We were lucky to catch up with Yuliana Erazo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Yuliana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

The definition of success is the achievement of the results wanted or hoped for. Frequently, especially with social media, it’s easy to believe we are not as successful as others. We frequently fall into a trap of uncontrollable doing. All driven by social media platforms, we see people doing a lot of things every day: waking up before 5 am, exercising, meditating, incorporating new habits each day, working full-time jobs, having meetings, all this while eating healthy homemade food, running errands, and having kids. It’s very easy to think we are not as successful when, in this fast-moving world, we are expected to be and to do a lot of things at the same time. How could we if many times you are considered successful only when you have met and achieved all the standards of our society? You have the most degrees, you make the most money, you have a fit body, etc. 

I am not a stranger to this. I was trying to grow my own business, keep a healthy lifestyle, exercise, and all while becoming a mother as if I was not doing a lot already. When I became a mother, I learned the truth nobody names: the biggest trap to the crazy fast-paced lifestyle and extreme productivity trend is motherhood, so we trick ourselves into thinking, “I did nothing today, only being with my son; I’m not keeping up; I’m not successful.” 
So, there I was, while being a full-time everything, full-time entrepreneur, wife, mother, housekeeper, cook, and manager of my own business, feeling like a failure, like I wasn’t doing enough, stressed out, not being a good anything because I was in reality already doing too much. I had to learn to stop. Stop to re-evaluate if all of this unstoppable doing translated into happiness and fulfillment as myself, not as what I thought the world expected of me. I had to think hard about how I wanted to live my life and what I was willing to let go to live with purpose. 

I understood then that all this doing wasn’t going to make me happier or more successful in my own eyes, and whether others thought I was succeeding in life was completely irrelevant; trying to live this way was unmanageable and unrealistic; it was taking away the enjoyment of it all. I had to get clear with my life purpose and my very own definition of success, and to me, it was in fact to be a good present mother to my son and to be the kind of business owner who does something she feels passionate about while helping others on the way, to live a life where I was present, where I enjoyed the ride and felt happy and whole. 
 
I decided then to just be, to slow down, to not do more because I was already giving it all; I needed to pause and breathe without guilt. My perspective of it all changed, and now before I even start running around like crazy again, trying to be perfect all at once, I think whether what I’m about to do takes me a step forward toward the achievement of what I want for me, into my very own definition of success. So you ask, What do you think it takes to be successful? I would say to stop, think about what makes you feel complete and happy, and just go for it without guilt. It’s not about doing it all or doing more; it’s about prioritizing whatever is needed at the moment that will lead you to feel complete on your own terms; it is not measured by money or status but with our own pursuit of what has importance in our hearts.

Yuliana, 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’m Yuliana Erazo, a local real estate agent in St. Louis, MO. Originally from Colombia, I moved to Chicago 12 years ago to pursue my career in business, and 9 years ago I made St. Louis my home and have been here since.

I became a real estate agent when looking to start investing in real estate. I wanted to have easier and faster access to properties, but once I became a real estate agent, I realized there was a lot of potential to not only learn and do it myself but also help others along the way. 
I love to help people make one of the biggest investments many will make in a lifetime and, in many cases, the creation and expansion of their wealth through real estate, as was my case.

I’m a native Spanish-speaking agent and real estate investor with a good deal of knowledge in real estate, especially the residential real estate investment world. 

So if someone is looking to either buy their first home, start investing in real estate, or perhaps create or expand their rental portfolio in one of the best real estate markets in the USA, I am your girl. 

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Honesty, patience, and always remembering you are working for your client, but also be truthful to your values. I have built my business on the premise that we just need to be honest and straightforward; when we first meet in a consultation to evaluate what you are looking for, I will most likely tell you how important it is for us to be truthful to one another, and honesty will make our process so much easier. It is also as important to always be patient. I like to take the time to understand where my clients are coming from and what they need and want and help them get it. If we can create an honest relationship with our clients, the outcome will be lots and lots of clients coming back over and over again and recommending you to everybody they know to use your services. 

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Always offer something of value, keep in touch with your clients, be grateful for them, and reach out not just to ask for their business but to be curious about how they are and how you can help. Business will come after, as part of them remembering you as someone who has something valuable to offer. 
I usually keep in touch with emails, calls, and yearly events to have a chance to meet in person with many of my clients at the same time. I find the events are a good way to keep in touch.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.redfin.com/agent/yuliana-erazo
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yulianarealtor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YulianaRealtor/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yulianaerazo/