There’s something about Lacy J. Hardman. It’s not just her ability to courageously lead from her heart every day. It’s more. It’s her tenacity, ambition and intelligence that has helped her forge a momentous path as a new style of leader.
Lacy’s steely resolve as a trailblazer is reflected in every step of her robust leadership. Her driving force is what she describes as “Romans 8:31, if He is for you, who can be against you.” As a self-assured leader, she decided to pick up Christ’s characteristics from the past couple of decades and strived to implement that sage advice into her leadership style.
According to her, a powerful woman is one who cherishes being in touch with her divine identity and obediently seeks to fulfill her divine destiny — as a partner with God — sacrificing everything else and moving mountains to make miracles happen.
Interestingly, it is through this divine inspiration she stumbled upon something beautiful in her 20’s. “I had a blessing bestowed upon me that encouraged me to hold Jesus Christ as my mentor,” she says.
Apart from this, Lacy has graciously donned several roles in her life. As an Army Officer, she was in the top 3% of her field and a Combat Company Commander. She single-handedly transformed a company of 200 Soldiers with a poor reputation into a solid performing group that excelled at their mission in Iraq.
As a Realtor®, she was awarded Realtor of the Year, President of her local real estate association, and Top Producer each year. She also owns her brokerage firm and coaches her real estate agents to become six-figure Builder Agents.
But that’s not all. At the Swell Retreat, she offers significant avenues to strengthen individuals, couples, families and corporations through recreation and principles of success. “Each of my leadership accomplishments came through stepping into the dark, trusting the Lord and acting on faith to follow my heart,” she shares.
Early entrepreneurial sparks
Lacy’s early involvement in the entrepreneurial world started from her younger years. She grew up playing monopoly with her dad on many hunting and fishing trips, which subconsciously planted a seed in her head.
Lacy recalls joining a network marketing program in high school that really opened her perspective towards leadership, self-development and entrepreneurial books—a world she loves. Soon, she realized she wasn’t passionate about pursuing the network marketing business and found a way to explore her entrepreneurial spirit to provide solutions to problems.
“I remember being at one of the networking events and meeting a gentleman on the elevator. He exuded kindness, expertise, and carried himself in a way that I wanted to be. I wanted people to feel loved, yet know that I was an action-taker for making a difference and an impact in the world,” she shares.
Ultimately, she really wanted to be a mom. But what does that have to do with real estate, one may ask? For Lacy’s each deployment, she served with women who couldn’t be physically present with their children. She really admired their ability to make such a huge sacrifice but wanted something different for her years as a mother.
“I had grown up in a single parent home, my mom worked 50–60-hour weeks, which meant taking care of myself and my little sister in many ways,” she says. After serving in the Army for 14 years, she felt it was time to focus on finding a flexible work environment that allowed her to be a present mom to her future children.
Later, she “interviewed” every real estate agent she met. Co-incidentally, a Realtor® in her church congregation was a very successful agent, mother, and leader. Lacy then asked for her advice, and she went way beyond that and invited her to tag along to some of her appointments. “It was so fantastic! I’m forever grateful for her kindness and leadership!” she recalls fondly.
Building Builder Agent Academy
Few years later, Lacy joined a business mentoring program called Pinnacle Global Network where she met some incredible business leaders that offered support, systems, and technology — that made business life easier.
Through her mastermind group, she was inspired by a business owner who created a curriculum for others based on her passion. Her example sparked an idea in Lacy’s imaginative mind. This led to the creation of Builder Agent Academy and teaching other real estate agents the nuts and bolts of the business including how to work for builders.
She invested several months learning from the world’s best entrepreneurs, on their online platforms, to create her program that teaches agents to bridge the gap over the trench that she had been in for the past few years.
“Now our team gets Real Estate Agents trained and/or certified to confidently work with a builder as a seller agent,” she shares confidently.
Lacy is determined to make an impact in not just her trainees’ lives but also in her clients’ experiences. She believes and follows a simple approach to ensure peak client satisfaction: Never forget who you serve.
Infact, her signature program is a tailored system that offers a road map for each of her Builder Agent Academy students to successfully navigate an otherwise uncharted territory.
Most agents that work for a builder just happen to be at the right place at the right time. But, with her training and certification programs, she helps put the Real Estate Agent in the driver’s seat so that they can confidently work toward a six-figure income.
“It for sure isn’t a get rich overnight program, but with diligent effort focused on the milestones I’ve set, they can be successful,” she shares.
Also Read: Alexander Kayne: A Purpose-Driven Leader
An attitude of gratitude
Lacy finds herself blessed to be able to live her dream as an army veteran, mother and an entrepreneur— all in one lifetime. She likes to call it as being a “mommy-vet-preneur”.
“I enjoy waking up early to recharge my batteries, read my scriptures, pray in gratitude, and meditate on my current trials and how to best navigate them with my favorite business partners, my Savior and my husband,” she says.
As an introvert, her morning recharge is vital so she can be at her best for her family, her team, and her clients. “Once my husband and kiddos are awake, we drive to the Swell Retreat to take care of our goats, donkey, pig, chickens, rooster, cats, dogs, long horns, and horses. I do 90% of Salty Peak Real Estate and Builder Agent Academy work with my computer, zoom, and phone, remotely,” she says.
Lacy ensures her team has the resources and things they need to accomplish her vision. “I actively built the Swell Retreat with my husband and kids into a premier destination for recreation and individual, couple, family and business success,” she shares.
Unseen barriers
Little did she know that some of the experiences she loved in her Army career would also be a fulfilling part of her Real Estate career and her role as a mother.
“I loved serving, coaching and leading my Soldiers, now I get to serve, coach and lead my clients, real estate agents and children,” she says. Further, she loved an environment full of learning, implementing systems to overcome challenges.
Now, she continues to pursue her education as a real-estate expert and a coach for real estate agents. She also helps her clients through divine guidance and tools to overcome challenges.
“I loved creating operation orders to guide Soldiers to a successful mission and now having a business plan is just as vital. Every challenge I experienced and overcame in the Army has helped me be a better business owner and mother,” she says.
Setting the right mindset
Lacy read Rich Dad Poor Dad at age 16, joined the Army at age 17, graduated from college, completed three deployments, and invested in real estate along the journey, finally sprouting that real estate seed.
But everyone’s journey is different and quality advice is a must-have in every entrepreneur’s toolbox.
Lacy’s advice to the budding women leaders and entrepreneurs is this: Refine your mindset to become a business owner, not just a solopreneur, allowing you to have balance and impact.
She also recommends hiring a personal assistant as soon as possible, allowing you to focus your time and energy on your clients, rather than mundane tasks.
Creating a system that you continually fine tune or finding a coach with a proven system are game-changing decisions. “Face each trial knowing that it is your opportunity to be refined into a better leader,” she urges.
A roaring and rising future
The innovative leader is excited to lead the new wave of possibilities with her team and deliver more exceptional services to her clients.
“We are working nationwide to train and certify 10,000 Real Estate Agents to be Builder Agents,” she shares with a beaming smile.
“In the competitive real estate industry, it is very important for agents to gain niche market education to help them be the expert for their clients through the buying, building and selling process. And adding goat yoga to Swell Retreat!” she concludes happily.
Contact Lacy J. Hardman on LinkedIn.
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