Lory Kim- Remax Connections
[00:00:00] Welcome to Cosmos and Commerce, the podcast that's here to quench your business thirst. I'm your host, Michele Cook with Bodyache Escape Massage Center. Here with my co host Janis Francis with REMAX Connection Realtors and the Humble Crate Artisan Marketplace. And in every episode, we're ready to pour you a glass of actionable insights and entrepreneurial spirit.
Get ready to take a sip of savvy strategies, indulge in the flavors of guest wisdom, and raise a toast to unlocking success in the world of commerce. So let's raise our glasses to a flavorful blend of innovation and inspiration. This is Cosmos and Commerce.
Janis: We want to welcome our guest and my friend, Lory Kim, owner of REMAX Connection Realtors. Lori, welcome
Michele: ha
Lory: me. You guys.
Janis: Absolutely. Absolutely. Lory, can you share a bit about your background and what inspired you to start your own real estate brokerage?
Lory: I I have to say I've been doing this for a long time. To me. It seems like a long time. I started out telemarketing in 1998 and I think the biggest inspiration for me to want to own my own brokerage was when I worked for Delina Siamako, who is actually a agent with our brokerage now, she actually owned Remax Connection at the time that I worked for her over 20 years ago.
And I was an unlicensed assistant for her. And I was like, who is this woman? And what does she do? And she was a top producing agent. She was a top producing brokerage owner. And she was a female and she was a rock star. And I was like, I want to be like her when I grow up. So I think she was one of my biggest inspirations early on in my real estate career.
Janis: Yeah. Yeah. She's amazing. She always has been.[00:02:00]
Lory: Yeah.
Janis: So starting a business can be challenging, Lori. What are some of the key hurdles you faced establishing your brokerage and how did you overcome them?
Lory: I think that, you have to just believe in yourself is the most important thing. I think that, once you understand that, being consistent, being persistent, you can motivate yourself. You can get through things, you are going to face challenges.
And when that happens, you just have to just understand that you have to be disciplined and that you can. overcome things and that you're surrounded by people that can help you get through things. You're just never alone. And I think that's been my thing that I've always had by my side.
It's I just always realized that I can do it. And if I don't know how to do something, I'm not afraid to ask for help.
Janis: That's good. So many aspiring entrepreneurs struggle with finding their niche. So how do you identify the unique niche of your brokerage in the competitive real estate market?
Lory: I think what's important to understand is that we all have connections and I think you just have to be real with what your connections are or what your what connections you want to have and aspire to have and focus your energy on that and tune out the noise in the background. It's really as simple as just figuring out what's in front of you and.
And going for that, focus on what you have and expand on that. And I think that's what separates us from everybody else is that, we are really grateful for what we already have. And then we just try to be better every single day.
Janis: So you're known for sharing inspirational quotes on social media. What is your favorite quote and its meaning to you?
Lory: I love this question because I get inspired every single day. I love sharing quotes because I think that, In life, we always face different [00:04:00] challenges, or we have different celebrations, or we get inspired, or we get motivated, or we have people that come in and out of our lives that causes to have different feelings and reactions and emotions.
I think I can sit there and say, I have 1 quote that I love. I think that I, I. There's many different quotes that I think that, really, sit dear to my heart whenever I, wake up that day or whatever I'm going through at the time.
Janis: Yeah. Yeah. So what are some of the most valuable lessons you've learned in your business journey that you believe other business owners could benefit from?
Lory: You know why? I think the biggest thing is that when you visualize something that you want, you gotta go for it. You cannot wait. And you can't wait for other people to give you the green light. For something that you want to do or that you want to achieve. And I think it's just really just, goes back to just doing it.
And sometimes you are going to find a lot of success with something, and sometimes you're going to give something your all and it's just not going to work and you have to be okay with that and keep moving forward.
Michele: That is a fact. Balancing work and personal life can be tough, especially in the demanding world of real estate. How do you manage to incorporate fun and leisure activities into your schedule?
Lory: think what I try to really focus on is what's most important to me. Sometimes, it can be a challenge to balance, because sometimes it's oh, when certain things are important and the things that I focus on that other things, my. Not have as much attention or, I find, sometimes you have to figure out what's most important at different times, whether it's throughout the day or throughout the month or throughout the year.
And you have to [00:06:00] be okay with, if I focus my energy on this stuff. Oh, it's going to be great. But then, you have to be realistic about what it might affect and how it might affect it and the results that you might get from it. And, I think that as long as you are okay with doing things that are most important to you, that's all you can do.
You can just give it your best and. Just believe that everything works out and it's
fine.
Michele: I saw that you went on a international trip recently. That must have been exciting. How do you believe experiences like these contribute to your overall well being and mindset as a business owner? That's
Lory: this is so good because as a business owner I really felt at first, I felt very guilty going because I was afraid that I wasn't going to do a good job whether it was a client or whether it was another agent or, I just felt different things would suffer because I would be gone for so long.
So it took me a while to realize that there's different times in life where you're gonna have experiences with family or. friends or your Children that you cannot take back because you can't take that time. So I think that it's okay to do things that might be in, a life experience, like seeing my dad reunite with his father after 27 years. And I was with my kids and it was just it was amazing. And if we didn't do that, I would have seen it on somebody else's post or, heard somebody else's story. And I wouldn't have been able to be there. And I think that's okay that I wanted to do that. And business still continues, and the people that aren't willing to accept you being, not as responsive within seconds or this immediate response because you will get back to him and you've set that expectation. Hey, I'll get back to you here in a little bit because I'm [00:08:00] traveling on a plane, but I'll get back to you. People understand. And if they don't, that's okay. I learned this from an agent.
He's an agent in our office. He's been doing real estate for over 20 years. And he said, Lori, can you promise me you'll be here tomorrow? And I said, yes, tell me what time. And he said, no, can you promise me you'll be here? And I'm like, yes, what time, what do you need me to do?
What can I help with? And really. He said, No, you can't promise me you'll be here tomorrow. And it sat with me, and I've tried to be okay with moving forward in life and in choices that I make to run my business and be a part of, my family and be there for people that I can be there for, especially my Children, because tomorrow is not promised.
And nobody's going to say thank you sometimes, even when you want them to be like, I did all this stuff for you or and so you don't have to really wait for somebody else's approval to do things and just do it.
Michele: Yeah, I love it. So that reminds me of something I heard in the past where as a business owner, you should take those extended trips to see what processes and procedures need to improve in your business to really fine tune the machine.
Janis: That makes
Michele: I think that's great. Yeah. Is there a specific adventure experience from your recent trip that taught you something valuable about yourself or your approach to life and business?
Lory: You nailed it on the head when you said systems and procedures. I'm really grateful that. Throughout my real estate career and my journey of being a business owner, I have realized that systems are really key to running a. Streamlined business and having those things in place, you were gonna hit some bumps and we're gonna, some things might fall apart, especially, when there's change.
But I think that having those, systems in place, allowed me to [00:10:00] go somewhere and be okay with that and know that, I come back and, we're not going to skip a beat. We're going to keep moving forward. I realize that on vacation, sometimes people don't do things the way I will do things, but that's okay.
And you have to be willing to understand that it's okay if people don't handle things the way you would handle them, or you don't get the reaction of others that way, the way you would want them to respond. And you have to be okay with that.
Michele: Yeah. I think that as long as the destination is the same, the journey can be different, right?
How people do things can be different as long as the end result is still acceptable.
Lory: indeed.
Michele: Yeah. So can you share some practical tips for fellow business owners on how to infuse their daily routines with moments of joy and lightheartedness?
Lory: Yes, I think just, I am a big believer in your routine, your morning routine, setting up your day for success or enjoyment or happiness. Like I, I strongly believe that if take action in doing, your daily routine, setting in good habits that, you can make time for things that need to get done throughout your day, your week, your month, your year.
And It can be really good. And you can make time to go golfing with your girlfriends or,
you know, things that we do that, sometimes we just want to get away for a second or take a break. And I think that it's okay to allow ourselves to do that.
Michele: Yeah. Tell me what your morning routine looks like.
Lory: So I typically am an early bird, so I like to get up early in the morning. I pretty much like to get some sort of workout in, whether it's going to the gym or moving around. I love to get up early in the morning [00:12:00] and it really allows me to take time for myself. It's quiet. I get to think I get to talk to myself better.
I get to pump myself up. So I really like to do that early in the morning and my house is pretty quiet early in the morning because everybody's sleeping. So that's my time. And then I go, and try to get. everybody else ready because I have three Children. I have a husband, I have a dog.
So then I will focus in on them. And then I start my work routine as far as like getting into the office pretty much Monday through Friday. And then if I need to set any appointments up on the weekends, but I pretty much throughout the week have a set schedule as to like how my morning goes. I like to drink coffee, so I definitely, drink my coffee.
But I really found my mornings to be more about me than everybody else because I tend to put everybody else in front of me.
Janis: Yeah. Yeah. Lori, real estate can be a dynamic and demanding industry. How do you foster a positive and motivated team environment within your brokerage?
Lory: I like to encourage people motivate people, inspire them through leading and sharing with them examples of what I've I can say, leading by example. Getting others connected with other people that I might know that maybe they can connect with somebody else. So that way, who I might know, might be able to help them.
And just really just keeping people informed as to what's happening and. I think that's the biggest thing that we can do is just stay connected share our connections with each other because we're all connected somehow and everybody knows somebody that knows somebody, right? So I think that's the biggest thing is that, we are surrounded by experienced top producing agents [00:14:00] and.
And I think that is very valuable because what we have is very unique compared to other brokerages because we've been around, we're around we're very strong and connected. And I think that's very hard to come across, especially with, who we are at
REMAX Connection.
Janis: I can say that I'm a proud realtor at REMAX Connections since
1999.
Lory: That's right. That's right.
Janis: Yeah.
Lory: Yeah,
it's very I am very grateful to be a part of a brokerage that, has, agents that are almost 50 years in the business. And then we have brand new agents and we have agents that, 1. And so I think there is something to be said about that.
Janis: I do, too.
Lory: And then also our agents crushed it. The average agent in Columbus closes three homes a year and our agents at our brokerage close on average of 16 homes a year. So that
says something about our brokerage, I think.
Janis: Yeah, absolutely. What strategies have you found most effective for adapting to the changing market trends? And ensuring that the brokerage has continued growth and success.
Lory: I think being willing to adapt and pivot whenever we do experience, different changes staying up on what's happening on the news. Staying connected. We have agents in our office that are, on different boards. We continue to make sure that we know what's happening in our industry through news and stuff like that, continuing to stay educated, trained.
And it's just important to know that we're not by yourself, we are not alone. We have each other to lean on and to continue to grow and learn from one another.
Janis: Yeah. So building strong client [00:16:00] relationships is crucial in real estate. Can you share some insights into how you establish trust and rapport with your clients?
Lory: I think that the number one thing is to understand that we all have our own sphere of people that you already know, like trust and. That right there is so powerful because everybody has people that, they're connected with. So I think just realizing that people support each other
Really a is really key because there's a lot of opportunity.
Janis: Yeah.
Lory: And just going for it
Janis: So in this business where negotiation and communication skills are essential, how do you hone these skills to consistently achieve successful outcomes?
Lory: Being clear, trying to communicate open communication, setting right expectations. If you don't know how to do something, don't sit there and say, how to do something and, really tap into the resources that we have.
Janis: Yeah. Are there any specific challenges you faced as a woman in real estate in the real estate industry? And how have you navigated to overcome that?
Lory: think
so. Definitely. One, sometimes I'm like, oh my gosh, if if it was somebody else, especially a guy, I think we face those kinds of things all the time, but I think I have to always go back to staying positive and putting on my big girl pants and believing that I can do it.
And if I don't know how to do something, going back to saying, you know what? All right, I'm going to figure this out. I'm not going to wait on somebody else who tell me if I can or can't do something just because I'm a woman. And that's after, realizing that, we really can do anything.
I've had three kids it's okay, I've been there, done that. And not everything is all roses
and, everything is not always this [00:18:00] clear path. And I, and, something. I think I'll go back to this earlier. You were asking, what did you learn from this trip? Sometimes like when everything is going really great, it's Oh my gosh, like you get all these things that could be going wrong, and start to go wrong.
And I just, I'm a firm believer that, you know. It will work out and we have to just get through it and it'll be okay.
Michele: One of my favorite quotes is, it'll all be okay in the end, if it's not okay, it's not the end.
Lory: That's right. For sure. For sure.
It's just it's just part of life, right? It's like when everything's going bad, I can't tell you how many times I'm like, Oh my God, I've had the worst. And I'll get a call from somebody like Janice and I'll be like talking to her and she'll just lift me up and make me feel so much better and she might not even know how bad of a day I've had, but just having a conversation and somebody that's You know, that's positive or that, will make you laugh.
Then you're like, okay, it's going to be okay. We're going to get through this. I'm going to be fine. So you just, I think that's just part of life and what we go through, whether we're a woman or a man or whoever. I think that, we always just have to know that, Hey, you know what? Some days are going to be good.
Some days are going to be bad, but at the end of the day, it's all good. It's all good.
Janis: It's all good.
Michele: Yeah. Lori, now that we've delved into your inspiring journey and gained some valuable insights, let's switch things up a bit with a rapid fire round. Okay. Thanks. We will throw some questions your way, and I'd love to hear your immediate responses. Are you ready?
Janis: Okay, cool. All right. What is the book you've most given as a gift or the book that made the biggest impact on you?
Lory: Miracle morning.
Michele: Me too. Okay.
Lory: Really?
Michele: Yes. When you're talking about your habits, I've[00:20:00]
Lory: I think everybody in the world should do the miracle morning.
Michele: agreed.
Janis: to write that down.
Michele: Next book you should get, Janice.
Janis: Okay.
Michele: All right. What purchase of 100 or less has most positively impacted your life?
Lory: Oh my God. I don't know why I just thought of this, but I thought of getting my nails done. I have been going to the same girl. It's not even a hundred dollars, but I have been going to the same, girl for years. And I have to say that it's because, it's that consistency. It's that, going to the same person I've gotten. I've shared experiences with her. I've met people through her.
I've, I love the way my nails look. I love the way it makes me feel. There's something about it that just love it.
Janis: I love it.
Michele: What is your proudest accomplishment?
Lory: Having my kids. I think there's nothing else that's sweeter, that better, that's most beautiful. That's most, it's a miracle. It's amazing. I
Janis: And they're
adorable. Yeah, they're adorable and you're a great mom. What is your current passion project?
Lory: Oh, I think my current is fixing up a duplex.
Michele: Cool. What is one skill you would like to master?
Lory: Gosh, I think there's a lot of skills I'd like to master. I think just continuing to growing and being a better leader. I think that's just so important because I just want to continue to make a difference. And it's just every day is a, is something new I'm learning, whether it's about myself or other people or just everything.
Janis: I think that's a good answer So Michelle and I believe in this and we want to know do you believe in the power of manifestation? I
Lory: Oh girl, I do.
Janis: know you do
Lory: gosh, I cannot tell [00:22:00] you guys manifesting anything. Anything you want. really can come true. And I don't know what it is about manifesting. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I'm like, Oh my gosh, I just said that I wanted that or said that I wanted to go there or said that I wanted to do that or said that I wanted to hear that or see that.
And it happens. And
Michele: thing?
Lory: the last thing was me going to Macedonia with my parents.
We had not been there in 27 years and I literally, Would see myself going and then, it's just so hard. Sometimes you have three kids. They're all in sports you know, you have a business you have a pet you have so many responsibilities, there's expenses there's time and you just never think that something's a good time and I was just like I Wrote it on my board that i'm gonna go to macedonia And you know when I did that I like Visualize myself like going with my parents and my mom did not want to go.
She was like, I am, I'm not going to go. They own their own business. She didn't want to leave and it actually happened. And it was better than what I even manifested in my head, if that's even possible.
Michele: Awesome.
Lory: So whether it's, it goes back to when I was younger, when I would look at Delina and she had her white BMW and she had.
35 listings. And I was like, man, I want to own my own brokerage one day. And I don't know how the story behind that and how it happened is sometimes okay, it happened. We, I don't even know how it happened. It happened or, owning real estate or helping people or, just different things.
I think manifesting anything you want Is just the miracle of life.
Janis: put that shit out there.
Lory: Manifest that shit![00:24:00]
Michele: What was your first job? I
Lory: My parents have owned businesses. So whether you consider working at a flea market, or working at a deli at a young age, but my first actual job not working for the family business was at Kroger and I was a cashier.
Michele: have to tell you, my first job was working at Ponderosa Steakhouse, and I worked with a bunch of Macedonians. I wonder if
Lory: gosh!
Michele: them were
Lory: Wait a minute!
Did you work at the Ponderosa off Tussing?
Michele: Yes.
Lory: Me too!
Michele: What?
Lory: I was 17 years old and my aunt's worked at, there was a Macedonian guy that worked at Braco, he worked at dishwashing area, Bona and Zora, they worked at buffet, and
Michele: Yes, that's probably who I worked with.
Janis: Oh My gosh you guys probably work
together
Michele: I worked there in probably
Lory: together? Okay. So you might've been there before me. Cause I probably worked there in 96.
Michele: I might have still worked there.
Lory: Yeah. Cause I worked there when I was like, I think I was like, I think I got a job there when I was like 16. I don't even
Michele: Me too.
Are we the same age? Maybe.
Lory: I'm 44. I'm
Michele: Me too. Okay, we probably worked there the same time.
Lory:
is so crazy. Yes. Lily was a manager.
There was a lady named Claudia, Natasha, all of us were Macedonian. There was
Michele: I know, you guys ran that place.
Lory: Cause everybody helps each other. See what I'm saying?
And
Michele: funny.
Janis: love that. What a
Lory: oh my gosh, that's so funny. Yes.
Yes. Oh my gosh, Michelle. That is see, so
Janis: I love
Lory: such a small world.
Janis: I love
Michele: Oh.
Janis: Louie, what's your drink of choice?
Lory: Nick.
Michele: Oh. Okay. Okay. Okay.
Lory: I like a mick ultra, but I'll do a, I like a little shot every now and then shot a tequila shot of bourbon, all that stuff. I like shots [00:26:00] every now and then still at my old age, but I do like to
sip
Michele: not old. You're not old, okay?
Janis: No, not at all.
Michele: Where do you see yourself in five
Lory: I feel like I have so much to accomplish and so much to do. I hope to continue to grow our brokerage. I see myself being, still a top producing brokerage. I see myself doing more speaking engagements. And I don't know. I feel like there's so many other businesses that I can tap into as well.
So I have a lot of things that I'm manifesting. And
Janis: that shit, I was just gonna say.
Lory: Yes. But, obviously, there is a lot that we can do and so we just, we just got to take it day by day.
Janis: Okay, so as we're wrapping up here, I'm looking at one of the Inspirational quotes that you put the other day that said, did things happen to babes who hustle? And you're one of those babes. Is there anything you could leave our listeners with a one key piece of advice
that's been
instrumental in your business journey?
Lory: I think the biggest thing is is that in life, I think that we're, we are in charge of ourselves and don't let anybody take that power away. So do anything, can do it. And I think that if you really, really want something. You, You can absolutely achieve it and easy.
Life is not easy. People something, but if you really, really want something, just go for it. I have to say, I saw the Barbie movie. And I am not one girl that didn't play with, I played with Barbies I think everybody in the world played with Barbies at some point, but I wasn't one of those girls that love Barbies and had all these Barbies. But that movie was interesting to me because I didn't [00:28:00] realize that, every woman is a Barbie. Everybody is a Barbie. You know, it's like be your Barbie, you know, be yourself, always be yourself
Janis: I
love it. So lastly, where can
our listeners con connect with you and in the real estate world and
Lory: so First and foremost, you can go to lorykim. com. that is our website where we can, , continue to help You with any and all of your real estate needs. Um, you can connect with our brokerage. We are keeping you informed and bringing valuable information about what's happening in agents doing, , to help better serve central Ohio.
Anywhere actually in the world, , at, , REMAX connection
Janis: That's awesome. And if you would like to be a guest on cosmos and
commerce, contact us at guest at cosmos and commerce. com.
Lori, thank you so
much
for
Lory: guys. Thank you.