We were lucky to catch up with Bailee VanderMolen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bailee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy running your own firm? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Are you truly a business owner if you don’t think about what life would be like at a 9am-5pm job that you don’t have to run? It is normal to think “what ifs” in life and some days, of course a business owner contemplates giving it all up. I myself have had those thoughts.

Put plain and simple, running a business is just hard. Typically, when one gets into running their own business it is because they enjoy doing whatever that general task is, and of course there are aspects of every job that we may not like. When you are a business owner, those tasks that you do not like are also the same tasks that you have to prioritze the most, because they are what runs your business. Tasks such as expense tracking, quarterly taxes, marketing, new hires/training, etc.

Many people think that when you run your own business, your time is more flexible, to which I always respond that as a business owner, my time is flexible FOR the client, not for me. Yes, I may be able to work from home or “anywhere” essentially, but I also have to have the flexibility to meet clients or answer a phone call on their time. It is not about being “flexible”, its about prioritizing the client and the business which often means putting my personal schedule last.

Often times, this means meeting clients or answering phone calls/texts/emails at very inconvient times. I have been at a wedding, funeral, baby shower, or in bed at 10:30pm and having to answer my phone to ensure a transaction moves forward. These are the specific times that make me say “is it worth it?”.

Sometimes thinking about working for someone else seems best. I can clock in and out and be done with work mentally and physically for the day.

However, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t change it. We all would change aspects of our careers if we could, but the positivies out weigh the negatives for me. Being a business owner is hard, but rewarding.

Bailee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Bailee VanderMolen. I am a Realtor in Michigan, specifically serving the West Michigan/Grand Rapids area. I grew up on the East side of Michigan and decided to move to Grand Rapids to attend college at Grand Valley State University “GVSU”. During my time at GVSU, I studied and graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. My goal was to work in the law enforcement field, however I quickly jumped into a career in law after graduation. After a few years working at a law firm, I took a leap into real estate after a trusted friend (whom is also a Realtor), told me I should.

I have been a Realtor for almost 5 years now and have helped hundreds of clients, as well as climbed to the top 1% of Realtors in the Grand Rapids Area Association of Realtors.

What I believe sets me apart is the authentic relationships that I build with my clients. I created Bailee V Realty (of Five Star Real Estate Brokerage) based on the principle that knowledge is power! When we educate our clients, it empowers them to make confident decisions. I want future potential clients to know that when you work with me/my team, we bring experience, integrity, and knowledge. We want every client to feel like they are our only client and want them to know they can trust us.

What I am most proud of is the reputation that I have created as a Realtor. Reputation does not simply come from one word of mouth referral or one good client experience, it comes from multiple reoccurring instances of these things. When clients or fellow Realtors share feedback about their positive experiences working with me, it makes me incredibly thankful and proud.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Having a positive reputation in any industry is not just “given”, it is “earned”. Right before I was answering this question, I was handling a phone call with another Realtor as we were trying to negotiate on behalf our clients regarding repairs. At the end of the conversation she stated, “You are one of the most professional Realtors I have ever worked with.” It is small moments like that that build a reputation. One wrong encounter can send my career reputation into a negative trajectory.

Thus, a few of things I have done to build a positive professional reputation are centered around communication, positivity, and timeliness.

When it comes to communication, I myself know how much I like getting answers to my questions back sooner rather than later, therefore that is how I treat others I do business with. Any information or conversations that need to be had are priority. This lumps in with timeliness as well. My clients know and trust at this point that I will get back to them quickly when they need. During all conversations, whether in text or verbal format, I ensure to provide respect to whomever I am speaking to, even in time of disagreement. As I mentioned initially, I was just in a conversation with another Realtor in which I was having to explain to her that her buyer’s repair request was not going to be acceptable at all. However, we had a respectful conversation and I acknowledged to her that no offense was taken on my end, this was business, and we are just doing what is best for our clients. This seems simple, but do you know how many people I speak to that cannot keep a cool head when they do not get their way? My name in this industry and positive reputation is not worth losing over a frustrated moment.

Regarding positivity, I always try to assume the best of everyone I work with, even in their times of expressing frustration in any capacity. Often in real estate when two parties are negotiating something, it can be easy for a buyer or seller to start making negative assumptions about the other side. I remind my clients (and the respective Realtor on the other side), that at the end of the day, we all want the same end goal and are working towards that, we just simply must find a middle road to travel on together.

Honestly, it has surprised me over the years how many others in my profession tell me that I am “the most professional agent I’ve worked with”, or “I’ve never seen anyone communicate as well as you”, because I truly believe that communication and respecting others is a bare minimum act.

Building my reputation was not some grand plan. It was repetitive instances of doing my job and having others find value and positivity in it. When people have positive experiences with someone, it is heard about less typically and spreads slower, yet when someone encounters a negative experience, it gets spread wider and heard louder.

Be on the side of respect and positivity, always, and watch your reputation grow authentically.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

When it comes to growing my clientele, my business is running 100% from friends, family, and word of mouth referrals. When I started in real estate many others told me that I would need to cold call, door knock, pay for leads, the list goes on. Basically, all things I did not want to do!

I told myself that if “that” was how I was going to have to get clients, then I was not interested. I decided to take to social media and focus on building authentic relationships instead. In something as important as helping someone buy a home or sell their investment, they typically want to know, like and trust that you are the person for the job. That is what I tailored my social media around.

The “friends” or “followers” on your social media accounts typically “like” you if they decided to be your “friend” on social media, so that factor is usually met just by adding others or having others follow you. From there, I shared about homes that I was out seeing, market information, clients I have helped and their direct testimonies, thus bringing the “trust” factor. I further shared on social media hobbies that I like, time on vacation, time with friends, etc., that brought along the “know” factor.

Outside of social media, I spend time socially getting to know others in an authentic manner and I never talk about business unless asked. This is where I treat others how I want to be treated, which is, if I show up to a gathering and someone starts talking about their business and offering their services, passing out business cards, etc., I am immediately turned off to using them.

We all have different ways of going about business, but I wouldn’t still be in this career if it was not for the ability to obtain clients through these channels.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/baileevrealty
• Instagram: @baivandy OR @baileevrealty
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baileevrealty

Image Credits
– Fresh Start Studios – Harr Creative – Welton Media