Your local real estate agent - Kerry Swan
How to live life your way!
Ever been stuck on the wrong side of a decision? A decision like ending a marriage? Quitting a job? Or going broke?
This is the Kerry Swan Story. Kerry has been at the bottom, with loads of debt and little kids.
At 38, I found myself with 2 little kids and a large sexually transmitted debt from my ex husband. It was either sink or swim.
At the time, juggling little kids, a full time management consulting business and life, I learnt the hard way about the highs and lows of property investing. And still am.
The STD was a life-long lesson. It fueled my ambition and drive, partly because the bank was on my arse, and partly to prove a point.
The STD also gave me something to focus my anger at the post divorce mess – but more about that another day.
Along the way I have worked out that I look at things differently. Rather than sit down and feel sorry for myself I have had to hatch a plan to generate income.
At the time of the big D, I was working as a Management Consultant helping businesses to plan, write and implement business growth projects. I was really fortunate that my work kept me focused on the big picture, but more importantly, that I got to work with people that wanted to make change happen.
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This orientation to making change fitted well with me and I was really at my happiest workshopping a problem, with a client, and then creating the solution. ‘Truly, at the time, if I wasn’t getting paid I would have done it anyway’. So with the funds from consulting and some great family support I have been able to turn a post divorce STD, and one unholy mess, into a $5million commercial portfolio in less than ten years. But, more importantly, over the last ten years, I have had the opportunity to move from the management consulting game and into the property business. But, more importantly, over the last ten years, I have had the opportunity to move from the management consulting game and into the property business. In 2014, I was just arrogant enough and slightly crazy enough to hatch a plan that involved me getting my real estate licence and starting an agency from scratch. At the start it was simply motivated by my need to manage my growing property portfolio, but as this thing got legs I started to look at our local market more critically. I discovered a gap that was being created by the arrival of The Bend Motorsport Park and the likely need for serviced accommodation (we had none) and in particular, I could see that during construction and later people would need somewhere to stay. |
This niche was behind the creation of Coorong Realty, a boutique property business that is focused on the emerging needs of visitors to our region.
It has been one hell of a ride and something that I am very proud of. From nothing we have created an accommodation business that includes a laundry service, a cleaning service and soon to be released tour business.
We have also been fortunate to work with a range of like minded entrepreneurs and Mums and Dads that have got on board and created their own versions of accommodation.
We are now working across the Coorong region with offices in Meningie and Tailem and a regular team of ten.
Social media, self belief and an eye on the horizon has helped us immensely, but it is early days yet.
Of course, none of this has come easy, or without pain. I have a war story for each chapter, but they have always helped us improve our game.
My old mates, the banks, love to remind me when cash is low. Bootstrapping this business and property portfolio is never ending.
And, the people side of property never ceases to amaze me. Most of the life changing decisions that we are entrusted with have nothing to do with property, logic or numbers, but really everything to do with emotions, fear and change.
Thinking back to the good old days of consulting, and I realise that while I was working on big picture stuff, it’s not until you have sat with a vendor whose arse is owned by the bank or helped an elderly man sell his home to fund dementia care for his wife that you really understand what it is to be human.
So this is the short story version of a life to date. There are plenty of stories to come about managing people, managing systems, business start up, cashflow and growth.
I write more regularly in my blog www.kerryswan.com about Life. Leadership. And Modern Wisdom.
But, if you are wanting to feel confident about doing something different. In property. In business. Or simply in life. I would love to have a chat.
And, if you have made it this far, you deserve a break.
So why not join me on this crazy ride and come and have a chat??
I am offering a one hour Property. Business. Life. Health Check. (valued at $500) with me, for free.
I would love nothing more than to chat to you about where you are at; what you want to do with that house, that business or that relationship.
And, let’s be clear, it is just a chat. No obligations. Just a chat to see how you might like to live life. On your terms.
Flick me your details below and we can chat!
And, if at the end, we can find something in common, then great, and if not, you can just keep up to date, via our blog and mailing list about what we are doing next.
KJS 🙂
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