Serious leg injuries are plenty cause to sideline most people for a few weeks, if not months. But not Amina Blake-Foreman of the Greater Hartford (Conn.) market center. Blake-Foreman was in a bounce house celebrating her son’s 7th birthday, when she sustained several injuries to her knee.
But instead of slowing down, after surgery she dug in, applying all she learned in BOLD (Business Objective: Life by Design) during her recovery and had the best January of her entire career with 14 closings
After breaking the news that she’d be laid up for a month to her KW MAPS Coach, her coach responded with a one-two punch of care and candor. “I am very sorry for your injury, truly I am, but thank God your mouth is still working.”
Blake-Foreman took her coach’s comment to heart. She made a vision board, posted it confidently on the wall in her room, picked up her phone, and started lead generating. By the end of the month, BlakeForeman had taken seven listings from her bed with the help of her coach and her supportive team.
“Since I would be unable to go to coaching sessions, my coach offered to pause coaching for a few months, but I knew that I needed it more than ever. Rather than scale back, we still continued to have our weekly calls. She texted and checked on me regularly.”
The coaching sessions encouraged Blake-Foreman to keep going and think outside of the box when it came to running her business.
“My showing partner, Matt, previewed my appointments, and we set up webinars with clients to do listing appointments. By using screen share, I was able to take the listings. Tammy in operations stepped up and was able to do buyer consults for the first time.”
Although she is fully recuperated, Blake-Foreman continues to leverage technology and is seeing dramatic results in her production.
“My injury taught me that I don’t have to be on all listing presentations. Now, for certain price points, I just do my consult over the phone and through a webinar. I’ve sold six homes that I’ve never seen.”
A History Steeped in Determination
The people closest to her aren’t surprised: Blake-Foreman’s history is steeped in determination, grit and perseverance. “Time and time again, I have seen Amina rise above any challenges that have come her way without giving up,” says Chris Grant, Blake’- Foreman’s team leader.
When her family moved to the United States from Trinidad while she was in her early teens, she helped her father manage all the details and paperwork involved in purchasing their home. The agent handling the transaction was impressed with her and brought her on as a part-time assistant. BlakeForeman worked for that agent until she got her own license some years later. After graduating with a degree in education she began scouting teaching jobs and realized that she earned more working part time in real estate than she would working full time as a teacher, so she opted for the real estate route.
After breaking six figures at Coldwell Banker, she told her leaders that she wanted to get to $200,000 in production, but they thought she should be happy where she was. Unsatisfied, she picked up a copy of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent and recalls “the moment” she realized there was more for her.
“That was it for me. I read the book and realized there was something bigger and better. I became part of the KW family the first day I returned from vacation.”
Almost immediately Blake-Foreman plugged into KW MAPS Coaching. Though she had no strong family role models, her coaches became mentors and helped nurture in her an intention and the skills to become a millionaire real estate agent.
Breaking the Cycle
Real estate is more than a career for Blake-Foreman; it’s a gateway allowing her to break unhealthy generational cycles. She is the first in her family to attend and graduate from college and wants to blaze many more trails for those who come behind her.
“Legacy is my Big Why,” she ponders. “I look around and I see so many who have raised children and are now caring for their parents. Not only do I not want to put a financial burden on those who come after me, but I want to leave markers and mileposts along my path that pave the way for their brighter future.”
Grant attests to Blake-Foreman’s drive and ambition.
“I have heard it stated that it is not skills, abilities, geography, biography, or resources that make a person successful in life, rather it is hunger and resourcefulness,” says Grant. “Amina absolutely is hungry and resourceful when it comes to moving forward.”
Blake-Foreman has taken BOLD at least 10 times and doesn’t plan on stopping. The transformative mindset exercises have impacted every part of her life. When she enrolled in the course for the first time, she was going through a divorce, parenting a child alone, growing a business, and trying to raise her financial thermostat. Initially, she said it was about scripts and business techniques, but the mindset element has changed everything for her.
“I have learned how to quickly identify my limiting beliefs, the things that are holding me back, and catch myself before falling into a funk.” She now serves as a table leader at BOLD and encourages new attendees with what she has learned. Dianna Kokoszka, CEO of KW MAPS Coaching, reflects, “Amina has continued to go BOLD since I coached her and does not take a break! Even through knee surgery and bedrest, she generated leads all day.”
Making Her Mark
Though she never taught in a school with her education degree, she teaches and comes from contribution every day in real estate. At the market center, she leads Win with Sellers and became a certified KW MAPS Coach. She is working to become a 7th Level team, and would love to expand and become a BOLD Coach to take others through the program that has made such a difference in her life.
Grant says, “Amina maintains the Keller Williams belief system and values as very high standards in her life. She is not only an amazing mother to her son, she is a model of a great businessperson, coach, leader and servant to others in our office. Our local market center is richer because of our partnership with Amina.”
This story originally appeared in OutFront Magazine Issue 14.3. Read the full publication below!