This interview with Nicole Beauchamp is part of Exeleon Magazine’s issue, featuring The Most Influential Women in Real Estate in 2023. Read all the stories from this edition by clicking on this link.
What according to you makes one a powerful salesperson? How have you integrated the same thought into your real estate journey?
Listening to our clients and using what they tell us to put their goals in an achievable context. One of the things people do wrong is fail to listen or observe, this gives us a key component of what is necessary to succeed.
What is your earliest memory as a leader/entrepreneur that you can remember?
One of my earliest memories as a child has formed a core part of how I choose to lead. I had an experience where I was made to feel I was less than, and from that I came away with two lessons, not everyone is your friend, but you can make people feel included and welcomed; irrespective of whether or not they are your friend.
What prompted your interest and subsequently your foray into the real estate space?
My arrival in the real estate industry was an accident. I had a friend to whom I sent real estate related referrals for NYC, and over time they began to gently suggest I obtain my license so I could be compensated for the business I was generating for them.
I resisted for some time, but eventually relented and I got my license. After a few years, as I was winding down a company, and had not decided on a new venture just yet, I thought I would try being a broker as my next new business venture, and here we are over two decades later, I guess I’m sticking with it.
Talk to us about your real estate journey. What have been some of the biggest challenges that you have faced over the years?
Scaling a bespoke high touch brokerage practice/approach can be very difficult, but not impossible. That being said, this has in some ways been my eternal challenge, and at the moment at the top of my mind is both scaling and transition/succession planning. I spend quite a bit of time evaluating solutions and future planning as I look at the (hopefully) next couple of decades of my life and how I want those to unfold.
The pandemic was interesting in that it allowed (or forced) me to take time to pause and re-evaluate various areas of life and business, and it took some of my business practices that were previously mostly for one segment of my business and created additional efficiencies throughout.
Having built an incredible reputation over the last decade as an inspiring entrepreneur, what would you change if you were to start over again?
Probably better boundaries earlier on and the systems and staff/support to protect the better boundaries. In some ways that is probably harder to accomplish now than it was 20 plus years ago. The ways in which technology is more accessible and utilized means the connectivity and speed of it can feel overwhelming to manage effectively without burning out.
What does a day in the life of Nicole Beauchamp look like? How do you ensure work-life balance?
I typically start my day very early in the morning (I am a mix of night owl and early bird), until recently I still had the physical newspapers delivered to my home daily (NYT & WSJ), so I would read the paper with a cup of tea, while watching some morning news programs. I stretch when I wake up, meditate then I get a workout in (depending on the day it could be strength training with a trainer, spinning, barre or reformer pilates) and weather and time permitting a nice long walk in Central Park (which is a few blocks from my apartment on the Upper East Side) with my dog Hudson. I will write a bit, and also cross check my to do list and calendar and do an early email check.
This sounds like a lot – but I am usually up before 5am most days of the week, before my alarm goes off. It allows me time and space to think before the day goes crazy. On some days the early mornings get crazy quickly as they are filled with calls and meetings with my clients and colleagues overseas (and the same can be said for evenings, as I deal with my clients and colleagues on the west coast and overseas).
Sometimes after I walk in the park, I will stop for a hot chocolate at a local coffee shop, and then go home, shower, change and get ready to walk to my first appointment of the day or the office. It’s a nice walk to the office, and it’s one of my favorite times to dictate articles or reminders to myself or take calls that can be appropriately conducted in public. Once I get to the office, I tackle whatever might be on my list, some days it’s preparing for zoom calls or in person meetings, or heading to preview or show properties, and prepare for listing presentations or updates with sellers.
I often talk to clients and colleagues about the distinction between accessibility and availability, and that is a lot of how I try to manage work life balance. I am also fortunate to have understanding people in my personal life, but I also need to invest in the relationships in my personal life, in order to maintain them. I try, for example, to always take ONE weekend day, where unless absolutely necessary, I am not meeting with clients in person. It’s a day where I try to not only keep up my own personal errands and such, but a day to connect with the rest of the people in my life who work more traditional hours or are not entrepreneurs.
Finally, talk to us about your vision going forward with your brand and network.
I am currently very focused on leverage and growth and finding a great junior partner. I am working my way back to my pre pandemic travel patterns not only for business development reasons, but for personal enjoyment with my significant other, friends and family.
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