Hi, everybody. Cheryl Knowlton, coming at you with your dynamite idea for the day, and this is actually a dynamite idea for a lifetime.
This June, I am coming up on my 20th anniversary of my entry into the real estate business. Fortunately for me, at the very, very beginning of my career, I met an individual who gave me a piece of advice that has absolutely been the hallmark for my entire career, and that was this: “Surround yourself with people who are going to make you look great.”
I took his advice to heart
I fortunately not only listened to Chuck’s advice, I took it to heart and have done that and at every level of my career, I have always tried very, very hard to never be the smartest person in the room. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re hanging out with the wrong people. You’ve got to … You’re never going to up your game if you don’t hang out with people who are a lot smarter than you are.
I would be completely and totally remiss if I did not lay it all out there and let you know I absolutely have never, at any time since I started 20 years ago, have I ever, ever done this alone. My first assistant was my daughter, Ashley, my oldest daughter.
I started in the real estate industry on the mortgage side. Many of you know, started my career backwards as a mortgage lender in the state of California working for a company in the state of Utah. So, I was the only one out there, all by myself, and my youngest child was one year old. She had just had her first birthday two months earlier, and I thought, “What in the world am I doing?” But I was surrounded by people who made me look great from the very, very beginning.
Could not have done any of this without the support of my daughter, Ashley, who helped me at every level back then, from licking and stamping envelopes, to recruiting her younger sisters, and getting things thrown into the mailbox. I mean, she was my biggest cheerleader right from the get-go.
I could not do it without an amazing team
Fast forward to today, I could not do what I do without an amazing team of people who help me every single day: an executive assistant who is my sanity, a virtual assistant who does everything behind the scenes for me, two different graphic designers, an amazing, amazing web team who does all of our event coordination for us so that everyone can register for events. And the world’s very best videographer, who’s standing right behind this very camera. He just … Take a bow.
I just want to remind you, you can’t and will not ever be successful at upping your game and taking your business to the next level if you don’t surround yourself with people who love you, encourage you, and help you. I learned that, sadly, when my oldest daughter got married. In 2009, somebody gave me a piece of advice that has never ever left me at that point, and she said, “Don’t ever turn down any offer to help with the wedding.” And I thought, “Okay.” And then people would offer to help, and I had to think, “Okay, what could I have them do?” but really, they were legit things that needed to get done? And we created a beautiful wedding for her.
That was great advice that I would love to leave with you, recognize none of us do it on our own. None of us do it by ourselves. One of the first things that I will tell you to do, just as soon as you possibly can, hire an assistant and hire a housekeeper. Your time needs to be leveraged doing things that only you can do, and that is my dynamite tip of the day.