DRIVE: not everyone will understand
Not everyone will understand the journey you’re on.
And that’s okay.
When I opened my first real estate agency at 23, people were in disbelief.
They thought I was too young to be a Principal Licensee and that the doors would be closed within months.
What they had grossly underestimated was my determination and drive to make it a success.
IMAGE | Julia Caesar
I worked Hard. I failed fast and course corrected where I needed to.
I made it my mission to impress clients and over-deliver in every way I could.
I spent countless days that ran into nights obsessing about how I could improve the business. In those early years, I worked seven days a week.
To say I was committed is an understatement of the level of commitment I gave during those first few years in my real estate office. It all sounds excessive, but in truth, I was the underdog with something to prove.
And prove I did.
To this day, I think the other agencies in the area were shocked at how my little independent real estate office had grown into a real player in the market. No franchise backing required. (I knew I didn’t need it.)
I proved those nay-sayers wrong and it felt good. Great actually.
You can too, but you have to understand that not everyone will get it.
Not everyone will support you in your quest. And that’s okay.
Competitors will drop little landmines that will make you doubt yourself but just know it’s because they see you as a threat. You’re coming onto their turf and they won’t like it.
Friends won’t open out tell you that you’re crazy, but their judgemental eyes will scream it back at you.
And sadly, don’t be surprised if they never refer you or use your services. It’s too close to home for them and in reality, you’re better off NOT mixing business with friendship. It ends badly, as I have experienced first hand.
My family were supportive - to a point, but they didn’t really understand what I was trying to do, nor did they believe I could make it a success. Again, they didn’t say this, but I knew they thought it. It’s not that they didn’t have my best interests at heart; they just didn’t want to see me fall flat on my face and wind up broke, or worse, bankrupt.
Just keep going. Stay the course.
Keep doing you and never let anyone tell you it can’t be done.
