Life and Work with Sarah Korpela

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Korpela.

Sarah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was a single mom living in Aspen, Colorado with infant twin boys. My husband passed away from cancer before my boys were born. I was working in a real estate office and was approached by a family friend who had a successful property management company. He was losing his main employee and wanted me to come run the office.

Shortly thereafter, he had a falling out with his partner who was a very successful real estate agent in town,  and the pair subsequently split up with Joshua (the real estate agent) keeping the business.

I did not know Joshua, at all!  He invited me to lunch to discuss the future of the business.  At that point, I said – “Listen, I am a single mom who is a hard worker but has very little background in this industry. If you want me out, I need to know now so I can go beg for my old job back.” He looked at me and said – “We have got this girl! I believe in you and we are going to do this.”

I ran Joshua’s company as if it were my own for 10 years, invested heart and soul into it and when he sold the real estate side of the company to Douglas Elliman out of NY he gave me the opportunity to buy the Property Management company. I have now owned the company for five years and am looking to expand into a few other markets.

This is an INCREDIBLY male-dominated industry. Then and now, I am still the only female owner of a Property Management company.  There are women who are “one-offs” and may manage a house or two, but all of the big companies are owned by men… except for mine.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There is no such thing as a smooth rode in high end, luxury property management. The landscape is always changing and changing quickly. You have to be able to read people well, adapt and move forward. With every experience I have had in this business, I have learned. I have learned from the good, the bad and the ugly. Often you learn much more from your failures than your successes. As a business owner, you will lose clients, employees and vendors and have to adjust the business accordingly. You will go through downturns in the market and emergency situations you are not sure are recoverable. Through it all, you have to keep your head up, your attitude positive and professional and move forward. There have been incredible frustrations and pitfalls along the way over the past 15 years. But each time I work through something I didn’t think I was capable of, my confidence grows.

My client base did not become incredibly successful by having boundaries in work or life or accepting boundaries from those around them. This is a 365/24/7 business that you rarely get a break from. It is not for everyone. By understanding who you are working for, we are able to read situations, predict behavior and wants and provide something intangible and irreplaceable to the client.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Luxury Estate Managers of Aspen, LLC – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We make sure that we keep the company small, boutique and personalized, Luxury Estate Managers of Aspen gives clients peace of mind, as well as the gift of time. We understand that their property requires the utmost attention to detail. They also want to have every need cared for, above and beyond their home. When they come to their home in Aspen, they want to feel as though they are checking into their own personal and private 5-star hotel that has every amenity that they could wish for. They can make one call to our office and have anything and everything handled. From a snowmelt system not working to a classic pianist sent to their home for dinnertime entertainment. Our team possesses the reassuring knowledge, skill, and attention to detail that makes each trip to their home peaceful, seamless and relaxing. All staff members have undergone extensive background checks, and all have signed non-disclosure agreements. At Luxury Estate Managers of Aspen, confidentiality is guaranteed.

The concept I have built my brand around it that property management is about getting the job done, no matter how eccentric, challenging, or impossible the request seems to be. If it is legal, we can make it happen, and probably have. I have seen a lot in 15 years on the job, and I keep my lips tight. This position in people’s lives is ultimately about honesty, loyalty, and discretion. Our clients trust us with incredible assets and information that are personal to them.

Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I think being adopted as an infant had a profound effect on the way I dealt with the world and my personal interactions. I was programmed at an early age to fit in, make people feel good and to mirror. To fit in and adapt to my surroundings. I learned to read people and their needs very well at an early age. That has been an incredible skill to have in this type of business working with the top 1/2 percent of the wealthiest people in the world who have incredible demands and expectations. People who do not have a great amount of time to convey what they want when they want it. I have to read them well and quickly and get it right.

Also, I lost my first husband to cancer when I was 32 years old and he was 36. While that wasn’t “childhood,” I can tell you we both felt entirely too young and inexperienced to deal with the enormity of that situation. That has given me amazing perspective on life and has taught me how to respond to situations vs. reacting to them. That can be a very subtle thing but makes a huge difference in interpersonal relationships. That experience also taught me to be incredibly resilient and never give up. I think that being incredibly adaptable to change has been my best and most fundamental quality in life that has contributed to my happiness, success and overall outlook in life and business.

Contact Info:

• Address: 319 AABC, Suite J
  Aspen, CO 81611
• Website: www.luxuryema.com
• Phone: 970-920-1776
• Email: Sarah@LuxuryEMA.com
• Instagram: Sarah Smith Korpela

Image Credit:
Sherri Innis

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