#30 - The Kate Good Story: From Leasing Consultant to Apartment Developer
Hear from the one and only Kate good:
Has been leasing apartments her entire adult life
Always stays grounded and continues to work with onsite teams
Development Partner and Senior Vice President of Operations for Hunington Residential
Nothing is off-limits in this conversation! Kate shares her journey, some foundational principles that have shaped her career, and how she ultimately landed her dream role as an apartment developer - combining her many passions and talents!
I know you will benefit from the conversation! Listen to the audio below or check out the video for a full experience and SO many more laughs.
Q: HOw did you get started in the multifamily industry?
A: I really wanted to be an interior designer. I think I didn’t even know what that really meant. I ended up in South Florida when I was 18, living with my best friend and I needed a job! I worked at a hotel as a serving bar attendant. My job was to replenish the bar for all those snacks that people raided in the middle of the night. I was somewhat ambitious - wanting to get promoted to the front desk.
Eventually my friend decided to move back home to Ohio and there was no way I was going back. I decided I needed to figure out a home for myself. I went to lease an apartment and was enamored with the lifestyle the apartment community offered.
I lost my job at the hotel. I went back to my apartment community and told my agent the news. I was offered a job as a leasing agent and I had no idea what to expect!
Q: How did you feel about being a leasing consultant?
A: I felt motivated, not only for the chance of a better paycheck (top leasing agents had the chance at great bonuses and a Mercedes Benz!) but the opportunity to get rewarded for doing a good job. This company was willing to invest in me. The better job I did, the more training they offered me.
Quickly I found a connection between education and performance. Education has been the cornerstone to having a vision and figuring out what it’s gonna take to get there.
Then I found a connection between performance and goal setting. In my first class (Leasing 101 - an intense one-week course), we wrote down our goals. My 3-5 year goal was to take the job of the person giving the course. And it happened!!
My course date was June 10, early 90’s. I was promoted on June 12 to Director of Training.
q: Can you share some of the accolades you received?
A: I only remember the ones that I got in trouble for! When I think about creating a leasing environment for my teams, I think about what made me successful - it was a self-starting attitude that kept me going.
I didn’t always do things exactly as I was told, but I did it in a way that worked for me.
I want to hire the person who would dare to do what I did.
I had a bonus check coming to me - the biggest one that I had ever seen coming to me. I was 19 and $3600 was GAME CHANGING money. My car needed repairs, I could visit my family. I didn’t get the check because my paperwork wasn’t completed correctly. We were a bond-financed company and my paperwork needed to be perfect. This wasn’t my first warning and they held the check from me. The next morning, I called the temp agency and hired a temp out of my own pocket to do my paperwork for me while I leased apartments.
My boss walked in while I was out touring, saw my temp and said, “Who are you? You don’t work here.”
The temp responded, “Yes I do, I work for Kate.”
He said, “No one works for Kate.”
I got called into his office and after explaining that I hired the temp to do my paperwork so that I could lease more apartments and then get my bonus check, he said, “I don’t know whether to fire you or promote you.”
When he met with the Regional Manager later that day amongst other managers, he shared the problems he had with a Leasing Consultant named Kate. They all said, “We’ll take her.”
That bonus was for 53 leases. There isn’t a property in any portfolio that wouldn’t benefit from 53 leases and I got them.
From there forward, they got me someone to help with my paperwork so I could focus on what I did best.
Q: You’ve graciously agreed to share a blueprint of your career and “what got you here”. Tell us about it.
A: Be you. Be who you are and don’t be afraid of it. Dig deep to find the qualities that will represent exactly who you are and amplify those. You get to decide how people see you, choose wisely.
I was always surrounded with exceptional leaders and best practices.
Remain flexible, especially when you do not agree, as this is your best learning opportunity.
Come from a place of YES.
I asked for the next step.
I made sure I really, really wanted to be a developer.
MUST LISTEN: Tune in to the episode to hear Kate tell a story that she’s never shared before. It was a defining moment in her career.
q: Now, as an apartment developer, What’s the best part of the job?
A: The best part is starting with a CAD file - a blank slate of the property - and creating something unique. We don’t create cookie-cutter apartments or try to have the same buildings on every property. Each one is unique.
Every minute of the day, I think about the people who will live there and the experiences they will have in the home we are creating for them. We build homes. They care about the space, privacy, sound, storage - and I want to build a home for them.
Even if it’s just for a few years, they could be life-changing years, and I’m so happy to be a part of it.
q: you have a beautiful sense of style. How important do you think it is, and how can someone start investing in a style that helps create their brand?
A: First of all, I think it’s about presenting yourself smartly, not about spending big money! I shop consignment and it doesn’t matter how much you spend, it matters how it makes you feel. Know what you want to look like, and go for that.
Every day you decide how you want to be looked at.
Story time: The first time I was ever upgraded to first class (eek!!) from Chicago to Detroit, I ended up next to the Executive Producer of the Oprah Winfrey Show.
I asked him, “What do you believe makes women successful? You work with one of the most successful women ever, tell me.”
He responded, “Women will always have a hard time finding a seat at the table because people don’t know you until you get to the table. Dress like you belong at the table and don’t become stale. Be fresh and be noticed.”
q: A question I like to ask all of my guests...what’s one word you would like to be remembered by?
A: Enthusiastic. I’m enthusiastic when I meet other people. When people ask for help or an introduction, I’m enthusiastic to help them. Every time I get on stage, I’m nervous (if you aren’t nervous you aren’t ready), but my enthusiasm to share some knowledge with the group gets me through it. My family and friends see my enthusiasm for life and desire to help them.
