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Bringing the entrepreneurial spirit into a career as a realtor — Transcript

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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Canada's podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_02: Hello, I'm Mark, the top easy managing editor of Canada's podcast,
[00:10] SPEAKER_02: joining me today on Calgary's podcast is Brinata Reed,
[00:14] SPEAKER_02: Sales Associate and Senior Vice President of Sales
[00:16] SPEAKER_02: with South Abize International Realty Canada.
[00:19] SPEAKER_02: Thanks for joining us today.
[00:21] SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much, Mario.
[00:23] SPEAKER_02: Let's talk a little bit about being a realtor.
[00:26] Speaker UNKNOWN: I'm a realtor and, uh,
[00:28] SPEAKER_02: uh, person ball.
[00:30] SPEAKER_02: How many years have you done this?
[00:31] SPEAKER_01: Well, it has been, um,
[00:35] SPEAKER_01: I've been a realtor now for 20 years,
[00:37] SPEAKER_01: and, uh, absolutely loving it.
[00:40] SPEAKER_02: How did you start?
[00:42] SPEAKER_01: How did I start?
[00:44] SPEAKER_01: Well, I started, uh, my,
[00:45] SPEAKER_01: my background's an interior design.
[00:47] SPEAKER_01: So I started out.
[00:48] SPEAKER_01: So I have a family,
[00:50] SPEAKER_01: my family business, uh,
[00:52] SPEAKER_01: is building homes.
[00:53] SPEAKER_01: And I started working in terms of design with my dad.
[00:57] SPEAKER_01: And, uh,
[00:58] SPEAKER_01: and then realized I probably should get my license,
[01:00] SPEAKER_01: because this is a good industry to be in.
[01:03] SPEAKER_01: And since we, uh,
[01:05] SPEAKER_01: buy in self-properties,
[01:06] SPEAKER_01: it was, it was a great way to,
[01:07] SPEAKER_01: to come into the market.
[01:09] SPEAKER_02: Now, what was it about interior design that appealed to you?
[01:14] SPEAKER_01: Oh, I loved, uh,
[01:16] SPEAKER_01: the aspect of helping people.
[01:17] SPEAKER_01: To me,
[01:18] SPEAKER_01: I've always loved helping solve,
[01:21] SPEAKER_01: uh, problems, uh,
[01:23] SPEAKER_01: the spatial problems for people.
[01:25] SPEAKER_01: And somehow this was a natural,
[01:27] SPEAKER_01: uh, skill that I had.
[01:29] SPEAKER_01: And I really wanted to share it with people.
[01:31] SPEAKER_01: So when I was an interior design,
[01:32] SPEAKER_01: I would help people spatially visualize how they can see
[01:36] SPEAKER_01: and change their environment,
[01:38] SPEAKER_01: and make it better.
[01:39] SPEAKER_01: And, uh, in real estate,
[01:40] SPEAKER_01: it became,
[01:42] SPEAKER_01: how can I help people find the right house and modify it
[01:45] SPEAKER_01: to what they need?
[01:46] SPEAKER_01: So it's been a beautiful transition that way.
[01:48] SPEAKER_02: Mm-hmm.
[01:50] SPEAKER_02: Now, when you, uh,
[01:52] SPEAKER_02: uh, were a little kid,
[01:53] SPEAKER_02: was there anything else that you wanted to do?
[01:56] Speaker UNKNOWN: 
[01:57] SPEAKER_02: I,
[01:57] SPEAKER_02: I, this, I imagine,
[01:58] SPEAKER_02: probably came,
[02:00] SPEAKER_02: interior design came along later on in, in, in your childhood.
[02:03] Speaker UNKNOWN: 
[02:04] SPEAKER_02: What?
[02:05] SPEAKER_01: Well, yes, actually,
[02:07] SPEAKER_01: that's interesting that you say that,
[02:09] SPEAKER_01: because I've always wanted to be, um,
[02:11] SPEAKER_01: a bit of a healer,
[02:12] SPEAKER_01: someone that was always helping people.
[02:14] SPEAKER_01: And I, I said,
[02:15] SPEAKER_01: one day I want to be,
[02:16] SPEAKER_01: uh, a neurosurgeon.
[02:18] SPEAKER_01: Oh, well.
[02:19] SPEAKER_01: That was something I,
[02:21] SPEAKER_01: I wanted to be when I was younger.
[02:23] SPEAKER_01: And, uh, you know, that,
[02:25] SPEAKER_01: obviously that's not falling in my,
[02:26] SPEAKER_01: in my cards at this point,
[02:27] SPEAKER_01: but it's something that fascinates me even to this day.
[02:31] SPEAKER_01: I find it so interesting to understand people's psychology
[02:34] SPEAKER_01: and things,
[02:34] SPEAKER_01: uh, and, and how they,
[02:36] SPEAKER_01: how they function.
[02:37] SPEAKER_01: And, and that's kind of translated into,
[02:39] SPEAKER_01: into homes and whatnot at this point.
[02:41] SPEAKER_01: But,
[02:42] SPEAKER_02: really neat.
[02:43] SPEAKER_02: What was that background,
[02:44] SPEAKER_02: uh, of being an interior designer
[02:47] SPEAKER_02: helped you and,
[02:49] SPEAKER_02: and shaped your career as a,
[02:51] SPEAKER_02: as a, as a realtor?
[02:53] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's been,
[02:55] SPEAKER_01: uh, a phenomenal background,
[02:57] SPEAKER_01: um, combination with real estate,
[02:58] SPEAKER_01: because what I find is,
[03:01] SPEAKER_01: um,
[03:01] SPEAKER_01: it allows me to visualize,
[03:03] SPEAKER_01: um, my background allows me to visualize what a home can be
[03:07] SPEAKER_01: as I'm touring people through a home.
[03:09] SPEAKER_01: Or even understanding, you know,
[03:11] SPEAKER_01: they're, they're,
[03:12] SPEAKER_01: they're spatial constraints in their current home,
[03:14] SPEAKER_01: and going, okay, what will they need going forward?
[03:16] SPEAKER_01: And I'm able to kind of,
[03:18] SPEAKER_01: visualize that forward,
[03:20] SPEAKER_01: forward that with them,
[03:21] SPEAKER_01: and, and really bring that,
[03:23] SPEAKER_01: um, to the forefront,
[03:25] SPEAKER_01: um, when I'm helping someone find their next home,
[03:27] SPEAKER_01: or, or,
[03:28] SPEAKER_01: or selling their current home,
[03:30] SPEAKER_01: and, uh, transitioning.
[03:32] SPEAKER_01: So it's been, uh,
[03:33] SPEAKER_01: what I love about what I learned in interdesign is,
[03:37] SPEAKER_01: I developed a really extensive checklist,
[03:40] SPEAKER_01: um, questionnaire,
[03:42] SPEAKER_01: that allows people to kind of think,
[03:44] SPEAKER_01: what are their future needs that look like?
[03:48] SPEAKER_01: And that helps me build my,
[03:50] SPEAKER_01: my process as to what I'm looking for them,
[03:53] SPEAKER_01: and what we're,
[03:55] SPEAKER_01: accomplishing as a whole,
[03:57] SPEAKER_01: so whether they're selling and then buying,
[03:59] SPEAKER_01: and what, what are their plans?
[04:01] SPEAKER_01: So it's a, it's a,
[04:02] SPEAKER_01: I love it.
[04:03] SPEAKER_01: It actually has,
[04:04] SPEAKER_01: it has helped tremendously for my business.
[04:07] SPEAKER_02: What do you like about being a realtor?
[04:11] SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love the people.
[04:14] SPEAKER_01: I really love working with people,
[04:16] SPEAKER_01: and when we align,
[04:18] SPEAKER_01: I, you know, it's,
[04:19] SPEAKER_01: it's interesting,
[04:20] SPEAKER_01: I, I talked to people daily about,
[04:22] SPEAKER_01: uh, you know, being able to help them,
[04:24] SPEAKER_01: what, with their needs,
[04:26] SPEAKER_01: and going through,
[04:27] SPEAKER_01: and a lot of the,
[04:28] SPEAKER_01: the stuff that I was talking about in the questionnaire,
[04:31] SPEAKER_01: it's kind of,
[04:31] SPEAKER_01: it really opens up,
[04:33] SPEAKER_01: and it gives me a really great window
[04:35] SPEAKER_01: and to,
[04:36] SPEAKER_01: who these people are.
[04:38] SPEAKER_01: Um, so much so that,
[04:39] SPEAKER_01: um, many of my clients become lifetime friends,
[04:43] SPEAKER_01: and, um,
[04:44] SPEAKER_01: for, like,
[04:45] SPEAKER_01: referrals, even,
[04:46] SPEAKER_01: because they just,
[04:47] SPEAKER_01: when we connect,
[04:48] SPEAKER_01: and we're together for the time that we're together,
[04:51] SPEAKER_01: it's very intimate,
[04:52] SPEAKER_01: and we have,
[04:53] SPEAKER_01: you know, we're searching at properties,
[04:55] SPEAKER_01: and we're looking for,
[04:56] SPEAKER_01: for the right place,
[04:57] SPEAKER_01: and it doesn't take very long.
[04:59] SPEAKER_01: It's, it's a,
[05:00] SPEAKER_01: it's a short process,
[05:01] SPEAKER_01: because I do a lot of research from the very beginning,
[05:04] SPEAKER_01: and I love that part of it.
[05:06] SPEAKER_01: I really love understanding,
[05:08] SPEAKER_01: you know, the depths of where people are coming from,
[05:10] SPEAKER_01: when they're moving,
[05:11] SPEAKER_01: or selling,
[05:12] SPEAKER_01: or whatever they're planning.
[05:14] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, what, you know,
[05:15] SPEAKER_02: with, you know,
[05:16] SPEAKER_02: being a realtor,
[05:17] SPEAKER_02: ain't the easiest of jobs.
[05:20] SPEAKER_02: No.
[05:20] SPEAKER_02: No, you're on call,
[05:22] SPEAKER_02: basically 24-7.
[05:24] SPEAKER_02: How do you, uh,
[05:25] SPEAKER_02: manage that,
[05:26] SPEAKER_02: and, you know,
[05:27] SPEAKER_02: you're,
[05:28] SPEAKER_02: you've got a family,
[05:30] Speaker UNKNOWN: and, uh,
[05:30] SPEAKER_02: you've got other interests.
[05:32] SPEAKER_02: How do you,
[05:32] SPEAKER_02: you know,
[05:33] SPEAKER_02: always wondered how,
[05:34] SPEAKER_02: how realtor has managed that,
[05:36] SPEAKER_02: that personal life with,
[05:38] SPEAKER_02: that business life.
[05:41] SPEAKER_01: So in the past,
[05:43] SPEAKER_01: it was, for me,
[05:43] SPEAKER_01: it was 24-7.
[05:44] SPEAKER_01: And, you know,
[05:45] SPEAKER_01: I think once I realized,
[05:47] SPEAKER_01: I don't need to work 24-7 as an agent.
[05:49] SPEAKER_01: I don't need to be on call all the time.
[05:51] SPEAKER_01: I, I really set strong boundaries with my clients,
[05:54] SPEAKER_01: and they appreciate it,
[05:56] SPEAKER_01: and I appreciate it,
[05:57] SPEAKER_01: because I get that downtime.
[05:59] SPEAKER_01: I get to travel.
[06:00] SPEAKER_01: I travel six times a year,
[06:01] SPEAKER_01: if not more.
[06:03] SPEAKER_01: And there's, you know,
[06:04] SPEAKER_01: and, and my clients are,
[06:06] SPEAKER_01: they're, you know,
[06:07] SPEAKER_01: what they say,
[06:07] SPEAKER_01: they say,
[06:08] SPEAKER_01: well, wait for you to get back.
[06:10] SPEAKER_01: Take your time off.
[06:11] SPEAKER_01: They understand that, you know,
[06:13] SPEAKER_01: everyone needs time off.
[06:14] SPEAKER_01: And I think in any industry,
[06:16] SPEAKER_01: we need to really have that life,
[06:18] SPEAKER_01: life, work balance,
[06:19] SPEAKER_01: which is really important to keep your,
[06:22] SPEAKER_01: your mindset right,
[06:25] SPEAKER_01: and to be able to help your clients,
[06:27] SPEAKER_01: with a, with a,
[06:28] SPEAKER_01: with a sound mind.
[06:29] SPEAKER_01: I think it's really important to be able to have that.
[06:31] SPEAKER_01: So I've created these boundaries,
[06:33] SPEAKER_01: and I don't work 24-7.
[06:35] SPEAKER_01: I have, you know,
[06:36] SPEAKER_01: if there's an offer coming in,
[06:37] SPEAKER_01: certainly I will be on call on those days,
[06:41] SPEAKER_01: but I'm not on call 24-7.
[06:43] SPEAKER_01: I basically have my,
[06:45] SPEAKER_01: I guess it would be eight till,
[06:47] SPEAKER_01: eight till five,
[06:49] SPEAKER_01: or eight till eight,
[06:50] SPEAKER_01: depending on the day.
[06:51] SPEAKER_01: And, and then that's it.
[06:53] SPEAKER_01: It's, it's been great.
[06:55] SPEAKER_00: Stay ahead of the game
[06:56] SPEAKER_00: with our expert tips and strategies
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[07:04] SPEAKER_02: You know, being a realtor is,
[07:06] SPEAKER_02: is more than that.
[07:08] SPEAKER_02: It's a, you're a non-terprinurb
[07:10] SPEAKER_02: in many ways.
[07:13] SPEAKER_02: What's the key that being successful
[07:16] SPEAKER_02: and running a business?
[07:18] SPEAKER_02: You know, it's,
[07:19] SPEAKER_02: it's not just selling the homes.
[07:21] SPEAKER_02: It's, it's running a whole business, isn't it?
[07:24] SPEAKER_01: It sure is, Mario.
[07:25] SPEAKER_01: It's, it's been a,
[07:27] SPEAKER_01: you know what?
[07:28] SPEAKER_01: It's taken years to kind of figure a lot of that out.
[07:30] SPEAKER_01: I've done a lot of coaching in different times
[07:32] SPEAKER_01: to make sure that I'm able to kind of,
[07:35] SPEAKER_01: you know, manage the business as well as,
[07:38] SPEAKER_01: as well as, you know,
[07:39] SPEAKER_01: running a family and a household
[07:41] SPEAKER_01: and all these other things.
[07:42] SPEAKER_01: So, all of it takes time.
[07:44] SPEAKER_01: And, you know what,
[07:45] SPEAKER_01: the biggest advice,
[07:46] SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think is,
[07:48] SPEAKER_01: is really,
[07:49] SPEAKER_01: don't look at others.
[07:51] SPEAKER_01: You've got to do your own thing.
[07:53] SPEAKER_01: You know, what works for me
[07:54] SPEAKER_01: is not going to work for somebody else.
[07:56] SPEAKER_01: And, you know what,
[07:57] SPEAKER_01: you've got to decide what kind of,
[07:59] SPEAKER_01: like, you want a team?
[08:00] SPEAKER_01: Do you want an,
[08:01] SPEAKER_01: do I be an individual?
[08:02] SPEAKER_01: Do you want to be?
[08:03] SPEAKER_01: So, and then,
[08:04] SPEAKER_01: and really build on that.
[08:06] SPEAKER_01: Like, for me,
[08:07] SPEAKER_01: I've really stayed true to who I am through my career.
[08:11] SPEAKER_01: And I really felt that has
[08:13] SPEAKER_01: helped me tremendously as I grow,
[08:16] SPEAKER_01: as I expand my client base and all that.
[08:20] SPEAKER_01: There,
[08:20] SPEAKER_01: I always go back to,
[08:21] SPEAKER_01: okay, does this person fit my,
[08:23] SPEAKER_01: fit my business style, right?
[08:26] SPEAKER_01: And does it fit my personality even?
[08:28] SPEAKER_01: If, if we mesh,
[08:29] SPEAKER_01: then we work together.
[08:30] SPEAKER_01: But if not,
[08:31] SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's,
[08:32] SPEAKER_01: there's, there's plenty of other,
[08:34] SPEAKER_01: other agents.
[08:34] SPEAKER_01: And in, in my time,
[08:36] SPEAKER_01: I've actually felt there isn't really
[08:38] SPEAKER_01: competition for each of us individual agents.
[08:42] SPEAKER_01: Sometimes, agents compete against each other.
[08:44] SPEAKER_01: But really,
[08:45] SPEAKER_01: at the end of the day,
[08:46] SPEAKER_01: that person would have worked with you,
[08:48] SPEAKER_01: whether it was you or the other person
[08:51] SPEAKER_01: that they really wanted to work with.
[08:52] SPEAKER_01: When you have a recommendation,
[08:54] SPEAKER_01: Mario, your brother says,
[08:55] SPEAKER_01: you need to use Mario because he is the best guy.
[08:59] SPEAKER_01: I mean,
[08:59] SPEAKER_01: I don't think you're going to go with someone else.
[09:02] SPEAKER_01: Because that's just how,
[09:04] SPEAKER_01: you know, we,
[09:05] SPEAKER_01: we as humans function, right?
[09:07] SPEAKER_01: We choose to work with people.
[09:08] SPEAKER_01: We know like interest.
[09:10] SPEAKER_02: True.
[09:11] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[09:12] SPEAKER_02: And I guess in the real estate business,
[09:16] SPEAKER_02: the successful realtors are the ones who,
[09:19] SPEAKER_02: who have that personality that gets along with people,
[09:25] SPEAKER_02: and that people trust, right?
[09:28] SPEAKER_02: That's got to be cute.
[09:29] SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
[09:30] SPEAKER_02: Us factor.
[09:32] SPEAKER_01: Yeah. Trust factor is massive.
[09:34] SPEAKER_01: I mean, integrity, trust, all of that.
[09:37] SPEAKER_01: People want to know that they are,
[09:39] SPEAKER_01: they can lead their business to you,
[09:42] SPEAKER_01: or leave their decisions to you,
[09:43] SPEAKER_01: and you will take the best care of them that you can.
[09:47] SPEAKER_01: And if, even if they're in the most stressful moment,
[09:50] SPEAKER_01: sometimes I'll have buyers looking at something,
[09:52] SPEAKER_01: and they're like,
[09:52] SPEAKER_01: no, I want to buy that, and I'll go, hey,
[09:56] SPEAKER_01: do you remember when we talked about this element,
[09:57] SPEAKER_01: and you really didn't want that?
[10:00] SPEAKER_01: Well, that's in here.
[10:01] SPEAKER_01: So are you sure?
[10:02] SPEAKER_01: And if they still say, yes, I'll be fine.
[10:04] SPEAKER_01: I, at least I did my job in protecting them.
[10:06] SPEAKER_01: Because when you're in the heat of the moment,
[10:08] SPEAKER_01: when you're buying or selling, you know,
[10:10] SPEAKER_01: sometimes you kind of have,
[10:12] SPEAKER_01: you drop your guard where you shouldn't.
[10:14] SPEAKER_01: And so my job is to protect you,
[10:17] SPEAKER_01: make sure that you're at your best,
[10:19] SPEAKER_01: you're making your decision with a sound mind.
[10:21] SPEAKER_01: Sometimes, you know, that can't be done when you're in the middle of that.
[10:25] SPEAKER_01: So I've always told people,
[10:27] SPEAKER_01: I'm here to put you in the power position
[10:29] SPEAKER_01: by the knowledge I have,
[10:31] SPEAKER_01: and the information I provide.
[10:34] SPEAKER_02: Mm-hmm.
[10:35] SPEAKER_02: What do you think it takes to be a realtor,
[10:38] SPEAKER_02: from a personality point of view?
[10:40] SPEAKER_02: Like, what type of person makes a good realtor?
[10:45] SPEAKER_01: Someone that's determined, patient,
[10:48] SPEAKER_01: and that has, you know,
[10:53] SPEAKER_01: really it's someone that you have to have an entrepreneurial spirit
[10:57] SPEAKER_01: because it's something that, you know,
[11:01] SPEAKER_01: bootstrapping is a really good way to describe someone that has made it
[11:05] SPEAKER_01: in the very beginning.
[11:07] SPEAKER_01: You have to do all those elements to kind of build up your business
[11:11] SPEAKER_01: because it's not something that you can instantly just walk into.
[11:14] SPEAKER_01: And okay, I'm running my business now.
[11:17] SPEAKER_01: That's not how it is, right?
[11:19] SPEAKER_01: You're basically, you're running a business from the ground up
[11:22] SPEAKER_01: and you have to build every component
[11:24] SPEAKER_01: because people come to see you,
[11:26] SPEAKER_01: and they want to see that you've got things organized
[11:30] SPEAKER_01: and you're really, you know,
[11:32] SPEAKER_01: running things smoothly.
[11:34] SPEAKER_01: And the ones that do well
[11:35] SPEAKER_01: or the ones that have all the processes in place
[11:38] SPEAKER_01: have all those things that they've built up from the very beginning.
[11:41] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, how do you deal, you know, obviously,
[11:43] SPEAKER_02: you know, the housing market goes in cycles
[11:47] SPEAKER_02: and we've had booze and a bust.
[11:50] SPEAKER_02: As a realtor, how do you deal with that?
[11:52] SPEAKER_02: Because obviously, you know, during bust times,
[11:56] SPEAKER_02: homes aren't selling, you're not making money, right?
[11:59] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I'm a little bit, I'm going to say,
[12:03] SPEAKER_01: it's going to sound kind of funny,
[12:05] SPEAKER_01: but I'm a little bit like Warren Buffett.
[12:07] SPEAKER_01: I don't really pay attention to the ups and downs.
[12:10] SPEAKER_01: But clients stick with me when, you know,
[12:13] SPEAKER_01: it doesn't matter what's happening with the market.
[12:15] SPEAKER_01: I coach people based on,
[12:17] SPEAKER_01: here's what is going on for you in this moment.
[12:20] SPEAKER_01: Who cares if the world's falling apart?
[12:22] SPEAKER_01: Because it's like the sky is falling,
[12:24] SPEAKER_01: the sky is falling, sure.
[12:26] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but you know what?
[12:27] SPEAKER_01: People still need to buy, they need to sell,
[12:29] SPEAKER_01: they need to do stuff.
[12:30] SPEAKER_01: So even in the down markets, I've been busy.
[12:33] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[12:33] SPEAKER_01: So to me, it's not about what's happening out there.
[12:37] SPEAKER_01: Sure, we don't want to ignore the fact
[12:38] SPEAKER_01: that there's, you know, there's these changes that are happening.
[12:42] SPEAKER_01: But if you still need to sell,
[12:44] SPEAKER_01: here's the strategy we're going to use.
[12:46] SPEAKER_01: We're not going to go higher on price
[12:47] SPEAKER_01: because we think we can go a little bit higher.
[12:50] SPEAKER_01: We're going to be more conservative.
[12:51] SPEAKER_01: And we're going to take a more conservative approach
[12:53] SPEAKER_01: to the whole aspect of selling or buying.
[12:56] SPEAKER_01: And we look at, you know, it doesn't matter.
[12:58] SPEAKER_01: So my clients are protective based on the knowledge
[13:02] SPEAKER_01: I bring to the table,
[13:04] SPEAKER_01: not because it's something that's happening out there in the economy.
[13:08] SPEAKER_02: Now, all your career as a realtor has been in Calgary, has it?
[13:12] SPEAKER_01: It has.
[13:14] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[13:14] SPEAKER_01: The whole 20 years.
[13:16] SPEAKER_02: What do you like about doing business in Calgary?
[13:20] SPEAKER_01: So I've lived in several different cities.
[13:23] SPEAKER_01: And by far, Calgary has the most genuine kind people.
[13:30] SPEAKER_01: And they're really down to earth and the farming community.
[13:35] SPEAKER_01: Like, it's, it really comes down to kindness.
[13:39] SPEAKER_01: Here, people are open and they're communicative.
[13:42] SPEAKER_01: Like, I found in Vancouver people are nice too.
[13:45] SPEAKER_01: But it really is like the very like on a mission.
[13:48] SPEAKER_01: And they, you know, and I think they're,
[13:50] SPEAKER_01: because you have so much time and traffic,
[13:52] SPEAKER_01: maybe that affects people, same in Toronto, you know.
[13:55] SPEAKER_01: And somehow Calgary has this kind of like relaxed side of it.
[13:59] SPEAKER_01: But yet, it's still a business side.
[14:01] SPEAKER_01: And it's just like a really, really cool combination.
[14:04] SPEAKER_01: I love it here.
[14:06] SPEAKER_01: I really love Calgary.
[14:08] Speaker UNKNOWN: Yeah.
[14:09] SPEAKER_02: So juggling, you know, as I said, juggling the business and juggling family.
[14:14] SPEAKER_02: Does it leave you any time to do anything else?
[14:17] SPEAKER_02: Do something for Renata?
[14:20] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I do actually.
[14:22] SPEAKER_01: I do dancing.
[14:24] SPEAKER_01: I do.
[14:25] SPEAKER_01: I do.
[14:26] SPEAKER_01: I love traveling.
[14:27] SPEAKER_01: So this year I was lucky to go to Brazil and Portugal.
[14:32] SPEAKER_01: And I'm actually going in Asheville coming up.
[14:34] SPEAKER_01: And there's a few different trips I could take.
[14:38] SPEAKER_01: And I'm also going into writing a book recently.
[14:43] SPEAKER_01: So that's something that will probably be coming up in further discussions and down the line.
[14:49] SPEAKER_02: Talk a little bit about your dancing.
[14:52] SPEAKER_02: And I know and hot the preferences by saying,
[14:56] SPEAKER_02: I don't know when this is going to be aired.
[15:01] SPEAKER_02: You have a special event this fall.
[15:06] SPEAKER_02: You talk a little bit about what that is in terms of dancing.
[15:10] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[15:11] SPEAKER_01: So I was I was called by dancing with the stars, Easterseal stars, Calgary.
[15:19] SPEAKER_01: And I am a celebrity on there on their in their group there.
[15:24] SPEAKER_01: And we're doing a big fundraiser to help the Easterseals, which is a fabulous fundraiser that we're looking to raise money for.
[15:33] SPEAKER_01: And so I've been dancing every week training for that.
[15:37] SPEAKER_01: And it's been really fun.
[15:40] SPEAKER_01: And I've been getting donations coming in every week now.
[15:43] SPEAKER_01: It's really fun.
[15:44] SPEAKER_01: And I get to practice my my my chacha.
[15:48] SPEAKER_01: And that is airing where we have a big event on the October 5th.
[15:53] SPEAKER_01: So that's very exciting.
[15:56] SPEAKER_01: And so it's all leading up to that day.
[15:59] SPEAKER_00: Canada's podcast is your gateway to success in the world of entrepreneurship.
[16:04] SPEAKER_00: Start listening today.
[16:06] SPEAKER_00: Canada's podcast dot com subscribe now.
[16:09] SPEAKER_02: Toby, you know, your background in dancing.
[16:14] SPEAKER_02: Did you have any before this?
[16:17] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[16:18] SPEAKER_02: I'm in the house type thing.
[16:20] Speaker UNKNOWN: I'm in the house type thing.
[16:20] Speaker UNKNOWN: 
[16:20] Speaker UNKNOWN: I'm in the house type thing.
[16:21] SPEAKER_01: We grew up in an amazing family, Polish family with a sore background.
[16:29] SPEAKER_01: Very much was a lot of dancing.
[16:31] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[16:32] SPEAKER_01: In our house, we would have parents, the kids, the, you know, grandparents, everybody over.
[16:38] SPEAKER_01: We would always have dance parties and things.
[16:40] SPEAKER_01: And I also grew up in the Polish folk dancing.
[16:43] SPEAKER_01: I danced for 16 years and traveled to Europe on on tour and performed there.
[16:50] SPEAKER_01: And it was it was a fabulous fabulous time.
[16:53] SPEAKER_01: And actually, in fact, my daughter, she just recently joined Prakwus,
[16:58] SPEAKER_01: which is a dance Polish dance group here in in Calgary.
[17:02] SPEAKER_01: And she went to Poland last year.
[17:05] SPEAKER_01: And it marks the 30 year anniversary when I was there.
[17:08] SPEAKER_02: Oh, wow.
[17:09] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[17:10] SPEAKER_02: How do you feel?
[17:11] SPEAKER_02: How do you feel when you dance?
[17:14] SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's like the world is gone.
[17:18] SPEAKER_01: I love it.
[17:19] SPEAKER_01: I love it so much.
[17:20] SPEAKER_01: It's just amazing.
[17:22] Speaker UNKNOWN: 
[17:23] SPEAKER_01: What do you think?
[17:24] SPEAKER_02: You talked about Polish background.
[17:26] SPEAKER_02: What do you think you learned from your parents?
[17:29] SPEAKER_01: Oh, everything.
[17:32] SPEAKER_01: Everything.
[17:32] SPEAKER_01: My dad is the most hardworking person.
[17:35] SPEAKER_01: And my mom, both, both my parents are the most hardworking people I've ever met.
[17:40] SPEAKER_01: And I learned from them every single day, still to this day.
[17:45] SPEAKER_01: I was at my dad's 75th birthday a couple weeks ago and celebrated him.
[17:49] SPEAKER_01: And he is the most incredible human being.
[17:53] SPEAKER_01: He's been through a lot.
[17:55] SPEAKER_01: And you know, I think it's fantastic to see that they're strong and going and just love life.
[18:01] SPEAKER_01: And, you know, I, you know, work ethic.
[18:05] SPEAKER_01: I learned all of that from my dad.
[18:07] SPEAKER_01: And my mom, so really very, very lucky to be.
[18:11] SPEAKER_01: And we had such a beautiful upbringing.
[18:13] SPEAKER_01: I mean, it was just I, I thank them for everything.
[18:16] SPEAKER_02: What do you want to leave behind with your children as lessons in life?
[18:22] SPEAKER_01: Oh, if I could still work ethic in them, the way that my parents did for me, I, you know,
[18:27] SPEAKER_01: I love the fact that I'm at this stage of my life and I can, I love working.
[18:31] SPEAKER_01: And to me, it's not work.
[18:33] SPEAKER_01: It feels like it just, I, this is who I am.
[18:36] SPEAKER_01: And it feels so good to help others.
[18:39] SPEAKER_01: And they were very much like that.
[18:41] SPEAKER_01: They always did fundraisers and different things and help community.
[18:46] SPEAKER_01: And so that is something that I will also want to continue doing fundraisers and different things.
[18:51] SPEAKER_01: Because I learned it all from them.
[18:52] SPEAKER_01: And I want to instill that in my kids is that giving back at the end of the day is probably the most rewarding part of what we do.
[19:00] SPEAKER_02: If I was a young realtor, what would you tell me?
[19:05] SPEAKER_02: What is best advice would you give me as a embark on my career?
[19:11] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[19:12] SPEAKER_01: So my biggest advice is, is you do need to shadow somebody?
[19:17] SPEAKER_01: It's, it's really good if you can get a mentor or even, you know, try to, you know,
[19:25] SPEAKER_01: gain as much knowledge as possible.
[19:28] SPEAKER_01: Just being out and, you know, meeting people too, building your network, you know,
[19:33] SPEAKER_01: being in a community or being in somewhere where you love to be.
[19:37] SPEAKER_01: And when you're surrounded by people, that's where you're going to meet your clients.
[19:41] SPEAKER_01: So, and do stuff that you love.
[19:44] SPEAKER_01: I mean, you know, be in an area where you, so if you play hockey, go to the, you know,
[19:48] SPEAKER_01: go and communicate with people in the hockey industry.
[19:51] SPEAKER_01: And talk about it and talk about what you do.
[19:56] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[19:56] SPEAKER_01: I think sometimes people don't talk about what they're doing and they just assume that, you know,
[20:02] SPEAKER_01: you, that they know that you're a realtor.
[20:04] SPEAKER_01: So it's, it's communicating that.
[20:07] SPEAKER_02: Now, you mentioned mentors, you know, throughout your career, who would you have considered your mentors?
[20:16] SPEAKER_02: Not in a sense of, of, of people like around you, but maybe examples of business people or leaders out there.
[20:26] SPEAKER_02: Who did you learn a lot from?
[20:30] SPEAKER_01: Oh, so I did some, some of my training through the Ninja network,
[20:36] SPEAKER_01: which is also a very good network for teaching you about real estate.
[20:42] SPEAKER_01: My most recent, biggest mentor I've had is Chris Boss with the Black Swan group.
[20:49] SPEAKER_01: He wrote the never split the difference.
[20:51] SPEAKER_01: He's an incredible human on, you know, speaking about human aspect of everything.
[20:59] SPEAKER_01: And negotiation is a big part of it.
[21:01] SPEAKER_01: He's had to negotiate a lot of different.
[21:04] SPEAKER_01: Chris Boss is a former FBI hostage negotiator.
[21:09] SPEAKER_01: He's done that for 24 years.
[21:11] SPEAKER_01: And so that is something that has been a really big impact on how I do business,
[21:17] SPEAKER_01: bringing the best type of communication styles to any given interaction.
[21:24] SPEAKER_02: Excellent.
[21:25] SPEAKER_02: Well, thanks so much.
[21:26] SPEAKER_02: I ran out of rejoining us today.
[21:28] SPEAKER_01: You're welcome. Thank you so much, Mario.
[21:31] SPEAKER_02: All right. That was run out of read sales associate and senior vice president of sales with Sothomies International Realty Canada.
[21:38] SPEAKER_02: I'm Mario Toneguzi, managing editor of Canada's podcast. Thanks for joining us today.