The Alimond Show
Welcome to The Alimond Show --join us as we share our entrepreneurial guests' stories, uncover their secrets to success, and explore the unique paths they've taken to build thriving businesses in our community.
In each episode, our host, Aliyah Dastour, sits down with a diverse group of local business owners, from the corner cafe to the boutique shop, from tech startups to family-run enterprises. We peel back the curtain to reveal the trials, triumphs, and transformational moments that have shaped their entrepreneurial journey.
Discover the passion, perseverance, and innovative thinking that fuels these businesses, as well as the challenges they've overcome along the way. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking inspiration or simply a curious listener interested in the stories behind your favorite local spots, The Alimond Show has something for everyone.
Our guests share their experiences, insights, and valuable advice that can empower you to turn your own dreams into reality. We discuss topics like marketing strategies, customer relationships, community engagement, and much more, offering practical takeaways you can apply to your own business or career.
Join us every week as we celebrate the unsung heroes of our local business community and explore the vibrant tapestry of entrepreneurship in our area. Tune in to The Alimond Show and get ready to be inspired, informed, and motivated to support and nurture the businesses that make our community thrive.
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The Alimond Show
Yaztka Allen - Real Estate Brokerage Owner
Navigating the rough terrain of the real estate market can feel like a Herculean task, but Yaztka Allen, the real estate virtuoso behind Realty One Group New Heights, offers a map and compass in our latest episode. Her story, which began amidst the market's tumultuous waves between 2006 and 2008, now serves as a beacon for agents aiming to build lasting careers. With Yaztka's insights, you'll grasp the importance of consistency in branding and the nuances of managing a successful brokerage that eschews the transient glitz of social media for genuine, long-term growth.
Embarking on a real estate career or looking to propel it forward? Our conversation with Yaztka provides a treasure trove of advice. By choosing the right brokerage, seeking out mentors, and engaging in continuous learning, Yaztka illustrates how agents can sculpt a robust career foundation. This episode isn't just about strategies for success; it's a testament to the transformative power of mentorship, both received and given, and the profound impact it has on professional triumph and personal fulfillment.
Beyond the deals and the listings, real estate agents have the capacity to be the heart and soul of their communities, a theme we explore deeply in this episode. Yaztka shares how the Realty One Group New Heights and individuals within the industry step up in times of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, and how women, in particular, are empowering one another towards financial independence and secure retirements. Our discussion turns to the kind of all-encompassing support that agents should expect, equating it to essential healthcare, and the joy found in guiding them from their first steps to the pinnacle of their careers. Join us for an episode that transcends the transactional and celebrates the human side of real estate.
My name is Yaska Allen. I am the owner of LT1 Group New Heights in Ashburn, and how we serve our clients is really the agent. What we're best at in our field is really helping agents build and scale businesses that they're able to then thrive with their clients, build teams or later on, sell their actual businesses, and that's what kind of makes us a little bit different. We're known as the un-brokerage because we're not your typical brokerage.
Speaker 2:Interesting yeah. How did you get into this field?
Speaker 1:Wow. So I actually started off in 2006. I started out investing and I started buying, holding, flipping and building property and then at that point we were probably onto our third property and I was like, okay, I should probably get my real estate license. So then I got my real estate license and kind of did a dual career for a little while. I found that that was really difficult to do that and I got my license at the worst possible time, right around that 2006, 2008 timeframe. You'd be crazy to get into real estate at that time, but I did and learned a lot, lots about short sales and foreclosures and kind of like 101 about real estate. And then from there I just took it step by step, dove into it just full time and I've been doing it ever since.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. Yeah, so you've always had a passion for real estate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I think it's something that I just kind of fell into. It's not something like I ever planned or ever thought, okay, I'm going to be a real estate agent or I'm going to get into the real estate field. It just kind of happened through our investing business that we initially had and I just loved every aspect of it. So being on the building side and really figuring out like how do you get permits and what are those building aspects look like, and then from the design side and picking out paints and finishes, and I just really love every aspect of it. And the residential side and being able to help clients and first-time homebuyers. I just find that there's excitement at the beginning, the middle or the end of a transaction, so there's always something kind of new and fresh about real estate.
Speaker 2:What do you find most rewarding about it?
Speaker 1:You know now that I've been doing this for quite some time. I think what's most rewarding about it for me now is really helping agents to the point where they're seeing their businesses thrive. They're able to really take what they thought was maybe going to be a job right and now it's really a career and now they're building actual businesses and brands that they're able to then have some legacy right, maybe give to their children or just build off more teams. So helping agents really thrive and grow, I think is very rewarding for me, because you can see the growth. It's right there in your face and I think that being a leader means that the people that are with you and helping you to grow you see that same aspects in them that are with you and helping you to grow.
Speaker 2:You see that same aspects in them, absolutely, yeah, yeah. What do you do? What are you guys doing for marketing and advertising these days to bring people in?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So you know most realtors and I like to tell them this a lot like. You are really a true marketer and that's really what it is. If you're able to really take your marketing and really build yourself as a brand, you're going to make sure that your clients have the highest sales, right. You're going to make sure that your buyers are being, I would say, having transactions that are very smooth, right.
Speaker 1:So, as far as marketing, I think that everyone's really stuck on social media, but that's not really the core of your branding, right? That's just one little snippet of what your brand actually is. So what I really teach agents is to really bring it back down to one-on-one and really look at your services. Or is everything consistent? Is your brand showing consistency? Can you have your client that you had three years ago and this client be able to say the same exact thing about you? And having that type of consistency in your brand, I think, is way more important than maybe what you're doing on social media and maybe what people see as a face, right? So to me, it's not so much about that, because the businesses that really thrive and stay and the agents that have been here for a long time you find that they have that level of consistency more with their branding and then that marketing and that advertising is really like a supplemental piece for their business.
Speaker 2:Do you find that challenging to get them to understand and just kind of go back to basics a little bit?
Speaker 1:You know, I think it depends. I think that agents sometimes that come into the business sometimes they're a little bit more coachable, right, they don't have any bad habits, and then maybe sometimes the agents that have been here for a while have to kind of fine tune those skills. I think overall in our industry most agents are happy to learn, happy to figure out what's coming next, and most of our agents are good agents. So I don't really find it to be that difficult, because most people want to grow, they want to learn and they know that if they're able to do that they're going to be a staple in our community.
Speaker 2:And more successful.
Speaker 1:For sure.
Speaker 2:Absolutely yeah. Tell me a little bit about. You said you have real estate agents, real estate and brokerage form, so how do you manage both of those?
Speaker 1:So my team I've started my team about five, six years ago and that was something that just came out of a true need to build something that I wasn't receiving in my current state. And now that I have the brokerage, I think it's always a balance. I mean, I can't sit here and say, oh my God, I have it all figured out and I'm balancing everything perfectly. That's just not true, Wouldn't it be crazy?
Speaker 2:if someone said that to you. I have it all figured out. We're good yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't have it all figured out, I don't have it all balanced. I have a family and running two businesses is challenging and a lot of the time I'm just taking it day by day and I'm making sure that I just have consistency in my systems and my schedules and my tools that I use every day just to make sure that I'm trying my best to keep everything balanced. And the biggest thing for me is leveraging, you know, because I can't do it all and I'm not good at everything and that's the truth, I'm really not so I'm making sure that I have people in position that are great at those things helps me to be better in that balancing act.
Speaker 2:And learning from each other too, I'm sure.
Speaker 1:For sure, for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. And what do you see for the future of your company? Where do you see this all going?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think the future looks great. I'm super excited to be bringing Realty One Group to Ashburn. I think that because I've almost been to every brokerage now since being in business since 2006, I've been able to really grab the things that really work well at different places and then implement that with my background in business and the other businesses that I've had, along with running a team and I'm an agent. I'm in the field, so I know exactly what agents are looking for and I think that right now, tech is really important. There's so many different things that's happening with real estate as a whole, so tech, I think, is going to be super important. Ai is very important right now. Been using that for over five years within our business and our team and really teaching agents. The tech side of what's happening is going to be great. So we're really known for having tech. We're also really known for our 100% commission. Agents really are at the point where their paychecks matter and they're kind of under attack right now.
Speaker 1:So making sure that we are providing that 100% model and you're not losing anything in the process. You're getting a fresh brand. Fresh branding, great tech, great atmosphere, tons of tools and coaching. So I'm excited. I'm excited about bringing this to Ashburn for sure.
Speaker 2:That's exciting. How do you feel that tech and AI has changed your business?
Speaker 1:I think it puts me in a position where I don't have to be on all the time. A lot of people are sitting in their bed, they're scrolling through their phones, they're wanting to get into a property or have questions about a property, and I don't have to be awake at 11, 12, 1 o'clock in the morning and our AI tools allow for that to happen. So it's just an extra tool in our toolbox to make us more successful. Nothing to be afraid about. It's just more of leveraging again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:What advice would you give for someone getting into the real estate career? I would say interview multiple brokerages. Okay, just like you would shop for a car, you're going to go to making sure, you're going to go online. You're going to find, hey, who has the best price, who has the best you know customer service, who has the best you know mechanics department. It's the same thing with real estate. So definitely interview multiple brokerages. Speak to some other agents at that brokerage, see what their experience is like. I think that's really important, almost like we look at reviews, like I think that's really important, almost like we look at reviews. Same exact concept Find a mentor if you can. I think I went through a lot of time making really awful mistakes and really not delivering the best kind of service because I didn't have direction.
Speaker 2:Do you wish you had someone that you could have? Yeah, I do.
Speaker 1:I mean, I found that later on, I think in my career, you know, within the last 10 years, but I definitely didn't have that in the beginning, when I first started. There was no such thing as teams, you know, there was no such thing as AI or 3D tours or anything like that. So I definitely feel like having a mentor, someone that's able to guide you through different experiences, different client situations, in a different way than a broker. I think is really important to utilize that if you can. So finding a mentor, I think, is super important. And then I also think it's important to keep yourself educated. So you need to be going to at least two conferences a year. You need to be going to multiple classes throughout the year so you're keeping your ear to the streets and really figuring out what's changing in your industry, so you can be ahead of the year. So you're keeping your ear to the streets and really figuring out what's changing in your industry, so you can be ahead of the game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Does that inspire you to mentor?
Speaker 1:Yeah, because, like I said, I didn't have that, yeah, and I made a lot of mistakes and when I was investing I lost a lot of money and I made a lot of money. But imagine if I didn't have to have those pitfalls because I had someone to handhold me, I would have saved lots of years and lots of money and lots of tearful moments.
Speaker 2:So I think it's so important to reach my hand back and help agents be more successful than ever, have careers that are lasting careers and be able to really take their businesses to new heights.
Speaker 1:What do you find most rewarding about what you do? Um, I think overall is really helping agents that maybe feel that frustration in their business and maybe they're feeling a little bit lost, not knowing what their next steps are, see that hey, okay, I have a business here, but maybe I'm not getting consistent sales. Or really sitting down with an agent and really spreading everything out and really pinpointing where I can help them and then figuring out a plan and then taking them there and then doing it all over again you know, because seeing someone's life change you know it's being change.
Speaker 1:Seeing them being able to help their families and seeing them thrive, that's important to me. I take that responsibility on, like I do with my team. It's a powerful feeling. Yeah, I'm responsible for sometimes their livelihood in that way and I don't take that lightly. So if I'm able to help them get to the next step, like someone did for me, that's that's all the reward that I need, yeah, yeah, that's a great way to give back too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think I think a lot of times our industry sometimes gets a little bit of a bad rap. You know, almost like we're car sales, but we're so much more than that. You know there's so many situations where we've had clients that were able to give back to them. We're able to help their families, we're able to help in the community. During COVID, that was a huge thing. We were essential as essential members of the community and we were there really helping buyers that had to move, and we had people moving from across the country or across the globe at times. So being essential in those type of moments and really helping out in our community, I think is really important, and we have that power as real estate agents. So I think that that part is really important and making sure that that's not lost either, Because I see so many great agents doing so many amazing things, not just to help their clients, but in the community and giving back.
Speaker 2:What are you guys doing specifically for the community? Do you guys do community events to bring people?
Speaker 1:in. Yeah, I mean, like I said, we're very much a part of the community as a whole. As a company, we do a global effort, and every time that we have a closing, we're very much a part of the community as a whole. As a company, we do a global effort, and every time that we have a closing, we actually plant trees. So that is matched by our company. So, and that's for every single agent at Realty One Group. Along with that, we tend to have at least two to three events a year where we're giving back to the community or having some type of interface with them. So, whether we're doing a food bank, which is tends to be like our favorite, um, so feeding families is a big one, um, or we might help out with shelters and women Um, I have a passion with doing that as well. So we, we tend to pick uh different events every year, um, but overall that tends to be like our staple.
Speaker 2:Your go-to's.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Are there any last words you'd like to leave us with? Leave our listeners with today, any last something from your heart or something that inspires you, maybe a quote?
Speaker 1:Definitely not a quote. I'm not going to get you know, I'm not going to get super deep today, um, but I I do think that overall I have a passion of helping other women in our field, of course, in real estate, but all throughout I like to be involved with helping other women as well, just thrive in their own businesses and making those connections. I believe that when we're able to collaborate, we actually win and we actually go further quicker. So being involved in those types of aspects, I think is really important. So I think that we'll continue to kind of do that as one, just as a business owner in the community. But I just want to say that to all women like I think it's super important that we collaborate together and just grow together and just help each other win. Like I think it's super important that we collaborate together and just grow together and just help each other win. I think that that's super important.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was actually going to ask you to repeat that, because I loved how you said that so well that collaborating, yeah, yeah, it leads to success.
Speaker 1:And not that we're leaving, you know, the guys out or anything like that.
Speaker 1:That's okay, yeah, not that we're leaving them out, because we have tons of amazing agents and business owners in our community and within our network as well that do amazing things as well.
Speaker 1:But I do have a passion for helping women and taking their businesses to the next levels From a financial aspect as well. We find that a lot of women about I forget the number, but 80% of women are not prepared for retirement. Wow, okay, that's shocking, yeah, and our business is over 60% dominant in women. So I find that a lot of agents are not prepared for that, and because our business is mostly commission all commission, right and sometimes it's transaction to transaction, we tend to forget what that looks like for the future for us. And I'm helping to change that viewpoint and current situation in real estate, because most of us are not prepared for when that time comes, and I think that COVID really shined a light on different things that are happening and within our brokerage, I've created some new programs to help our agents think about what that step looks like, so they don't have to sell forever if they don't want to.
Speaker 1:And they can save for the rainy day and they can save for the rainy day and they can really be thinking about how am I best helping my client without thinking about how many agents I have to recruit, or what does my downline look like, or how do I build more agents coming onto this brokerage so then I can retire right? We're not built that way. I think that agents should receive. That's just like healthcare. You know, it's like a simple, it's a basic one-on-one.
Speaker 1:Everyone should just receive that. So you're not going to receive that having to do extra things like recruit. You're going to receive that because that is our basic one-on-one and I believe that all agents should be a whole agent and what that means is like body, soul, mind, financially, all of it. And that's what we've created and I'm so excited to help agents get to the next step all the way through the retirement.
Speaker 2:Yeah, amazing, beautifully said. Thank you for sharing your story with us today and thank you for coming in. Thank you so much.