The Heart Behind Sprout: Built for Property Managers Who Keep It All Together

Oct 8

This morning, I woke up with this deep wave of gratitude. The kind that hits when you realize how far you’ve come and how many people you’ve grown with.

For 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of building Sprout alongside my business partner, Lauren, and our incredible team. Together, we’ve created something that helps property managers across the country not just survive their days, but actually breathe again.

Today, I decided to do something I don’t get to do nearly enough. I loaded up my dogs, grabbed a few thank-you cards, some fresh flowers, and a couple of pies, and I set out to visit a few of our long-time Sprout clients right here in my hometown. Sometimes you just need to look people in the eye and say, “Thank you.”

My first stop was Indian Hollow, where Robin has been a Sprout member for over ten years. Before I even stepped through the clubhouse doors, I noticed their community board. Every flyer posted was a Sprout flyer. It looked sharp, thoughtful, intentional, like a team that takes pride in how they show up.

Inside, I met Margot, their leasing agent. Mondays are hectic, so I didn’t ask for the manager, but before I could drive away, she came running out and said, “You can’t leave without talking to me.” Then she wrapped me in three hugs and said, “I’ve been with you since almost the beginning. My team loves Sprout. It makes our lives so much easier.”

That moment stopped me.

Because that is exactly why I built Sprout.

My next visit was with Linda at an Abbey Residential property that’s been with us since 2018. She was alone in the office, but even in the middle of it all, one of our Sprout flyers was sitting on the entry desk, as a resident notice. She smiled when she saw me and said, “I just love Sprout. It’s so cool that you came out here.”

She didn’t have time for a long visit, but she didn’t need to. Seeing our work in action, in the middle of her real-life Monday chaos, reminded me why this matters so much.

Sprout Exists for Onsite Teams

Before Sprout was a company, it was a heartbeat.

I was a property manager first. I know what it’s like to unlock the office at 8 a.m. with a line already at the door. To start a renewal call, get interrupted by a maintenance emergency, then lose an hour to an unexpected resident walk-in. To finally sit down to do “marketing,” only to realize you don’t even know where to start.

That’s who I built Sprout for. I just wanted to create something useful that would meet you where you are.

When I first started Sprout, I wasn’t thinking about creating the biggest marketing company. I was thinking about the realities of property management.

I built it for the one-woman (or man) show running her property with more heart than help.

For the manager with a luxury community that came with sky-high expectations.

For the regional manager who’s trying to support five properties scattered all over a region and has one weekend off a month.

For the teams that care deeply but just can’t keep up.

I built Sprout to work in real life with real interruptions, real budgets, and real people. It had to be simple enough to actually use between all the chaos.

It had to work for both the luxury high-rises and the 200-unit community, doing everything on a shoestring. And it had to make marketing feel doable, even for someone who doesn’t think of themselves as “creative” or “techy.”

Every flyer, every campaign, every template we create still has to pass what I call the Manager Test.

If it can’t be implemented between phone calls, renewals, and fire drills, it doesn’t make it into our library.

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Real Managers, Real Results, Real Testimonials

We asked our members to finish this sentence, “Because of Sprout I…”, and here’s what they had to say:

“Because of Sprout, I finally feel confident in Advertising and Marketing. I was so insecure before because I had ideas but didn't know how to design them or make them a reality. With Sprout I get excellent elevated ideas, event options, and the ability to customize gorgeous designs to use in all my marketing and social media posts. Our social media scores have increased from 2.1 to 4.8 in the short 6 months we have been a member. Thank you Sprout!”

- Amber Frederickson

"Thanks to Sprout, I finally get to take a lunch break! Normally, I'd spend 45 minutes just coming up with a theme for our pool party, creating a flyer, and shopping for supplies online. But this time, I hopped on Sprout and found a ready-made pool party flyer-complete with fun Amazon finds and decoration ideas. I plugged in our details and had it posted to the resident portal in under 15 minutes. Huge thanks to the Sprout team for making it so easy!”

- Terri Richey

"Because of Sprout, I finally feel like I have my own marketing team at my disposal. I'm thrilled monthly when the Sprout email pops up and I have fresh marketing tools and new collateral material at my fingertips!"

- Karen Nolen

“Because of Sprout, I finally ran an event that I was proud of, and had residents thanking me for focusing on mental health. I love the event ideas you provide!! It has been so long since I had to coordinate events, so to have the resources and inspiration has been amazing!!!”

- Bethany Freitag

Here’s what happens when you give property managers tools that actually fit their world.

They stop dreading marketing because it’s already done.

They start feeling proud when they post something new on social media.

Their residents start noticing. Their renewals start climbing. Their occupancy stabilizes.

And somewhere between all of that, they start to feel capable again.

Because Sprout was never just about marketing or retention. It’s always been about helping managers feel supported, equipped, and reminded that they’re not alone in this.

When a manager has the right tools, they show up differently. Their community feels it. Their residents feel it. Their owners feel it.

That’s what I saw today.

Small Actions, Big Impact

Sprout has always been built on one simple belief: small actions build strong communities.

It’s not about grand campaigns or flashy budgets. It’s about the flyer that sparks one new lease when you’re short three. It’s about the pet reminder notice that saves your maintenance team a headache. It’s about the resident event that makes someone feel seen enough to stay another year.

By making marketing and retention effortless, we give managers back the time and energy to nurture what drives results: connection, trust, and loyalty.

Here’s What I’m Most Proud Of

Fifteen years later, I’m proud of what we’ve built, but more than that, I’m proud of who we’ve built it for.

Sprout was created by a former property manager for the people still out there keeping everything running. It’s for the ones who stay late to finish a notice, who cover the front desk when they’re short-staffed, who keep smiling even when the Wi-Fi goes out again.

That’s who we serve. And no matter how much technology or AI evolves, that will never change.

Because at the heart of every community, there’s a manager doing their best to make it all work.

And we’ll never stop building for them. 🌱

If you’re a property manager who’s ever felt stretched too thin or under-supported, I see you…and Sprout was built for you. See how small actions can create a big impact in your community. Learn more about Sprout here.