Being a Real Estate Agent is not for the faint of heart. You are a private contractor. You are in charge of every aspect of your business. Licensing, sales, marketing, HR, logistics, accounting, and the list goes on. Getting into real estate, I honestly had no clue that I was opening my own business. So how did I get here, you ask? Well in short, my real estate license was a covid baby. I had spent the last 15 years in the service/hospitality industry when my restaurant was closed for covid. At that point I felt like I had reached the top intellectually and emotionally working in the service industry. During covid I started taking random classes online, an ancient literature class here and an architecture class there. I thought, why don’t I take Real estate licensing classes? I could advance a career, and it seemed more productive (possibly less interesting) than 1001 Arabian nights.
It wasn’t until I paid for my licensing and signed with a brokerage that I realized what I had gotten myself into and I LOVED it. I loved learning a new skill, designing my own business, making connections, looking at homes, helping people buy homes, nerding out on housing issues, getting involved with my community etc. I loved it all, I loved it so much that enduring long hours, not getting paid, and running into debt was not an issue. I chalked it up to, and I still do, that when starting your own business, you don’t make money for the first couple of years. I also justified it as an investment into myself. These first couple years were an investment into my education. I was fortunate enough to not have any debt from college because I worked full time and paid for my college out of pocket, this is how I justify it.
My real estate career actually started in Whitefish, Montana. In 2021, after long consideration, Joe (my forever human), and I decided to move closer to family. That landed us in Duluth! Although I had to start completely over, I couldn’t be more happy with the move. The Twin Ports has a vibrant community, it’s full of things to explore, and it’s ripe with opportunity compared to other spots in the US. I love my brokerage and the camaraderie and support they provide. I have wonderful people I look up to, who have provided some incredible opportunities. I work very hard and watch my business grow daily. Sometimes I want it to grow faster, but don’t we all?
So that is, in short, is how I got to where I am today.
