• Please brief us about your career.

Never in a million years did I think that I would work in real estate! After graduating from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics, I followed my dreams and went on tour as a singer-songwriter. I had the opportunity to open for some popular bands and artists such as OneRepublic, Dashboard Confessional, and Hanson. Still, I was quickly humbled when I got stuck on tour in middle-of-nowhere Vermont with only $7 in my bank account. I had to busk on the side of the road and scrape enough money together in order to make it to NYC for the next show. The time had come for me to cash in on my degree, so I moved to Baltimore for a corporate job in finance, realized the cube life wasn’t for me and moved to Australia, where I was mentored by the man who helped start Google Australia. My experience in Sydney helped shape my worldview, and I quickly learned that my strengths were working with people, problem-solving, and strategically scaling companies.

After moving back to the states, I landed a role in the security industry that brought me to Dallas in 2013. I went on to become an executive at a budding startup in the medical field and then pursued a career in real estate to help build another apartment locating company. This is where I eventually convinced Christopher and Mikala to join me. After working there for over two years, Christopher, Mikala, and I decided to branch off and create a company focused on providing the highest level of service to our clients and creating a great work environment for our agents and employees. When Christopher and Mikala asked me to help build The Realm Agency, I didn’t hesitate to accept the offer and haven’t looked back since. Over the last six years, I have helped thousands of people move to Dallas, and it has been a true joy to work with so many people!

• What are the aims and ideals that guide you as an individual and a professional?

I believe that every chance you have to converse with someone is an opportunity to give them a positive human experience. You never know what people are dealing with in their personal lives. We are surrounded by so much negativity and drama every day. Why add to it? In my opinion, being a good professional all starts with being a good human first. Professional credibility is earned through establishing trust and becoming an expert in your field. You become an expert by consistently learning and refining your process.

• Enlighten us about your greatest strength. How are you different from others in your field?

My greatest strength is having empathy for others. In real estate, it’s important to be able to understand what your clients need and how they feel. Moving is a stressful process for most people. This is my opportunity to be a resource for them and to help alleviate some of the pain and stress associated with moving. It always makes me feel great when my clients feel heard and that I’ve represented them properly. That all starts with putting yourself in their shoes and understanding their personal situation.

• Please tell us about your organisation. What are your primary roles and responsibilities? Can you please walk us through the major accomplishments throughout your journey?

The brokerage I work for is called The Realm Agency. We specialize in residential sales as well as apartment locating in the great state of Texas. I originally helped the two owners start the company in my role of Director of Sales. I am proud of hiring and developing many of our first agents. I loved helping fellow agents maximize their potential. Since then, I decided to move away from management and focus on developing my own book of business. Having helped thousands of clients move over the past six years, it made a lot of sense to officially become a REALTOR® and continue helping my clients throughout their journey in life.

• How did you respond to the challenges induced by the COVID-19 pandemic? What measures did you incorporate to surpass the challenges?

COVID definitely presented a set of challenges. Due to the uncertainty of the market, it forced my hand into stepping down as Director of Sales and focusing on my own book of business. At first, it was a blow to my ego since I spent so much time and effort building the business. However, it forced me to reassess everything in my life and to focus on myself which ended up being a net positive.

• Who in your life inspires you the most?

I am inspired by ambitious people doing anything that is not the norm. As I get older, I realize how rare it is for people to go after something big with no guarantees to succeed. So when I see someone hustling consistently and achieving results, that gives me the confidence that I can do it, too.

• What advice would you give to the next generation of aspiring and budding Business people?

My best friend always preaches a philosophy of “run your own race”. It’s really easy to compare yourself to people on social media and get down on yourself for not being massively successful. You really have to have a “you vs. you” mentality to make it in business. The only competition is yesterday’s you. If you can beat yesterday’s version of yourself, and you focus on doing that every single day, you will be successful. I also think it’s really important to define what success looks like in your eyes. Otherwise, you’re going to get lost in the rat race. Once you define what success looks like to you, come up with a plan on how you’re going to get there. Write it down. Put it into existence. Tell your friends what you’re going to do. If you can get to the point where you wake up every day and know exactly what you need to do every day to get closer to your goal, you will be successful. The one thing we are in control of in life is our effort. If you put in consistent effort and refine your process every day, you will be amazed with where you’ll be in a year.

One other piece of advice that I often give to young people that are starting their careers is to not be afraid to try different things until you find something that awakens your drive. I have never regretted taking a new opportunity or trying something new if what I am currently doing isn’t serving me. Life is way too short. At the end of the day, there will not be another person in this world that cares about your career more than you so it is up to you to take full responsibility for your success.