Those Who Can - Do. Those Who Can Do More…Go Into Commercial Real Estate.
From the time I was a lowly 6th grader at Hubbard Middle School, I knew I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. I graduated Texas Christian University (Go Frogs!) with a degree in Elementary Education and spent the next 8 years of my life teaching grades 4-6. During my fifth year of teaching, I decided I wanted to become an elementary school principal and began working toward, and eventually obtaining, a Masters in Education Administration. Not long after that achievement, I fell out of love with teaching. I’m not sure what the catalyst was for that event, but I knew I couldn’t be a part of shaping young minds if I didn’t want to be in a classroom any longer. After leaving education and a brief stint in Residental real estate, I was invited by a friend of mine to join him at a small CRE firm in Tyler. Eventually, I obtained a broker’s license, started Patterson Commercial Property Group, and twelve or so years later I’m still rocking.
When I first made the transition from education to real estate, I was regularly asked about my education background, my business acumen, and even my favorite book on business leadership (Unpopular Opinion: I have yet to find a leadership book that I like.). For the longest time, my multiple degrees were no longer a source of pride, but a source of embarrassment. What in the hell is a guy with an elementary education degree doing in this world of MBA’s, finance majors, and other people more knowledgable than me? My answer then was: keeping my head down and working hard to prove my value. My answer now: kicking your ass.
One thing education taught me was that everybody is a lifelong learner. Sure, we have numerous clients in our day to day activities who are extremely sophisticated and knowledgeable about the world of CRE, but we have a greater amount who are green and need that hand-holding. Have you ever tried to explain a Base Year Expense Stop to somebody leasing their first ever office space? What about explaining triple-net expenses to a young, retail entrepreneur? My gift, as a former educator, is that my ability to educate has never gone away. I can sit down with any client and spend 15-20 minutes giving them all of the information they need to know so they can make an informed decision - and doing so in a manner that allows them to feel safe to ask questions and to learn from me. I get this statement a lot: “No one has ever explained it to me that way.”
Recently I asked some of my Twitter friends to tell me about their non-business background and how it has helped them transition into this world of CRE.
Justin Cazana of Avison Young in Knoxville started his post-college career in media - having obtained a journalism degree from Auburn University. A combined 14 years in television and radio helped Justin become comfortable being in front of people. Some limited name recognition helped expand his sphere of influence.
Justin with Maria Taylor
DeeDee Shashy graduated from some football school in Tuscaloosa with a background in Interior Design before moving to Bayer Properties in Birmingham. Immediately out of college, DeeDee joined Memphis Business Interiors before moving back to Alabama and working for an architect doing AutoCAD drafting work and interior design. She was eventually hired by Bayer Properties as an “Assistant Tenant Coordinator/CAD Specialist.” Her understanding of visual designs helped her transition into a CRE role read plans and assist tenant coordinators and leasing agents. A short stint with another CRE firm helped DeeDee gain some leasing and development experience which she was able to take back to Bayer where she became the company’s top producer in 2020 by completing 40+ transactions.
Tyler Tillery of NAI Robert Lynn in Dallas took a circuitous route to CRE by joining the United States Marine Corps not long after high school where he served as a Machine Gunner and completed multiple overseas combat deployments. A degree from The University of North Texas in Psychology came next. How in the hell do either of those benefit him in CRE? According to Tyler, being a Machine Gunner in the Marines taught him to “construct a plan, prepare the plan, and execute the plan all while being prepared for the plan to not work.” All things those of us in CRE know happens all too often. A background in psychology helped Tyler read a room, understand personality types, and tailor-fit approaches that best suit a particular client.
I used to joke that the transition to an SIOR Global instructor was easy because I was already used to dealing with children. Truth is, it was easy because, despite being out of the classroom, I actually do still have a passion for teaching. If you entered the world of CRE with a different background, a different passion - embrace it. Business degrees are a dime a dozen in our field, so use your unique history to differentiate yourself and help your clients see the CRE world through a non-traditional lens.