One more thing…
“She who is brave is free.” I saw this quote on a cute keychain at a local boutique and was struck by the statement’s simplicity and power. I’ve had a challenging road in life, as have many people. This quote told me that if you are brave and believe in yourself, you can do anything—therefore, you are free!
Following the lead of the one-and-only Taylor Swift, I had custom friendship bracelets made that say BRAVE*FREE. I’ve given one to every female leader I’ve installed as a local REALTOR® officer. It’s a great feeling to share a powerful statement with leaders aspiring to serve their colleagues at a high level!
3 Words That Can Change Your Life
As an independent broker with 10 agents, growing 11 small businesses simultaneously is an ongoing challenge for me. I am constantly seeking ways to connect with each agent while offering sound business development advice to the team. After being an active broker/owner of both a very large franchise firm and now a small independent brokerage, I have learned that there are countless business models that agents use. My job is to ensure all models used in my brokerage are legal, ethical, and compliant. It’s like being an orchestra conductor, guiding each individual while trying to keep the company on track to play beautiful music together.
Recent events have created new challenges for brokers of all sizes of firms. The NAR settlement requires a laser-focused approach to adhere to the new rules. We also have experienced a significant market shift. Despite all of that, one thing remains true: We serve people—all kinds of people. Sometimes I joke that this job would be so much easier if it weren’t for the people in it! (That’s my dry Scots-Irish humor coming out.) The fact is that REALTORS® would be nothing without the people we serve. It’s a primary reason many of us got into this business. So at a recent business planning clinic for my agents that I host every year, we discussed strategies to grow their businesses in tougher times while serving people at a high level. I’d like to share with you the same message I delivered to them: Just one more.
Imagine the results you can achieve if you just have one more conversation, engage one more professional growth strategy, send one more notecard, deliver one more item of value to a client, say one more prayer, perform one more set of reps in the gym. You get the idea! Doing just one more—especially on those hard days—can ignite your business in 2025. This is my approach and what I encourage all REALTOR® association leaders to do, too. Because the best part of all of it is when you can sit back and say, “I just achieved one more goal!” That’s good stuff.