Sarah Reynolds, CEO of EmpowerHome Team and co-founder of HerBestLife, grew up around real estate, helping her mother make cold calls in the business when she was just a teenager. Over the years, she forged her own path, becoming a top player in the industry and leading the team to more than $1B in sales volume and over $31M in gross commission income in the last 12 months. Her journey teaches us how to overcome obstacles, act the part, and lead through building systems.
1. Don’t let outward appearances impact your success.
Sarah recounts a story of her and a group of agents waiting for their cars after an event with Gary Keller. The founder of the largest real estate company in the world left in a Ford Taurus while they all reflected on the Range Rovers or Mercedes they were driving. That day taught Sarah an important lesson: The car that you drive or the clothes that you wear do not – and should not – directly correlate with how successful or wealthy you are.
2. Age is just a number.
Sarah knew that entering the industry at a young age would bring challenges, but was determined to overcome them through hard work. She wore a blazer to exude professionalism, learned the ins and outs of every paragraph of the representation agreements and contracts, and surrounded herself with top producers at the office every day. It instilled a confidence in her that, when partnered with deep knowledge, resulted in earned client trust.
3. Leadership is identifying problems, fixing them, and then building a fence around them.
Sarah’s Book Recommendation:
Remarkable!: Maximizing Results through Value Creation by Dr. Randy Ross and David Salyers
Sarah’s philosophy behind leadership is specialization. She believes that once you have fixed a problem, you build a fence around it. This means that if it’s working, you keep going rather than trying to add or change the process. Most likely you are going to have to hire someone else to specialize in the next thing you want to master. Most leaders tend to shift resources before building a fence around the solution – also known as shiny-object syndrome!
4. A life well-lived is a life of counterbalance.
One of the biggest wake-up calls in Sarah’s life occurred when her perception of her work and family balance was challenged at a HerBestLife professional growth retreat. After a conversation with her husband, she implemented tactics and strategies to succeed through others and take herself out of the activities she didn’t need to handle herself. Letting go of control can be scary, but the results are worthwhile when it allows for time to be reinvested where it’s most valued. In Sarah’s case, the time with her three children and the ability to focus on her own health is priceless.