Stage 4 Success Stories

Steve Builds His Brand. . . Patiently

Steve was the president of a major commercial real estate company in the Denver area. He had 35 salespeople and did millions in business every year.

You're probably thinking, "What does this guy need a career coach for?" He started working with me because he was feeling dissatisfied. He had what so many of us think we want: big job, big money, big image, the entire enchilada.

One big prob: He wasn't particularly satisfied by his job. As Steve and I went through the career ReInvention process, we found that he was a great candidate for owning his own business. It was something he'd always been interested in.

So, his brand development focused on starting his own business. The first year (while still working at his old position), he learned all he could about owning his own business: going to seminars, talking to business owners, learning what the upsides and downsides were.

Because he didn't want to compete directly in the market he was about to leave, he decided to specialize. So the second year of his process was spent deciding what he wanted to specialize in, doing the necessary research and networking.

His specialty became working the technology sector of the real estate market. Specifically, he would focus on helping fast-growing, smaller telecom companies find sites to build a switching plant in remote markets.

Yes, there were other companies dealing with the technology sector, but nobody was really specializing in this particular segment.

In the third year, he actually rolled the company out. He's now going like gangbusters, making huge deals with technology companies.

Because it's his specialty, it gives him a big advantage over his competitors. He gives much of the credit for his success to brand development.

Got a question for Gordon? Ask it here.

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