As entrepreneurs we have these big, sparkly dreams of pursuing our passions. And while it’s rewarding and a dream come true we can all admit that it’s not as easy as we thought it’s as going to be. Even if we thought it would be hard, it’s always never what we expected. Then again, that’s life right? 😊
Life for me has been far from what I expected. I have definitely had a lot of ups and a fair share of downs. Charlie and I were just talking the other day about how moving our business to a larger location has forced us to make a lot of adjustments in our personal life. We’re putting in much longer hours, we don’t get to take breaks during our 12+ hour shifts, and we don’t get to see our family and friends as often as we’d like. Not to mention money is extremely tight.
My point isn’t to bitch about how hard my life is (even though it did give me a window of opportunity to do that lol 😝) but rather to say that we do what we have to do to make it work. Charlie and I agreed that we would never trade this experience for anything and if we could do it again we’d probably do it all over. Hardships, tears, and all.
Of course, I have my moments when I admit my situation just sucks. Those times where I just want to scream or burst into tears (or both). But most of the time I don’t complain. I mean let’s be real, this is a choice. Being an entrepreneur is a choice. And quite honestly, this choice aka those sparkly dreams we’re talking about are only making my life harder. But I chose this life. This is how I live my happiest life. So I do what I have to do to keep this life going.
I cut my spending everywhere I can.
I get a part-time job, a full-time job, a temp job to pay for my business/bills until it takes off
I work day and night
I get virtually no sleep
I eat nothing but instant ramen ($0.33 each meal, not bad!)
I pay my employees more than I pay myself
I drop everything, get on my knees, and pray for a miracle (this one happens the most often)
I’ve done all of the above with no shame.
You get it. Dreams take work. Especially the big, sparkly ones 😘
We’re going to kick off a real estate themed series on the blog. I’m so excited to share this with you! This year has been a big year in real estate for me and I’ve learned so much along the way. I thought that I should pass on the knowledge that I’ve learned in case you’re planning on investing in the real estate market in the future.
First, I thought I’d share how I got into the real estate industry. Read on friends!
I’ve told the story before. My mom and dad were small business owners. My dad owned a trucking company and my mom was a Realtor for over 25 years. Blah blah blah. If you’ve been following my blog you know the story. You got the inside scoop 😉
I was surrounded by the real estate business all my life. My mom brought me everywhere. I mean everywhere. Even when I didn’t want to (which was always lol). She dragged me to open houses, caravans, house showings, listing appointments…she would even take me to her office and make me sit there until it was time to go home. Needless to say, I hated it. I used to complain about their entrepreneur life all the time. I hated how they would have to work while on vacation.
I would help her from time to time, but I never really took it seriously. She wanted us to be partners, a team. She wanted to call us the “Solomon Team.” I know, not very creative lol. At one point I was kinda interested but she would do everything and so I got complacent and lazy to learn. I didn’t really pay attention because I wanted to pave my own way. I was the real independent type growing up. I didn’t want a hand me down. I felt like if I was a part of something my parents created they had the permission to always look at me like a little kid and never take what I had to say seriously.
But then one day my mom asked me to lunch. She rarely ever did that so I knew it was important. She told me about Ninong’s and she wanted me to help them. That day was the first of many that changed everything.
It was the first time my mom talked to me about something important. In the past, I was never consulted on big family decisions. Not only that but she spoke to me like an adult, like I was more than her little girl. At that moment I realized that to continue a legacy is just as important as starting one.
When my mom passed away I was completely shaken. I don’t think I’ll ever really get over it. Sometimes the memory of those last minutes of her life replay in my head and haunt me. But the one thing that really stuck with me more than that haunting moment was the idea of legacy. I saw the impact my mom had on so many people. I mean, I knew what she meant to me but I had no idea how loved she really was. She changed lives, she created a meaningful life far beyond her work and career. I realized that I wanted that for myself.
I don’t want to be remembered for how much money I made, the businesses I started, or how much stuff I had. I want to be remembered as a person that loved helping people – with no strings attached. I want to give what I can as often as I can to improve the lives of others, to make them happy.
After the dust settled I had a decision to make. Do I continue real estate without my mom? How the heck will I do that? When I decided that I was going to continue people thought it was out of left field. They knew I had a creative background as a graphic designer, they knew I had a wedding planning business, and that I had taken over at Ninong’s for my parents. Most people didn’t even know I’ve had a license since 2007. But it quickly made sense when people realize it’s the one thing (even more than Ninong’s) that helps me feel close to my mom.
She loved her job so much, she enjoyed every minute. To step into her shoes, to help people the way she did is the best way that I can continue her legacy and keep her close. To hear the beautiful things her clients over the course of her 25 year career continue to say about her always brings me to tears. Proud and happy tears. I hope I can do the same for people the way she did – selflessly, graciously, and with a smile.
Cheers to you, Mom! I’m honored and so happy that I have real estate as another outlet to help people and that’s all thanks to you. The moments when I see how happy our clients are makes me feel so close to you even when you’re gone. Thank you for that.
So many negative things are happening in our world. Lots of things within my own country and even more throughout the world. You know when you’ve just had enough of something? Today is the day for me, I guess. I’ve just had enough.
I’m definitely not the most knowledgeable but I try to keep up with what’s happening in world news and current events. There’s always something bad happening that makes me look at the world and just go, “WTF?!” Yesterday it’s one thing, today it’s another, tomorrow it’ll be something else. Tragedy after tragedy, and the weird thing is it still breaks my heart. You’d think I’d get desensitized but no.
I just wanted to write today to remind myself of something – there will always be negativity, sadness, and evil in this world so just focus on trying to spread light. Even just a little. No matter how small or insignificant I may be, I want to focus on making people’s days better.
People walk in to my place of business 6 days a week. I interact with hundreds of people every week, maybe more. This week, for some reason, I wanted to focus on the few people that didn’t like me. They had the power to bring me down. But today I finally said no. I’ve decided that I’m going to learn from negativity and try not to linger on it. I’m going to keep choosing kindness, keep working hard, and keep focusing on the people that see value in me.
So if you’re still reading I just want you to help me hold myself accountable. I want to live every moment with purpose. Even if it’s just a small dent, I want to help make people lives better and brighter. I want my businesses and my career to have a positive impact. I want to remember I’m an entrepreneur because of those 2 words – positive. impact.
I didn’t become an entrepreneur for praise, to impress people, or to be popular. I’m an entrepreneur because I knew that there are people out there that want, need, and appreciate what I have to offer.
