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RENT SODA presents WATER COOLER DAY for those that WAH! (Work At Home!)

Do you WAH*!?

*Work At Home

For those of us who work from home, life can be kind of lonely…

That is why we have created…

RENT SODA WATER COOLER DAY!

Please join us for our first RENT SODA Water Cooler Day on Friday, October 15th starting at 12:00 NOON.  We’ll be hosting a potluck from noon to 1:30PM.  (We’ll have chili, coffee, tea and water.)

Miss the hustle and bustle of co-workers?  Want an office environment without the “office politics?” Stick around for ‘Semi-quiet work time’ from 1:30PM until 5:00PM. RENT SODA offices HQ has wireless internet, plenty of table space, coffee/water and a comfortable “lounging” area. Feel free to work, socialize, collaborate, and share ideas with other WAH co-workers!

RENT SODA HQ is located at:

711 Hennepin Ave S, Ste#508

Minneapolis, MN 55403

To RSVP, please email Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com OR call Jim at 612-710-0546.

We hope you join us!

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RENT SODA Open House THURSDAY October 7th, 2010



Who: You, our Friends and Clients of RentSoda, are invited!

What: An opportunity to get together and see RentSoda’s new office space!

Where: 711 Hennepin Avenue South, Suite 508, Minneapolis

When: Thursday, October 7 from 2 – 5 p.m. Yummy refreshments & wine will be served.

Why: Please join us in celebrating our new office space and the addition of Jim Baumgartner to team RENT SODA! Enjoy light refreshments and wine! Check out our new RENT SODA Training THINK TANK – where ideas will POP! And get to know us while mingling with the industry friends.

Please RSVP by sending an email to daisy {at} rentsoda(.)com OR call Jim at 612.710.0546. We hope you will join us!

-Daisy Nguyen & Jim Baumgartner in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO/President & Senior Vice President

RENTSODA-small

Offering Apartment Marketing, Apartment Business & Operations Consulting & Apartment Industry Training

Web: RentSoda.com Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

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HAPPY LABOR DAY weekend! May Work be as Fun as a Barrel of Monkeys!

It’s Friday around 3:00PM before labor day weekend. I just want to take a moment to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday weekend.

And for all those who are working this weekend, I will be working too! I love working when everyone else is off, as that usually means less distractions for me, and I get SOOOO much more work done. Fortunately RENT SODA work is as fun as barrel of monkeys (with RENT SODA nerdy glasses on of course!) – fun, fun fun!

So, if you’re working this weekend too, drop me a line/leave me a comment and tell me what kind of fun you’re having that keeps you working on such a beautiful long weekend! May your work be as fun as RENT SODA work or as fun as a barrel of monkeys!

Not having FUN?

RENT SODA! GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO/President

RENTSODA-small

Offering Apartment Marketing, Apartment Business & Operations Consulting & Apartment Industry Training

Web: RentSoda.com Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

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TOP 5 RENT SODA Blogs – Thanks for Reading!

The great thing about good content, it continues to be GOOD CONTENT. We are always striving for good blogs for our loyal readers!

As the small type on the picture states:

You can never learn less, you can only learn more. – Fuller R. Buckminster

In case you missed out on some of the best, here’s a recap of what the past 6 months had to offer in the way of RENT SODA blogs:

TOP 5 RENT SODA blog posts:

5.) How To Be Successful In the Apartment Industry: Participate, Participate, Participate!

4.) What Kind of Job are YOU Looking For? Anything Less Than the Best is a Felony!

3.) Apartment Jobs: From Resume to Job Offer: How to get the CALL! – not surprising that this blog post received so much traffic, given the current job market.

2.) Apartment Marketing: Print Advertising for Dummies – this blog won the BLOG OF THE MONTH on MultiFamily Insider’s! The post was picked up and published in the March edition of the Houston Apartment Association’s Abode print magazine.

And the #1 MOST read RENT SODA blog is:

1.) TOP 10 TIPS to Get the Most out of your Craigslist Apartment Ads – We received over 2500 hits on this article in less than 3 weeks, over 400+ hits on the first day alone.

Thank you for reading, and please check back often! Recommend our blog to your friends and co-workers, association, peers, etc. We are ALWAYS working on more great content for you!

Don’t GET IT? RENT SODA! GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota MN

CEO/President

RENTSODA-small

Offering Apartment Marketing, Apartment Business & Operations Consulting & Apartment Industry Training

Web: RentSoda.com Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

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RENT SODA Welcomes Jim Baumgartner!

It’s July, and RENT SODA is shaking it up once again – with groundbreaking news: (drum roll please!)

WELCOME JIM BAUMGARTNER to team RENT SODA!

With the addition of Jim, we are adding more texture to the RENT SODA landscape through rich experience & ideas. Our end result will remain the same: striving to help RENT SODA clients achieve excellence and success in the evolving marketplace.

And now, a note from JIM:

The Year of the Tiger!

Last February several friends commented that this year—the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar—was my year.  They predicted a year of change!  I had my doubts but they were right.

My last day as Vice President of Operations for Bigos Management was June 25th.  After over four amazing years it was time to move on to new challenges—the urge to shake it up struck!  I am thankful for the amazing people and experiences I have enjoyed.  During my time at Bigos we built several new projects—including the amazing Lowertown Lofts in Downtown St. Paul, The Gables at Park Pointe in St. Louis Park and a new office building in Golden Valley.  We also started a new quarterly training/personnel development program, maintenance zone restructure, implemented energy-saving measures and came through the recession several percentage points better than industry average.  It has been good!

Now for the change—I have joined Daisy Nguyen at Rent Soda where I will be developing training programs, assessing the feasibility of new developments, creating marketing programs and assisting clients in achieving excellence amongst many other exciting things. 

Please take a moment to update my contact information:

Cell:  612-710-0546

Email: Jim {at} RentSoda(.)com

Web:  Http://rentsoda.com

Look for me on Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter: JimWBaumgartner

Watch for exciting new updates and announcements over the next couple of weeks.  If you have any questions or would like to learn more about Rent Soda please feel free to contact Daisy or me.

Don’t GET IT? RENT SODA! GET IT!

-Cheers!

Jim Baumgartner in Minneapolis, MN

Senior Vice President, RENT SODA

 RENTSODA-small

Business, Operations & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Jim {at} RentSoda(.)com

DON’T GET IT? RENT SODA!GET IT!

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Call for stories!!!

The response to my blog has been overwhelming! Thank you so much for the support AND, the most rewarding surprise: I have received tons of emails and comments (sometimes a call too!) about YOUR stories! Reading and listening to your stories has made me laugh, cry, sometimes even gag a little – the full gamet of emotions. As more and more of you contacted me about YOUR funny, heart-warming, odd stories, I realized that for an industry that has some of the smartest, funniest, most caring people I have ever known, YOUR voices and YOUR stories are seldom heard or shared. (Except maybe behind closed doors.)

Why is this? Usually fear. Fear of our bosses, fear that somehow, we are the ONLY ones that have ever experienced something this crazy, fear of violating fair housing regulations, fear of our competition, fear of the unknown. Well, fear no more.

It was obvious to me that even though you FEARED telling someone, you didn’t have  a fear telling me. Perhaps it was because you saw my post about me, and realized I wasn’t some scary, crazy, one-eyed blogger? Perhaps you identified with my stories? Perhaps you heard something in my blog that rang true? Perhaps you knew I would read, laugh, cry and listen with you? Well, ALL of the above!

So, this brings me to some very exciting news. I have registered the URL RENTERTAINING.com. RENTERTAINING.com will be a sister company/website/blog to RENT SODA. RENTERTAINING.com  showcases YOUR stories. You can be anonymous, or you can identify yourself. Whatever your comfort zone is. Any incriminating details will be removed to protect the identities of the innocent. (GRIN!) But the content -  YOUR story will shine through so that others, real people in this very real indsutry of ours, can laugh and cry with you. Just as I did.

So, with that, I am putting out a call for YOUR stories. Email me at daisy {at} rentertaining(.)com. Over the next few weeks, I will be working on RENTERTAINING.com (don’t check it yet, there’s nothing up yet), and hope to launch it for New Year’s. Just in time to start off 2010 right.

Your partner in pursuit of laughter,

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

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Time to SHAKE IT UP!

I am a problem solver, so when people call me, it’s because they have a problem or in some instances, several problems. So, for me, problems are good for business. I love other people’s problems, as that means I can help. (at least in most cases!)

Lately, I have been getting calls regarding the market. We all know, the market has changed, and so many companies and people are having trouble changing to respond to this new economic environment. My conversations usually go something like this:

Caller: The market has changed, and my vacancy at XYZ Apartments is creeping up. We recently took a huge hit in August, and occupancy rates have never been this low before, and we have NO traffic. We’ve been trying everything – all the things we’ve done in the past that has worked for us, but this time, nothing is working. Do you have any ideas where else we can get traffic and help me with my vacancy?

WAIT a minute, let me get this right. You’re trying all the things that you’ve always done, and they aren’t working. Have you considered trying something different? A different market/economy calls for a new/revised marketing approach. If all your advertising sources aren’t working, it could be your advertising and approach.

Many people THINK they want to try something new, but they are still stuck on the “we’ve never done THAT before.” In talking with new or prospective clients, much of my initial conversations are centered around just getting everyone comfortable with trying something different. What is it about change that people are afraid of? If you haven’t already noticed, the times have changed without your permission. If all the old things aren’t working, if the market conditions have changed, doesn’t it make sense to:

Revisit … Revamp … Renew … Re-invent!

Folks, its time to SHAKE IT UP. The worse that could happen is that you might continue to be right where you’re at – as that is what the market demands. However, if you change to accomodate your market, you just COULD capture the attention, hearts, minds, needs of this new market. Imagine THAT! What would that mean for your property?

My next several blog posts will be centered around some small changes that can have a HUGE affect on your bottom line.

SHAKE IT UP!

Don’t Get it? GET IT!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

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Happy Endings & New Beginnings

Happy Endings & New Beginnings!

 First for the Happy Endings – my last day as Chief Operating Officer at Greco was Friday, October 30th, 2009. What a great couple of years it has been, cumulating in establishing a new Property Management Company as well as the successful launch of a new Greco developed/managed/owned luxury property – Blue in Uptown Minneapolis. Blue, a 242 unit apartment project, recently won 5 MADACS awards from MHA in September of 2009 for excellence in the Property Management Industry.

 Next – New Beginnings – starting Monday, November 2nd, 2009, I am launching my own consulting firm – RENT SODA. RENT SODA consults to the Property Management and Real Estate Development industries, striving to help its clients achieve excellence and success in the evolving marketplace. Greco will be my first client.

 Please take a moment to update my new contact information:

 Cell: 612-889-3733

Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Web: http://rentsoda.com – the website will launch early this week.

For those of you who know me, please take a moment to update to my new contact information.

Watch for exciting new updates and announcements over the next couple of weeks. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about RENT SODA, please feel free to contact me.

-Cheers!

-Daisy Nguyen in Minneapolis, Minnesota

CEO

RENTSODA-small

Business & Marketing Consulting to the Apartment Industry

Web: RentSoda.com   Email: Daisy {at} RentSoda(.)com

Become a fan of RENTSODA on facebook.  Connect with RENTSODA on LinkedIn!

Follow RENTSODA on Twitter!

Cell. 612.889.3733

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