How a Pforzheim start-up is now taking off
2021, the second year of coronavirus. The pandemic continues to paralyze the economy and nobody knows what to do next. Nevertheless, the then 23-year-old Jonas Heller finds the courage and founds a property management company with a partner.
They start with an annual turnover of 1,300 euros and a customer who lives an hour and a half away by car. The start-up is financed with their grandmother's pocket money. A good two years later, the property management company has grown to 400 units. But the Pforzheim-based property management company's goal is still a long way off. "We want to have four or five offices by 2030," says Heller.
The company has big plans: they want to "rethink property management," explains the 26-year-old. The aim is to offer customers a purely digital management solution by 2025. Residents of house communities will be networked via customer portals, with discount campaigns from local retailers and service providers. People will be able to use the portal to exchange information, pick up groceries from the supermarket for their neighbor or take the dog for a walk. But there is still a long way to go.
We look after 400 units, but only need a small office.
At least the start in the market for property managers has already gone smoothly. This is also due to the fact that the entrepreneurs did not have to rent a large and expensive office for server rooms or filing cabinets; their office measures less than 20 square meters. "We manage 400 units, but only need a small office. Other property managers also say: 'Hats off'. That's largely down to Impower," says Heller.
The Munich-based software company's system is cloud-based; there is no need for an on-site server. "You can work from anywhere, so there's no need for large rooms. We didn't even need this office," says the certified property manager. For small and young companies in particular, this is a great advantage for getting off to a good start.
The simple bookkeeping also helps. Until now, property managers have not had to hire staff for this; they do the bookkeeping themselves. " With Impower, you have one person doing the bookkeeping for hundreds, if not thousands of units," says Heller. Compared to the previous software, he only needs half the time.
The 26-year-old is a fan of smart solutions. No wonder he also claims to have found an answer to a problem in the property management industry: many property managers in his region no longer accept small properties with 20 or fewer units. "But there are many buildings of this size in Baden-Württemberg. After all, we're not in Berlin with its many high-rise buildings." Apartment owners sometimes have to call ten property management companies before they find a manager for their building, says Heller.
His approach: He wants to offer these smaller properties a reliable and inexpensive solution - with purely digital management. "The software saves us a lot of time in accounting. We get more work done with fewer staff. And we save on personnel costs accordingly. We can pass this on to our owners, either with discounted remuneration or through better communication."
"Our customers have already noticed that we are easier to reach. We have received a lot of praise for this," says Heller. And sometimes we also help without charging a fee: "My colleague recently helped an elderly owner who was having problems with her property tax return. We helped her as a friendly service. These are nice moments that you can experience by saving time."
The start-up invests the time saved in other innovations: They offer digital services, such as hybrid owners' meetings and a free online portal. Great emphasis is placed on freedom of choice: "Owners are free to decide whether they want to use digital or conventional communication channels. Both options are available free of charge," emphasizes Heller.
