I can't sleep. I had decided to make 2009 a year of growth for me / Adina Equities and I have been working what seems to be non stop. I am on the wave, riding with my feet trying so desperately to stay above water as the waves comes in. It's both physically and mentally exhausting. Ideas run through my head which literally wake me up. My mind starts turning and I look at the clock. Adina, it's 5 am, go back to sleep, I tell myself. I order myself to sleep. Adina. Sleep. Luna looks at me as if to say 'Mommy it's early, go back to bed." But, instead I see my lap top off in the kitchen counter. Maybe I will just write my blog in bed I say. And here I am. Luna rolls over. It is too early for her.

Good things are happening, what seems like every day now. (It's funny- you have our business for several years-in my case over 7 now-but all of a sudden I feel like an over night success.) Of course I am not, this is coming up on almost 8 years of dreaming the vision of Adina Equities out of my living room. But when the momentum starts to happen, and the recognition, the results, and your efforts begin to pay off. When you can tell people you don't compete with your competition because you don't have to (my new favorite line) you start to feel better than good. It feels good. Starting your own business is hard. Keeping it going through all the mistakes you will inevitably make is even harder, but the payoff for persevering through it is huge. It's just tremendous. And feeling like an overnight sensation, even when you're not, I have to say, is a damn good feeling.

Yesterday The New York Real Estate Institute (NYREI.com) invited me to teach a continuing education course about NYC rentals and a seminar about Exclusive Listings. This is a wonderful recognition for me. I was nothing short of gleaming when I left that meeting. Gleaming. That is a nice word. I was so excited, I decided to go shopping and treat myself to a little gift before heading back to the office. I decided to go to the Coach store on 16th and 5th as I have been wanting to get a new bag for work. I have actually been wanting a Louis Vuitton. But since it's a recession, we all have to make our sacrifices. ;-) I actually met this adorable salesman named Milton who said, "You're shoes are fabulous!" I was having a total "Adina moment" (my friends know what this means). I get to the register and realize that I left my credit card wallet at home. Milton is said "Never fear, I will hold it for you." because of course I crash and burn and look so so sad. Then a light bulb goes off in my head. My office is right down the block and Priscilla my assistant has a company credit card. I text her to run over to 16th and 5th to Coach and to bring the credit card-of course she has no idea why. I am so grateful for Priscilla. She is constantly rescuing me from all sorts of personal neglect. She makes sure I eat and buys me my favorite Gatorade (red fruit punch) She puts a straw in it so that I don't dribble it all over myself. She is the greatest hop to it chick. Anyway, so as she is running over I get her a little token of appreciation. It's a key chain with a "P". Milton wraps it up in a red box with a bow for her. I start transferring my stuff from my old bag to the new one. Now I am so happy I am humming. Amazing what becoming a teacher and buying a good bag will do for the spirit. So Priscilla arrives, she pays for me and even signs. I feel like I am now getting a gift which is now over the top fun! (I decide to tune out the fact that I am still the recipient of this bill) She loves her key chain.

We stop in the deli for some Gatorade and we drive back to the office. All of a sudden I get a phone call from an ex-commercial broker I know who wants me to come meet this Owner in Brooklyn who needs help with an apartment building in Cobble Hill. Now I have given Brooklyn a whirl once or twice in my career before and it hasn't been a huge success for me. Something "feels" different to me this time. Maybe it's my new expert Teacher status, maybe it's my bag, whatever it is, I've now got a 6:30 appointment to meet an Owner of a rather large two winged Art Deco, six story Elevator Building on Clinton Avenue. I've always liked the concept of "Adina Brooklyn". Like I said sometimes things fail when you are growing a business, but it doesn't mean you can't revisit them at a later date. Call it brave. Call it wise. Call it reckless. Call it not learning from prior lessons? Hmmm. I don't think so. I have developed a pretty good gut by now. And I know. I know this building could be an "Adina" building and it may need me. So I get on that bridge and I go.

Today I find out if I got the exclusive. I think that I did. Although sometimes you never can tell. I was very confident I could rent the apartments I saw there. And that came across when I was speaking to the Owner. If I wasn't confident, I would not have been able to speak that way. Nobody wants to apply for a job they can't do. But I liked it there. Good energy building. Large apartments and nice renovations. The Owner was really sweet and yes, I believe good Owners and good brokers attract good Tenants. And yes, I will toot my own horn and say a large part of what makes my firm a success is just that. I am a good person, I hire good hearted people to work for me and we attract good Tenants. I am a believer.