Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Teela Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Teela, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

A risk I’ve taken in life has been to leave my retail management employment of 20 years and start over in the real estate industry as an entrepreneur. An industry I knew nothing about.

In May 2019, I had 2 weeks left of personal vacation time sitting in my employee account at my retail job. I was not happy where I was in my career. I had been a retail manager for over 20 years and knew there had to be more to life than just opening and closing a store. While retail had once been a rewarding job for me, things were beginning to feel different. I was no longer excited to get to the mall and perform my everyday tasks with a sense of satisfaction. Although I loved my staff and most of the customers that visited the store, I no longer loved my job. The mall began to feel like a cage and I knew I needed a change.

So, I used my 2 weeks of vacation and spent it on a 2 week real estate class. I didn’t know how things would turn out but I was determined to create change in my life. I thought of using my vacation time as an investment into the life I wanted to create.

Shortly after taking the real estate class, in July I got my MD real estate license and also assisted my husband and I in the purchase of our first home. During the pandemic, I was able to not return to the mall after furlough and become a full time Realtor. I am now very happy and enjoying financial stability with the successful career I’ve created in real estate.

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 background and context?

I was a retail manager for 20 years. I started off working at the Banana Republic when I was 16 years old. I then moved to work at New York and Company right when they changed their name from Learners. This is where I received the basic customer service and selling skills.

I was there for about 3 years when I learned I wanted to add another level of skills to my arsenal. I wanted to learn to be a manager. I was trained in some of the responsibilities to be an effective manager but wasn’t being taken seriously in my goal to actually perform in that position. After that realization, I left New York and Company with all the skills I had learned.

A little while later, I began working at Wet Seal Inc. I finally received the opportunity to become an assistant manager and this is where I devoted most of my time in retail. This position taught me time management, relationship building, and financial responsibility and strengthened my customer service skills. With the assistance of my store manager, I then became a Co-manager and Store Manager of that location.

I was also able to travel to different locations and assist them in visual moves and managerial needs. It was a great job that I held for 10 years with the company. Until the store closed and we were given 3 days to leave the store.

That was a very tough time in my life. I had devoted 10 years of blood (sometimes pricking myself with needles dressing the mannequins), sweat, and tears to a company that gave me 3 days to vacate the premises. And then had the nerve to ask us to sell all of their remaining merchandise and close their store down. Because I was loyal and needed the money, I obliged.

But I learned a great lesson. Never give another company the control over my life that would leave me in a position of absolute lack if they ever let you go! I knew I was destined for greater and I was going to find it.

I then worked for Charlotte Russe for about 3 years as a Co-manager and Acting Store Manager, while I dipped into small business ventures. I was beginning to hone in on my entrepreneurial skills at this time. The location I managed also closed and I realized that retail brought the same challenges and ending no matter the company.

My last stop in retail was H&M Inc. I started working there as a department manager in 2017. I was a bit more intentional in choosing this retailer. I had never worked in a department store and wanted to learn the operational skills that would serve successfully in my arsenal. I found myself reaching for the goal of being a member of the Corporate team. I felt I had the skills, experience, and determination but again, I was passed up.

I told myself, my husband, and my staff that I was going to get out of retail and do my own thing. I began studying for my MD Real Estate license in June 2019, passed my PSI exam, and affiliated with Long and Foster Real Estate Inc. I took the post-training my brokerage offered and began to gain confidence and knowledge of the industry. I assisted my Realtor in purchasing my and Mike’s first home and that’s when I knew real estate is where I wanted to go next.

On March 6th, 2020, my prayers had finally been answered. We were furloughed from H&M because of the Pandemic and I never went back! I was at the beginning of my career of becoming a full-time Realtor.

Today, I am a part of an amazing, award-winning real estate team, The Bex Group at Long and Foster. We pride ourselves on excellence, integrity, and professionalism. Just to name a few. As an agent apart of the team, I am very supported and empowered to push and thrive in my business and brand, Thee Model Realtor.

As the accountability coach for the team, I coach MODEL Realtors into million-dollar real estate business owners.

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

I believe my professionalism has helped build my reputation in my market. I’ve always been a person who wants to perform at an excellent level. It’s just a natural part of who I am.

I approach all customer interactions and deals with my fellow Realtors with integrity. There is a time for work and I time for play. I allow myself to be my best in each scenario.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

A bit of advice I have for managing a team and maintaining high morale is setting clear lines of role and expectation. The more everyone is clear about what their role entails and what is expected of them, the more it allows for everyone to perform at their highest level of productivity.

When someone does a great job we celebrate that. When someone needs coaching, we provide it in the moment. This is to encourage a culture of learning and not a culture of righting a wrong.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thebexgroupsells.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teelabrown/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theemodelrealtor
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvaVuDRf3slFHSx_I7rKRYQ
• Other: Teela Brown, Thee Model Realtor Long and Foster Real Estate Inc Baltimore Regional Center (C) 443-373-0742 (O) 410-583-9400