YFlourish by Karen Shannon

You build a legacy by cultivating the here and now but also looking beyond the trends. ✨

How will your CRE business continue to be impactful in the long run? How will it matter?

What is your long-term goal? 🎯

Simply Being the Best at what we do has an immense impact on our legacy. 💥

What impact do you have on family, friends, and clients, through being the best at what you do in commercial real estate? 🤝

I think of the clients I have worked with who have become millionaires. 💰👥 We are part of our client's success team. 🏆

What we do has an impact.

And matters. ❤️

Forget follow-the-leader. 🚫

And pay attention to the life cycle of your career (or business). Your priorities at any given stage.

But, in order to sort through your priorities, you might need some help. I'm not talking therapy here.

I am talking about giving yourself the privilege of engaging a success coach. 🥰

An hour every week or two, to talk about and focus on nothing other than you, your problems, your opportunities, your goals. ✨ YOU! ✨

Having a success coach will force you to schedule time to work on your own business and yourself.

What do I see as a certified success coach? Patterns or references you haven't put together yet. An objective call out on shirking what you told me you wanted to do.

I help you work through the challenges that feel like a weight on your shoulders and celebrate the wins you achieve. 🙌

No judgment.

Sole focus on your goals. And an intense knowledge of CRE and all the challenges that go with the territory.

🚫 Forget follow-the-leader 🚫

And pay attention to the life cycle of your career (or business). Your priorities at any given stage.

But, in order to sort through your priorities, you might need some help. I'm not talking therapy here.

I am talking about giving yourself the privilege of engaging a success coach. 🥰

An hour every week or two, to talk about and focus on nothing other than you, your problems, your opportunities, your goals. ✨ YOU! ✨

Having a success coach will force you to schedule time to work on your own business and yourself.

What do I see as a certified success coach? Patterns or references you haven't put together yet. An objective call out on shirking what you told me you wanted to do.

I help you work through the challenges that feel like a weight on your shoulders and celebrate the wins you achieve. 🙌

No judgment.

Sole focus on your goals. And an intense knowledge of CRE and all the challenges that go with the territory.

My personal brand tagline!

What's yours?

You are wondering just what the next 12 months will bring.

There's so much static out there about what's going to fail.

How challenging CRE will be.

My recommendation? Pause and plan.
👉 Do you want to even continue in CRE?
👉 Is there another area in our industry you'd like to try on?
👉 If it has slowed down for you, what can you do to uplevel your social media presence?

What about revisiting your client journey to see where there are gaps? What about strategic partnerships?

Here's the challenge...identify your triggers, the patterns in your day that aren't benefiting your growth.

Be the go-getter you always thought you could be.

Or are you going to make no changes and wing it?

Okay, unless the noun is:

Deal-maker, leader, risk-taker, founder, visionary, mentor or role-model!

Gusto and Grit ™-- that's how I like to describe the qualities I usually find in those emerging brands I am always so attracted to!

And this new concept is no exception.


So honored to represent. 🥰

Am I good enough?

Do I know enough?

Most CRE pros have quite a swagger.

Lots of confidence.

Why, because we have to!

But did you ever feel a bit of imposter syndrome?

That feeling that the other broker knows more than you or has better connections? It's normal to have those feelings whether you are new to the profession or having a mid-life crisis. But we tend to learn not to share those worries and just press on. That's the confidence swagger, right?

But there comes a time where it will propel you forward to dig in and figure out why you feel this way and learn what you can do to get ""unstuck"" from those feelings.

I rememeber when a mentor of mine early on in a different career, told me that as I grow professionally, I'll notice the same themes keep coming up that get in my way. In fact we tend to keep choosing situations that repeat those challenges. Why?

Because there is a lesson we need to learn. And by identifying that lesson, we can learn strategies to move onward and upward. That's when the confidence swagger is for real.

That's when you have an elite edge.

That's why as an experienced Tenant Rep I became ceritified as a life coach, biz coach and career coach. I know it takes more than cold-calling to build your pipeline. I know it takes more than knowing how to develop a killer LOI and I know it takes more than going out for drinks after work to feel connected .

There is a 360 to your life and career that is the foundation to your success. It's personal branding. It's knowing your strengths and how to capitalize them and it's
knowing where you have some areas that need more development.

You deserve to invest in your personal growth in our profession.

What do you want to learn more about?

Opportunities are everywhere.

But do you recognize them? 🤔

One thing I learned early on as a Tenant Rep is that opportunities are created. They don't just fall in your lap. It might appear like that is happening for your competition, but it's more likely that the other Tenant Rep has put in the hours to connect, cold-call and create the opportunity.

👏 Action equals opportunity.👏

For example, are you skilled at looking at your schedule and determining what actions really produce for you?

It's easy to get caught up in all the business of commercial real estate. But at the end of the day, you need to develop the muscle to decide what is strategic and what is a time waster.

We all need an objective person to call us out on this from time to time!

And this is just a first step in creating and realizing opportuniites.

For more info, check out my profile 🥰

In 2008, I made a change in my career.

I sold a business and decided I wanted to be a commercial broker. More about that at some other time!

Only I didn't know it was the worst possible time, or so others thought, to be doing this. 🤷‍♀️

I did not let that sway me.

How could I think out of the box and get my career moving? 🤔

I jump started by cold calling (in person), and began meeting some amazing business owners.

Business owners who had great ideas for brick and mortar, but were on the wrong kind of property. They had not used a broker, and had made their site selection based totally on the cheapest rent possible.

What I realized early on, was I could help them by finding ""A"" sites with foot traffic instead of the low base rent but no foot traffic sites they were currently leasing. And in that market, Landlords were welcoming any leases at all, so the move to an ""A"" property strategy worked.

The result?

Career-long clients who began expanding nationally. 🤩

Regardless of the market, you can be successful! 🙌🙌

Top 4 things successful people don't do:

👉 Include toxic naysayers in your inner circle. Who needs that? If you keep these people in your life, you may have a confidence issue!

👉 You have an erratic schedule. Time blocking is a successful person's best friend. A schedule is liberating and frees up time to learn a language, spend more time with friends and family, work out (although this should be part of your time block!)

👉 Do everything yourself. Whether it's a VA to help with social media or a housekeeper to take maintaining your house off your to do list, invest in help that releases you to have more time for family and business.

👉 Go it alone. Business can be a lonely journey. Successful CRE's and entrepreneurs have life and/or business coaches to bounce ideas off and help with accountability.

Or a mentor.

You don't need to be in this alone! 🥰

Success as a Tenant's Rep is your personal blend of expertise, confidence, ability to pivot as needed, your expansive and influential network and how you choose to best serve your clients.

Let's face it, many small business owners think they do not need a broker. And that is true, if you aren't staying startegic and leaning into how to be even better at what you do and what you bring to the table.

What is your personal brand all about?

How do you convey this so whenever a client or prospect thinks about a new location or expansion, they think of you?

Comment below 👇

📣 Actions speak louder than words 📣

Listening to what your client is saying by not responding is a key skill in any profession.

And giving them the space to say it or not say it is just as important. After a pause, then go in and see how you can help.

If they are not ready to do a deal, did the economics change in their personal lives? Is the deal not going in the direction they thought it would?

Have you developed enough of a relationship with your client so they can tell you what is on their mind?

It is up to you to control the situation.
👉 To instill trust.
👉 To listen.
👉 To provide solutions.

Top 4 things successful people don't do👇

1️⃣ Include toxic naysayers in your inner circle. Who needs that? If you keep these people in your life, you may have a confidence issue!

2️⃣ You have an irratic schedule. Time blocking is a successful person's best friend. A schedule is liberating and frees up time to learn a language, spend more time with friends and family, work out (although this should be part of your time block!)

3️⃣ Do everything yourself. Whether it's a VA to help with social media or a housekeeper to take maintaining your house off your to do list, invest in help that releases you to have more time for family and business.

4️⃣ Go it alone. Business can be a lonely journey. Successful CRE's and entrepreneurs have life and/or business coaches to bounce ideas off and help with accountability. Or a mentor.

You don't need to be in this alone!

Don't use fear as an excuse to bypass abundance. 🙅‍♀️🌟

You have attracted everything that has come into your life. Both the good and the ugly, the successes and the failures. 💪🌱

Here's where the successful people separate themselves from the pack. 🏆
Successful people consider every situation an opportunity, even when it looks like it isn't. 💼

Instead of coming up with a lame excuse to not do something, learn to live "excuse-free." 🙌

I know I have been guilty of this in the past. 😅

There have been calls I didn't want to make because my client was not going to love where a deal was going. 📞

Instead of using excuses to avoid the call, I thought through other ways to make the deal happen. 💡

What if we did "x" instead of "y" to move this deal along?

I learned to create desirable outcomes by using my experience and zone of genius to figure out other options.

Don't choose fear. Instead, choose to believe you are amazing and will come up with the solutions. 💪🌟

Lots of lessons to learn in CRE. 📚


And maybe it's just my opinion, but, the client journey we create is still going to be an experience that is unique to all of us.

Yes, we all need to follow certain steps to have a dynamic client journey path. But, your personal brand, what your prospects and clients perceive based on that brand is a service they want, is a matter of lots of trials and errors to get this right.

But boy, does business take off when you do. 🚀

Am I good enough? 🤔

Do I know enough?

Most CRE pros have quite a swagger. 💼

Lots of confidence. 💪

Why, because we have to!

But did you ever feel a bit of imposter syndrome? 😓

That feeling that the other broker knows more than you or has better connections? 😬 It's normal to have those feelings whether you are new to the profession or having a mid-life crisis. But we tend to learn not to share those worries and just press on. That's the confidence swagger, right? 😎

But there comes a time where it will propel you forward to dig in and figure out why you feel this way and learn what you can do to get "unstuck" from those feelings.

I remember when a mentor of mine early on in a different career told me that as I grow professionally, I'll notice the same themes keep coming up that get in my way. In fact, we tend to keep choosing situations that repeat those challenges. Why? 🤔

Because there is a lesson we need to learn. And by identifying that lesson, we can learn strategies to move onward and upward.

That's when the confidence swagger is for real. That's when you have an elite edge. That's why as an experienced Tenant Rep, I became certified as a life coach, biz coach, and career coach. I know it takes more than cold-calling to build your pipeline.

I know it takes more than knowing how to develop a killer LOI, and I know it takes more than going out for drinks after work to feel connected. There is a 360 to your life and career that is the foundation of your success.

It's personal branding. 🤩

It's knowing your strengths and how to capitalize on them, and it's knowing where you have some areas that need more development.

You deserve to invest in your personal growth in our profession.

What do you want to learn more about?

Opportunities are everywhere! 🌟

But do you recognize them? 🧐

One thing I learned early on as a Tenant Rep is that opportunities are created. They don't just fall in your lap. 💪 It might appear like that is happening for your competition, but it's more likely that the other Tenant Rep has put in the hours to connect, cold-call, and create the opportunity.

Action equals opportunity! 🤩

For example, are you skilled at looking at your schedule and determining what actions really produce for you? 🤔

It's easy to get caught up in all the business of commercial real estate, but at the end of the day, you need to develop the muscle to decide what is strategic and what is a time waster.

We all need an objective person to call us out on this from time to time! 🗣️ And this is just a first step in creating and realizing opportunities. For more info, check out my profile.

In 2008, I made a change in my career.

I sold a business and decided I wanted to be a commercial broker. More about that at some other time! 😉

Only I didn't know it was the worst possible time, or so others thought, to be doing this.

I did not let that sway me. How could I think out of the box and get my career moving? 🤔

I jump started by cold calling (in person), and began meeting some amazing business owners.

Business owners who had great ideas for brick and mortar, but were on the wrong kind of property. They had not used a broker, and had made their site selection based totally on the cheapest rent possible.

What I realized early on, was I could help them by finding ""A"" sites with foot traffic instead of the low base rent but no foot traffic sites they were currently leasing. And in that market, Landlords were welcoming any leases at all, so the move to an ""A"" property strategy worked.

The result?

Career-long clients who began expanding nationally. Regardless of the market, you can be successful! 🥰

Thanks Tenantreps.com for the spotlight! Check out their page and apply to be included as a resource. Excellent group of professionals.

Getting down or not feeling motivated can hit anytime if you let it. Unless you have been medically diagnosed with depression, that down feeling is probably situational and can be managed if you are willing to revamp your mindset.

Let’s discuss…
👉 Stop watching news reports and domes day social media for a while. Hearing all the naysayers talk about how bad commercial real estate is , well, let’s talk about the opportunities that are created in volatile times instead. What has to change is your mindset and tweaking how you go about business?
👉 Believe you can do it again. Do you believe enough in yourself to know you can rebuild $$ lost during the Pandemic? The killer skills you built as a CRE pro can never be taken away from you. You have what it takes to rebuild your resources!👉 Revamping work hours and high-pressure days. You may be thinking, “easier said than done.” But let’s be the disruptor here. Are you managing your time effectively or just sitting and zoning out? How’s that evening bottle of wine going down every night? (Seriously no judgement here!) Always doing last minute reports for your client instead of scheduling time earlier in the week to get started?
👉 Managing expectations of yourself, your client, even your employer is a skill you may need to revisit. I find my clients often let this one slide because it is so easy to put yourself on the back burner in order to meet everyone

This list can go on and on.

That’s how I knew I could help our profession. I get it. I've been working in our profession for 15 years. If I haven't experienced it, I have heard from friends and collegues about so many different stressors and just generally feeling stuck sometimes.

Coaching allows for all of the above and more. It’s a way to really up level your CRE game, reduce stress and be on the cutting edge of achieving your personal and professional goals.

And if you can’t name your top three goals for the next quarter, let’s talk! Link in bio for a consult 🥰

Ever have to explain why your role as a CRE specialist in your niche is a benefit to a client? 🤔

I remember when I first began as a tenant rep, the broker misconceptions I had to deal with to show a prospect why they would want to work with someone to represent them, was challenging, to say the least. Especially if that prospect did not have a positive experience in the past.

What I heard about the most was brokers not paying enough attention to them, lack of basic follow up, not returning calls, the list goes on and on 📝

But once I said, ""let me surprise you,"" defenses went down and most of those prospects became career-long clients.

But, I did need to show through action, how I was different.

At the end of the day, we really are an important part of a client's journey once they sign an exclusive.

And why do we want to be sure to have an exclusive?

Because we share:

➡️ Market knowledge
➡️ Financial expertise
➡️ Due diligence
➡️ and strategic guidance.

That is something we own and present in our unique way.

We open doors to deals because of the all the critical time we invested in building relationships.

And we do this while we work on managing challenges for clients as they pop up. We are the reality check in the deal, and if we do our job well, our clients enjoy the journey not even realizing all the fires we put out!

Unleash your potential, break free from the chains of mediocrity, and conquer the realm of greatness ✨

As commercial real estate professionals, we have the power to shape skylines, transform communities, and create extraordinary opportunities.

Let's embrace the pursuit of excellence and redefine what's possible.

Rise above the ordinary, and let your vision soar 🥰

Pulling yourself out of the dark place of lost deals and difficult clients is a process that requires time, effort, and self-reflection.

Yep, there are times where you are killing it. Deals are happening and the cash is flowing. You're in demand!

But throughout everyone's career, there are let's say, dark times.

➡️ Times where the deals keep falling apart.

➡️ Times where a difficult client is just wearing you out.

➡️ Times where the effort to get a deal done, far outweighed the possible commission.

Learning what to do when those times hit is as important as knowing how to get a transaction over the goal line.

A coach or mentor's role is to help you figure out what will work for you when those times hit.

As a coach, I teach CRE pros how to be resilient, uplevel their personal brand, provide feedback and accountability to have a successful business or career. You need to prioritize self-care and investing in personal and professional growth.

How else will you productively navigate the dark side of brokerage and emerge not only stronger but more successful in your biz and career?