keep a smile at all times because nothing is ever as bad as it seems and this too shall pass. We have survived the economic effects of the housing crisis in 2011 as well as the pandemic all because we led by example and did not let emotions get in the way of our decision-making. The other thing is to admit when you are wrong and apologize when it is appropriate.

Here is our main question. What are the “5 Things You Need To Run A Highly Successful Family Business”? Please share a story or example for each.

1. The want-to. My husband and I had the desire and drive to make Henderson Properties work. We were willing to stay the course and not give up.
2. Have a business plan and six months of savings just in case.
3. Hire wisely
4. Top technology with security systems
5. Never stop learning: Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you, and join groups that will make you and or your company better. For us it was EO (Entrepreneur Org) as one example.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)

Tiger Woods. His drive to become the best golfer in the world is so intriguing to

me. He has had his fair share of ups and downs both personally and professionally. Being a golfer myself, both in college and in a short stint professionally I would like to play golf with him and ask so many questions. My opinion of him has come full circle and I want to know his “why.”

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would love to create a movement where everyone has a “can-do” attitude. Every day is a new day to “start from scratch” and live your best life. Age is just a number and your circumstances don’t define you. The American Dream is out there for those who “can” and want it. I want to be there to educate, help and cheer them on.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

www.shellylhenderson.com

www.hendersonproperties.com

Instagram and LinkedIn @ShellyLHenderson

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.