We recently connected with Greta Sieglock and have shared our conversation below.

Greta, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

After a decade of working on the marketing and communications side of specialty food and restaurants, I made the career switch from one way of building community to another. I traded in my tastings for tours, prix fixe menus for property contracts, and food for real estate.

I had some pretty sweet gigs with the most genuine, kind, and talented people you’ll ever meet during those 10ish years. From bean-to-bar chocolate, craft coffee, chef-driven meal kits, and farm-to-table restaurants, inclusivity and hospitality reigned supreme.

My favorite part – yes, even more than the regular tastings and free-flowing wine regularly offered during office hours – was the larger community inherently built around shared food experiences. I loved witnessing the delightful connection of giving and receiving really delicious chocolate, the ritual of sitting down with a dear friend for a quick coffee date, the intimacy of cooking a new dish together, and the communal adventure of sharing an extraordinary restaurant meal. Food brings people together.

I helped bring people together. I loved that!

Now I’m on a mission to bring people together and build community in a different space: real estate.

My career as a Licensed Realtor is focused on a people-first approach. Whether it’s first-time home buyers, families upsizing or downsizing, buyers new to the area or sellers listing their beloved properties, I walk my clients through every step of the process and lead them to success. And, of course, build community all along the way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

*General: I’m a Massachusetts native, Bay Area transplant. Mama, wife, sister, daughter. Skilled chocolate taster. Outdoor enthusiast. And I think I’m pretty punny.

I believe in actively building the community where I live. To me, that means merging my passion for small businesses, prowess in marketing, and penchant from driving growth with the City of Pacifica (my hometown!) as a member of the Economic Development Committee.

It also means doing small things often. It’s a smile and wave while running the local beach, stopping for a quick chat with other dog owners along the trail, knowing the names and stories of business owners and employees and servers. It’s knowing my neighbors and having them over for dinner. It’s organizing an outdoor block party. Or, better yet, an outdoor ice cream social! It’s feeling at home in my town, in my neighborhood, in my house.

I’m here help other people feel the same. I live for the moment I get to hear my clients say: “Here, I am home.”

*How I Got Into this Industry:
It’s a tale as old of time…kinda sorta. Real estate is usually a second career path for agents; I am no exception.

Straight out of college, I was determined to work for a bean-to-bar chocolate company. Obsessed with the incredible amount of good a single bar of chocolate could do – helping farmers grow better beans meant they would receive higher prices and could improve their crops and, importantly, their community; better beans make better chocolate; better chocolate means more surprise, delight, and joy – I dove deep, learning everything I possibly could about the industry. (That may or may not have included hauling an entire hiking backpack full of chocolate bars home after studying abroad in Europe for a semester…) My hard work payed off and I moved to San Francisco to work in marketing and new product development for a wonderful bean-to-bar chocolate company.

I stayed in specialty food and restaurants for nearly a decade. I worked alongside some of the best and brightest. I ate, I drank, I helped build really cool brands and – best of all –I created so many strong, lasting relationships!

A few months after having my first kid, I took a step back from it all. The work was rewarding, the people top-notch, and the experiences second-to-none, but the flexibility was limited and the hours didn’t always jive with my family life. I began my next chapter, my next adventure of discovering where I would land.

Opening a local restaurant? Tempting, but still the same issues with time flexibility. Marketing consulting? Yes, for a bit. But I missed the community aspect of it. Real estate? Ah, that felt more like it! The opportunity to build community, develop relationships, have ownership over my own brand, and have some additional flexibility around the hours I worked. (Important note: It’s not fewer hours or less hours at all; it is the ability to have greater control over when those hours are worked.)

*What Services I Provide:
“Here, you are home.” I’m here to help you find your place in the world.

In more real-estate-specific terms, I worked with buyers and sellers of all varieties – first-time homebuyers; buyers upsizing or downsizing or right-sizing; sellers of big homes, small properties, places in immaculate condition, or ones that need some work to get show-ready.

I walk my clients through every step of the process and lead them to success. This means providing resources about the process, tailored to each client’s specific needs, to ensure each and every person feels knowledgeable and empowered. I’m highly involved, communicative, and…dare I say it…fun!

*Problems I Solve:
Where is your place in the world?

Related: “How the heck do I buy a home?!” and/or “How on earth do I sell my property?” with someone to get you the best price, makes you feel empowered, and provides a terrific overall experience.

*Most Proud of:
My buyers and sellers. Hands down!

It’s my job to lead and guide the buying and selling process; it’s their hard work that really makes things happen. Buying and selling property can be emotional, overwhelming, and, let’s face it, a boatload of paperwork! I provide clients resources, always ensure clear lines of communication between us (texts, calls, coffee meetings, and more), I walk them through every step of the way including all that paperwork…and at the end of the day, those buyers and sellers are the ones making the big decisions, navigating a big life change, and signing the paperwork.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

“Always say YES!”

In college, I was a teaching & research assistant for a particularly charismatic professor. He was the wonder kid teacher of the professor world, gaining huge success and popularity at my university by mid-30’s. He was well-liked, respected, and seemed to be a great role model.

I was doing work in his office one day while he was on the phone. He signed off with his signature, enthusiastic motto, then turned to me. “Greta,” he said, “I’m going to tell you something very, very important. The secret to success! It’s this: ALWAYS SAY YES! You never want to have an opportunity pass you by!”

Enter: years of gut-wrenching FOMO.
What would happen if I said no to a volunteering opportunity, even if it meant staying up all night finishing my paper? What would I miss?
Surely I’d miss out on big career advance if I didn’t hit every single work happy hour, even if it meant neglecting friends or important relationships.
Yes, I’m already overworked and burnt out, but I have to take on this other project because someone asked and what if this is what will really set me apart?

Turns out that in saying “Yes!” to all those other people, I was saying “No” to myself.

And that certainly had consequences of its own! Broken relationships, extreme burn out, neglecting my health – especially sleep. In trying to please other people, I had created a life without boundaries and, with that, had become exhausted and worn-out trying to reach even the smallest of my own goals; the burden of carrying so many other people’s expectations and responsibilities was too great.

What have I done about it? I’ve started saying no. I’ve set boundaries. I’ve prioritized my “Yes!” for relationships and projects I value. Overall, I’ve regained control of so many aspects of my life and re-centered myself to better achieve my goals.

Turns out, people respect it.

I think the goal to success is picking your “Yes!”es carefully. To be precise and intentional, valuing yourself, your time, and your resources – not defaulting to a blanket “Yes!” and regretting it later.

Stop the FOMO. Say “No”. (Well, at least sometimes!) You’ve got this.

. . .

(Side note: I always think of this when wondering what I would answer to Brené Brown’s rapid-fire question “What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received” on her podcast “Unlocking Us”!)

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

My absolute best source of new clients is from existing relationships. Friends, family, former clients. I’ve focused my life around building community from a point of passion and mission. And that strong community is the best resource I have for new business.

It fills me with so much gratitude to even be able to write that!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.compass.com/agents/greta-sieglock/ (Working on a separate personal one as well, so please check back in prior to publishing)
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gretsieglock/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gretsieglock
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretsieglock/

Image Credits
Just Greta shots – Anita Barsca Family shots – no credit needed (I took ’em!)