Mediocrity kills businesses and projects - micromanaging is underrated and essential to reduce risk. It’s foolish to believe that we can manage/control all aspects of our businesses/projects however handing over key roles in an attempt to ‘leverage your time’ is extremely foolish. Matt Soltys develops high class apartments in super-prime urban locations - almost the opposite of our quality family homes in more affordable areas. His experience however, is similar to so many newer developers, and other business sector founders, I know it could be invaluable to sone of my connections. Here is his story: “My first year as a multi-unit apartment developer was a full-blown bloodbath. Not a “tough project.” Not a “learning curve.” It was pressure, pain, and chaos - all at once. A solicitor sued me mid-deal. The lender pulled the plug on a £2.5 Million loan. Quit their facility halfway through. Demanded early repayment. And I wasn’t managing someone else’s fund - I had ££ Millions of my own capital injected into the deal. Personal guarantees. Company on the line. No safety net. Contractors vanished. Lied. Betrayed. Delivered promises instead of progress. And I was left to drag the entire thing to the finish line. Alone. No lifeline. No backup. Just grit, obsession, and the refusal to let it fail. Here’s what the LinkedIn 'leadership influencers' won’t tell you: Micromanagement saved the whole thing. Every decision. Every bolt, hinge, quote, spec, and invoice - I touched it. Not because I wanted to. Because if I didn’t, it would have collapsed. People love to say: X “Don’t get lost in the weeds.” ↳ But the weeds are where the snakes are. X “Hire and delegate.” ↳ Great! Until you find out your subcontractors have not been paid and site work stops cold. X “Step back so others can step up.” ↳ Try that when your name is on the loan and the bank wants immediate answers. In moments like these - Micromanagement is NOT the problem. Mediocrity is. And when everything’s on the line, someone has to OBSESS. That someone was me. I didn’t study pressure. I lived it. And my entrepreneurial spirit was truly forged in that fire. It wasn’t built in a boardroom. It was built in chaos, with skin in the game and no Plan B. Born from pressure. Built through precision. Driven by the kind of pain most wouldn’t survive, let alone grow from. I’m not ashamed of being a detail-obsessed maniac. It’s what saved the project. It’s what delivered excellence. It’s what built the company. And it’s what will raise the standard for what real estate should be. Leadership isn’t always clean. Sometimes it means dragging a vision through the mud while everything around you screams: “Walk Away!” But if you hold the line, truly commit and finish the job? You come out forged in something no spreadsheet can measure. No fluff. No filters. No B/S. Just fire-tested truth.” An experience that ‘most’ will go through to a lesser, or hopefully not greater, degree at some point.

Posted by Richard Little at 2025-04-03 13:20:57 UTC