Commitment to Consistency

I had been waiting so long to bring this next guest to you. A dear friend of mine, Kristen Cole, is a real estate leader, speaker, and business expansion expert with forty years of industry success. She's been recognized as a realtor of the year, a five time best of value winner, 2018 Inman Innovator finalist. She ranks among the top real estate professionals in The US and globally.

As CEO, she leads a nationwide team of 30 plus locations overseeing 5,000 transactions and nearly $3,000,000,000 in sales in 2024. She's a mentee of John Maxwell, who you know is dear to me, and Gary Keller, and she's a sought after authority on leadership. She's also the founder of Kristen's Home for Hope, where she empowers leaders to achieve extraordinary wealth, growth, and community impact.

So with that said, we're excited to bring Kristen Cole on. Hi, everyone, and welcome to the Power Up Your Life podcast. I'm Kelly Resendez.

And I'm Mandy McAllister.

And we are so blessed to have, I like to say, the Kristen Cole on. For those of you not in real estate, that might not mean a lot. But for a lot of you in real estate, you probably heard her name and and, you know, witnessed her her success on the scene. And so, Kristen, we're just so excited to have you here. So to start, if you wouldn't mind sharing just a little bit about your journey.

Well, my parents, moved to Alaska in 1969. And so I was in the third grade, and we lived in a tiny little town of about 200 people. I was the only third grader. My sister, brother, and I made up three of the nine kids in the k through 12, and lived there in Whittier and then moved to Wasilla in 1972. And when we moved to Wasilla, we lived there well, I lived there a long time, and graduated from Palmer High School.

But, you know, my parents were super young when they had us. And, unfortunately, when I was 12, my my brother was 11. And, you know, my mom, decided one day to, go on an an interview and never came home. And my dad, worked on the North Slope. So in very short order, my brother and I became, homeless, and and, that was that was a very challenging, time when you're 12 years old.

So, and I and, you know, I think about it sometimes, and I I obviously have forgiven my parents. We've reconciled after all or, actually, a long time ago. And and I really you know, a lot of people might get upset, but I looked at this way. I'm really kinda grateful because if what if all of that hadn't happened to me and my brother, we wouldn't be who we are today.

Oh, right. So my sister took a different path, and my my brother and I ended up being invited at at one point, to move in with some people who were moving to another city in Alaska. So we moved there to Palmer when I was in the eighth grade, ended up graduating from Palmer High School and, then went on to college and was the first one to graduate from college.

And so then got into real estate. That's what I studied in college. I double majored in finance and real estate, and that's all I've done. You know, obviously, when I was in college, I waitressed and pumped gas and did all those things. But after college, real estate was really the only profession I've ever known or ever had after forty one years. Oh my goodness. That's my short story.

Yeah. Well, tell us a little bit about your real like, it's not like you're in real estate. Like, you have created an empire, really, you know, based off of your leadership. Tell us a little bit about how you did that.

So I started, I I went back to Wausau left. I graduated from college and started selling real estate in 1984. And, you know, really, really, I would say, dug in and and was attempting to build a business at a pretty young age. I was 22 when I started.

When I was 24, I bought my first franchise, a REMAX franchise. And then when I was 29, I bought a second franchise, second real estate franchise, and was building a team and a business.

And in '19 or 2012, I actually then expanded into Arizona where I went to college and bought an office there, and now I have 15 offices here in Arizona. And we have what you would call expansion teams, so basically licensing your likeness, in six other states. And and they're relatively small. The biggest footprint I have is in Arizona and Alaska.

Yeah. Amazing.

That is expansive for sure. I I mean, that, Kelly, you're not wrong. That is a complete empire. I I feel like that gives you a lot of data points, though, in terms of you have helped nurture the growth and success of hundreds, maybe thousands of agents. Right? I I'm curious about the, what is the thing that you see that successful people do that unsuccessful people don't do?

Well, it is pretty simple in my opinion. Lack of preparation. So what do successful people do? They're highly scheduled, highly prepared, and they're willing to consistently get up every day and do what no one else wants to do.

And I know that sounds simple, and it is simple, but and it can be very boring, but that it I'll take consistency over talent any day of the week. It's consistency. And the only way you can be consistent is to be prepared, and the only way you're prepared is to be highly scheduled.

Oh, so good. Being the woman at the front of the room, I I feel like there's the the asking for help stuff. I think male counterparts, one thing they do better than us largely is is asking for help. Tell me a little bit about being the woman at the front. Like, was there lone wolf feelings? Was there, you know, loneliness feelings? And how did you deal with that?

So I think for a long time, it it was tough because when you're building a business in Alaska, you're geographically really cut off from The US. Anytime you wanna get on a plane and go to a conference, just a plane ticket could be $1,300. So it was expensive. I had five kids, and I was a single parent. So, you know, it so what I did is I really worked hard on how do I how do I, you know, surround myself with other people without surrounding myself with other people, and I did that through you have to remember, this is before podcasts and things like that. Cassette tapes and books.

And the one that I that had the biggest impact on me, bar none, was John Maxwell's Impact Club. And so initially, you got a CD or, I mean, a cassette and then this little workbook that came with it, and then you got a CD. And today, it's obviously all online, but I really felt like, John's leadership, helped me significantly, especially because I was such a long way away.

And sometimes I'll give you an example. I think most people, we call it the lower 48, take, you know, they, you know, take it for granted that they can go to concert when they want to, that they can go to an NFL game when they want to, that they can go to a professional baseball game, basketball game when they want to. I hadn't been to any of those till very late in life, so think about that. So if you've never been, the first five years I lived in Arizona, I I went to all those things all the time. Right?

So it's the same thing. When you live here and and you have the opportunity to go to seminars and be taught by people and, you know, Phoenix is the mecca of of seminars. You know? And when you're in Alaska, you just don't have that. So, again, when I was here or when I moved here or bought a second home here, I actually started putting on a lot of seminars as well.

And so I being the woman at the front of the room, did it feel lonely? I felt, I would say, different, and and I would say, Mandy, that only changed when I got in the room with other people who had gone and done what I wanted to do, and then I felt completely normal. So I say it all the time. At some point, if you're going to grow your leadership, you're gonna get to a point where to surround yourself with other big thinkers, you're gonna have to get on a plane. Oh, so good.

So good. Which I'm coming to get on a plane to come see you. Yes. You are. In Phoenix. So I'm super excited. We're hanging out with John Maxwell down there next week, which is amazing.

You know, what would you say just because a lot of what you've done has been different than other people? So take, for example, the expansion that you did within Keller Williams. I had the opportunity many years ago to go and learn from you even though I wasn't in real estate because I believe it some of those concepts apply to any team that you're trying to grow.

What would you say is unconventional about the, you know, the way that you've led or the way that you've expanded your business?

You know, and it probably didn't dawn on me till recently. I thought, what is it? What is it about me that makes me different, if you will, or what is my uniqueness? And I don't think it's unique, but I do think it's really rooted in the fact that if when you grow up in Alaska, so just think about this, we went to the grocery store every two months.

K? So just let that sink in. Heaven to me. That sounds like heaven. Let me tell you.

You know? And and you had to get on a train and ride the train, through the mountains, and then drive to Anchorage. And so when what so what I learned was, I you know, I think we live oftentimes today kind of in a microwave society where we want everything super fast, and I really learned delayed gratification. I learned how to prepare because if you went to the store and you weren't prepared and didn't have your list of what you're gonna need for the next two months, you are in trouble. Right? Yeah.

So I learned, early on and and, and also learned the benefits of of delayed gratification. So being willing to do the hard things, being willing to be prepared because you knew at some point you were going to get the benefit of that, and it's the same way in business. A lot of people just don't stick with it long enough. Mhmm. You know? And and and to really see the results.

So what I would say is if you're one of those people that are really wondering, well, can I really do this? I would say go be around somebody that's already done it so you can borrow on their belief while you're walking it out. I think that's key is to be able to borrow on their belief, somebody who's already done it. Yeah. The delay I think that so much.

With with our members in GoBun and Swimmin, sometimes you have to borrow the light that someone else sees in you and in your business and where you're going because the real growth happens in the boring, messy middle.

You know, that montage that happens for Rocky that, you know, it takes thirty seconds for you to see that montage. Well, that actually happened over the course of three years. You know, you don't you don't see that in real life.

So I I'm curious about when you're when you're looking to figure something out, like the you in this progression, you have to feel stuck or have felt stuck, in that boring, messy middle. Right? What do you do to get yourself unstuck or find clarity when you don't feel clear? What are some actionable tips?

So to find clarity when I don't feel clear is I really always come back to, well, what is my big why and does this fit into it? And if I'm not feeling clear, maybe it's because it's not a fit. So I have what's called my 10 filters of opportunity so that I run everything through. And so it may be great. It may make a lot of money, but if it doesn't if it doesn't really go through those filters and come out the other side is still a good opportunity, then it really doesn't matter how much money it's going to make me.

When I was younger, I had all I had time on my hands. Right? But I didn't have influence, and I didn't have money. Well, the more successful you become, you have more influence and you have more money, but you don't have as much much time.

So if I'm really evaluating something or if I feel stuck or unsure, should I should I go after this or not, I'd I run it through those filters, and I really think about, ultimately, is this is this really part of my big why of why I'm doing what I'm doing? And if it's not, then I'm really gonna not gonna be that passionate about it. And if you're not that passionate about it, then you're really not gonna have the success that you could. And so I pass on it. That's kind of how I think about it.

Well, that's great. I love that you have an actual system to be able to run decisions through. Because a lot of times when we're stuck, we don't even realize, like, you know, what what decision do I need to make? And when you make it a decision, you know, then you can kinda move forward with a with a hard no or a hard yes.

So, you know, kinda circling back to leadership, you know, you have done a phenomenal job leading this organization. That has required a lot of trust and delegation. So many people are afraid to let go, and they're micromanaging, but they're not gonna be able to scale until they do that. What tips would you would you share with our audience around how you did that?

I would say it's still a a learning process for sure. I don't think I don't think we're ever a 100%, really easy at letting go. Yeah.

I I would say this. I think for the most part that as your business gets bigger, oftentimes, you take on additional responsibilities, and I think what we fail to do is to move something off of our plate. Right. And my husband is a great reminder of that to me when something when I've decided to take on another opportunity, he'll say, what's coming off of your plate? And I don't want anything to come off my plate. Right? But it really forces me to look at it and narrow my focus.

And, typically, the reason I don't want it to come off my plate is probably fear, fear of somebody can't do it as good as me, fear that, honestly, they're gonna screw it up, fear that they're gonna make mistakes. And what I had to learn, and I learned this, I would say, in 2010, was that they're not gonna do it as good as me initially. But if I don't allow them to and and to mentor them as they learn through it, then I'm gonna have that job forever. And that's gonna keep me from the other opportunities that are are presenting themselves that I can't take advantage of because I'm still over here trying to do this.

And that that was a great learning lesson for me, because I was very, very good at something. And and handing that off to somebody that wasn't as good, it doesn't mean that they can't get better. They can. And so the one thing you can't do is just abdicate the whole responsibility. So what I mean by that is you can help them and mentor them along the way so that they can they they can I call it jumping the curve? They don't have to go down through everything that you went through to get good. They can just jump the curve with your mentorship, and and so I I'm certainly not perfect at it by any stretch.

And it really does take a a lot of discernment to determine whether or not that person is really ready for those additional responsibilities because I think the worst thing you can do is put additional responsibilities on somebody that's truly not ready. And what I mean by ready, I'm not just talking about are they ready as an as a leader in your organization, but I also I call it it's called vision to reality. And every ninety days, my top people fill this out. And on page one, it's there's 10 questions, and it really says, where are you at now, one to 10, and where do you wanna be, and what's keeping you from it? Because I'm really looking at the whole person.

And a few years ago, there was a situation that came up, and I sat someone down, and I said, your audio doesn't match your video. What you're saying here that's important to you I like that. And what you want this doesn't match. And what and I I said, let me mother you for a minute. Let me let me tell you where this train is headed if you do if you if this if we can't make this match. And it was probably one of the hardest conversation I've ever had to have, but he emailed me, I wanna say, less than two weeks ago, and just told me that, you know, what that meant to him, because it it's so easy when you're in your thirties, you know, that 35 to 40 year old.

It's really super easy, I think, to to go down some paths that don't line up with what you say your true north is, what you say your big why is, what you say is important, and I think that's how some people get off track. And so I also feel like as a leader, their personal lives, their family lives is part of my responsibility too. Wow.

I what a beautiful way to put that. You know? And and and it's loving. You know? It's it's this idea of kind versus nice. To be nice would be not to say the thing that could come off maybe of a way that was unanticipated. But to be kind, you gotta say it. You know, because you want them to have this better life for themself.

You do. But here's what I also learned, Mandy. Telling someone something usually doesn't work, but great questions make hard conversations easier.

Oh, so good. Exactly. Oh, I love that so much. I also really love that we just kinda brushed under the rug here that you've got five children. Well, they're all I've got well, well, yes. And when you were scaling this business, they, like, they spend some time as littles.

You know, I think one thing I hear a lot I am a commercial real estate investor. And one thing I hear a lot is, oh, I can't spend more time underwriting deals because I need to be there for my kid. I need to be momming for my kids, especially coming from I I was a, single mom for some time too.

And, anyway, I'm curious. Talk to that mom that doesn't wanna spend the time scaling her business or has a feeling of of mom guilt. What is something that you did to prioritize things the right way so that you built great kids and built a great business?

I'm not gonna say this is the answer for everyone, but I'll tell you legitimately what I did. I had to make some decisions, about about my life. And I knew that, number one, my faith was important to me. My job was important to me, my or my business, and my kids were important to me. And so I made the decision that I was gonna give up, for lack of a better word, maybe some social things that other people Mhmm. Thought were important and or maybe important to them.

I'll give you an example. Let's just say the Chamber of Commerce was having a mixer at 06:00 at night. I never went to any of those. And it doesn't mean they're wrong. They could be great networking opportunities. But what I am saying is there was a period of time, and understand, it doesn't have to to be I understood it doesn't have to be this way forever, but for this part, this time in my life as a single parent with five kids who are very involved in sports, something had to give, and it wasn't gonna be the glass wall of my children that got dropped.

So I just made a decision that church was in was important to me. Being at all of my kids' events was important to me. And if that meant I had to restructure my day and work in the evenings or work early in the morning and to make all that happen, I did.

And the thing that I was willing to give up and I and and I hope everybody just breathes when I say this. This was just my own conscious choices. So I did not go to lunch with people because I would instead reallocate that time so that I could take time off between three and five to go to a soccer game, or to go to a cheerleading competition.

And so I just I just prioritize my time as to what was the most important things to me, and it really boiled down to three things, my kids, my my business, and and my faith. And and I was willing to let the rest kind of go by the wayside, and it wasn't forever. Yeah. But it was it was for that time in my life. Yeah. So

That's amazing. You I mean, the one thing that really is so clear in this conversation is the intention that you bring into your life, and that obviously wasn't modeled for you. Right? You you didn't have the upbringing that a lot of people did.

Was there just an awakening at some point that really created that intentionality? Because you really demonstrate that you can have it all. You can be a mom. You can grow a business. I know you. You take care of your faith and your physical your physical well-being as well, and you're just a great giver and supporter of other people.

Was there kind of an awakening? Was it always that way? Or

So I would I would say, initially, fear drove that. Yeah. You know? Fear fear of of not having enough of, not, you know, fear of not being taken care of. Yeah. So, definitely, I mean, I specifically can remember being in the seventh grade and having two pair of pants, one were blue, one were green, and they were quarter right, and there was no quarter right left on the thighs, you know? So I would say initially in my life, I I personally believe looking back on it, fear drove a lot of that intentionality.

Yeah. I would say, later in life, especially in my twenties, I I really believed I learned a lot of that at church. I really believe I learned a lot of it. And I don't mean and I I don't want this to sound churchy. I just want it to sound how it really was. I truly read Proverbs a lot because there's wisdom there. Yeah. And so it it wasn't just about the church necessarily, but it was really about I'm pretty literal. So if I either believe the Bible is true or I don't. So if I believe it's true, then I was very literal about the things I learned.

And I I look back and I can just see that I, you know, it's probably not the answer people want it want, but it it was my answer to consistency, to doing hard things. I don't I see in the lot lots of places in the Bible where the people had to do hard things because they believed it was right. So I think that's where I learned it, and then it it just became part of who I am. And then surrounding myself with other people who had similar values, we didn't think the same, but we had similar values about how you treat people and how you lead people and, you know, how what's what's important in life. Because at the end of this life, there's not that many things that are that important.

Yeah. So I I wouldn't say it Wait. Wait. I would just say it was a progression. Fear probably drove it first, then, you know, understanding, universal truth, through through the bible and and implementing them. And that doesn't mean it was easy. It wasn't easy.

Right. But Just because it's what you've always sorry.

I just said I I felt like, I was standing on on true principles Yeah. That that that were that were timeless.

I think that's my primary takeaway of this conversation, Kelly, that it's your principles. You you have such a decision filter and a thought through intentional discernment on each piece of your life. So decisions become easier to get you in the direction of where you want to go, this North Star, because they're informed by all of these decision making filters.

It's like the the Ray Dalio book, Principles. My primary takeaway is you gotta have principles. Right? Like, I I very much enjoyed getting to to see your principles on display here.

And the idea of growth is consistency, and consistency is boring. So it's embracing that boring that sometimes gets you through, the big swings into big success.

Kelly, what were your favorite takeaways?

Yeah. I mean, the biggest one is just you are a role model to so many people out there, And you aren't out there bragging about it or or whatnot, but just that your level of influence comes from who you're being, and you really do emulate a a successful businesswoman that scaled without sacrifice and has done it in a way that you've let go, and you're continuously improving as well.

So you have been an amazing guest. And one thing that we always love to do in GoBundance and on the Power Up Your Life podcast is how can we support you? Is there a resource connection? I'm sure you're growing your teams down there in Arizona or whatnot, but how can we support you, Kristen? You know,

Kelly, just your friendship even over the last six months has been amazing. We had a great call, I don't know, a month or so ago. Yeah. So I I think, and I think for women being able to reach out to other women who are who who are successful and don't have to apologize for their success, I think, is is important. You know?

And John Maxwell wrote a book called intentional living, and he really and I'm I'm just speaking to this filter thing again because I think, Mandy, it's really important. He he really said, if in your twenties, you really decide on about 15 different things, but then really all you're doing is just managing to them for the rest of your life. And I think that's true, but I, I do think that women, I think sometimes feel like they have to apologize for success.

And and trust me on one thing. The success that you have will will be just as much an attractor as it will be in a repellent. As you can imagine, not everybody loves Kristen Cole. Because if you're around me, you find out real fast that I'm, I am I'm not a person who enjoys or accepts excuses.

And so sometimes that that focus can appear rude, and it's not meant to be rude. It's meant to, help all of us step up and be our best selves. And sometimes those are if if you're not one of those people that wanna do that, you're not gonna be very comfortable around me, and that's okay. And that's also something I had to learn to be okay with. I'm still working on that.

I love it. Yes. What what's the best way for our listeners to get ahold of you?

My name is spelled weird. It's with an a. So kristen@kristencole.com is my my email address, and that's probably the best way to get ahold of me. You know, I yes. I have Instagram and Facebook and all of that, but I won't bore them with that. If they really wanna reach out to me, just email me. I do. We will I do. Read every single one of my emails.

Oh, that's amazing. Well, Kristen, it has been such a blessing having you and, you know, just you are a mentor to me, and I'm just very, very appreciative of of just the light that you bring into this world. So thank you so much for joining us.

And for anyone listening, make sure you check out Power Up Your Life now now to find all our resources to help you scale your business without sacrifice. Big thanks to GoBundance Women, of course, who's always making these things possible to bring awesome guests like Kristen to us. So we will see you on the next episode. Thanks, everyone.

Thank you. Thanks, Kristen.