Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mike Porterfield, Owner of Tartan Properties Commercial, located in Alexandria, VA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are an independent commercial real estate brokerage and consulting firm focused on office, industrial, and flex properties in Northern Virginia. Our customers are landlords, investors, and tenants that own and operate local businesses, national franchises, international associations, law firms, and shipping companies. We currently have four full-time brokers and a marketing coordinator.

Tell us about yourself

I got started in commercial real estate after my career as an athlete on the USRowing team and then as a coach in the 2000 Olympic Games. Following the Olympics, I was getting married and starting a family and applied for a number of jobs outside of coaching but was turned for all but one of them. It was partly out of necessity and partly out of a desire to set my own path that I decided to jump into commercial brokerage. My father started Tartan Properties and had always been a solopreneur but had retired several years prior. So when I decided to get started, I resurrected the TARTAN name because I thought it gave me a story to tell, and then I just started knocking on doors like I was trying out for a new team! Over time I have taken things in a new direction, but at its core, we are still doing the same things my father set out to do, and that represents small family-owned firms and businesses. I think because of my athletic background; I wake up every day feeling the need to prove myself. I never feel like success is guaranteed, even after 20 years. I am also very motivated by the idea of improving our services and showing growth in different ways. I think I like the idea of building something in a modest way while serving others.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Without question, I think my biggest accomplishment has been helping people start and build their careers with us and then be able to move along in their professional journey, either back to graduate school or on to do other things in CRE. I am sure it is the coach in me that enjoys helping people bring out their best and achieve success beyond their previous goals.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Without a doubt, the biggest challenge for me is managing the finances of the business. Without having any formal finance or accounting training, it is the one thing that slows me down the most and takes me away from what I like to do, which is interact with clients and grow the business. The good thing is that accounting is the easiest thing to outsource.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Make sure you have a passion for what you are attempting to build. When you live your business 24/7, there better be something you really love about it so it doesn't seem like work when you have to stay up late or get up early.
  2. Don't expect everyone to care as much as you do. Not everyone around you will be intrinsically motivated. Try to find out what motivates your team and support that. Is it money, praise, a title, ability to work their own hours? We are all different.
  3. Hire a coach and or find a mentor. I didn't learn this early enough, but even coaches need coaches. They can hold you accountable and provide you with a sounding board, and if they are in your industry, they can help teach you specific things to grow your business. Invest in yourself and future success.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.tartanproperties.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tartanproperties
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tartanproperties/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCREBroker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelporterfield/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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