Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elyse Bouwmeester. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Elyse thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their revenue to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details
10 years ago life was changing BIG time.
I realized how lucky and fortunate I have been; how blessed I am to live where I do and have things I have.
I knew I was ready to start a new chapter and with this I wanted to start new habits.
I made a commitment to donate 10% of EVERYTHING I make. I had no idea what this number was going to be but I knew that others needed this more than I did.
As I began to buy and sell homes I began to put this money aside. I wasn’t sure where to send this so I followed my heart and picked charities that were important to me (Cambridge Food Bank, Sick Kids, Salvation Army, Canadian Mental Health, some over seas and more)
I’ve met some amazing people through this and learned about some wonderful charities that I had no idea existed.
After two years this has become a HUGE part of my business. I love people, I love being around people, making others happy and I’ve always had a passion to help.
I’m excited to teach my children about this, show them that helping others brings so much more happiness than material items.
Elyse, 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?
I am a wife and proud mom of two. Before my career in real estate I spent 15 years working with individuals with developmental disabilities — something that is still close to my heart. That career was and always will be a big part of my life. I work at my business in real estate everyday. I am always coming up with new ideas to better serve my clients and help my community.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
As mentioned before I spent 15 years in developmental services connecting with different people on a daily basis. My friends, family and previous co-workers trust me and know that I do EVERYTHING with good intentions. I built relationships over those years that led to some of my first real estate transactions. I am friendly, inviting and love all people just as they are. Trust is HUGE is real estate and when people trust you they choose you to represent them. We are dealing with peoples largest investment; they want to ensure whoever is taking the lead on this has their best interest at heart.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I was 8 months pregnant and heading into 18 months of maternity leave. Just as I did with my previous maternity leave I saved lots of money as I now had a little family to care for and wanted to ensure I would always have what they needed. It was March 2020 and I was going to give birth the following month to a little baby girl. Covid was in the news and talks of a lockdown were all over the news. Mid March the world went into lockdown and I went home to work as did many. In April 2020 I ventured into the hospital during the first lockdown after weeks of seeing no one but my husband, son and mother in law for weeks. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and then returned home to begin caring for two under two. Over the summer my husband and I began to talk about the future and what a return to work would look like for me. After much thought I decided to use my savings to go back to school. With the lockdowns and a new baby we weren’t going anywhere or spending much money. I enrolled in school and studied day and night for 8 months to obtain my Real Estate license. I still had plenty of money saved after this and used that to jump start my career. I built an online presence, put some money into advertising and always made sure to have a little tucked away for a rainy day. Although covid changed my birthing plan it also forced me to take a deeper look into my life and pushed me to begin a new chapter; a chapter that would allow me to be a more present mom and a rockstar business women!
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/listedwithelyse
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elyse-bouwmeester/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/listedwithelyse
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiINqSfgiheJjelE9yS0nDg
- Other: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listedwithelyse/
Image Credits
Megs moments photography and PHOTIC Real Estate Marketing