“I was twenty and working for an hourly wage. I had been working since I was seventeen and did not graduate high school. I had a very hard time learning but loved to work and be active. My dad had done well in commercial real estate and was a wise businessman.
I called him and asked if I could come to talk to him at his office. I told him I needed some direction. My job had become mindless and boring, and it literally felt like a prison to me. I wanted to walk out but had no idea what to do. Should I go to college? Should I start a lawn mowing business? Should I sell cars? Should I start a window cleaning business? All of these were ideas I had but was scared to jump out and try one. All I wanted was an answer. Decisions were hard for me, and I thought my dad knew which answer would be best.
He ran his own commercial real estate business and I was secretly hoping he would offer me a job. Well, he did neither.
He told me I needed to follow my heart and pray. He asked me, ‘If you could do anything in the world, and it would be lucrative and work out, what would you do?’
I responded buying and selling things. I loved buying used skateboards, bikes, snowboards, fixing them up, and selling on eBay.
So he said well do that, but pick something bigger. Then it clicked. Houses.
I could go to real estate school without a high school diploma, and it only would take six weeks. I needed access to the MLS to find good deals, and I needed a RE license to legally do that.
My dad offered to be my advisor, and I could hang my license under him. He advised me to not quit my job immediately, be a man of character and give them proper notice. That was hard, but the right thing!
Twenty-four years later I am still loving the real estate business, and it has served me really well. Not only has it been financially beneficial but it has been fulfilling, helping people make one of the biggest decisions of their life. Bottom line, I’m so glad my dad told me no, and made me figure it out, but also so grateful he offered to give me advice and help. He has been my biggest supporter and encourager along the way.”
