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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: It's Toronto's podcast on the Canada's podcast network.
[00:04] SPEAKER_01: I am Celine Williams with Canada's podcast here at the Collision Conference and I have the
[00:08] SPEAKER_01: great pleasure of speaking with Maria Gracer who is the founder of OpenMLS. Maria, I'm going
[00:15] SPEAKER_01: to read this bio. Maria is a seasoned global executive and entrepreneur with experience across
[00:20] SPEAKER_01: all disciplines including leadership, operations, finance, marketing, products, and sales.
[00:25] SPEAKER_01: Most recently she was the CTO for Justo Brokerage, a real estate company with an innovative
[00:30] SPEAKER_01: concept to disrupt the real estate brokerage market. Thank you so much for agreeing to sit and chat
[00:35] SPEAKER_01: with us Maria. It's great to have you here. Nice being here. Thank you. So my first question is I'd
[00:40] SPEAKER_01: like to know just a little bit about your journey as an entrepreneur and what got you to starting
[00:45] SPEAKER_00: OpenMLS. I always worked in startups. I just somehow got into a startup that I just liked that
[00:49] SPEAKER_00: was from being in a startup. I started from just like trolls that were well interesting but
[00:56] SPEAKER_00: just like of entre-rolls. I saw how it works and I always wanted to create something myself.
[01:02] SPEAKER_00: And so it's like a long journey but finally decided that that's like the time to start something
[01:08] SPEAKER_01: of my own. Very cool and so how long have you been doing OpenMLS? The beginning of this year
[01:14] SPEAKER_00: what I decided that I'm living whatever I'm doing before and doing my own venture. Very cool.
[01:22] SPEAKER_00: So what does OpenMLS do exactly? So basically it's a marketplace marketplace for real estate,
[01:28] SPEAKER_00: for resell currently, pure to peer. So basically it's for owners who want to sell their house and
[01:34] SPEAKER_00: people who want to buy from an owner. And it automates everything that agent do. So all the
[01:41] SPEAKER_00: trolls the agent is automated and we provide the services for free. So basically there is no need
[01:47] SPEAKER_00: for real estate agent and whatever guidance and whatever services you usually get from real estate
[01:53] SPEAKER_00: agent. You can get the same almost the same services online for free. It creates a different ecosystem
[02:00] SPEAKER_00: when people can speak directly to each other. It's so secured and verified and hopefully it will
[02:07] SPEAKER_01: reduce the cost of current real estate. So obviously the question is why Toronto? What brought you
[02:15] SPEAKER_01: here? What's attracted you here? What's kept you here? Well most of the places that have been
[02:19] SPEAKER_00: are very extreme and something. So let's say Italy it's great for vacation. If I retire I'll go
[02:24] SPEAKER_00: there. It's amazing. Great food, great people, great weather but for making something happen
[02:28] SPEAKER_00: it's very hard. Right. People don't like don't want to work, they don't like to work. It's totally
[02:33] SPEAKER_00: different mentality so for pleasure, perfect. For getting things done or creating something that's
[02:40] SPEAKER_00: not so much. Sure. Washington DC is totally opposite. People go there to work and to prove how
[02:49] SPEAKER_00: important they are and Toronto has a little bit of everything. So if you want to go outside that's
[02:54] SPEAKER_00: very easy. I have everything here. If you want to work you have the financial district,
[02:59] SPEAKER_00: you have the start-up scene so it's very diverse. So whatever you want it's here. Employees or
[03:07] SPEAKER_00: co-founders or companies you're interested in or partners it's all here. What have been some of the
[03:13] SPEAKER_00: challenges of starting a business in Toronto? Foracing capital, even getting people to understand
[03:19] SPEAKER_00: what you're talking about and from the point when I started doing what I'm doing. I spoke with
[03:26] SPEAKER_00: people, I spoke with potential investors, I went with investors I was working with before,
[03:30] SPEAKER_00: they just didn't get it. And finding actually a person or group of people who get it and believe
[03:37] SPEAKER_00: on the same things that you believe or come live on from the same industry and see the same need,
[03:42] SPEAKER_00: it's hard, it's doable but it's hard. Like you get so many notes or so many rejections on
[03:49] SPEAKER_00: the way eventually like if you really know what you're doing or you really believe in that you'll
[03:53] SPEAKER_00: find something you understand. Like that's where you're challenging. I'm still struggling with that.
[03:58] SPEAKER_01: If another entrepreneur wanted to start a company in Toronto I want to come here, would you have
[04:02] SPEAKER_01: any advice for them based on your experience in the past year and a half? I guess it's all the same.
[04:07] SPEAKER_00: Like finding the network, finding the community because it's always about the network. If you're
[04:12] SPEAKER_00: trying to do something yourself like the chances of that succeeding are very low. But finding the
[04:17] SPEAKER_00: network, talking to people, always asking for advice, always asking for help, say what you think,
[04:23] SPEAKER_00: and say what you need, and kind of say that I'm listening to this and I won't let them.
[04:27] SPEAKER_00: And just go out and get yourself exposed to people and to the place, to the ideas.
[04:36] SPEAKER_01: I love that there's two things that come to mind when you say that. There's a really well-known saying,
[04:39] SPEAKER_01: I don't remember the person's name but your network is your network and that is that like the one
[04:44] SPEAKER_01: of the most important things you can do is build that network because that's actually how you can
[04:50] SPEAKER_01: build a business or create a life that is what you want it to be. And it sounds like that's very
[04:54] SPEAKER_01: in line with it. The other one is that if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far
[04:59] SPEAKER_01: go together and that's the idea of building that team and having people around you and it sounds
[05:03] SPEAKER_01: like you've kind of experienced both of those things. Yeah, I kind of was like I know everything I can
[05:07] SPEAKER_00: do everything myself or at least most of it. No, I can't. Yeah, asking for help. It's a real thing.
[05:14] SPEAKER_00: It was for me it's very hard. I always try to achieve things and do things myself as much as
[05:20] SPEAKER_00: I can but I kind of learned the hard way that asking for help is not a weakness. It's actually
[05:28] SPEAKER_00: admitting that you cannot do it yourself and admitting things that you don't know and that
[05:33] SPEAKER_00: you can you are looking for somebody who knows better than you. That's that was like for me
[05:38] SPEAKER_01: a challenge. Is there any particular place in or around Toronto, southern Ontario that you like to
[05:44] SPEAKER_01: go to disconnect and do that thinking and reflection? Yeah, actually I have to do that at least
[05:50] SPEAKER_00: like twice a week to decompress. It's great. Yeah, so my favorite place here is actually it's
[05:56] SPEAKER_00: your regional forest. It's about 40 minutes drive up 404. Okay, it's a huge area. It's the
[06:02] SPEAKER_01: national national forest. I love it. I grew up in the city and I've never heard of that. Your
[06:07] SPEAKER_01: regional forest. Hot, your regional forest. Good. You know, 404 on Vivian Road. What are you
[06:13] SPEAKER_00: most excited about in your business right now? Building it and people who are potential users
[06:21] SPEAKER_00: for this platform and seeing the excitement when they say that yeah you can do it yourself,
[06:28] SPEAKER_00: you can buy yourself or whatever you can do it yourself. You don't need to do it the old way.
[06:33] SPEAKER_00: A single reaction of the people that said like awesome, why it's not done yet? Like for
[06:37] SPEAKER_00: me it's the most exciting. So I'm really excited to kind of build this thing and let it out, show it
[06:43] SPEAKER_00: to the world and see the reaction that they'll get. So what would you say the top three things on
[06:48] SPEAKER_00: your bucket list right now are? Building my own company and launching it. That's like my number one
[06:52] SPEAKER_01: priority. Probably one, two and three really, but let's just say it's for plus. I think I just
[06:57] SPEAKER_00: like too many things I wanted to do. I wanted to travel to Asia. I've never been to Asia. So my number two
[07:03] SPEAKER_00: is to travel to Asia and to travel a business class because I never find a business class.
[07:09] SPEAKER_00: Number three is I never stayed for two long in one place. Number three is just a stay here long
[07:17] SPEAKER_00: enough and develop myself here and build a network here. I have two questions I'm going to ask
[07:24] SPEAKER_01: in a row. So the first one is what advice would you have to someone who is where you were a year and
[07:31] SPEAKER_01: a half ago had an idea for a company. I was thinking of starting it. What advice would you have
[07:34] SPEAKER_01: for an entrepreneur that's thinking of starting their own company that you wish you knew? Just don't
[07:38] SPEAKER_00: wait. Don't wait for miracles to happen. Just go learn, start doing it. Even if you have no idea
[07:45] SPEAKER_00: what you're doing, nobody has an idea what they do. No, and even like the top execs you
[07:49] SPEAKER_00: don't have an idea what they do. And just start doing it and you'll figure it on the way.
[07:55] SPEAKER_00: Like make mistakes, you're course correct and if you're not the first person saying it, but you just
[07:59] SPEAKER_00: do what you know and you figure it out on the way and if you know what you want, if you have a
[08:04] SPEAKER_00: vision you'll get there one way or another you'll kind of get there. What is the best advice that
[08:09] SPEAKER_00: you've ever been given? It was given to me by my professor of Game Theory University. What he
[08:16] SPEAKER_00: told me is that whatever situation I'm in for a moment disconnects from my emotions and still
[08:22] SPEAKER_01: the things that they are and I decide. I love that. That's good advice to keep in mind as you go
[08:28] SPEAKER_01: through this journey for sure. So I have a couple of rapid fire questions for you. So the first
[08:34] SPEAKER_01: question is if you weren't doing what you do now for work, what would you be doing instead?
[08:38] SPEAKER_00: If I was not doing this, I was probably working with VCs because I love the VCs space, I love startups
[08:44] SPEAKER_00: or I would be somewhere at the beach swimming or hiking mountains. There we go. Remote island.
[08:53] SPEAKER_00: Yeah hiking mountains. So you can see. That's great.
[08:55] SPEAKER_00: Or VCs. Yeah. About year and a half ago when I just started the brokerage business, I was for
[09:01] SPEAKER_00: a month on a skew vacation and I was just working in the morning, skiing whole day, working in the
[09:05] SPEAKER_00: evening. And that's how the product was created. So you can put them together. Okay the next question is
[09:10] SPEAKER_01: what book are you currently reading and do you have any books you would recommend to our audience
[09:14] SPEAKER_00: and our listeners? It's called the Meet to Stick. I don't remember the author but made to stick.
[09:20] SPEAKER_00: Made to stick? Yes, made to stick. So basically it's how to create viral ideas or viral products.
[09:26] SPEAKER_00: So it's a guide you for all the process of storytelling or how to actually make people not
[09:32] SPEAKER_00: just make people pay attention and remember what to do, who you are or your story or product, whatever.
[09:37] SPEAKER_01: If you had to pick one word to describe yourself, what word would it be and why? Curious.
[09:43] SPEAKER_00: Oh, why curious? I love that. Because I'm always curious. I've picked my number one trade.
[09:49] SPEAKER_00: Regardless what it is, I'm always like wanting to learn more. Like for me, that's very my
[09:54] SPEAKER_01: choice. My personal. I like that. It's a good word. I identify with curious also. What is keeping
[10:01] SPEAKER_01: you up at night these days? My project. Making it happen? Yep, that's your pre-launch. That's not
[10:07] SPEAKER_01: surprising. It's probably a lot to do. Well, it's a lot to go till lunch. What is your favorite place in
[10:12] SPEAKER_00: the world and why? I would say Italian Alps during the winter are amazing. Yeah, I would say
[10:21] SPEAKER_01: Italian Alps. Okay, so what are three non-negotiables that have to happen as part of your morning or
[10:26] SPEAKER_01: evening routine if you have, you know, whichever one you tend to do? I have two non-negotiables
[10:30] SPEAKER_00: in the morning. I'll try to do sports a little bit every morning and coffee. Without coffee,
[10:37] SPEAKER_01: no, it's impossible to start the day. That's a good non-negotiable. I appreciate that. It's a
[10:42] SPEAKER_01: bit of a longer question. It's a little bit more fun. So there's this small beautiful tropical island
[10:46] SPEAKER_01: in the middle of the ocean with only one phone booth and no internet. You are dropped off on that
[10:52] SPEAKER_01: island. You have one phone call that you can make. How long do you think it would be until you
[10:58] SPEAKER_01: made that phone call to get rescued and what would you do up until that point? You know what?
[11:03] SPEAKER_00: I don't think about like a couple months. I'll just enjoy myself. That's great. Yeah, just
[11:08] SPEAKER_00: on the island. See, you just have fun, relax. I just usually say to my friends because I traveled
[11:14] SPEAKER_00: so much that I end up sometimes in weird places all by myself. I have no idea where I am. I have no
[11:20] SPEAKER_00: idea what's happening there. And so how I always find a way or always find something interesting to do.
[11:29] SPEAKER_00: My friends are joking at me. So I'm taking a look at the island. You can put me in the middle of
[11:34] SPEAKER_00: the ocean on the inhabitable island and they'll find something there. They'll figure it out.
[11:38] SPEAKER_01: That's a good thing. Maria, where can our listeners and our audience find you online? What's the
[11:50] SPEAKER_01: name of the island? It's GR, EICER with OpenMLS. It's named Graycer. Thank you so much for coming
[11:57] SPEAKER_01: and chatting with me today. It's greatly appreciated. And thank you to the audience and the listeners
[12:02] SPEAKER_01: for listening and being with us. You can check out Panas podcast online and we hope to see you next time.
