Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Cohn.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Cynthia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I knew from eight years old that I wanted to be an entrepreneur when I grew up. At that young age, and over the years into young adulthood, I had no idea what type business I’d pursue, but that didn’t stop me from dreaming. I always thought the idea would organically emerge, but I became impatient, and wrote business plans for my best ideas, read any book I could about starting your own business, conducted dozens of informational interviews with various business owners, and even accepted positions in the hotel and healthcare industries in hopes that I would gain the experience that would one day help me open my own company. Even after graduating from college with a Psychology degree, and then accumulating a decade of corporate sales & marketing experience, I continued searching for the perfect business idea. I was always hoping for that lightbulb moment, but it never appeared.
It wasn’t until I had my first child that I felt ready to leave the security of my corporate career and focus on my family and make my dream of owning my own company a reality. In all honesty, when I look back on those early years of motherhood, I chose real estate because I thought it would be the perfect way for me to be a stay-at-home mom AND work part-time. My initial real estate business idea was to purchase and manage multi-unit properties, a way to build my family’s financial future. So, I obtained my CA Real Estate Salesperson license in 2001 and soon after, conducted informational interviews with all of the top area brokerages. At the time I wasn’t able to find anyone who specialized in investing, so I accepted a job as a buyer’s agent with a local residential real estate team in hopes to gain the experience I needed to one day practice real estate on my own. That’s where my love for residential real estate bloomed.
Those early days in my real estate career were extremely difficult. Balancing motherhood, my many other rolls in life, along with a stressful job seemed at times, almost impossible. I underestimated the length of time it would take me to learn how to successfully protect clients and build my own sphere of influence – key ingredients in residential real estate sales. I underestimated the number of people I would need to talk with daily to actually reach my goals – meaning that most years I missed my financial goals completely and sometimes had to dip into my family savings to pay the bills. I underestimated the amount of competition and the number of times I would be rejected – taking me years to learn how to bounce back quickly from disappointment. Sprinkle in a recession, the loss of my parents, a partnership break-up, a divorce…you get the point – there have been many setbacks and good reasons to quit.
But, I didn’t. Quitting just never seemed to be an option. For me, through even the dark times, every morning I woke up allowed me to reset and try again. I wrote in my journal and counted my blessings daily, focused on my mindset, listened to my self-talk and corrected it whenever possible, deepened existing relationships that lifted me up, let go of toxic relationships that no longer served me, stopped comparing myself to others, went through therapy, read hundreds of inspirational books, exercised daily, enjoyed personal interested such as billiards and cycling, and created as many opportunities for fun as I could find.
I suppose that the real success lies in what I have uncovered and learned about myself in most recent years. I have realized and gained a true understanding of my own unique gifts and thus have fallen in love with myself and with life. I believe that my business is my calling and that it has always been a platform that has allowed me to practice my own personal values within a space where I can grow into the best version of myself. Which is exactly what I have accomplished in my 18 year real estate career.
I am proud to be one of the few women-owned brokerages in the state of California. Helping families buy and sell homes is sacred work and not a moment goes by that I don’t count my blessings that I have been given the gift to pursue my calling and for the opportunity to protect, care for, and create maximum results for all of my clients.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My entrepreneurial journey has been full of challenges and moments of wanting to give up. Initially, since I was new to Pasadena and only knew a few people, the biggest challenge was growing my sphere of influence while balancing my personal responsibilities as a wife and mother. In addition, I was working in a field that was very easy to penetrate but very difficult to master since the only way to become competent in the real estate business is through experience, and lots of it. The recession was especially difficult, so much so that I blew through my inheritance and seriously considered quitting real estate altogether in hopes to find a “stable” job. But through perseverance, I started to see the light again and, thankfully 2011 brought back stability which in turn increased my confidence and helped me reach a few of the goals I had set for myself. Luckily, the market improved and I began to experience growth again, hired a business coach to support me in the areas I felt were my weaknesses, and my real estate business improved. No sooner did I experience what I thought was success, my personal life crumbled and I found myself smack in the middle of a divorce. Those times were the darkest for me. My husband had also become my business partner, so along with the divorce came the dissolution of a partnership and the sale of the family home. Three major life events strung together within just a few years was almost too much to handle.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Cynthia Cohn & Associates, Inc. – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
To me, the houses I sell represent more than just another real estate transaction. A family home represents the savings, sacrifice, and dreams that buyers and sellers have entrusted to me. I take this responsibility seriously and have done so for almost two decades.
I am the only woman-owned RE Brokerage in LA County, representing residential sales with an emphasis on advocating for Executors & Trustees. At Cynthia Cohn & Associates, Inc., my firm provides families world-class protection, care, and results when they need and deserve it most.
My Promise: Maximum results.
I have proven systems and strategies that provide my clients with the greatest return in the shortest amount of time. This includes being proactive and sometimes aggressive to get my clients what they want, need, and deserve. It also involves having a dedicated team of area professionals who I can call upon anytime, be it a financial planner or a much-needed plumber.
I make it a personal commitment to display compassion with every family I work with and I support my clients every step of the way, handling the entire pre-sale preparation of their property and supporting their real estate needs long after escrow closes.
If you or someone you care about is looking for a professional and personable real estate agent who will protect, care for, and maximize the return on their home successfully, please give me a call. I would be grateful to have the opportunity to discuss the individual situation, learn more about the goals, and craft a plan that supports you and your family best.
My Promises to You
You can trust me to protect you and your family.
I will set realistic expectations.
I will communicate with you often.
I will manage the entire pre-sale process for you.
My network will take care of you, too.
I will negotiate hard for you.
I will get the best price for your home.
I will get your home sold quickly.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am excited about 2020 and the years that follow! I’m currently looking to hire a buyer’s agent so that I am able to take care of and protect more families the way I believe they deserve to be! I will continue setting the gold standard in this industry through consumer education, providing world-class service, and implementing systems that focus on protecting my clients and providing them the results they deserve.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cynthiacohn.com
- Phone: 626-714-6808
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Kaela Comontofski
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