Finding my niche: My Journey to Business Development

In the real estate industry, whether you’re an agent, a lender, title company, contractor, whatever it may be, people come from all walks of life. Oftentimes when I meet with a new referral partner, I ask them how they came to be in the position they are now.

I’m fascinated how lives can be so different and lead to the same industry and I’m so grateful to all who share their journey with me. 

Since I so often ask for all of your stories, I figured I’d share a little of mine.

I like to start at the beginning, like all good stories, so I tell everyone I’ve worked with the public for many years. My first job was at a little ice cream shop in Fitzwilliam, NH. Shout out to my first boss, Jayne for giving me that opportunity. The impact that job has had on my life is profound (if any of my readers are ever in Keene, NH you simply must visit Jayne at Lindy’s Diner). That’s where my love of service started. 

From there, I’ve worked at diners, bars, gas stations, gyms, and landscaping companies - all throughout high school, into college, and then in my post graduation days. Despite the typical complaints you usually hear about working with the public, I really enjoyed it. Call me crazy, I know. 

During my time in college, I focused my studies on psychology with the intention of pursuing a PhD in social cognition. I’ve always been fascinated by the way people think in relation to each other. I truly do enjoy analyzing human behavior. As it turned out, when my senior year rolled around, I decided I simply could not do another five years of being in a classroom.  I didn’t even apply to graduate programs, just dove headfirst into the working world.

Soon thereafter, I landed myself a position at a consulting firm in Boston. On the surface, my job was fantastic. I was surrounded by incredibly kind individuals and  enjoyed perks like paid time off and comprehensive benefits. The company itself was undeniably exceptional, boasting a track record of retaining employees for a decade or more. Despite all of this, I still wasn’t happy.

 My time there played a crucial role in my professional journey. I learned that I couldn’t stay within the same four walls with the same people for the next couple of decades. I missed the constant flow of people and all the different characters you meet while out in the wild world of the service industry. 

At the time, while I was considering a change in career, my parents decided to buy a house in Worcester, MA, where they had a wonderful experience with their realtor. They knew that I needed to shake things up, and so one night at dinner, my stepdad suggested that maybe I look into real estate. 

Many people get into the industry because of the money associated with the profession and because they have the opportunity to be their own boss. While it is true that there is money to be made and that you are essentially operating your own business, it’s much more difficult to be successful than most people would believe.

I didn’t want to be someone who couldn’t stick it out (funny, looking back at it now) so I did my research. I saved up my money, watched every youtube video possible, read every book, listened to any real estate podcast I could get my hands on, and talked to friends in the industry. I had a better idea than most about what I was getting myself into.  

I’m fortunate that when I started my real estate career around April/May of 2021, I was on the most wonderful real estate team. I had a mentor, I had the best administrative staff known to man, and I had teammates who were always willing to help or lend an ear. I was at a firm that provided lots of opportunities to educate myself. I felt as if I had the support I needed.

I give major props to anyone that is a realtor. It takes a lot of heart, business sense, time, money, energy, and guts to be a real estate agent, especially as you start out. It is not easy, by any means. 

All in all, my time in the industry was just about 15 months or so, before I decided that being a realtor wasn’t for me. I had a difficult time balancing my work and my personal life. I was working nonstop, without any vacation. I didn’t have great business sense - I wanted to help everyone, no matter the time or energy it required, even if they weren’t a strong prospect. Sometimes real estate is quite disheartening when contracts fall apart or the market is difficult to navigate, and I am a big ol’ teddy bear, so it was hard on me. That, along with some personal life events, led me to phasing out of the industry. 

I don’t think the timing could have been better for me to find Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance. As luck would have it, my boss, Jon, was looking to hire someone with a real estate background to be his Business Development Manager. 

At first I wasn’t really sure what the job entailed, but a mutual friend of Jon and mine truly believed that I was the person Jon was looking for. After some emails back and forth, a few phone conversations, and a meeting in person, it was a match. It felt absolutely perfect and I did not even bother to look elsewhere. 

And that’s how I came to be where I am today and I could not be more thankful for my journey. 

So what is it that I do now and what is business development? 

If you Google the definition of business development, you’ll find: 

“The activity of pursuing strategic opportunities for a particular business or organization, for example by cultivating partnerships or other commercial relationships, or identifying new markets for its products or services.”

Really what it should say is: 

“The activity of cultivating relationships” 

I wake up each morning feeling lucky because I know that not everyone loves what they do for work. Not everyone gets to wake up and feel passionate about what they spend their time doing from 9am to 5pm. But I do. Every day, I go into work knowing that I am building something. I’m connecting a community. I am cultivating relationships with others. I am privileged to learn about their lives and how they came to be where they are. I introduce them to others I know, love, and trust in the real estate industry. I get to help others succeed in their dreams. 

Every morning I wake up feeling so blessed to be where I am. 

Thank you for letting me share my story and I’m excited to continue to learn more about yours. If you know of anyone in the industry that you think I should connect with, email me at kaleigh@portsmouthatlanticins.com