On August 24, 2017, with a grand vision, a belly full of nerves, and an insatiable passion for helping agents, I launched Compass South in my living room. It was just the right mix of exciting and terrifying, which I knew meant I was doing something worth doing. Those of you that know me well know that I didn't do this blindly. I had dreamed of this for years and even though it may not have been the perfect time, there was no time like the present to live my dream and help others do the same.
But that's the thing about dreams. Sometimes the stars align and things happen just on the timeline you were expecting and sometimes you're thrown a curveball, jerked into position and expected to rise to the occasion. When Compass South opened, it was definitely the latter. In fact, I was still reeling from the upheaval from my previous position at a company that no longer exists. Truthfully, I may still be reeling from that. But one thing remained, I knew the work I was doing was important work. I knew these agents mattered. I knew I could help. So I did.
There is something both traumatic and liberating when your fate is decided by someone else. It forces you to look deep inside and cement your values, your ambitions, and your integrity. As I look around the industry a year later, a lot has changed. Major players still exist, there are some new ones and the ever present "disrupters." But one thing has remained the same, this industry is run by hard working agents that pour their heart and soul into what they do every day. To me, that is inspiring. Those are the folks I want to help thrive.
A year later, Compass South probably still isn't considered a household name, although luckily my kids consider it one. We haven't helped a billion agents or closed million dollar deals. But we have experienced our version of success. We're living our mission each and every day. We're helping those hard working agents that I see as the difference-makers. We're partnered with incredible brokerages, MLSes, and vendors to help them deliver value to their customers - agent and consumer alike. But most of all, we're proud. Not because we're boastful. In fact, we're anything but. We're proud because when the going got tough, we got going.
A year later, I genuinely believe that each one of us is far stronger than we give ourselves credit for. We're capable of taking big leaps of faith, jumping without safety nets, and rising to the occasion. We're every day people capable of amazing things. We just have to say when.