How business managers can go above & beyond for clients with Nines

Catherine Cox has supported ultra-high net worth individuals as a family office consultant, COO, and business manager for 16 years. How often in that time has she heard from clients that homes and properties are a source of stress? 

“Every day,” she says.  

As a business manager with Tri Star Sports & Entertainment in Los Angeles, Catherine helps clients formalize their family offices and streamline their financial operations, but she says bringing the same structure to clients’ lives at home is just as meaningful. 

“It’s always been really important to me to have a really holistic approach to people in general – it’s not just somebody who’s doing this one thing, there’s a balance,” says Catherine. “I like to always keep in mind that it’s a person first who has needs and family and things on that side of it – if we can have an impact there as well, it’s all the more value that we’re providing and bringing to the table.” 

Working for a complex family office with 18 different households spanning four generations, she noticed it was too easy for the details that go into estate management to get lost in the shuffle.  

“With the scale of what goes into maintaining these homes, these lives, these businesses, it doesn’t make sense anymore to have a little desk drawer you keep your files in,” says Catherine. “You need a tool that keeps everything all in one place and covers everything – a household manual, your insurance policies, etc.”  

She was thrilled when she found Nines, the household management platform designed for clients like hers. 

“Think of your Excel sheet on steroids,” she says, explaining that Nines allows business managers and other trusted advisors to find the information they need more quickly. 

“In business management, you’re getting questions from so many different directions,” she says. “In one day, you might get questions from a banker, a lawyer, an appraiser, and now you have one place where you can find all the answers.” 

But even more powerful is the ability to cut down on those calls by sharing information more transparently with clients and team members. 

“Nines is a gamechanger for business managers because it can eliminate a lot of questions and it empowers the people who are using it in ways they weren’t empowered before,” says Catherine. “Instead of having to call someone like me or whomever is running an estate, they now have the power to have this information themselves.” 

While some business managers may feel overwhelmed at the prospect of onboarding a new organizational tool, Catherine says the process of getting started with Nines presents unexpected opportunities. 

“Setting up Nines was a great way to learn more about the client,” she says. “Going through the process to set it up reveals so much.” 

She has uncovered gaps in safety measures, maintenance procedures, and more. And in one instance, gathering documents to centralize in Nines revealed that a client had multiple insurance policies for the same asset, which helped the team identify an opportunity for huge savings.  

“If there’s not somebody keeping their finger on the pulse of things or if you have a lot of turnover, having a system of tracking ensures you’re not duplicating expenses, you’re not duplicating efforts,” says Catherine. 

But most important is the power to alleviate day to day frustration for clients. 

“If it’s even as simple as having a schedule where they can look at contractors and vendors’ progress in real time and understand, ‘they’re going to be done with this next week,’ that type of engagement can definitely reduce the stress,” says Catherine. 

Curious about how Nines can help you and your clients live with ease? Schedule a call with our team today.