What’s the difference between owning a business and running an empire? Let Wendy Papasan, Sarah Reynolds, Seychelle Van Poole, and Vija Williams break it down for you in the latest addition to the Keller Williams podcast family: Empire Building. This real estate roundtable, led by four of the industry’s most influential leaders, examines the grit and grace that are required to lead big businesses and even bigger lives.
Tune in to hear these successful entrepreneurs, philanthropists, spouses, and mothers share how they started and expanded multimillion-dollar businesses; smashed through ceilings and barriers to unlock their fullest potential; established amazing relationships with their families, friends, colleagues, and clients; and achieved lives worth living by continuously striving to become the best versions of themselves.
Before you unlock all of the wisdom and lessons packed into each episode, see why these four esteemed hosts earned the right to call themselves Empire Builders.
Wendy Papasan
Broker and Founder, Papasan Properties Group
In just over 10 years, Wendy went from making no income as a stay-at-home mom to the ruler of a real estate empire spanning from Texas to Minnesota. For some agents, 1,600 happy clients and $450 million in sales would warrant an early retirement, but that’s what makes Wendy an Empire Builder. Together with her husband, bestselling author and KWRI Vice President of Learning Jay Papasan, Wendy has helped raise almost $1 million to combat childhood cancer and feed and shelter the homeless community. Whether she’s selling properties, chairing the Keller Williams Kids Can organization, parenting two teens, or pampering her pet dog and ostrich (yes, an ostrich), Wendy won’t settle for anything less than success.
“It’s not only how to build your own empire, your own big business, but also how to build that big life as well.”
Sarah Reynolds
CEO, The Reynolds Team
This DC native is a shining example of true leadership. Since taking the reins from her mother Debbie in 2009, Sarah has grown her empire with astounding speed, expanding to Virginia, Georgia, and West Virginia. In 2019 alone, The Reynolds Team had a sales volume of over $312 million, ranking them as one of the top real estate businesses in the country, per The Wall Street Journal, and making them the number one female-led real estate team at Keller Williams. Sarah is also a co-owner of Amplify, an organization created to “amplify the voices and lives of women in business around the world.” Leading by example, she has established herself as a high-demand nationwide speaker, trainer, and presenter. Topping off her mountain of accomplishments, she is a wife and a mother of three amazing children.
“Our intent is to be truly authentic. To be the messy, the good, the bad. We’re going to share it all as we’ve built and continue to build our empires.”
Seychelle Van Poole
CEO, Van Poole Properties Group
Like Sarah, Seychelle followed in her mother’s footsteps before stepping to the top of the org chart in 2007. For the past 10 years, she and her team of real estate consultants have kept Van Poole Properties Group in the top 1% of real estate companies in the world. Seychelle and her business partners now have a real estate team, a remodeling company, an insurance company, and a portfolio of investment properties. Also like Sarah, she is one of the 11 strong business women who co-founded Amplify, where she takes great pride in helping entrepreneurial females build a strong circle of support. Outside of her business life, Seychelle’s tribe includes a beloved husband/home remodeler and a daughter/travel companion she lives with in the big city of Dallas, Texas.
“I think permission to be open, honest, transparent and vulnerable is what our group has been all about. We’re really excited to bring that to a larger audience.”
Vija Williams
Director of Growth, Ben Kinney Companies and Owner, The Vija Group at Keller Williams Eastside
When it comes to Pacific Northwest real estate, few names resonate as loud as Vija Williams. In addition to helping the Ben Kinney Companies (BKCO) blossom across eight Keller Williams Realty franchises in 11 offices throughout Washington state, she also keeps The Vija Group in the top 1% of Keller Williams for volume sold. Not bad for someone who joined the Keller Williams family less than 10 years ago. When she’s not climbing the charts, she’s part of Gary Keller’s collective of 100 of the top Keller Williams real estate agents from a company of 160,000+. She’s also a co-founder of Amplify, where she trains and mentors current and future leaders in the real estate industry. She’s done it all while sustaining a 20+ year marriage and raising three wonderful children.
“Here’s what I know: I know that leadership can be lonely. Being at the top can be lonely. I’m hoping that this podcast can be a community for our fellow business owners and empire builders so they don’t have to feel that way.”
To learn even more about and from these four real estate luminaries, listen now!