In 2006, I was working for Mosaic as a Chemical Analyst doing rotating shift work in a dirty, dusty laboratory testing phosphate products. I was a college dropout who had studied Chemistry in college and had attained just enough credits and laboratory experience in school to get the position which paid well and offered good benefits. I had a lot of overtime and was making 45K to 50K per year as a young single person in my young twenties.
I started the position in August 2000 and was content for 3-4 years but found myself growing continually dissatisfied with my position in life. I decided to make a change in 2005 and took advantage of the company’s tuition reimbursement program and went back to college at the University of South Florida where I now was majoring in Finance. I attended evening classes while maintaining a full time job at Mosaic working 45-55 hours per week on average. At the same time, I studied for and obtained a Mortgage Broker License with the idea of selling Mortgages after college which was the plan.
In June 2006, Mosaic announced a layoff, the 4th major layoff I had seen in the business since 2000. I decided it was time to go. I volunteered my job to the HR department to save another person’s job as my job was not being terminated. After some convincing that I was serious, they accepted my offer and I left Mosaic. For the next year I concentrated on finishing USF and graduated in 2007 with a 4.0 GPA and then obtained my license in Real Estate.
In 2007, I became a Realtor with Coldwell Banker with no experience and no industry contacts. I honestly believed that I would fail miserably but was motivated at that time to be independent of any employer and to have a job where I set the hours. My backup plan was to ride my bike around the Country and write my novel in the event I did fail but that path never materialized.
I committed to my new path. I had sacrificed who I was completely for what I was to become. I was to become a Wall Street Journal List Top 100 Agent, a Top 10 Coldwell Banker Agent Nationally and one of the foreclosure industry’s best known Realtors for selling homes. For ten years, I earned ten times what I was making at Mosaic and even recall a call with my Father when I told him of my move. He questioned my decision to leave a job making what I was with benefits, for a job with 0 guaranteed income in an industry that I have no knowledge of. The success in Real Estate led to Radio and led to TBBO and continues to develop.
As you reflect back on 2016 and ahead to 2017, what opportunities lie ahead for you and what are you willing to sacrifice for what you can become!! Consider me and TBBO a key resource for you in 2017. To all I wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
That Business Show 2.0 