R2RB Podcast - Indie Artists and Entrepreneurs

From Hairstyling to Real Estate: Gina Cockerille Success Story

• Debra LaMotta

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Ever wondered how a hairstylist turned into a successful real estate agent? Join me, Deb Lamotta, as I unravel this fascinating tale with our guest for today, Gina Cockerille, who is currently carving out a niche for herself in the competitive real estate world. Gina takes us on her unique journey, one that took a turn that lead her to swap her hairstyling career for real estate. She talks us through her licensing process, the hurdles she overcame, and how her past experiences are serving her well in her new profession. Not to mention her desire to learn a second language, thanks to her favorite app, Duolingo, she is doing just that.

Gina also highlights how crucial having a mentor is in shaping a successful career in the real estate business. She gives us an insider's view into her relationship with her mentor, Melinda Brown, who was instrumental in smoothing her transition into real estate. She also introduces us to the indispensable 'What Your Home Is Worth' tool, an amazing resource that offers clients a realistic perspective of their home's market value. We discuss her unique tagline, 'Manifesting Dream Homes,' which beautifully mirrors her spiritual journey and her zeal for helping people secure their dream homes. Finally, she recounts how the pandemic propelled her to become a full-time real estate agent and the lessons she's gleaned from her journey.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Women Entrepreneur Spotlight Podcast Series, where we interview women entrepreneurs and share their story or their journey. Why did they choose to become an entrepreneur, what obstacles were there to work through, what kept them from giving up, and so much more. I'm Deb Lamotta. I'm your host for Women Entrepreneur Spotlight. We'll talk about what the future looks like for these women and what advice they would give the next woman entrepreneur. So sit back, relax and enjoy a Women Entrepreneur Spotlight Podcast Series. Today, my guest on Women Entrepreneur Spotlight is real estate agent Gina Cockerell. Gina and her wife Michelle live in Lincoln, but call Milford their home. Gina is a real estate agent with Patterson Schwartz. Gina, welcome to Women Entrepreneur Spotlight. How are you I?

Speaker 2:

am doing good. Thank you for having me. Oh, I'm excited to have you.

Speaker 1:

I like to ask two questions to get warmed up. The first one is if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Speaker 2:

So it's really hard for me to answer that question, because I always feel like wherever I'm living is where I'm supposed to be. So obviously I love Delaware, but if I could live anywhere, it would probably be Italy or Germany, because that's my heritage, that's where my ancestors are from, so that's probably where I would end up.

Speaker 1:

Oh nice, i like that. I like that a lot. Now, next question is what is your favorite app on your phone these days and why?

Speaker 2:

So right now it's Duolingo because I am learning Spanish. My friend of mine, linnea Echeveres she just opened up her own law firm in Lewis, delaware, and her family came from Puerto Rico And I couldn't even have a conversation when she introduced me to her father. So I was, i sat there and I was thinking you know, i really need to learn Hispanic, i need to learn Spanish, i need to. You know, just dive in. So in the morning I used to play a game and now I am learning Spanish.

Speaker 1:

So, oh, very nice, do you like to? I'm not very good at it. That's okay. I'm not learning. It will definitely come, absolutely So. Being a real estate agent really wasn't on the long-term goals list, was it? No, no, and you, michelle, are originally from Maryland and prior to the pandemic, you had another career. Why don't we start there?

Speaker 2:

Okay, so I was a hairstylist. I've been in the service industry pretty much my entire life, but over the last, you know, several years, i was a hairstylist and I specialized in color and I loved what I did. And I, when the pandemic hit the salon Well, let me go back a little bit. I, in November of 2019, i was Well, no, it was like August of 2019. I was meditating and real estate came to me And I'd always been interested in it. I tried it when I was younger, but it just wasn't the right time. And I came downstairs and I told my wife, Michelle, i said I really want to get into real estate and she said I think you would be great at it. Go for it, Sign up. So I did.

Speaker 2:

And then I got my license in November of 2019, but when the pandemic hit, i, I sat at home and I sat down. And I sat at home like everybody else, probably for the first month. I was crocheting, watching Netflix, you know, watching the news, and I am the type of person that I just couldn't sit at home. So I called my mentor and I said I'm ready to dive in And she said all right, let's roll. And that's where it started. Wow.

Speaker 1:

So you decided to become a real estate agent, and what was the process to get your license?

Speaker 2:

Education, speaking to other real estate agents Yeah, so I called a couple agents and I didn't really get a warm feeling from them. They told me everybody and their mom was getting their real estate license right now and blah, blah, blah and I was like all right, and that classes wouldn't start until the following year and I said I really want to get it now. And when I talked to Melinda, my mentor, i called her and she was actually She lived a couple doors down from us and she said let's meet and let's talk about it And I said okay. so she told me about the CE shop and I started online and I got my license online. or I didn't get my license online. I took the classes online and I had to go and test at a center And that's what happened.

Speaker 1:

Are there a lot of classes involved?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it is. You have to complete at least 90 hours. That is a lot And it's all online. Yeah, this one is, but they do offer programs. Different brokerages offer programs, different associations offer the state, i believe, offers. It just depends on where you live, because Maryland and Delaware are different.

Speaker 1:

And you got your license first in Maryland. I did Okay, all right, and so obviously that was a good decision for you. To become a real estate agent. Yes, so far it's worked out well for you. How different is it from being a hairstylist? You?

Speaker 2:

know it really ends up not being so different. I do get from my clients. They tell me that I'm very approachable and that you know they just feel like they can open up to me. And I think that has something to do with being a real estate, being a hairstylist because as a hairstylist I had a sign, a plaque, that said the hairpist is in. So you know they sit down and I would just hear their stories And you know that's just they felt comfortable And that's I brought that into real estate as well.

Speaker 1:

So then you started with one company in Maryland, a real estate company in Maryland. Yeah, i did.

Speaker 2:

I started with a company. They were basically virtual and they were a great company. They're worldwide. I had a great group of women that I worked with down there And I stayed with them for a year when I moved up here. But unfortunately I didn't really connect with anybody in the area that was with the same brokerage, because it was a virtual company. Everybody kind of did their own thing unless you were on a team, and so you know the way that company worked. If you weren't under them or if you weren't a part of their team, there really wasn't, you know, any motivation for not helping but collaborating. It's a project.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

So and then the, you know when the all the rules lifted for from the pandemic I was starting to see. You know our meetings that we were having on Zoom. You know they were all getting together now And here I am in my office, you know by myself, and I'm like I missed that And I didn't realize I missed that until an agent called me thinking about joining that company with me. That's local, who I met And you know she said if you're not a part of the company, i know you love your brokerage, blah, blah, blah, but everything has something that you don't like. What's the one thing? And that hit me And I just I sat there and I'm thinking I miss people, i miss collaborating with people around me, being involved in the community. I didn't have that, so that's.

Speaker 1:

What was some of that? the fallout, though, from COVID. What year was that when you really got into the selling part?

Speaker 2:

Oh no, into the selling. I got into the selling part in 2020 and then I didn't join Patterson until December of last year.

Speaker 1:

Okay, but in the meantime, so from Maryland you come into Delaware.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, from Maryland I came over to Delaware and I was here a full year, a little a year and two months before I made the switch.

Speaker 1:

What was the deciding factor to leave Maryland to come to Delaware? you and your wife.

Speaker 2:

So my wife unfortunately she was the breadwinner and she lost her job. In Maryland She worked at Power Plant Cold Power Plant and they told her it was gonna be shutting down in a year. So she came home and she had a specific job that she did and it's a trade. It's not something that you can just walk into anywhere and make that money with that trade. She was kind of freaking out and my parents had just moved up here And we kept joking that it was a long-term goal of ours to retire to Rehoboth. But we kept joking with my parents like we'll be up there. We'll be up there. When we got that news I said you know what? I have an idea. Why don't we just take advantage of the market, put our house up for sale and find a home up there? And that's what we did. It was the best move we could have ever made.

Speaker 1:

That is great, that is really great. So then, coming from Maryland, then you had to start all over again the process to get a real estate license here in Delaware, or were you able to use some of the classes that you had taken in Maryland?

Speaker 2:

I could. I had to take state law. I had to take it in Delaware, so I signed up for classes. I finished those and I was licensed before we made the move up here. And we moved up here and I still was doing deals in Maryland. I was driving back to Maryland and Southern Maryland And then I got my first deal here in December of 2021, when we moved here.

Speaker 1:

And that was with which real estate company, my old brokerage. The old one, okay, all right. And then finally you get into Patterson and Schwartz A year later. A year later, wow.

Speaker 2:

Oh my gosh, was it a year? Yeah, i think about 2021, 2022, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well okay. You're here awesome And has your wife then found.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, so she actually started her own business. She has Michelle's meticulous mowing, She cuts grass in a neighborhood locally, And then she's also studying to get her real estate license. So she will be joining me and we will be doing a team type thing, If any. We're married, so why not? We spend all of our time together. Honestly, she is my number one supporter And when I have to drive far, she goes with me. If I'm gonna be gone all day, she's taking me to my showings. I mean, I do it by myself too, but she's definitely when she can. She's supportive 100%.

Speaker 1:

Wow Now, would you ever, two of you branch out on your own?

Speaker 2:

No, I mean, i really love where I'm at Now. If Patterson Schwartz ever closed, i might have no choice, but I don't see that in the near future, so that probably would not happen. But I don't know if down the road maybe we would start a team, but other than that, i'm pretty happy with where we're at.

Speaker 1:

That's really awesome. So Michelle has a flexibility then to work with your crazy schedule.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, absolutely Yeah. it's crazy, our friends. they're like, oh my gosh, you all do so much. My sister called me the other day and her mother-in-law was like I don't know how they do it. They're on the road all the time and they're doing this and they're doing that, but they're still staying true to who they are. And so it's a lot, but it's a lot of fun.

Speaker 1:

You only live once, absolutely, and just when you talk, you light up when you talk about the real estate and everything else, and your wife. So everything has balanced out And that's great. That is really great. You have mentioned a mentor early on, melinda Yes, melinda Brown, melinda Brown, and so you met her. Are you friends with her prior to becoming a real estate agent?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, my wife was. She was actually at our wedding. I didn't know her too well, i knew her a little bit, but she was our neighbor. She lived down the street from us. Any question I had I went to her with And if she didn't know, she pointed me in the right direction And it was. I used to tell people when I first started real estate, because it's hard when you first start. Luckily I was somewhere where I lived. I had family and friends that were gonna sell or buy And she I was able to tell people listen, you might be getting me as an inexperienced agent, but you're getting another agent that's very experienced, that's gonna be with me every step of the way. So you're getting two agents for the price of one. So you know, and she had years of experience and she knew her stuff. She's a lot of my success that I've had. I can definitely thank her for a lot of that.

Speaker 1:

Oh, that's great, That is really great. And do you, since you've been friends, you're still in contact and Oh yeah, yeah, we don't talk as much as we used to when I lived in Maryland.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, if I ever needed anything, I would call. You know, I would call her and she'd answer, and vice versa.

Speaker 1:

Would you recommend to another woman entrepreneur to find a mentor in their field if they can?

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, Yeah, absolutely. I just I think, because you can always learn something, right, You might think you know everything, but you don't. School is one thing, And then the real world is something different, And I knew that coming from here. There was school, there was the salon and there was the test, you know, And it's kind of the same thing. Real estate has a lot of odds and ends and you know different situations you're gonna come across and no two sales are the same. So it's really great to have somebody who has experience that you feel comfortable with. That's gonna give it to you straight, whether you like it or not, And that's what she was for me, That's what she did for me.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and that's exactly what you want. one in a mentor, absolutely. You don't want somebody who's just gonna say oh no, no, no, that's good, that's good.

Speaker 2:

Right, right Now, gina, you're doing this awful. you need to change it up. I mean, i don't think she ever said that exactly. But, absolutely absolutely.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, and so the real estate, being a real estate agent, is not nine to five. If somebody was looking to get into the real estate field, what are the hours?

Speaker 2:

like for you 24, seven. Yeah, that's what I think. Well, it is. I mean, it just depends on what kind of agent you're trying to be. You know, it really depends on the person. But I hear a lot of people saying I want and it's an ongoing joke too, on memes on the social media. But you know I joined real estate because I wanted a flexible schedule. Yeah, you have the flexibility, right, you do you have. You have flexibility, but You're on call. You know you're on call And I shouldn't tell my clients this, maybe, but I do. You know I sleep. Please don't call me from the hours between 12 and five. Other than that, if you need something and it's important call me, if you have a question, text me or email me. So you know I can't remember I think I took a day off. I don't remember the last time I had a day off where I did nothing that had to do with real estate. I don't Like nothing.

Speaker 1:

It is a full commitment. From what I understand, it is Because at one time I looked into it too and I ran Yeah, thank you now.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, I mean it's a lot. I don't want to scare anybody away from it, because if it's your calling like that's what you should do. But just know that it's not always roses and butterflies, It's not selling sunset, It's not like that It's. You know, a lot of work goes into it And it can be trying at times.

Speaker 1:

And a lot of work that your clients don't see you do. Yeah yeah, yeah, what is a typical, you know, a typical sales transaction? I don't want to call that, but what would be a typical walkthrough, with a client you know coming to you and saying, hey, we're looking in the market. What? just a quick run through?

Speaker 2:

So I would ask them you know I typically represent buyers A lot of relocating. They are relocating from everywhere. I got into that when I was with my previous brokerage because we had, you know, a lot of people And same with this one. A lot of people are relocating down to Delaware. We have the Air Force, we have retirement, we have second homes. You know, we just have, you know, a lot to offer here Because it's a beach state.

Speaker 2:

I first asked them, you know, what are they looking for? What's bringing them here? You know, what are your wants, your needs, what are some things that you want but you don't necessarily have to have. These are the steps that we're going to take, which would be tell my clients okay, so if they're say they're coming from New York or New Jersey or California, wherever they're coming from, they can't necessarily get here, you know, to go see a house And with the market, even with high interest rates, they're still. Our inventory is still low, so there's still a huge demand for homes.

Speaker 2:

If they can't see it, but they they're just looking at pictures online. Now, pictures online, they can be fooling you either way. Whether it's beautiful on the inside from the pictures or if it looks awful. It all depends on the camera. It could look awful on the pictures, but you walk in and it's beautiful, and vice versa. So what I like to do is I tell my clients I'll go into the home, i'll you know. I tell the agent I'm previewing, i'm videoing, i video for my client, detailed, and then that, and then I send it to them and it gives them the okay. I definitely want to see that when I come in, we're coming in two days, and two days Can you let the agent know. You know, in case they're presenting offers. So that's a service I offer for my clients And that's me going out and then we're going to go out and see it again when they come in, or we won't because they decided they really didn't like it. So it kind of hones in on what they're looking at online, because it can be a lot, and then bring it in.

Speaker 2:

So then after that, you know they have to have a pre-approval. You know you definitely want to speak with a lender. If they don't have a local lender I have or if they don't have a preferred lender, i have a list of preferred lenders that are local that they can choose from. I go over, you're going to. It's going. You're going to have to get a home inspection. You're going to have to get an appraisal. Do you have closing? Do you need help with closing? You know you want to find out all those details first because if they need closing we might want to work at, look at something a little less expensive. You know we might want to look and if they don't know what they're pre-approved for, they could be approved for more or they could be pre-approved for less. I won't show a home without a pre-approval. I can't.

Speaker 1:

I mean, i could, but No, but then it could be for purpose, because you're going to be going around until you find Right. If they get their heart set on this home and then they talk to a lender and they say I'm sorry, you don't qualify.

Speaker 2:

Then they're heartbroken and mad. So you just don't want to do that. You don't. You want this to make. I want to make this transition in their life. I always tell people I met someone the other day that I'm representing and I said I might not you know, i might not buy a home for another. You know, six months to a year And I said this is your journey. I'm not that agent that is going to be a salesman Like I want to. I want this to be such a great experience for you that you enjoy it. I know there's going to be hurdles, but at the end of the day, i want you to look back and say those hurdles were worth it. So, and I think that that It's their journey. They get to make the decisions. I'm here to guide them. I'm here to point them in the right direction. If they have different questions, ultimately this is on them, it's not on me.

Speaker 1:

I mean it is on me, but you know it's their journey. Right, right, no, and that just makes a world the difference when you are buying or even selling on either side, when you have a real estate agent like you, that isn't that used car salesperson. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And I'm honest When I go into these homes, I'm honest with them. I can't be like, oh, this is fantastic, As I look at a hole in the ceiling. You know, I just I can't. They would see it all over my face. I can't lie, I'm horrible at it, It's awful.

Speaker 1:

Well, there you go, well, and that just makes the whole world a difference. And that is why, where you are with Patterson and Schwartz and you are at a level, you are at a higher level than the others. Well, thank you, you're welcome. Thank you, absolutely, and it is already a mind boggling experience buying a home. I've done it a couple of times and it's like, oh my God, i can't even think about it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it is. You know, when we were moving, we were helping some client move the other day and we were sitting out there at the listing agent myself and we're just saying. You know it's hard to move. There's a lot of emotion too, especially if you're a seller. You know how long have you been in that home. If this is a home you raised your children in, or you've had a spouse in that had passed away or, regardless anything, you've lived there for your whole life it's emotional. You had your first baby there. All of these memories you'll listen to clients cry and or they'll be elated or you know it's just a very emotional experience. I just try and be there and support and guide. That's my role.

Speaker 1:

That's great. I love that all together, and so you do live in Lincoln, but you call Milford home.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, milford's in my backyard. It's crazy.

Speaker 1:

I also call Milford my little second getaway from Dover. What makes Milford such an appealing, quaint town to you? You?

Speaker 2:

know, i think it's the culture, i think it's the small businesses, i think that, just how everyone supports everybody down there and are over there or right there, i just love. I feel like it could really be like one of those hallmark towns. I really do, and they're, you know, they're building it up. All of these, you know, small businesses are opening up And I just love that, because during the pandemic weren't allowed, had to close down their stores, you know. So now you're seeing things flourishing and people supporting each other and taking their online business and putting it in the storefront, and I just love that, because I just stopped by Stone and Sage the other day and I hadn't been there in probably a couple of months because I've been busy And I was on my way back from a showing.

Speaker 2:

I think, yeah, i think it was a showing or a settlement. I think it was a showing and I just had to stop by because I just had to get that energy in, you know. So it was just and I did. I gave Kat and Angie a hug and you know it was great And we chatted like I'm talking right now really fast and we caught up in like five minutes, but I just needed to go in there just to have that, and that's it.

Speaker 1:

It's the energy. That is exactly it. It's the energy that each of you in that area gives to each other, and even those of us that are up here in Dover and pretend they're in Milford.

Speaker 2:

I love Dover too though. There's some cool places in Dover.

Speaker 1:

I really like Delaware, so, and just real quick, my parents retired here all and that's how I ended up here And I've been here a year and a half.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's so awesome. We kind of have the same story there.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, right, So that's why I asked that question about Milford, because I'm because of Kat Perfetti. Then I saw you and then we got to talking and I've talked to other people and you know, not too shabby and Love not too shabby.

Speaker 2:

My wife just got me flowers for our anniversary. I saw it Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Oh, my gosh Willie makes the most beautiful. It was gorgeous, oh my God.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, oh, and the chocolate was delicious. My mother-in-law said you didn't save me any. I said no, it was my anniversary and I was really hungry. I don't even like sweets like that, but chocolates I love and cheesecake. Oh, there you go. I like that combination. I like peach pop or eclairs, i don't you know other than that you know.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and then, yeah, my sister's fault, you know, and all that and the Dolce Cafe is like and it goes on. But you're right, and it is building up. When I had done the podcast with Kat and the other ladies, i had asked that question How did everybody feel about the town of Milford and around you also being built up, hopefully not being bought out by the big companies? Right, i see on the outskirts of Milford and hopefully it stays that way and that the quaint town stays the quaint town.

Speaker 2:

Yes, i'm hoping, because I do like the fact that a Michaels was put in. You know that it's coming in but that's on the outskirts, but the in like in the little town, i want, i really want that to stay, local businesses, you know, just Absolutely, that's what I would like to see Me too, and I believe it will, because I think the community itself will fight to keep it that way also For sure.

Speaker 1:

So you have some different tools on your real estate website that you offer your clients. Can you tell us about a few of them? Buyer and sellers guide. Yeah.

Speaker 2:

What your home is worth. Yes, what your home is worth would be. they would message me and I will sit here and you know, even if they just want to see what their home could be worth. Now, i am not an appraiser It is not what an actual appraisal is but what we do is we go again. we go and see what your market value is going to be. You know what the market is speaking right now and what we think we could list your home for.

Speaker 2:

So, we'll take comps from different you know homes that have sold recently. You know maybe expireds, some pendants. We just want to look at everything that's there to kind of go off, because a lot of people want to because of the market the way it was, want to list their home really high, but we were seeing there that it's that's not like it for every home. Now you know some homes, okay, but it's not every home. So we really want to. You know, get in there and show them look, this is what homes are listed for right now. We probably want to be somewhere around here or you can expect to wait, but it just gives them an idea of what we could list it for and get their wheels turned and even if they're not ready to sell right now.

Speaker 1:

And that's a great point to make because I think you know, just going through it myself, you think your house is worth something else and then somebody says, do you? no? Yeah, And if you don't get that upfront, that number upfront, you're already looking at higher valued homes to move into. So very, very important Find out what your home is valued at before you go, start looking at what you can or can not.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and we'll even say you know, let's, you know, put it in a little bit under. You know, just a little bit to get some traction, because you got to look at how long the homes are sitting. You know if they're sitting for a while, those homes, that. But yeah, but my neighbor listed their home for such that you know this. Well, i want to list. But look, it's been on the market for 60 days, so it's not the only reason it's sitting that long is because it's priced too high. It's not great hearing that as someone that wants to sell their home, but it is what it is.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely Manifesting dream homes is your tagline on your website. How did you come up with that tagline and what does it mean to you?

Speaker 2:

I was going back and forth with Melinda because I know I wanted to start my own brand. I actually have my tank top on right now.

Speaker 1:

I look at you.

Speaker 2:

When I was with my other brokerage, i wanted to just be different from that. When I joined PSA, they said I could bring my brand with me. But manifesting dream homes. I feel like you manifest your life in a way And everybody has the opportunity to manifest their desires. I'm in real estate and I want to help find, i want to help you manifest your dream home, so that's how it came up. Yeah, it just has a lot to do with my spirituality, my meditations, my crystals, my sage, all of that stuff, my jewelry And yeah, so it just fit. It works. Yeah, it works, and the colors are some of my favorite colors and they just really went well together. And I started playing around on Canva and I designed the logo and we were good to go. That's how it happened.

Speaker 1:

And I'm looking around your office and all the colors are back there.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, yeah, Oh yeah, yep, i love it. This is a place of peace in here.

Speaker 1:

so That's nice, because you do need that. You need a place to have come absolutely Knowing what you know now about being a real estate agent. would you do anything different in the beginning? I mean?

Speaker 2:

I probably would have. I think you really need to interview brokerages. I was lucky enough to really land someone great. I joined that brokerage. more so, for the people, i would definitely look into brokerages, interview, see what they have to offer. look into brokerages that offer training. Training is very important. It's just really important to have that, especially in the beginning. I know you just got out of school and the last thing that you want to do is get into training, but trust me, you're going to need it.

Speaker 1:

I'm sure.

Speaker 2:

And so, luckily, i had a mentor that was able to train me. Yeah, i mean, and the brokerage offered training, but that one-on-one training was helped a lot.

Speaker 1:

All right, oh, i like that Absolutely. And were there times that you had roadblocks in the way pursuing your career? Did you have obstacles in your way that you had to work through to become a real estate agent? I?

Speaker 2:

mean, really the only roadblock I had was becoming a full-time agent. I couldn't do it part-time with the job that I had. I was a hairstylist. I couldn't tell one client to you know, i'm sorry, i can't color your hair today. I have to go sell a house And I saw my clients using a different real estate agent to sell their house And I'm sitting here doing their hair And I'm like, yeah, something has to change. I'm trying to find the silver lining with COVID. But you know the pandemic. But it got me into real estate When I made that call to my boss she are well, not my boss because I booth rent.

Speaker 2:

We were allowed to booth rent in Maryland. But the owner of the salon and she said you're leaving, aren't you? I didn't even. I said yeah. She said I knew it was coming. I loved it. Just roadblocks, moving to Delaware and not knowing anybody, just putting myself out there. You know I really had to put myself out there and just take anything that I could get. Anything that anybody gave me, i took because some money was better than no money And that's how I live. That's my motto. I don't care if you're selling a $10 house or a $400 house. You know, i don't care if your budget's $1 or $70. I'm here for you. I'll take it. I'll take it Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

What advice would you give another woman entrepreneur Just stay true to who you are, and if you have a dream, follow it. The only way you're ever going to succeed is if you are true to who you are. Don't look at other people and compare yourself to them, because there's a purpose for everybody And you have it in you to be the best version of you. So that's really just what I would say Don't let things knock you down, and that's the end. As a woman, we do fight a little bit harder, and so I just think don't listen to the things that are being said and just keep moving. Just keep moving forward.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, i like that, and so would you be considered one of the top sellers for Patterson and Schwartz.

Speaker 2:

No, i don't think yet. No, i'm not. I mean, i'm doing a good deal. I am in the top I did get I was a top producer in the month of May that they just posted. There's a lot of agents there and there are some really awesome agents. It's a goal of mine to work up there. But I do believe I do a good amount. But I'm not a top producer yet And I believe you will be.

Speaker 1:

I hope so. So what's next for you? What's gonna be next in the real estate agency world for you?

Speaker 2:

You know, i don't really know. There's some things that are going on. Again, like I said, michelle getting her license, that's gonna change a lot of things for us. Being LGBT, we support our community. That's just something that we wanna focus on too. And I don't know. You know, i just I'm happy selling and listing and buying. You know, being a buyer's agent and helping people find homes And there's a lot that can happen. So there's, i mean, i'm thinking about maybe one day getting into investing and, you know, doing that sort of thing.

Speaker 2:

So you just you never know.

Speaker 1:

No, you don't. You never know what's around the corner.

Speaker 2:

You really don't but you just have to know that it's there for a reason. If I would have, i know that we were waiting until Michelle retired to move here because we didn't think that we would be able to do it without we made that jump. It was life changing. So, I'm not saying that it's all been roses and butterflies, because it certainly hasn't, but you take the good with the bad and you just keep moving forward.

Speaker 1:

And that's another keyword moving forward too. With all the women that I have interviewed it's been kind of a phrase that a lot of them have said just keep moving forward, including moving forward through COVID. Every woman entrepreneur that I have spoken with that had to get through that COVID. Everybody didn't stop. Nobody said, oh, i'm giving up, right, you know, everybody found a different way to make it work, yeah, and here you are, Yeah it's awesome, absolutely, absolutely, and that's part of one of the reasons why I love doing what I do.

Speaker 1:

Never thought I'd be doing this, to tell you the truth, but I do, i love it. I love it, yeah, so let everyone know how they can get in contact with you.

Speaker 2:

Well, you can go to wwwmanifestingdreamhomescom. You can go to my handles on Facebook, instagram, linkedin, at GinaCockerlrealtor. They'll have my email and my phone number on there, if you know, if you want to text me, if you want to email me, you call me Any of those, definitely.

Speaker 1:

And for Delaware and Maryland.

Speaker 2:

Delaware and Maryland. I do mostly the Eastern Shore. Now for Maryland, i've stopped kind of going down to Southern Maryland, except for certain things, because it's just it's a long drive and it has to be a whole weekend So I just it's a lot, so I do those sparingly. But the Eastern Shore mostly yep in Maryland.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. So one of the goals with women entrepreneur spotlight for me is to build a network of women who support other women, and I would love to add your name to that list, please do. All right, i would love that. Thank you, you are welcome. It has been an absolute pleasure speaking with you. I'm so glad that I bumped into you on Facebook. Thank you, kat, for FETI.

Speaker 2:

Yes, thank you, Kat, I've had. it's been an honor to be here and I really appreciate you reaching out. Well, thank you, Tina.

Speaker 1:

All right, well, we'll do a follow up. Okay, And I hope are you going to go to Kat's anniversary in September?

Speaker 2:

for the store. Oh, that's my birthday weekend. She opened. That's how I got down there. That was my birthday weekend. I said we're going to the crystal store for my birthday. That's all I want to do, and so, yeah, i'm definitely going to be there, all right awesome.

Speaker 1:

Well, i will be there too, so I will see you then. Oh, I can't wait, take care. Thank you for listening to the Women Entrepreneur Spotlight Podcast series. You can listen to the podcast on wwwwomenentrepreneurspotlightbuzzbrowcom or wherever you listen to your podcast. You can find us on Facebook at Women Entrepreneurs Spotlight and you can email us at womenentrepreneurspotlightgmailcom. Until next time, keep being awesome.

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Debra LaMotta

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