I suggest you not have your children reading any of my updates as these are stories for adults. Not really because of the events, those are just regular life events all of us go through. It really comes down to my potty mouth and bizarre beliefs.
Nothing too bizarre, only that I had to gut the shit out of the turkey and get myself another one that was more polished. It’s a metaphor. The turkey is yet another contractor we had to get rid of. This contractor thing, right?
I’m vegetarian, so I actually don’t eat turkey. Figure that one out on your own.
You can read my previous updates here: https://www.markbeneke.com/updates/
The Dealership
I mentioned last month that we had been having difficulty acquiring inventory due to the skyrocketing prices of inventory and how we had made a plan to try and work around that. Since putting it into effect, we have successfully worked through that problem and it seems to be holding.
The issue that has arisen from that is the service shop’s performance. We’ve been getting the required amount of cars to get them to be able to get the lot full and stay on track, but the technicians have not been able to get out anywhere close to what’s needed.
In big part, it’s due to a major absence problem. They seem to be getting sick often, hurting themselves, their kids have this or that, doctor’s appointment, it feels like any excuse they can use to call in, they take. It’s made us realize that we don’t have a system of rewards or punishments in place for us to have a little control over this. We are currently working on this to try and be able to show them how they are affecting the company and their own performance as well.
There is also an issue with the way the jobs are being planned out. It seems instead of being proactive about the jobs and thinking ahead, having the cars ready to be worked on, ordering parts, and making it known to the techs how to proceed in the most efficient way possible, it is all being figured out as they come seeking a new vehicle. It’s something that I know is frustrating to the technicians, and to us as well, considering this was something that had been running very efficiently before we left.
That’s not blame, simply an observation that this area clearly needs a watchful eye hovering so they don’t slack off. Some people thrive from being left alone to work and figure out on their own. I’m one of those people. If you hover, I won’t perform. Others need to be constantly reminded of what needs to be done. Both areas can work well, they simply require different styles of management to get them there.
Sales and collections are going well. We didn’t quite get to our goal for either area last month, but it wasn’t too far off. Historically, December is not a strong month for either area, but both departments have made it clear that they are determined.
The Real Estate
Back to the turkeys.
The whole month I was having to deal with a contractor complaining that he wasn’t able to make ends meet. He mentioned he felt he was having to work for free and that he preferred being paid weekly. It was kind of sad considering he had also mentioned that he was feeling like he would rather go work for McDonald’s because at least he was guaranteed a wage…
Understandable, if that’s what is truly important to you. However, he had made it clear that he wanted to work on building his own company and working for himself. That’s the sad part to me. As soon as something gets hard, instead of recognizing that you’re mismanaging money and looking for ways to fix the issues you’re running into, you run.
Good news is that we found another contractor who’s been doing good work so far. He’s been fixing some issues that we came across caused by the previous contractor. He is more experienced and costing me more, but at least he is sticking to his word and time. Cross your fingers and hope he doesn’t start gobbling about, yeah?
I finished the training at the brokerage…kind of. There are still technically two other classes I have to take today and tomorrow, but those are optional.
I’ve also started a YouTube channel about real estate related things. So far I’ve found it really fun to make these videos. I see myself continuing, even if they aren’t producing. You can check it out here: https://bit.ly/markbenekeytchannel
The Leisure
Let’s see…what did we do this month…
Oh yeah! We went to Disneyland!
It was an absolute blast. We got to see everything decorated for the wintertime. We would have thought that it wouldn’t have been as packed but let me tell you, people stopped giving a fuck the moment they were told they were open. No masks unless inside, no need to stand apart from each other, no need to sanitize yourself every 10 feet. You know, almost normal.
It was super cool though, we got to ride both of the new rides they have recently opened; Rise of the Resistance in Disneyland and the Web-Slinger in California Adventure. Rise of the Resistance was quite impressive, the level of detail they’ve put into it was superb. I was not as impressed with Web-Singer. It felt like another Toy Story ride with a costume over it.
Of course, we rode my favorite more than a few times. Can you guess which one it is?
Guardians of the Galaxy…there I saved you the trouble.
We celebrated Thanksgiving as well and got to play football with the family, plus my brother’s wife’s side of the family as well. It seems this will become a holiday tradition of sorts, as we’ve been doing it for the last 2 years as well. I’m in no way saying that I’m incredibly athletic and in shape…but they are not…so it makes me seem like a fucking pro.
Although we lost. hahaha!
We got to watch a really great show that came out with its third season called You on Netflix. If you haven’t watched it, it’s a very funny show, although also very dark. It has a great way of making you love the main character who is clearly very twisted. If we were to see it from outside his perspective, we would despise him.
I read through this book called Crushing It in Apartments and Commercial Real Estate. It was a good book that bashed the point through well of making sure you realized that a small deal is the same as a big deal, there’s just more money involved. I thought this was really interesting and really motivated me to finish up our current goals so I can explore bigger options.
I’ve just started a new book named Outlander through the recommendation from a new friend. It’s early on in the book but I enjoy first-person narrative so far. I’m not sure if it would normally be the type of book I would pick up on my own, which is exactly why I take book suggestions so seriously. Even if I determine that it wasn’t for me, there is always something great I pick up from them.
A movie we finished this month was The Green Knight. It was slow and not the typical style of movie you’ll see at the theater, but I enjoyed it. The acting was phenomenal and really stood out. The movie left you really thinking about your own life and the things you’ll do for the recognition of your peers vs what’s truly important to you. You’d think that at my age I would already know what kind of man I want to become, but it seems there are still days that I wonder if the type of man I want to be is the right type of man I should be.
A movie I recommend this month: The Green Knight
A show I recommend this month: You
A book I recommend this month: Crushing It in Apartments and Commercial Real Estate
The Puppies
Let’s start off with BD-1 (aka Spartacus, aka the Terror, aka BD Wong, aka BD Juan, aka, Esparragus, aka Jack the Esparragus, aka Shithead, aka Shut the Fuck Up BD…you get the point). Outside of a few real bad behaviors, he’s been behaving a lot better lately. He’s still extremely possessive and has no idea how to play with other dogs, but he’s not as aggressive lately.
We had my younger “brother” Pepe, spend a couple of nights with us when my dad went to Ukraine. He’s a Chihuahua-Weiner mix with an adorable personality. He’s my least favorite brother, and that says a lot.
I don’t normally find dogs annoying, but he’s fucking annoying. Anyway, he came over and managed to slip himself through our gate somehow and took off early morning. We didn’t realize it until we came back from the gym and spent the next three hours looking for him. Nothing.
I started stopping people, giving them a card, telling them to contact me if they saw him. A few hours later, I got a call as we were leaving to go across town. We skirt over and redirect and find that little fucker all the way across a different neighborhood. Everyone is trying to stop him, calling his name as they hear me call it but he knows better.
Eventually, he heard me and comes to me, only to bite me as I try to take his harness off. Fucker.
This brings me back to Jack the Esparragus. He bit the shit out of Clemmy in the last week. This one event showed me how different she and Nova are.
She initially cried when he bit her, but the moment I pulled him off, she saw red. Then I was having to protect BD from Clem who kept lunging at him to kill. So while trying to protect my son from his own doing, the fucker has the audacity to bite me…and hard!
Now I have a few holes on my hand to remember him by. Not to mention on my forehead from before, my other hand, my calf, my fingers, my forearm.
He loves me…for sure.
The Writing
I got some writing done this past month, but I’m not going to be finishing before this month is up. I’m actually enjoying the pace I’m taking and will continue to treat it as my hobby. On days I want to write more, I will, but I won’t force myself.
I reread through it and found some major holes that I did not like, so I’ll be having to fill those in before I can call it a rough draft. I am enjoying the story, though. The main character as well, although I feel I am not honing down enough on his personality. He needs more consistency and a clear direction of who he is.
His actions are consistent, as they are led by what he wants, but his thoughts aren’t. I’ll have to go through and figure out why I’m doing that throughout. It’s almost like I’m wanting to write two versions of the same character, one which I like and one who I know the character truly is.
I hope you guys enjoyed your Thanksgiving! The holidays are around the corner, are you ready?
That’s all I got for you this time. Don’t be afraid to reach out if you want to chat or have any comments/suggestions! See you next month.
Okay byeeeee!
