As some know, but some don't; I left my own career to join my husband and help launch and excel his real estate business. I am a nerd. Not just talking about the "like to read a good book, nerd", but the nerd that gets giddy about compiling and merging excel spread sheets that help make my life easier with the press of the button. Or writing matlab programs that output trajectories and results for radar signal processes... hardcore nerd. I have my undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering and my masters degree in Business Management. So most people ask me WHY? Why did I leave a promising career in the defense industry? Well, it's all pretty simple. I was a young, blonde, female in a old (Sorry... you get the term old if you are old enough to be my dad or grandpa), male dominated field. I LOVED the challenge! I loved the work. There was truly just one problem with the corporate America that I joined. The harder I worked, the same I got paid. I am a millennial so the fact that it even took me 5 years to make this connection still baffles me. I thought if I worked hard, I should get paid more? Right? Who wouldn't think that. Well wrong I was. To add to it, I had my son. Leaving work each day to do go to a job that you are just not completely in love with isn't fun as a new mom.
It made me do some soul searching and I first began by going to manager and letting him know what my career goals were. As a nerdy woman who was fighting every stereotype in the book when it came to engineering I sort of knew what was in store for the conversation. BY THE WAY...I highly recommend every woman doing this whether you plan to leave the company or not. Let your boss know what your goals are...they really aren't goals if you don't take any steps to implement them and vocalizing them is step numero uno, ladies! (I'm all about some girl power; in case you can't tell!)
I then asked him if the job could help me get there. I knew my strengths and I knew that the company could utilize me to fuller potential. He of course could not promise anything because in corporate america it's more about the time you have served than the effort you have put forth. It took Kyle and I a good 2 months of prayer and overcoming fear to simply say "Let's Do This!"
I gave a 2 month notice so that I could train someone to fill my position and move my projects onto another. I held onto that health insurance as long as I could and then bitterly let it go January 1st of 2015. Talk about fear. I feel like for the first time in my life I truly had to light a fire under my booty, get motivated and enter a field I knew NOTHING about. Good lord what was I thinking?! The first 2 months that I was in real estate and starting from scratch Kyle closed 2 homes. TWO!!! I was scared beyond belief. I was regretting my decision and struggling to find my place in the business. I was in way over my head. Well once Kyle started getting some deals and I began handling paperwork; I started to get in a groove. Wasn't a smooth groove but it was a groove nonetheless. Transaction after transaction I learned more and more. Then I really started implementing my FAB excel spread sheets and writing "how to" instructions and compiling email templates. I was making Processes for my husband's business. Hallelujah! I was now useful and doing something. That first year came to a close and our business closed 54 homes.
At the end of 2015, Kyle had become an absolute gem at listing homes. He found his strength. So... we recruited two agents to handle all the buyers that came from the listings. Thus the reason they call them buyers' agents. It really put my processes and paperwork to the test. 2016 was well under way and we were doing ok. I mean we weren't rockstars or anything but we knew big things were on the horizon. Then came April and holy moly. The passion was flowing, our expertise was growing and let me tell you. WE HUSTLED! We were all the first in the office and last to leave. Months felt like days and the year felt like weeks. We closed 119 homes in 2016. And for those who know nothing about real estate or finding an agent, this is HUGE. This is 119 transactions that successfully closed. In this business, there is not one single transaction that is like another. Every seller or buyers' needs are completely different and we truly aimed to please. With our team you truly get experts on the marketing spectrum, legal spectrum and stress free handling of what could be the most stressful time of your life. More importantly they got help from real people, real mothers, real fathers, real wives who have a passion for helping people and do it to feed their family. It led our team to be on Wall Street Journal's best 1,000 agents in the nation for 2016. *Yes it's a shameless plug just in case you are in the market*
Needless to say...this blew aerospace engineering out of the water! I got to help people, help lead a team to be rockstars and I get to bring my kid to the office whenever I want to. I never have to worry about the boss getting mad. :-) So that's my story to how I joined my husband's business and how we have worked hard but each week that passes...we seem to work even harder.
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