I received a call yesterday from a friend who was putting together budget numbers to roll-out his young tech business.  Although he’s been doing ground work for his company for a few years, Todd was nearing the point of rolling-out his company and executing on his business plan. Todd asked for my help in developing numbers for everything from office rent, voice & data infrastructure, right through monthly rent for water coolers and coffee service.

Todd’s call echoed the handful of calls that I receive each year from entrepreneurs for similar help.  It got me thinking about my greater role as a professional service provider and the responsibility it entails.  Specifically, I’m a commercial real estate broker.  But from a greater perspective, I’m an advisor, a coach, and a cheerleader to my clients; a responsibility that a person in my position cannot to take to lightly.

CARMEN’s typical customer, if there is one, is a privately held small to medium sized business.  Often times, these are young and rapidly growing companies’ resources are already stretched and can ill afford to reallocate its staff to duties they’re unqualified to perform. In many ways, I’m well suited to advise these businesses in the respect that “I’ve been there and done that”.  I’ve been a self employed business owner since starting my tenant representation firm, Indianapolis based Carmen Commercial Real Estate Services, in 1993.  My firm, which helps businesses to locate suitable office and industrial space, negotiate leases, set-up facilities and manage facility leases, has served many types and size organizations.

A few weeks ago, I received a call from Bruce Kidd, a Director at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Bruce asked me to consider writing an article for an economic development magazine IEDC publishes each year called INBiz. The purpose of the article is to provide businesses managers with useful information to set-up a facility and to manage their facility leases.  I’m grateful to Bruce and the IEDC for giving me an opportunity to put on paper much of the knowledge I’ve been passing on to growing young businesses for years.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress and when to expect INBiz to be published.