We recently connected with Olivia Merrill and have shared our conversation below.
Olivia, appreciate you joining us today. So, folks often look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight – but that often obscures all the nitty, gritty details of everything that went into the growth phase of your business. We’d love to hear about your scaling story and how you scaled up?
I have been Realtor in the Denver Metro area for almost 8 years. I started in this industry with a private school education, no college degree and very little life experience around the age of 21. I really had to dedicate a lot of time in the beginning to learning my craft and developing my skills in life and in business. For any business owner or entrepreneur, education is your best friend before you even launch your business. I spent countless hours on classes and shadowing other experienced Realtors in the business. Shortly after getting into the industry I decided to become a full-time Realtor earning income only after successfully closing a sale on behalf of my clients. A commission only style business was such a big jump for me! A piece of advice, when it feels like your next decision scares you is exactly the time when you should move forward. Don’t let the fear hold you back, it’s usually your inner voice pointing you in the right direction! Within my first year as a full-time Realtor, I closed around 2 Million dollars in commission production and scaled that up within just 2 years to over 10 Million each year on average becoming a top producing agent in the Denver Metro area. This was not something I achieved on my own. Throughout the years and along the way I have had the privilege of great mentors. Different folks who were put along side me through my journey to a successful career and they helped guide me to create a successful business that has longevity. Some of the best advice I received from one of my mentors was to hire a coach when I felt like I hit a ceiling in my growth and every time I follow that advice my business elevates in so many ways! The biggest positive impact I’ve seen on my business always follows my coaches advice. I would say, when considering scaling your business, find a mentor and/or hire a coach who has experience in the area you are looking to level up.
My largest mistake being so new in the industry and, in the world in general as a young adult, was not putting systems in place right away. Something as simple as maintaining your database right from the early stages of your business can really set you back. I’ve spent countless hours having to go back and organize my database and when you get so busy with clients in such a short period of time, that can be a daunting and gruesome task. My biggest piece of advice is to set yourself up for success from the begging, before you’re even thinking of scaling, my keeping everything as organize as possible. Ensure you have systems in place and stick to them and when the business comes, you will be ready!I am a Realtor in the Denver Metro area, going on 8 years in the business this summer! I started my career in this industry when I was just barely 22 years old and it was a pretty big learning curve for me. I graduated a private high school back home and moved to Colorado right after turning 19. I didn’t go to college and didn’t have much life experience at that age.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Olivia Merrill and I’m a Senior Broker associate with Team Denver Homes of RE/MAX Professionals. I’m originally from a small town on the east coast, Gorham Maine and I have lived in Denver for over a decade. I have been in real estate since I was 21 years old, illuminating the path to wealth through home ownership for my friends and clients. Highly regarded for having top of the line integrity, unfailing channels of communication, in-depth market knowledge and a tireless work ethic, I strive to be a constructive part of each client’s journey to home. I specialize in new homes sales and investments and really get a kick out of watching my clients build their wealth through Real Estate. Whenever I’m not assisting my people in reaching their home ownership and investment goals, I really enjoy spending as much time as possible with my baby. I am a single mom to my daughter Layla. She made me a mama in April of 2020 and we have been thoroughly enjoying life together ever since. I also really enjoy getting out on the town in and enjoying this amazing lifestyle Denver has to offer – especially exploring the hidden gems and the incredible food scene here! My all-time favorite restaurant is Safta in RiNo but I’m always down to try new things! I am also very passionate about supporting these awesome local businesses and I do so by providing them with my support as well as additional exposure through my blog The Denver Look. The Denver Look is a fashion-forward blog with over 25,000 followers and subscribers that I founded in 2017. The fashion industry really lights me up and I use the Denver Look to not only fuel that fire but also to support so many local businesses in the Denver area. My personal involvement in said local businesses allows me stay in tune with Denver, remaining in the know on all that makes it so special. Any additional spare time I might have is spent working on myself through meditation, coaching and reading, connecting with my soul tribe of friends, yoga, hiking in the warmer months and traveling as much as possible. I have an incredible passion for travel and my goal is to visit every continent in the next few years. I love experiencing different cultures, meeting people from all walks of life, and exploring all this beautiful planet has to offer!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I think the answer to this question is ever-evolving! I am still in the process of ”unlearning” some of the negative lessons that have been presented in my lifetime thus far. Right now I am working specifically on changing my self-limiting beliefs and thought patterns that were developed unknowingly at a very young age. This occurs completely out of our control and is something that a lot of people don’t even realize they deal with but, we all do. We all carry baggage or trauma from our past and it’s important to pay attention to the things you tell yourself. Your beliefs and thought patterns not only effect you in ultimately becoming the version of yourself that you have always strived to be but it is also effects how successful you will be in business. Everything in life begins with your thoughts and mindset and if you don’t tend to it, you will live a life that happens TO you and not FOR you. I think any successful business owner will tell you, the success of the business starts with YOU. If you don’t work on yourself and your mindset, you will not find success in life.
How did you build your audience on social media?
You have to treat social media almost like a separate business. In the early days of my career I allocated SO MUCH time and effort towards building my social media following by being extremely active on my channels – engaging in my following, posting daily and utilizing any new tools available to stay on top of the algorithm. I’ve been awarded the #1 Agent on social media in Denver since 2018 because of this and that is not even considering my blog accounts which have over 17,000 combined followers. I would get teased from other agents in the beginning about the way I approached social media, I assume from the idea that it was a waste of time. It proved to be otherwise now that we are here! My advice is to stay consistent in whichever media outlet you are thinking of utilizing. Consistency is key in anything. Be very active in engaging with your followers and don’t be afraid to follow people you don’t know and vice versa. Use apps that will help you plan out your posts like UNUM for Instagram and Hootsuite. This is a great way to plan out and even create your posts at once to save you some time. Lastly, be yourself. There is no one else out there that can offer what you bring to the table and that is your power, lean in.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheDenverLook.com; www.TeamDenverHomes.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thedenverlook AND/OR www.instagram.com/thedenverrealtor_
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/oliviarmerrill
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-merrill-realtor/
- Youtube: http://bit.ly/SubscribeTheDenverLook
- Other: https://linktr.ee/thedenverlook
Image Credits
Noah Berg of Walnut Street Photography