Starting my business with "why" is how I began this journey.

This is an extremely famous book, so I'm sure you have read it or at least have seen a clip of Sinek explaining the book with the three big circles of "what, how, why." However, this book has taken on a whole new meaning for me throughout not only my professional life but also my personal life. And it takes on a bit of a different meaning for me personally than it does for most folks in my industry.

For instance, I remember countless times sitting in classes when I first got into the real estate industry, discussing people's "why" during annual business planning clinics. These meetings were always SO BORING to me. They were meant to motivate realtors to "set big goals" so they could achieve the income they wanted for the next year. I thought it was boring because I don't really enjoy the whole "hoo-rah" corporate business stuff. But in recent years, I’ve come to understand that it's because I am simply unmotivated by the lifestyle that most realtors want.

Yes, we all would enjoy financial freedom, living in a big house, having a nice car, and not having to think twice when grocery shopping. But the opulence of the "luxury lifestyle" has never appealed to me. However, what does appeal to me is making big changes in the world around me.

You see, I began my adult life in college ministry because I believed the biggest and best thing I could do was impact the lives of other people in a positive way. That appealed to me. A legacy of people who were positively impacted by my life was what I wanted to strive for. In fact, I craved it. I wanted to influence people to go on and do great things with their lives after having been around me and leading them toward greater things. I used to say that my biggest fear was living a life without impact. In my late teens and early 20s, I envisioned books being written about me by the folks I had influenced (grandiose, I know). So, if you had told me in college that I would end up a "used house salesman," I would've likely been absolutely devastated!

And for the first few years after leaving the ministry, I was just that—devastated. My life felt like it had become a materialistic pursuit of the temporary.

However, as real estate became the path my life took, it has become increasingly clear that this path has allowed me the opportunity to impact the lives of those I come in contact with in a positive way. You see, my "why" has never really been financial freedom, a nice car, a big house, or fancy living. Sure, those things are enjoyable, but my true "why" has always been to impact the lives of other people in a positive way.

My "why" as a Realtor® has never been to make a ton of money. It all started with one phone call while I was working as an assistant to another real estate agent in Knoxville. I won't get into the nitty-gritty of it, but the agent I was speaking with on the phone wasn't exactly operating with the highest integrity. I will never forget the sense of anger I felt—not necessarily directed at the person on the phone, but at the realization that they were negatively affecting their client. This client had trusted that particular realtor with their largest asset—the thing they had worked extremely hard for most of their lives to achieve. And this person was operating solely in their own self-interest. Boy... I'll never forget that phone call. (And before you ask, I will also never tell you who that realtor was.)

After that phone call, I finished the paperwork that needed to be done for that particular deal and immediately went to the education website for real estate agents. I signed up for the realtor licensing class so that none of my friends or family would have to work with someone who had such a low level of integrity, excellence, and expertise— in that order.

That is my "why." I'm motivated by just that. My friends and family deserve to have someone they trust—not only to be a "good Realtor®" but to always do what's right by them (integrity). But I didn’t want to stop there. I wanted to be the best for them (excellence). And even that wasn’t enough—I wanted to have the knowledge and wisdom necessary to do everything the best Realtor® would do in the best way possible (expertise).

So if you're curious about where "Integrity, Excellence, and Expertise" came from, there you have it. A book I got while earning my business degree after watching a YouTube video of a cool guy with glasses and an early 2000s outfit drawing three big circles on one of those large Post-it note boards on an easel.

So, Start with Why will always be featured in any office I have from here on out as a reminder of the core of my business: positively impacting the lives of my clients by embodying three values—integrity, excellence, and expertise.