We recently connected with Kimmi Scott and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimmi, thanks for joining us today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

Building “the right team” is job in and of itself. For most small businesses (including ours), we are the staff. The whole staff. We work marketing, intake, process, HR… EVERYTHING. I think that’s what you have to do in the beginning. We didn’t open our business with a lot of capital, so hiring employees out the gate was a no. We spent many weekends and nights working. Then our first layer of employees actually came from the local Universities Intern pool. You can gleen great workers for little to no wage expense for educational credits. We’ve done that for most of our companies. Some have ended up staying long term, and some just for the little extra bump we needed. I’ve been in management for quite some time, so I trust my instinct when it comes to hiring. I have a really good feel for efficient diligent workers. I also do my due diligence with background check to couple with my interview. Early in the interview and the orientation phase, our agency goals/expectations are meticulously outlined so everyone involved can make an inform consent and be extremely clear on roles and responsibilities. You must have team “Buy-In” for any team to be successful. That’s what we aim for.

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

My brand is every woman. I was single mom turned corp executive turned entrepreneur. My path wasn’t a straight line either. Not many are but my goals were always consistent and I was able to accomplish them on my time. After having my son, I, was determined to further my education and obtain my Masters degree in Administration (MSN) and work the corp ladder. I transitioned out of the hospitals to home care to provide a more flexible schedule for my son. I obtained my Real Estate License during this time and quickly amassed a little nest egg for Jaylin’s college fund. I stayed in home care almost 20 years. But after my son graduated from college, I turned my focus on advancing in the real estate department. Not just buyer/sellers, but investments and property management. If you haven’t guessed by now I stayed pretty busy. When you’re a single parent, you have to get creative sometimes… and have a village. My village helped me accomplish every objective that I set out to do.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I believe I had to be my most resilient self while in Graduate School. I never was a genius. But I always diligent and dependable. I was organized and prepared. However, no matter how prepared I thought I was, it was no match for the constant undermining and/or lack of confidence that the system had in me. I recall one class was full when I registered, but later opened and I asked my counselor if I could switch classes. She reluctantly agreed and when I questioned why she was unsure, she replied because she knows I’m not going to pass the class, switching at this late date. I passed with an 89. Another instructor informed me that I was “never going to make it” in nursing. I not only made it, I became her boss. You see, others will often try to knock you off your game, but you have to keep on rising.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

A blind date… and then I married him :)

Contact Info:

• Website: kimberlee@sipsal.com
• Instagram: @kimmi_kls
• Facebook: Kimmi Scott
• Linkedin: Kimberlee (Kimmi) Scott
• Twitter: @kimmi_kls
• Youtube: The Kim Zone

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