Meet Garren Washington, owner of Norton Property Services — a Cary-based business that we are excited to share with you in honor of Black History Month.
Introduce yourself and your business.
I’m a real estate entrepreneur and the owner of Norton Property Services, which offers furnished apartments, short-term rentals and corporate housing for business travel, relocations or extended family stays. After successfully selling 80 homes in the Raleigh-Durham area over the past three years, I enjoy leveraging my extensive local knowledge and real estate expertise to help clients manage the logistics, costs, and hassles of securing temporary housing solutions during personal or professional life transitions.
Why did you want to work for yourself?
I’ve always had a desire to see what I can do on my own. I remember my first foray into entrepreneurship as a child — I learned how to make balloon animals and went to the local park on a sunny day and made them for families for free (of course I had a tip jar). As an adult I wanted to build something I could be proud of and pass onto my children one day.
What attracted you to this line of work?
Real estate has been in my blood since I was a kid. My dad owned a few properties and I would spend time with him while he renovated them or managed them. When I got to college I realized the power of real estate and it has been a dream ever since.
What’s been the best aspect of owning a business?
The creativity and freedom. I believe merely owning a business is not enough. I want to own a business that allows me to enjoy my life and not keep me trapped in an office 40 hours a week. So far I have been fortunate enough to accomplish this.
What are some unique or unexpected challenges you’ve encountered?
A unique challenge has been trying to find a way to run my business without it taking over my life. Learning how to be more efficient and implement systems that do the heavy lifting will always be at the core of me working on my business, not in it.
Who or what has inspired you?
I tend to find inspiration everywhere. In nature, in a warm smile, music, artwork, the human spirit or even sports. The biggest influencers have been my mom and dad, as they set the example and encouraged me from the start.
nortonpropertyservices.com
