Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alonna Davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Alonna , thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a business owner. Besides motherhood it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s also very rewarding. I’ve been a business owner going on three years. We started our business at the start of the pandemic, not knowing what to expect with the world shutting down. At the time, I had been in real estate for about 4 years but I also had a full time job as a project manager. I walked away from my full time job in February 2020 to be a full time realtor and open the brokerage 30 days before the shut down. I immediately felt like I had made the worst decision. I was a new mom and had no guaranteed income. I seriously contemplated calling my old employer back or even applying for a different job because I was terrified that I was going to have to blow my savings just trying to keep a roof over my family’s head. I mean, who was going to be buying a house during a pandemic? Thank goodness I was completely wrong. The pandemic market was one of the best markets financially for a realtor. I was not able to only grow my business as an individual agent but also grow the brokerage since becoming a real estate agent was a trend at the time. Now fast forward to present day, as an experienced business owner I’d be telling story if I say I don’t have moments where I still think about going back to work at a 9-5. Not because my business isn’t doing well. It’s because being a business owner requires you to be in work mode 24/7. Your employees livelihood depends on you. So on those days when I just don’t have the energy, I wish I could just call in with a sick day and still get paid. But I also remind myself that as a business owner, I am in control of my future & success and I am generating wealth for my family. Something I would not have been able to do at a regular job.
Alonna , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am the Associate Broker and Co-Owner of Realty One Group Universal, a real estate brokerage based in Baltimore, MD. I’ve been in real estate for 7 years. In addition to working with buyers, sellers, & investors I train and develop new agents. Real estate is my passion. I love being able to help families build wealth through real estate. Early in my career I mainly worked with first time home buyers. Most times, they were also first generation home buyers, meaning the first in their family to own a home. Working with those clients are always the most rewarding. Knowing that I am part of the process of someone creating history in their family. I am also really active in my community. I sit on the board for multiple non-profit organizations that focus on empowering youth in underprivileged neighborhoods. When I’m not selling real estate or volunteering in the community, I’m a mom to an amazing 3 year old daughter. I had a pretty good childhood full of experiences so my mission as a mom is to give my daughter that same lifestyle but better!
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I don’t have a ton of followers on social media. Currently around 2,500 on instagram and about 2,000 on facebook. However, I have really good engagement. Over the past year, I went into hyper focus trying to figure out how to grow my social media presence, get thousands of followers, and possibly go viral. What I quickly realized is that I just honestly don’t have the time, energy, or most importantly the genuine interest in being popular on social media. However, we all know that every business needs an online social media presence to generate leads and grow brand recognition. So what I started doing was showing up as my honest self when I wanted to. I didn’t put myself on a schedule where I’m posting everyday multiple times a day. I post maybe once a week. But I’m learning that its more effective to post quality over quantity. My followers enjoy my content and because I’m not constantly on social media, they begin to miss me which increases the engagement when I do post. I’ve cultivated a group of engaged followers that now I’m getting paid to post. My advice to someone just starting to build their social media, focus on quality and being your authentic self. People want to relate to you. You want to be likable. Don’t overdo it and the engagement will naturally come.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I’ve been blessed to be able to grow a real estate business solely based on referrals. Most real estate agents take years to do this. By the start of year 3, all of my leads were from referrals. Im am a serial student. I am always willing to learn something new and continue my education to become more knowledgeable and efficient. I knew that in order to set my self apart in the industry as a new agent, I needed to focus on a niche client which were first time home buyers in Baltimore City and I needed to become an expert. Now, I’m known as the trustworthy, knowledgeable agent. I can confidently answer almost any question my client will have and successfully guide them through the real estate process based on my professional and personal experiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alonnasellshomes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alonnamonee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alonna.gordon
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alonnadavis/