Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Hatcher.
Hi Karen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a Rochester, New York native that landed in Georgia’s capital city of Atlanta when I attended Clark Atlanta University, where I received my Bachelor’s degree in Finance in 2002. I fell in love with this amazing city and I then continued my education achieving a Master’s in Business Administration, with a concentration in Real Estate, from Georgia State University in 2011.
When I started my professional experience, it was managing restaurants. I was 21 years old working for a local restaurant chain here in Atlanta. I excelled, and from there, I went to work for several of their locations ending with the one in Lenox Mall. I was given an opportunity to do marketing in my own way including giving myself and new role a title. I became the Director of Marketing, a really cool experience.
Shortly after that, I went into a formal corporate environment as the fourth management hire for the new-to-town, IKEA.
I excelled in that field as well, but I began to feel the proverbial “glass ceiling” working for someone else. I also began to question my “enoughness” as the environment’s negative projections began to affect my self-esteem. Like, being black, a woman, all of those things became my motivation to become my own Boss. That eventually motivated me to go into real estate which I’ve been investing in for almost 20 years now. I launched my company Sovereign Realty & Management in 2008 and we’ve scaled it to be Atlanta’s leading real estate investment-focused and property management group.
I’m also President of The Atlanta REALTORS® Association, the 97th President and the first African American woman and African American Owned brokerage to hold this position. We are the largest local real estate trade association in Georgia with almost 14,000 members. I am also a State and National Association of REALTORS® voting Director and the Federal Political Coordinator, appointed by NAR for Congresswoman Nikema Williams for the 5th Congressional District of Georgia.
Venturing into entrepreneurship and specifically a career in real estate, has been one of the best decisions of my life because it allowed me to gain control over my life and create limitless income for me and my family.
As a business owner, wife and mother of three, having the opportunity to fuse work and life together is the optimal situation for me. Sometimes you have to blend those worlds. Working in the real estate industry has given me control over these wonderfully moving parts of my life.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For me, being “counted out” or discounted is something that I’ve faced and overcome. Being a woman of color, being short, being a woman period, it didn’t matter if I was number one in Sales, in my department, creating innovative events, record revenues for the company – those judgments have been made against me. You have to take your power back and show up for yourself every day. Owning my companies and properties has put me in a prime position because I don’t have anything to prove to anybody anymore.
I show up for myself every day. I like to call it being in a constant state of Sovereignty which, for me means, owning your total self and your life – including owning more real estate!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
In my companies, I help create and maximize value for real estate property owners. The way property is appreciating now, you can be debt-free in a couple years by leveraging other people’s money to generate income.
I help people realize their financial dreams through real estate investments. It’s not just about making money for me personally; it’s about knowing I’m helping to provide housing – a stable home for families and one they can use to build wealth and leave a legacy.
Homeownership is a key to building wealth and can help close the wealth gap. We also focus on affordable housing solutions for teachers, nurses, blue collar industry workers, entrepreneurs and anyone desiring to invest in real estate or become a homeowner. We help you realize your dream with creative real estate investments. Everyone’s dream and end goal is different. We find solutions that are tailored to your needs.
How do you think about luck?
People always feel like they’re either lucky or blessed, depending upon who you’re talking to. I believe opportunities come every day but the question is, are you prepared for them? One of my favorite books, “Big Magic” suggests big and small ideas come to everybody but if you don’t act on it, it will move on to someone else. I’ve always prepared myself for opportunity. I’m always reading, I enjoy learning and take every opportunity to learn because I dream BIG.
That said, I’ve been blessed to have people come into my life such as Mr. Glynn Halsey who gave me the opportunity to get 2 scholarships to attend Clark Atlanta University. Quick story. I am the youngest of three children so when it came down to going off for college or anything expensive, my parents let it be known, I would have to “find a way or make one”, so I did. So rightfully so, I landed at CAU where that is our school motto. I was lucky to get those scholarships, but I was also prepared when the opportunity came. I had to audition/sing for Mr. Halsey on the spot when when I met him while competing at the NAACP Act-So competition in Minneapolis, MN. He was looking for students to recruit for his ensemble, the Philharmonic Society at CAU. I was blessed that he chose me as one of the recipients. Because of that incident, I went to a top undergraduate HBCU on just about a full tuition ride. This principle along with showing gratitude through action, paying it forward, such as showing up for others just as those who showed up for me, has been a pathway to luck and blessings for me.
She’s experienced some obstacles and felt the struggle but she keeps hope alive through podcasts, books and feeding her mind with positivity to get back on track.
What Neighborhood: East Atlanta – Reynoldstown/Edgewood – here her company is. She lives in Kirkwood Atlanta.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@sovereignrm.com
- Website: https://www.sovereignrm.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/property_ninja/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/property_ninja
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AtlantaBoardofREALTORS
Image Credits:
Karen Hatcher/Sovereign Realty
