Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I run no BS policy
like literally.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Welcome to the 5
Questions Podcast, where we
unlock real estate and businessinsights one question at a time.
Welcome to the 5 QuestionsPodcast.
I am your host, Mario Lamar,and our guest on today's show is
(00:27):
a powerhouse businesswoman, EQcoach and devoted mom who turned
her immigrant journey into aninspiring story of leadership
and impact.
From corporate boardrooms toproperty management success in
Edmonton, she leads with heart,strategy and unstoppable
resilience.
(00:48):
Welcome, Tanya Andrusko.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Thank you, mario.
Thank you, thank you for havingme here.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
The concept of the
podcast.
I ask five questions aboutbusiness or real estate and we
get straight to the point.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Okay, Got it.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
You got it.
First question I have for youuh, you emigrated from ukraine
13 years ago, was that right?
Speaker 1 (01:10):
that's correct.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yes, okay, what was
the artist's part of rebuilding
your life in canada and whathelped you push through this?
Speaker 1 (01:20):
okay, well, um,
honestly, the hardest part was
not figuring out the busschedule in minus 30.
Although it was really hard, itwas not the hardest.
I think the hardest part was torebuild the life.
Rebuild life from scratch withno network, with no safety net.
We literally had to proveeverything on paper, paper and
(01:41):
um, looking back at this moment,I feel like, you know, even 13
years is so much easier rightnow.
Um, back then it was prettyharsh and I feel like, um, we
had a vision.
We immigrated with two kids andmy husband and I remember it
was april and I was like, oh,I'm gonna put a dress on.
(02:01):
And I came to edmonton.
It was still like really yuckyand cold and dark and gray and
snow, and I was like, oh, okay,that's going to be different,
right, but we had a vision, wehad a dream, but, honestly,
there were lots ofdisappointment and rage at the
same time and that actually hadto push us through Because, you
(02:25):
know, we had to.
I needed to start cleaning,shoveling snow.
I would pick up any job yeah andknowing that, you know, I have
master's degree in business andcommerce, I have my education, I
have my experience and here innew country have to build it
from scratch.
It gives you that kind of likethe fuel, the fire, and you go,
go, go.
And obviously lots of coffee,ukrainian bread, some humor.
(02:49):
All that provides.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Well, it seems that,
like you said, you had your
education, your life in Ukraineand you wanted to achieve the
same life or same betterlifestyle in Canada, and it was
not possible right off the bat.
So that anger or thatfrustration, you used it in a
(03:18):
better way, to push you up andnot to stop, you know, achieving
towards your goals, you'recompletely right and not to stop
achieving towards your goals.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
You're completely
right Because when we have that
energy, then it becomes a choicehow we use it right.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yeah, that's good.
Okay, so let's go to our secondquestion.
And Reliable Pro is a propertymanagement company has earned a
strong reputation in Edmonton inthe property management space.
What values have beennon-negotiable in building a
company that people truly trust?
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, you just said
it, Our top two values is trust
and transparency.
Again, I run no BS policy likeliterally, and what I know to be
true is that consciousnesscomes from the top.
So I feel like lots of mypersonal values are transferred
to my company values.
So trust, transparency,commitment, you know, if I tell
(04:21):
you I will call you, I will callyou If I say I will evict you
if you don't pay, I will Right.
So, it's just like that's it.
So if you follow through, thenpeople have this understanding
that oh okay, there is no sugarpouring, there is no questions,
it's just that's what we do.
And also I'm super proud of myteam.
I always put my team firstbecause I feel like how I care
(04:47):
about my team and how I investin my team, that will be
reflected to my business and mybrand and my name.
I do handpick them, I stand bythem, I fight for them if needed
.
I'm always super protective andalso I'm super selective.
When we hire, we always look atsome specific competencies and
experience and skill, but one ofthe most important is the
(05:10):
positivity Are you a team player?
Are you going to fit?
You know we chat social media,so the whole thing together
because we let's be honestproperty management is not just
about managing properties.
We work with people, we workwith tenants, we work with
investors.
We work with tenants, we workwith investors, the owners.
So the team spirit and theprobably heart behind the person
(05:31):
and the expert is what's reallyimportant for us.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Well, and that's why
you are where you are in
Edmonton and the propertymanagement space, because those
values are like diamonds.
If you have transparency, it'syou.
If you have transparency, ifpeople trust you, you'll get the
business, and that's why that'swhy you do.
Thank you for sharing this.
Our third question, and againI'm going to ask you for an
(05:59):
example now.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Can you?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
share a real example
where emotional intelligence
made all the difference inhandling a tough situation.
Because you talk about this wetalked about in a personal
conversation about emotionalintelligence, whether with
tenants, staff or partners.
Do you have a story where youhad to use this?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I have so many
stories you know.
So, um, I figured when I wasstill in corporate, I figured
that people fight in a boardroomor we cannot close the deal or
we cannot make a consensus.
Not because there is lack ofexpertise, because people are
people and sometimes we justdon't understand each other.
Yeah, simply because we don'tcannot manage our emotions.
So you know, I got certified,probably seven years ago in
Calgary, I think.
(06:44):
I brought it immediately back ineach aspect the real story.
Well, real story.
We had a tenant who just he wasso frustrated he was yelling
because the toilet was blocked.
What I knew is that he alsolost his job recently.
I had to be involved.
I went on site and I'm a veryhands-on owner.
(07:06):
If there's something that ishappening like this, I have zero
problem to go in on the ground.
And I remember I came in andhe's yelling.
He's like he's red, you know,and without emotional
intelligence.
I feel like, you know, the firemeets the fire, right, and you
start this huge deal.
I just listen and I say, hey,how about we fix the toilet
first?
(07:26):
Because, oh yeah, he wasfrustrated because it wasn't
just a block toilet.
His kid dropped the orangeinside, so it's a charge back to
tenants, so he's superfrustrated now he doesn't have a
job, he has to pay the bill, um.
So I said, hey, you know what,let's fix the toilet first and
let's talk about the rest later.
And you know, we just dealtwith that and later on he was
just he's like Tanya, I'm sorry,and we just figured it out.
(07:49):
You know, we put him on apayment plan.
He initially find the job.
But I feel like it's reallyimportant to not to think about
numbers of bills or issues.
We work with humans and that'swhere emotional intelligence
comes in really, really, um,helpful.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
You know, this is the
the same concept, uh, that we
teach in business.
You know, as you deal withhumans, if you take the time to
understand the person in frontof you, whether it's to sell
them something, whether it's youto deal, in your case, in the
property management space Takethe time to understand what the
(08:27):
real problem is, you can solveeverybody's problem 100%, mario,
100%.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
And then I had this
one owner, I remember because
with tenants it's one thing Ihad this investor owner.
He was so frustrated His unitwould not be leased and he just
wrote such a nasty email aboutmy team.
And when it comes to my team,I'm very much like, okay, so you
know, and I could get defensiveor, you know, try to explain
(08:54):
Instead using emotionalintelligence.
You know, I got curious.
I'm like, okay, as you said,like take time to see what's
behind this, right, and we had anice conversation.
I look into this thing.
Um, you need at leasteventually anyway.
But I remember he goes back tome later in the months and he's
like tanya, uh, how did he sayit?
He said something like you did,you don't just manage my
(09:16):
property, you actually managedme in that week.
I was like, okay, okay, right.
So it's that people connection,right.
Then you build trust.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Yeah and for sure.
Once you go through this withsomeone, you tend to stay.
You appreciate thatrelationship and you tend to
stay in business longer togetherbecause now they know that you
truly care, you take the time tounderstand their frustrations,
their problems and you solve thesolution.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Question number four
for you what's a myth or
misunderstanding people haveabout property managers and how
does your approach kind of flipthe script?
Speaker 1 (10:03):
The myth about
property management.
Um, I feel like people thinkthat property manager is this
like glorified person whocollects the rent, never returns
the calls and uh, probablydoesn't take care of the
property.
Um, but that's not the truth.
That's not the truth.
Um, I feel like the goodproperty manager.
It's like, um, I don't know,we're financial strategists, we
(10:26):
are tenant therapists, we are,uh, I don't dog whispers at the
time, right, there's so manycomponents to it and and I think
that's what stands uh, putsreliable pro on a different
scale across edmonton.
Um, it's a different approach.
Like, I don't, we don't treateverything like just numbers or
reports or monthly meetings.
(10:46):
It's a completely differentaspect of it.
Yeah, and I feel like if you dowant to be a good property
manager, you have to understandit's not about managing property
only.
There's investors.
For somebody, it's one propertythat they build legacy for
their kids, right?
So it's a completely differentapproach versus for someone who
is, for example, in ontariohaving 96 unit multi-family
(11:08):
building here and it's one ofthe many, many investments,
right?
So is that a really fine lineof understanding, um, what's
important and what the value is?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
and again it comes to
how your approach is taking the
time to understand your clientso yeah it seems to be a, it
seems to be a, something that'srepeating with you, but it's.
It's a good thing, because itbrought, brought you to the top
yeah, and you know, and, butit's very important, right?
Speaker 1 (11:38):
people want to have
heart-to-heart conversation,
they don't want just to havenumbers.
And again, life is life andthis is business.
We will have ups and downs.
So if we only stay togetherwhen everything is good and
funny well, I don't think it'slike that.
It's different, because we canonly test ourselves on those
emergency calls, on those freakout moments, on those moments,
(12:01):
and then if we work through them, then we build long term
sustainable relationships forsure so this fifth question is
personal to you.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Okay, um, but I want
to ask you because you know you
change, you move countries, yourestarted a life for you and you
did.
You reach a very successfulbusiness, right yeah?
What legacy are you hoping toleave, or working on to leave,
(12:32):
not just for your business orthrough your business, but
through the life you're modelingfor your kids and community?
Speaker 1 (12:40):
That's a deep, that's
a very deep question.
The legacy, my motto for lifeis that dreams come true.
The legacy that I would like tobuild?
I have two daughters, twoteenage daughters.
So you know, one week I wascalled the worst mom in the
world.
So you know, it really depends.
You know I'm building thelegacy but sometimes I would
(13:02):
fail it.
I want my daughters to know thatyou can be both.
You can be strong and kind, youcan be powerful and soulful.
I want them to know that youdon't have to choose one or the
other.
And, as we just spoke, you knowit's not just life is life,
(13:22):
business is business.
I want them to know thateverywhere is a duality and it's
how you show up.
Yeah, that's what's going todefine.
I was called the skinny bitchboss and and the best boss ever
(13:46):
on this.
Those words that are not.
They don't define me.
It just talks about theexperience that the other people
have.
So what I learned my kids andI'm hoping I'm the example is
that stay true to yourself, bekind, and what other people
think of you, it's a.
It's a.
It's a reflection of them, notof you.
You keep your vision and I andI'm saying that dreams come true
(14:08):
not because it's magical orbecause they come true because
we build that and true, notbecause it's magical or because
they come true because we buildthat and I feel like you know my
legacy and what has been builtso far is it's, it's uh, it's a
proof to that.
It's a proof to that one day itwas a vision, you know in minus
30, in edmonton, and today wehave this beautiful podcast that
thank you so much for invitingme, and this is just.
This is just the proof that,yes, they do come true
(14:31):
absolutely and you're.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
you're a true
inspiration for not only other
women out there that are tryingto build something for
themselves, but for everybody.
You have lots of knowledge.
You shared a lot of value todaywith us.
Take a piece of your wisdom ontheir journey, because you
(14:56):
showed us how you can reallyelevate not only your status but
your life in general throughlistening to others.
First, tanya, thank you so muchfor being part of the Five
Question Podcast, and it was apleasure to talk with you today.
Thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
Mario Bye-bye.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Bye.
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