Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Thomas.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am in my 4th career and I finally feel like I am right where I’m supposed to be. I graduated Emory University in 2008 with a Psychology degree, knowing I did not want to go to graduate school but not sure what I *did* want to do. I got a job at a healthcare consulting firm which was a great introduction to the corporate world but I knew it wasn’t for me. After three years, I left and took a huge pay cut to start back at square one in a new industry – advertising. I accepted an entry-level job as a digital analyst at one of the world’s largest agencies and quickly worked my way up the ladder. I jumped agencies and after four total years in the analytics world I still knew I wasn’t in the right place.
I’m a pretty motivated person – a “self starter” you could say – and I was very frustrated with several elements of the corporate world. I had made some good contacts while planning my own wedding in 2015, which led to an opportunity to start working in the event world. I took another *enormous* pay cut and jumped ship to the wedding industry, where I started out working in logistics for a DJ company and ended up as a wedding planner. I launched my own planning business in 2017 and have worked with over 100 couples bringing their dream day to life.
Enter – COVID. I think COVID forced most of us to evaluate our priorities. Working in the event world during a pandemic was challenging to say the absolute least, and while I love a challenge, I realized I did not love the wedding industry as much as I had previously. A lot had changed for me personally since starting in weddings (read – a big, painful divorce) and that coupled with the pandemic brought a lot of things into perspective. But what to do next?
I knew I couldn’t go back to the corporate world and I had to have ownership of something. I knew I needed to be helping guide people and be a light for them in what could be an otherwise stressful situation. I knew I loved HGTV and Home Goods and checking out houses on Zillow for no reason. So, in true Ellen fashion, I started from square one – AGAIN – and got my real estate license. And let me tell you – I could not be happier.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ha! What’s the old saying, “nothing worth having is easy” or something like that? It’s hard to start over – let alone 4 times – but it’s all about your mindset. I’ve worked my way up before and I will do it again. Any small business owner or self employed person knows – you have to give people everything you have and sometimes take jobs or do things you don’t want to do at the beginning. Referrals are the lifeblood of small business so take care of people and it WILL pay off.
The major struggle that I think all self-employed people can likely relate to is the struggle to find *BALANCE*. You always hear people talking about being jealous of real estate agents because of the “flexibility” and “freedom.” Sure, I can make my own schedule which is nice, but I’m also “on” ALL. THE. TIME. There are no vacation days, no sick days, no benefits. Weekends are for showings. If I do go on vacation, there’s no “out of office” directing you to someone else. If I’m not working I’m not getting paid. There is literally always something you can be doing to grow your business, so it can be really difficult sometimes to have a life and carve out personal time without feeling guilty.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a local REALTOR brokered by eXp Realty, LLC. I love that with eXp I still have access to the guidance and support that a brick and mortar brokerage offers, but I’m free to brand myself and my real estate business however suits me. I’m not just a real estate agent – I’m a business owner – and I take that seriously. It’s not a hobby for me or a side hustle. For the majority of people, their home is their largest asset and the buying or selling experience should not be approached lightly. That said, I’m a goof at heart, so we’ll definitely have some fun along the way.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
It’s very cliche to say that I’m a “hard worker” but it’s the truth – and probably the most valuable characteristic for any business owner. I also feel that I can read people well and am good at developing personal connections with my clients which allows me to serve them at a higher level.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ellenthomasatlanta.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenthomasatlanta/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenthomasatlanta
Image Credits:
Katie York Photo
