The Power of Focus

My first year in real estate was similar to a roller coaster ride, except without the petrifying roller coaster. This was due to a lack of focus.

Fresh out of college at Hawk Hill in April of 2018, I was very excited to begin working with KW Commercial. All I knew was that a career in commercial real estate is what I deeply desired, and Dave Specht, the regional director for KW Commercial in the Mid-Atlantic Region, gave me a shot at it. Prior to this encounter with David Specht, I couldn't recall any meetings with a bonafide commercial real estate professional or investor, and I knew very little about the industry. All I knew was that real estate was everywhere, this is where wealth is created, and I wanted to become a major player in this industry.

The initial year in real estate was filled with excitement, doubt, ambition, inconsistency, knowing that I knew nothing, and the hunger to learn. The freedom afforded by an entrepreneurial spirited company such as Keller Williams was very appealing, but dangerous to a newbie such as myself. Around the same time I started my commercial real estate career, I decided to start a company with a group of my close friends whom I grew up with in New York City: Ambi, James, Justin, Brian, and Gian. Everyday I would go back and forth between the two businesses, spending more time and building momentum in whichever one was in front of me at the moment. I was very new to both businesses, and spent twice as much time learning each since when I would build momentum in one, I would pick the other one back up and ultimately lose some traction in the other.  

Although I was gaining various skills, I realized there was a problem with juggling two main focuses. The main thing that I learned from both businesses is sales and the importance of relationships. I began selling slushies everywhere possible, and when done with that, I would talk to anyone I could about real estate. I was apparently gaining good experience in socializing, which one year earlier was my goal; because I’m a true at heart introvert. I had built connections in both industries, but found it hard to truly nurture relationships in either. I also struggled to execute effectively and efficiently in either. I would brush off this feeling in my gut that I had to make a choice between one or the other, and I kept on going as hard as I could in both thinking this would make things better. I could sense everyone around me knew I wasn’t completely there in either area, and I felt this began to hurt my relationships. Up to this point I have been involved in three small real estate transactions, either as a realtor or transaction licensee, and had multiple opportunities either lost or still in the pipeline. On the other hand, the slushy business has done seven festivals and a countless number of individual transactions, and built a good customer base in New York and Florida. However, the financial progress I’ve made has been very slim. Ultimately my distracted focus began to restrain my competency, and I found myself getting less done in either industry. I allowed the allure of building multiple streams of income simultaneously distract me from making true progress in either.

Fast forward, one year and eight months later from where it all started and I made a decision to stick to one thing: commercial real estate. I have finally unlocked the power of focus. Since January 15th of this year, 2020, from the moment I landed in Philadelphia from Miami, I have stuck to only commercial real estate. I have been back in Philly for twenty-five days, and already have three deals under contract and many more in the pipeline after focusing consistently on commercial real estate. I see the power of focusing on one thing, and I’m ready to avenge myself.

Thank you to all who are and have been part of this journey!