In private service, experience matters. In addition to saving a life, understanding HR practices, and having the skills required for high-tech homes, private service differs from almost any other industry due to the broad range of experience needed and the personal nature of working inside someone’s home. Here are 7 factors critical to an employee's success and longevity.

We are all creatures of habit and get stuck in our ways, but when we get thrown sideways by daily “emergencies,” important tasks get dropped, and essential duties fall through the cracks, something’s got to change.

Although most seasoned estate managers have the skillset and experience to perform a broad range of services, including almost every aspect of luxury home management and care, they can’t do all these jobs effectively simultaneously. They might have the skillset, but they need the right resources to make magic happen.

For the past week my kitchen has been converted into a print shop – messy with all of the pieces of producing a 3-ring binder landscape manual for a garden that I first designed 20 years ago. Since the majority of my work has evolved into creating digital systems, this has been a nice shift from my normal computer-focused daily routine.

How to train our staff to be successful in this unique work environment.

I haven’t told many people this, but I was fired TWICE in estate manager roles. OUCH!

8 Pro tips to help estate managers complete it this year.

You don't need to be a passive participant.

Here are my lessons learned from a recent full-household inventory client experience.

Here are my go-to tech devices and software for doing business from Ethiopia to Tulsa, OK and parts in between.

It’s easy to burn out in our profession. Here’s how to stay sane.

Learn from my plan designed to improve a client’s gardener

Here’s the best way to onboard yourself in your new position

And multiply your value at the same time!

Here are 6 tips from top recruiters + 10 more from me!

Improve communication and your staff’s work performance

Here’s how to tell if you’re ready and what systems might be right for your level of service.

I recently had an estate manager reach out for feedback. She’s getting ready to step into a new position and the position’s current staff didn’t seem adequate for the square footage of house. Here’s what I suggested she do.

As estate managers, we are not all the same. If you’re having trouble standing out from the crowd and attracting the right employer, let me help explain how to change that.

As estate managers for UHNW properties, we tend to agree that landscaping can be our worst nightmare. A lawn fungus before an event can spark chaos and force an 11th-hour re-sodding. An orchard infestation can take your citrus grove from spectacular to lackluster overnight. A dead tree can be a source of…