Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda Peterson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How do you think about vacations as a business owner? Do you take them and if so, how? If you don’t, why not?

I take TONS of vacations and go to lots of conferences. Travel is one of the greatest gifts in life; for me it’s a must!

I work on an amazing team and I’m very fortunate that even though we work independently in many ways there are many agents that want to make some extra money, have been mentored by me and want to help out after, or just love helping out that cover all of my travel!

It’s so important to find a career that allows for flexibility and fun. I work very hard during the weeks between travel so that my clients feel every bit of support from me and know they can trust that when I’m away they’ll still get the best service.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always loved real estate and from a very young age I dreamt of being a business woman. I’d tell my mom I wanted to wear skirt suits to school (she didn’t often let me. Haha)

I’m not sure if it was the fashion or the career that pulled me in, but I watched my grandmother (Nana Jean) build a career in real estate off of kindness, class, and passion. She was an absolute dream agent from the early 80’s throughout the early 2000’s. She made it to the million dollar round table with her company in a time when it was hard for women to get into the work force, let alone break through to the tippy top. As a child and throughout my teen years I went with Nana to open houses and to meet clients. I got to see the fun of it all and the work behind the woman. Her kindness and willingness to bring me along helped me see that I could have a family and still a very successful career if that’s what I wanted.

My Grandfather, my mothers father, also practiced real estate sales and I had the joy of seeing him in the office as well.

Because of my love of the industry and the vision instilled in me from a young age, when I found myself divorcing in 2018 after 6 years of staying home with my children, I knew I had to find a way to support us all. What better way than the industry I’d loved to watch since I was small? I joined another brokerage briefly and realized quickly that in order to support my two greatest loves (my son and daughter) I would have to find a team that provided support- and clients!

In the fall of 2018 I joined The Ashton Real Estate Group and went from a stay at home mom to a full time agent. The key to my success has truly been the support, mentorship, training, and love I received from the team. I applied myself relentlessly to learning the systems, taking all of the classes they provided, and offering to help agents that had more experience than me to learn the ropes.

I’ve worked with clients buying $60,000 properties to those buying and selling multimillion dollar properties. I have a designation in divorce real estate and have helped multiple clients steer through the selling process during some of the most difficult times of their lives. I love first time home buyers and working with family’s relocating. I love working with people in all types of situations whether it’s a growing family or a single person just leaving the military; people are my passion and real estate has been the vestal that takes me to them.

Although the team was a huge help, I had to learn on my own how to navigate being a newly single parent, new to the work force after 6 years at home, and how to still have a social life for both the kids and myself.

Those first years, and still often now, I took my children to showings and all kinds of meetings and appointments. They learned many lessons in the car, from using cream to make butter (we shook whipping cream for ages on one trip to show homes and ended up splattering cream all over ourselves and having to stop at a friend’s house to clean up on the way. Luckily she had some rolls and we got to taste our project 🤣) to stopping at goat farms to feed baby goats after far away showings; we learned together to make the very best life out of a very hard situation.

Now, with the help of our team we’re creating a space for our kids to do school work or play within our work center. The agents within our brokerage have a heart for helping and we all work together to create a fun place for the kids to play and for us to work!

Creating this life has been incredibly rewarding and very challenging. I’ve learned to work at odd hours- very early, very late, on weekends; with clients also navigating divorce, learning to manage a mortgage, or investors learning to make residual income.

After a few years of working on the team, I was able to become a squad leader- helping agents within the brokerage meet one another, help each other, and enjoy brokerage social activities. Then, quickly I became a mentor – helping new agents write contracts, learn systems, and understand a bit of the real estate world. I teach rental classes and systems training for all of the boot camps our brokerage provides to new agents so they have a solid ground to start from and can quickly find success in an industry many leave before they’ve even started.

The life plan I had when I had my children changed very rapidly and in a way I could never have expected. My dream was to be every moment with my children, when the life I had shifted to the unpredictable, I was able to still find a way to work and be with them. While it doesn’t always work out to be together, we’ve formed a new kind of family within our brokerage and I feel so fortunate to be with such wonderful people who see the value of a family/career system.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I love to read. I read at night, on planes, on vacation, on the patio, midafternoons; you get it- reading is joy for me!

The books that have so greatly impacted me are limitless; I get something from every book I read.

The book that really changed me in a time when I was learning to become someone completely different than I had been for many years is “You are a Badass” by Jen Sincero

It’s all about taking the opportunities that are presented to you. If something is placed in your path and you want it; do it. Even if you don’t have the money or the knowledge (yet) take the opportunity in front of you and you’ll make it work.

When i joined my current brokerage I had no money at all. When I say none, I mean $7 in a bank account. I mean scrounging for quarters to get gas, maxing out credit cards for groceries.

I listened to and read “You are a Badass” over and over and it was inside my head when I met several ladies at an ethics class. They all suggested joining the Ashton Group. Even those not on the team said it would be the very best place to be.

With that in mind, I had no one to care for my young daughter, no money to get started or to pay the monthly dues, and no clothes to wear to the interviews.

I took the last of my credit cards, my neighbor gave me tons of amazing clothes, and gave it my best shot. It was truly a shot in the dark that given the circumstances, shouldn’t have worked.

The words in the book though, kept my mind in line and made me believe it would all work.

Here I am nearly 5 years later; a home owner, a mentor, a teacher, a top producing team agent, a mother, a traveler. I’m in a healthy wonderful relationship and live a life that wasn’t even a dream because it seemed so far out of reach.

All because I took the opportunity presented to me and said I’m going to make this work. That book- that moment in time- when it seemed nothing could get worse- everything came together and this amazing life was created.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I love life and I do my best to show that on social media. I’m very authentic when it comes to that.

I post about my real estate sales, accomplishments, and relationships. I post about my family and what we are doing. I post a ton about fashion and I’m fortunate enough to have been picked up by several companies as an influencer. I love supporting companies that support me and I really enjoy those opportunities. I post about all of our travel adventures and the fun we have in different countries, cities, airports.

I combine my business and social experiences on social media because I’m a multifaceted person and I have a LOT of interests and enjoyments. I love sharing that with the world and I get so much positive feedback. Of course, it’s also a wonderful catalog of my life to look back through for myself and my kids (while some of the early years may be embarrassing, it’s still a fun trip down memory lane)

I don’t post the bad stuff because there isn’t much of it and I wouldn’t tell it in a social setting if there was. That’s what we have to remember about social media; it’s meant to be a platform for socializing and I like the kind of socializing that involves chatting about our outfits or discussing current events in a way that’s polite and understanding rather than yelled from afar and that’s what posting controversy and negativity is to me- yelling at people.

Contact Info:

• Website: AmandaPhomes.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/amandapetersonrealtor?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.peterson.543?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Adam Sanner