Last year Blanket teamed up with the NARPM Women’s Council of Property Managers to develop the Leading Women in Property Management program.
This program brings women role models to the forefront of our industry and showcases their leadership abilities and property management expertise. Our goal is to encourage more women in property management to step up and step forward as mentors, leaders, and to invest in their professional skills. 2025’s theme was She Makes The Difference, which emphasizes the indispensable role women play in each and every property management company across the country.
As part of the program, we interviewed all twelve LWPM honorees during NARPM Annual in Orlando. The interviews are finally ready, and I’m very excited to release our chat with broker/owner and keynote speaker, Jennifer Ruelens!
Jennifer shared many great insights
One of my favorite parts of the interview is her response to the question, “what’s one thing every leader needs to know about leading a team in this industry?”
She answered, “just because you’re good at your trade, doesn’t mean you’re good at running a company that delivers your trade.”
Jen goes on to describe the trouble she had early on in her career with managing teams, and how she eventually decided to delegate that part of her business.
My takeaway has something to do with self-awareness and humility. I think type-a people want to do it all and feel they should be able to. I know I can be that way. And so It says a lot when a leader, especially a high energy go-getter can acknowledge they lack a skill set and make the gutsy move of handing over something so important to someone else.
Don’t miss this interview!
Our interview with Jennifer Ruelens
Q: What are you prioritizing in your business?
A: What I’m really thinking about at One Focus as we talk here in fourth quarter 2025 is the next five years economically. A lot of economists understand that the sales market isn’t strong right now. It’s not that housing is going to suffer or people are going to be broke, but we do need to keep market rents up and keep a close eye on expenses.
So I have goals around improving and increasing NOI for owners, making sure properties are performing at the top of their value, and retaining that value. I see that as very important, and I’d love if, at these conferences, we talked about that like: “Hey, I moved the needle 10% for my owners this year doing these things.” We’re really focused on that right now.
Q: What are the top challenges property managers face today?
A: Increased interest rates, increased housing costs, increased cost of debt; all of that is putting pressure on our clients and the amount of money they are making. My job as the manager is to keep that money flowing. So I’m looking ahead and seeing all of those pressures, and we’re focusing a lot on expense management and doing things creatively. Beyond that, housing is a really polarizing issue right now. Those who have it and those who don’t, those who can afford it and those who can’t. We’re four and a half million housing units short in this country, and this has become a presidential platform issue.
In that context, property managers have a role and a perception, and that perception is important for us to control because we don’t have a good one. It’s coming off of the heels of real estate agents, it’s coming off of these bad landlords, and we get painted with that same brush.
And at least in rooms like this [NARPM conference], that is not who you’re talking about. You’re talking about people who are building communities, who are building teams, who are providing and growing value where there was none. And what’s interesting is that we’re picking up newer technologies before some of the older ones. I’m speaking to people here at the conference who haven’t yet adopted remote team members or systems and processes, but they’re already using AI agents in their business.
So we’re in this interesting technological adolescence. Some of us are skipping steps, and I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how we pick tools that work for our businesses and how we perform that value for clients. It’s just going to look different, and I think it will make all of us look a little different, maybe segmented, doing things differently.
Q: Best advice for someone getting started in property management?
A: I talk to a lot of people who are new to the property management industry, and I’ve met a lot of first-timers at this event here. I always give them the same advice: double, triple down on NARPM. That is probably the highest leverage tool for property managers. Get into a chapter, start coming to the national events, and figure out how to run your business in the best way for you. It’s an incredible organization that is very giving, transparent, and supportive. I don’t find that with any other trade organizations I participate in within real estate.
So if you’re a new property manager, come to NARPM. We can’t wait to meet you. Be bold in sharing, and eager to be shared with.
Q: Tell us the impact NARPM has had on you
A: I can’t thank NARPM enough for the impact they’ve had on me personally and on my business. I wouldn’t be where I am without the people I met, the relationships I built, and the events I’ve attended. That has all been tremendous. The ideas I get to interact with and the opportunities that come from it. I just can’t say enough about how it’s grown me. The more I give, the more I get back.
Every year, I write that check for my company membership because everyone in my company is a member. I still wonder how they keep the cost this low because it really is such a high‑leverage tool.
Q: Best advice for other property management companies?
A: I’d say to anybody running a business to get a system, and a process to follow. The other thing is I use video. I find so many benefits in using video in my business. I get a lot of operational efficiencies from using it, and I also get attention, opportunities, and introductions by using it publicly. I get a ton of value from that.
Q: What’s one thing every leader should know about leading a team in this industry?
A: One thing every leader needs to know about leading a team in this industry is this: just because you’re good at your trade doesn’t mean you’re good at running the company that delivers that trade.
I say this all the time; I’m a really great property manager. When they were handing out property manager traits, God was like, “Give this one extra and see what happens.” But when it came to running a property management company and especially the people part (not the clients or the tenants, but the team), that’s a skill I still don’t do very well.
I had to figure out how to grow a business and build those skills, as much as I possibly can, on myself. And now, I hire for those skills so that those duties are done by other people. We’ve never been more successful with employees since I stopped interviewing and stopped being a direct supervisor, though I’m still kind of the wise property management sage.
And I’ll tell you, the people side of it is where we mostly falter, where we lose money, and where we lose confidence in ourselves. I’ve done all of those things, and what I would say is this: leading people is hard. Build the skill and hire it out, quite honestly. If you’re a visionary leader, you shouldn’t be leading teams.
About Blanket
Blanket is transforming the property management industry with its innovative platform that helps property managers grow their portfolios and retain owners. By combining AI-powered insights, automated lead generation, and seamless integration with existing property management software, Blanket provides property managers with the tools they need to succeed. Blanket is backed by leading Venture Capital Funds like Foundation Capital, Symbol, Operator Partners, RE Angels, and industry-leading Angel investors. Together, we’re shaping the future of property management.
