When I first started supplying and selling mobile homes in caravan parks 35 years ago, I didn’t realise the lifestyle resort industry had begun the same way all around the world.
Initially, these communities were about affordable, safe and secure community living options for retirees. Now, the global industry, including WA, has matured to meet the more discerning needs of the growing population of baby boomers. No longer simply looking for a house or apartment after the kids leave home, they want a true alternative to the typical retirement industry offerings.
As one of the first WA businesspeople to put time, energy and capital into offering something more in this space, there wasn’t a lot of government guidance or legislation available. Instead, I did two important things to help my venture succeed.
Firstly, I researched other communities, villages, and resorts on Australia’s east coast and in America to uncover what worked and what didn’t. Secondly, I did some soul searching, thinking about what sort of community I would want my mum to live in. I considered the facilities, environment and management principles I’d expect in a community my mum might call home. This has proven to be one of the most useful decision-making approaches for me. I’ve used it when creating legal agreements, developing management polices, when thinking about design and facilities, and when attracting the right team members.
Once we were developing multiple villages, the vision in my head and the values I wanted my team to live and work by became harder to communicate. One of my coaches encouraged me to write them down clearly and concisely, so they could guide the team’s daily decision-making.
When we began including our vision and values in our marketing literature, I truly realised their importance. They’ve helped so many people contemplating moving into one of our Resorts because the vision and values an organisation adopts are a clear indicator of how they want to be in business, in the community and in the wider environment. The Providence team has spent a lot of time fine-tuning our vision and values statement, which I’m pleased to share with you. This guides all decisions and interactions we have. It will no doubt evolve but we love that it helps hold us accountable and our intention is to honour these words.
Information in this article is true and correct as of 24 October 2022.
