Intero Real Estate Blog

Success comes with good old fashion hard work in real estateGuest written by
Derek Overbey,
VP Marketing, Intero Real Estate Services

Do you ever wonder how some people do it? How do they manage a successful career, volunteer for the local food bank, make it to their kid’s soccer game, get in a workout with a personal trainer and still have time to sit down with their family at the end of the day? We wondered about this as well, and so asked Tom Tognoli, Gino Blefari and Bob Moles of Intero what time they got up in the morning to start their day. After all, these guys have been pretty successful in the business. Their answers were eerily simple (and similar): very early.

Tom Tognoli, our COO who’s known for his high-energy personality, says that he follows the philosophy of “Monday Morning MOJO.” Which means what? If you want to walk into the office on Monday with the kind of energy and passion you need to be successful, you have to start creating it before you even step into the building.

“Success is about commitment,” Tom explains. “Don’t wake up in a crisis, or the rest of your day will be one big crisis. If you are getting up at 8 am, you’re getting up too late. Start yourself on a schedule of waking up 30 minutes earlier each week until you are waking up at 4:30 a.m. Quit hitting the snooze bar! Ten years ago, I was getting up at 7:00 a.m. It’s much easier today. Waking up that early allows me plan my day, get in a workout and do what I need to before most people even roll out of bed. It’s definitely an advantage. ”

Come on, Tom. The birds aren’t even chirping. Do we really need to wake up before the sun? We asked Gino what his secret was. Surprise— getting up early.

He wakes up at 4:45 to greet his dog (a Lab) and then goes through several meditative exercises and a physical workout to prepare for the day ahead. He says these morning rituals help to re-focus his mind so he can concentrate on what needs to get done. “Your average person will simply get through the day. I’m going to take the day. I’m not going to head to the office without knowing exactly what I want to accomplish in the hours I’m there.”

With a schedule that keeps him going nearly seven days a week, he says it’s can be difficult to balance his time between personal and professional life. Discipline is the key. That’s why he’s made it one of Intero’s core values.

“There’s no getting around it. If you want to be successful, you simply have to put in the time, sweat and hard work, to make it happen. You have to get up earlier in the morning, and if you’re doing it right, you’ll come home and crash into your bed at night.”

And Chairman Bob Moles, what does he do?

“These days, I get up at 6 a.m. on the ocean side of the mountain (Santa Cruz). I get my workout in, wait for the traffic to clear and then head into the office. Getting an early start has been my routine for years. When I was working on the East Coast, I would get up at 4:30 and work until 6:30 or 7:00 at night, but the truth is, if you go at that pace forever, it will kill you. In my role today, I have a little more flexibility.”

There you have it. It seems to be true that the early bird does, indeed get the worm. We’re wondering about others? Do you think it’s necessary to get up this early in order to be successful in real estate? Or, is there another way to do it? We’d love to hear your stories. Leave us some comments.