Career Growth Advice from Amber Morgan, Real Estate Leader | Career Tips for Women in Real Estate

2B Bolder Podcast – Episode 74
Featuring Amber Morgan

Episode Title: #74 Career Podcast Featuring Amber Morgan, successful realtor & combat volunteer firefighter: Women In Business

Host: Mary Killelea
Guest: Amber Morgan



Mary Killelea (Host): Hi there. My name is Mary Killelea. Welcome to the To Be Bolder podcast, providing career insights for the next generation of women in business and tech. To Be Bolder was created out of my love for technology and marketing, my desire to bring together like-minded women, and my hope to be a great role model and source of inspiration for my two girls and other young women like you, encouraging you guys to show up and to be bolder and to know that anything you guys dream of, it's totally possible. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the conversation.

Hi there. Thanks for tuning in. Today's featured guest is a woman who is always striving to be her best. Amber Morgan is principal broker at John L. Scott. She is in the top 2% of real estate agents in Oregon and a top producer in her area. She has been a licensed broker for 13 years and has closed 113 properties in just the last two years. She was featured on the December cover of Real Producers Magazine. When Amber's not conquering the world of real estate, she is a full combat volunteer firefighter. Yep, you heard me right. A full combat volunteer firefighter and is focused on bringing women into fire service. She's been involved with the Women's Fire Up Boot Camp and other recruiting and training programs for women. Amber, thanks for joining me.

Amber Morgan (Guest): Hi, Mary. I'm so excited to be here. Thanks for having me.

Mary Killelea: Well, okay. So I'm excited to talk about obviously your real estate career and then later on in the conversation, I want to touch on your volunteer work. You've obviously excelled at your craft. What drives your success? Let's start there.

Amber Morgan: Okay. Well, growing up, we were pretty poor. So, I learned from an early age really to kind of work hard for anything that we wanted to achieve. I'm passionate about helping people achieve their goals. So that's something that really kind of speaks to my soul. I call it a like self-serving giving because it, I find great reward in helping other people. So, it's self-serving. That's how I learned.

Mary Killelea: But does really good. Yeah. No, and I get that. I get that. And I think sometimes people can be more successful by it not being that out for money, but you're actually helping others. And that's what compels you.

Amber Morgan: Yeah.

Mary Killelea: I actually think, and that's, you know, when I talk to women, it's always like, well, I'm not really passionate about what I do. And I'm like, well, think about what you do that serves others so that then you can find the passion to get up and go to work, even if it's not your dream job today. So that's awesome. How'd you get started in real estate?

Amber Morgan: When I was a kid, I thought that I was going to grow up and be an accountant on actually. So I love math, love numbers. It just, they speak to me. I have just a wonderful relationship with numbers. So I went and got my accounting certificate. I worked my way up to a position where I was working in an accounting office, and it was so uninspiring for me. I found that you can't have a conversation with numbers and I have a little bit too much people need to really excel in that. So I had a kind of unique opportunity where my kid's dad was deployed. During that time, I had the ability to kind of soul search and then go back and do something for me. My grandma had been a real estate agent starting in the seventies and I loved the idea of that because it married the people piece that I love and math and numbers and data. So that's kind of how I ended up going down this, this course.

Mary Killelea: So you talked about doing some soul searching during that time period. Can you, can you share anything that maybe was a part of that process?

Amber Morgan: Because he was deployed, we had the ability for me not to have to work, which gave me a whole year to really dig deep and find out what inspired me. I mean, I'd worked ever since I was 16. I got emancipated when I was really young. And so, I've been out on my own working since I was 16, but it was just a job. It was never a career. And so I had the ability to take time then to really think about the future. And so almost 14 years later, here I am.

Mary Killelea: What a gift. That's wonderful. What are some of the biggest challenges that you've faced in your career?

Amber Morgan: I think one of the things that is kind of a misconception with real estate is that you're going to get your license and you're going to show up and money is going to fall on your feet. And business is just going to fall out of the sky. And so getting established is really a longer process than I think most people are prepared for typically what I've seen is it takes about six years for it to have some, some significant consistency. And so that was something I wasn't prepared for. It was a little bit of a struggle to, you've got to get out there and get people to know you love you, trust you. Well, when you're brand new, you're practicing on their largest asset. And so that was a huge hurdle. And partnering with, with more experienced agents and learning from them and getting feedback and assistance and all of that kind of helps with that. But those first few years were pretty rough.

Mary Killelea: Well, and I love hearing the true story like six years, that's definitely not what I would have thought. I thought I would have thought it was quicker. But I think that's good and realistic for those listening to give them some grace. And then I'm sure that there's a process within there where, okay, as starting out new, you might reach out to your original network and then you're like, oh, wow, now I gotta go beyond that. And then what does that take internally from you to push yourself outside of that comfort zone to go broader?

Amber Morgan: Yeah. And that really is one of the toughest things they don't teach you that in real estate school. They teach you the laws, but they don't teach you the contracts. They don't teach you how to engage with your future clients. So, all of that is kind of like here, now you have your license off you go, and good luck, good luck to you.

Just to go back to the six years. So six years is how long it takes from what I've seen for like some real consistency. Um, most of the time, if you can get past those first two years, the people that I've seen that make it to that two year mark are going to be okay. So make those smaller goals, you know, like six years seems pretty far out, but celebrate that six months, celebrate one year celebrate all of the small steps and wins in between. But don't expect it to be real consistent until five or six years in.

Mary Killelea: And I think that's fabulous too, just the idea of setting micro goals or small goals. Did you do that along the way or did you learn that as you went?

Amber Morgan: I learned that as I went. I'm really big in, into goal setting, but I break it down into much smaller, like bite-sized pieces. Every year I do my business plan. I create a vision board because I strongly believe in vision boards.

Mary Killelea: I love vision boards!

Amber Morgan: On my vision board actually for 2023 was to be on a podcast.

Mary Killelea: I'm so happy I could help fulfill that.

Amber Morgan: So I'm excited about that, but really having your goals in front of you every single day and then breaking them down, like, what does that look like on a monthly, weekly, what smaller things? So there's a tool it's called The One Three Five where it's your one big goal and then your three actions that are going to get you to your one big goal. And then underneath each of those three, what are five small things that you can do to move closer to that one, that those three that are going to get you closer to the one. I use a lot of different tools to kind of track that stuff, but yeah, goal setting and celebrate every little win, every single one.

Mary Killelea: That's awesome. So what surprised you most about the role?

Amber Morgan: Yeah, I think what surprised me most was how long it took to get established because nobody tells you that most companies are like, sure, come work with us, right? They want the numbers and all of that. And nobody has real conversations about what you're going to expect, which so I've tried really hard to change that with me. So every person I have a conversation with, I'm like, hey, here's the real deal. Because that was a surprise. You have to get people, like I said earlier, to know you, love you and trust you. That is the biggest part of this because it's a service. It's a service career, but you're working with their largest asset, so you better take care of it. So you have to have a great deal of respect for them and their assets. You have to have, you know, care and be precise in your execution of all of the contracts. There's so many things. So I think I was surprised at how much it actually takes to develop that and create really strong systems that take excellent care of people.

Mary Killelea: Can you describe a typical day and some of the training that's required? Two different questions, but I'm going to shove them all in one.

Amber Morgan: Perfect. So yeah, every single day I show up at the office. I am here at eight o'clock. This is my job. I know that when early on in my career, I would stay home in my pajamas. I'm sitting on the couch waiting for something to kind of fall into my lap. But when I really got intentional and showed up, like this is my office, this is my career. I show up every single day at eight a.m. I go through my gratitudes and affirmations first thing in the morning. I've got my vision board in front of me. I go through all of my buyer and seller lists of people that are upcoming. Look through, say each one of their names. Is there anything that I need to do for any of them today? And so that's really how my day starts. And then that generates my to do list for the day. Who do I need to love on today? And then the afternoon is reserved typically for appointments and then spending time with my family.

Mary Killelea: I love how disciplined that is and motivating it is. What do you love most about your role?

Amber Morgan: So, my favorite part is working with first time home buyers who don't think they're ever going to be able to buy a house. Right. So, you sit down and meet with them and they're like, this may be an impossible feat and helping them establish that road map, connecting them with all of the right people to help get them to the next step. Sometimes that takes two years, but I'm not going anywhere. Right. So we're invested like this is this is our adventure and we're in it together. And then being able at the end to deliver them keys. I've cried at key delivery. It's pretty exciting. I've got a young family next week who's getting keys. They've got a baby due in a month.

Mary Killelea: Oh my gosh. Wow.

Amber Morgan: Yeah. So it's that's my favorite part. And we make it a party. Like we show up, we've got sparkling cider and little champagne flutes and gift basket. And we put the key in a in like a velvet red velvet ring box. So, it is a party when we have key delivery day. So that's my most favorite.
Mary Killelea: And I love that you honor it as something so sacred because no matter what price tag you're shopping in, it is such a big milestone for you as a buyer and as an individual or a couple. So I remember, yeah, my first home. It's a big, big deal.

Amber Morgan: It is. And my most of the time, you know, like our first time home buyers, they may be at a really difficult price point. You're going to work twice as hard for them. And it is going to feel so incredible to deliver keys to those folks. My favorite.

Mary Killelea: On the TV today, you've got the Million Dollar Listing, Selling Sunset. There's a lot more people exposed to the career choice. What do you think of those shows?

Amber Morgan: I mean, I have to be honest with you. I probably watched fewer than five episodes of any of them. I don't like the way that agents are portrayed in many of those cases. Oftentimes in like TV shows, they will be somebody who's untrustworthy or somebody who's only there for the money. And because that doesn't relate to me at all, it's kind of off putting for me. So, I tend to avoid those shows. So I actually, I don't know.

Mary Killelea: That's good. No. And I appreciate that. I think they don't speak to the get up at eight o'clock, be in the office, set the intention and watch the vision board and love on the client like you just stated earlier. So absolutely. If you were starting out again, would you do anything differently?

Amber Morgan: Yeah, I think when most brokerages have some sort of mentorship program, it often has a cost associated with it, right? Because you're partnering up with an experienced agent. But it can be a little daunting when you're brand new and you have this idea like you're going to finally get your first paycheck, but you have to split it with someone else. And so it's hard to give up that money before you've even made it when you're working really hard. And sometimes, you know, you're going nine months before you even get that check. I didn't see the value in having a mentor really early on. And I wish that I had.

Mary Killelea: So, you take the training and get your certification. And then do you like go shopping amongst all the different brokerage to say, this is who I want to apply with or what's that process like?

Amber Morgan: Every brokerage offers something different. So I encourage people to go out and talk to all of your local brokerages and you're interviewing them just as much as they're interviewing you. So don't just stop at the first place that says, hey, here, sign, sign this page. No, go talk to lots of people, because if they really want you to sign when you come back to them because they're the best fit for you, they're going to be ready for you to sign. So, talk to all of them and find what fits best for you.

Another thing that I think is really important is there's some brokerages that will teach different things like every brokerage has education. Right? And some of them will focus more on calling expired listings and cold calls and things like that. That's not for everyone. So if that's not something that that you want in your world, don't pick that brokerage. Right. Do your own due diligence. Talk to lots of people because you're going to find one that's a perfect fit for you or at least 80 percent.

Mary Killelea: So when you sign up with a brokerage that or broker, that doesn't mean like they do everything from marketing. I mean, and I know I'm generalizing right now, but you as an individual person trying to make the sales wins and deals and all that still have to own the get up in the morning and do the marketing and the hustle of building your list. Right?

Amber Morgan: Correct. Yeah. So, the brokerage typically there, everybody in Oregon has to be signed up underneath a managing principal broker when they first start. Your managing principal broker is responsible for reviewing your paperwork. They typically will do educational classes, things like that. But ultimately, like success rises and falls on you. Like you have to get up in the morning and there's no leads that are going to fall in your lap. Most brokerages don't have leads that they just give to you. Your success is going to rise and fall with you. So, my advice is show up early, call your people, talk to your people, talk to all of the agents in your office. Right? Because in most offices, people will invite you in and show you what they do and talk to you, and talk to you, let you follow them. I am a huge fan of inviting new agents to come in, like come sit with me while I do a consult with a new buyer. Come with me when I show houses, I'm going to show you what I do. Here are the things that I've learned over the years that are great safety pieces of advice, things that took me 10, 12, 14 years to learn. There's no reason that it should take them 10, 12, 14 years to learn those. Right. So talk to other agents in your office, ask them questions, ask them some of the questions you're asking me. Like what do you wish you knew when you first got started?

Mary Killelea: Right. And so that touches back on what you wish you would have done maybe earlier and that's embrace or reach out for a mentor. So, who did you have mentor and how. We're kind of talking about it right now, reach out and talk to people and ask them for their advice. People love talking and helping other people. And I think some people feel so, oh, I can't be intrusive. Oh, I don't want to bother them. Right. But what's your tips for getting a mentor?

Amber Morgan: So well, a couple of things. One, if you are out there listening and you've never helped mentor anybody before, we all grow more when we help other people grow. So, you are going to get as much out of it as they are going to get out of it. So do it, do it, do it, do it. As far as like finding a mentor, there's lots of different systems. Some brokerages have like a mentorship program, so they may have one person who is their primary mentor and you go sign up with them and they hold you accountable. So, they're still not doing anything for you, but they're meeting with you, holding you accountable, teaching you the things. Sometimes your mentor is just being in the office where other people are actively working and you can learn a lot by osmosis. Right. So there's a lot of different ways that you can learn and then you can hire coaches to mentor you.

So, three years ago, I hired a coach for the first time and she's been really paramount into my last couple of years of success. A big thing that I struggled with that I didn't even know I struggled with was imposter syndrome first off. And you know, I'm like, at some point people are going to figure out I'm not as great as, as they think I am. Right. Like that's coming at some point, somebody's going to figure it out. And then the other one that really, she made me dig deep on this last year, which was life-changing for me was unintended affirmations. So, you have your affirmations where you're like, I want to be a better person, whatever your affirmation is that you tell yourself every morning, but we have these unintended affirmations that might be ingrained from our childhood. My mom used to say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. I never really gave it much thought until this last year, when I started being recognized for some of my achievements and my coach actually, she finally had to drill down because she said, what is going on? Because every time you are recognized or every time there's something that's coming up, you start moving backward. And so, she really had to dig in. And it came back to my childhood and we had kind of this epiphany where she said, write a letter, thank that girl for all of those things, burn the letter, release it.

And then kind of in that process, I had a conversation with my mom and I kind of shared with her what I was going through. And I said, I've been really struggling with this. The bigger you are, the harder they are, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. And she said, Oh, you know, I don't believe that anymore. And she said, and I certainly don't believe it about you. And I thought, you never told me not to believe that anymore. And so, for I've been out working for 30 years and I've been carrying that with me since who knows when and it's lived in the back of my mind. And it was an unintended affirmation that I told myself all the time, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. And at some point people are going to figure out I'm not as great as they think I am. So she was really, yeah, she was key. So, hiring a coach or mentor, incredible.

Mary Killelea: That just gave me chills. I too have heard that and I too have a fear of success for whatever reason, which I’m constantly trying to work through that, but wow, that's amazing and such good advice. Thank you for being so vulnerable and open with that, because I think that's why people tune in. Let's shift gears here and talk about you being a full combat volunteer firefighter, which I think is so cool. And you were just on the magazine cover. Um, okay. When did you get started? What, what does it mean? What do you do? Help me.

Amber Morgan: Okay. Well, first off, I have to tell a story because that's how I am. My husband, Jeremy, he and I were at the lake. We were having a family outing. He's been a volunteer firefighter for 10 years longer than I have. So, his pager went off and the call was there at the lake. So we went straight there because we would have had to pass by them to go to the fire station. We stopped at the scene and we were there. We stopped at the scene and I felt completely helpless. He has medical training. He has the ability. We were the first on scene. I honestly had no idea what to do. So the patient was a little girl and I sat down in the trunk of the car with her mom and her, and I just started singing twinkle, twinkle little star. Cause I mean, that's what am I, what am I equipped to do? I can sing twinkle, twinkle little star to her. So, I trying to calm her down by some strange twist of fate, universe, kismet, God, whatever you want to believe. This mom showed up in my driveway two weeks later. I might cry. Two weeks later, she showed up in my driveway under the most bizarre circumstances. I never ordered pizza. I ordered pizza. I sent the kids down to sign the receipt. She asked for a tip. She apologized for asking for a tip. So, I came out and it was the mom of the little girl.

Mary Killelea: Oh my gosh.

Amber Morgan: So we recognized one another and she said, you were an angel to me that day. And she said, I sang that song all the way to the hospital and until they took her in for surgery, I just sang her that song. So that is really my why behind doing that. I, I needed to be able to do something more.

Mary Killelea: That is so moving. So as a volunteer firefighter, what are some of the activities that you do or have been trained to do?

Amber Morgan: Okay. Interior fire attack, exterior fire suppression, cutting roof vents in roofs, like how to put a roof ladder up on a roof and get up there and use a chainsaw to cut event. Extrication for automobile accidents, medical, just general medical calls, which could be anything from an animal bite to a stroke. So, it really runs the gamut. And I’ve been on all of those calls that I've named. Yeah.

Mary Killelea: Tell us about the women's fire up boot camp.

Amber Morgan: So the women's fire up boot camp is amazing. It was started actually by Gal, she was a firefighter here in our local area. And she started this program because there are so few women in the fire service. And I think a big part of that is women are afraid, like it's, it's a male dominated field, right? And so, when you have a male dominated field, you don't have many people to look up to or somebody who's in that role. And it's hard to picture yourself in that role. So they designed this weekend boot camp to bring women in and you go through and do some of the activities, like here's how you pull hose and here's actually doing extrication and breaking a door down, and cutting those roof vents that I was talking about. So, you get the opportunity to be led by women, surrounded by women, to get hands on experience with some of these things you might encounter. Some of the people that have gone through the fire up boot camp now are full-time career firefighters. Some of them are volunteer, and then some of them are no longer involved in the fire service at all, but it's pretty amazing.

Mary Killelea: So that's awesome. So you don't need to be a already hired fire person in order to participate in this boot camp.

Amber Morgan: Nope. It's just an opportunity to get in there and touch it, feel it, and, uh, and see, see what you think. I want to make sure that I include a link and more information to that because what an amazing opportunity there. What other recruiting and training programs are there?

Amber Morgan: So each department has really their own kind of recruiting system. I think nationwide there's 70% of firefighters are volunteer. And so your local fire station probably needs you. But go in and, and talk to someone. I have not run into one person in the fire service in the last three years that I've been involved on the combat side who has made me feel unwelcome. They're, they're like, come in, learn this, let's do it together. And so they want you. I think most fire departments will be extremely supportive.

Mary Killelea: Tell me how becoming a fire volunteer has enriched and helped you within your real estate career.

Amber Morgan: Yeah, I think they both really kind of at the core feed what I need. So they really enrich me and make me a better person, which then makes me better at all of the other things that I do. But most of the time, when you are showing up on a fire call or a motor vehicle accident, you are seeing somebody in their worst moment, and being able to slow down and take that time and that care and step them through every moment of that really makes you slow down, I think a little bit because, I mean, we really in life, you slow down to go fast, right? But I think that it's helped me slow down in those vulnerable moments and take the time to get somebody to that next step. So, I think it's really helped me there.

Mary Killelea: That's wonderful. What does to be bolder mean to you?

Amber Morgan: To be bolder to me means facing your fears, finding your ceiling and breaking through that hardest time. Like when you, when you feel like you've reached your ceiling, it hurts and it is painful to grow, but you have to be bold, power through. So being bolder to me is face your fears, power through, and you don't have to do it alone to be bold, right? We, none of us accomplish everything by being alone. So, lean on people.

Mary Killelea: Great, great advice. And I find that as a common theme, a lot of women have a hard time asking for help. And to me, it's one of your biggest strengths at times. I can't tell you, this has been so fun and such a pleasure is before we close it up, is there anything else that you want to tell the listeners either about the real estate career or, uh, firefighting? Cause I think it's such a rich dichotomy of what you do to make your life full. And I think that's awesome.

Amber Morgan: I am an open book. So I'm happy if you look up my name, you'll find me on social media, reach out to me. I'm happy to talk to you. If you're considering a career in either firefighting or in real estate, I'm an open book. I will help anybody get to any goal they want. If I'm not the appropriate person for you to speak to, I will find you that person. So follow your dreams. Don't be afraid. With fire service, I think one of the things that holds a lot of women back is that because they think that you have to have this like brute physical strength, it's not really about strength. It's about technique. And so finding a way that your body can achieve the same thing that somebody who might be a foot taller than you, you're doing the same exact thing, but it, it works, it operates differently with different bodies. So don't be afraid. Face your fears.

Mary Killelea: Thank you so much. I love it. Thank you for being here.

Amber Morgan: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.

Mary Killelea: Thanks for listening to the episode today. It was really fun chatting with my guests. If you liked our show, please like it and share it with your friends. If you want to learn what we're up to, please go check out our website at 2bbolder.com. That's the number two little bbolder.com.