Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Tee.
Hi Ray, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The honor is truly mine. Thank you for taking the time to interview me! Long story short, my backstory takes us to the East Coast and all the way across the pond to Europe. I am actually born and raised in Northern Europe. Before I became a Real Estate Agent here in Los Angeles, I lived in New York City where I worked in Film and Television physical production (i.e. on set). In overall, it was an absolutely awesome time as I had a chance to work with some major networks and big stars on big budget shows – things that as a child growing up in a relatively poor small town in the other side of the world I would never even have dreamt of. So accomplishing that goal is definitely something I will always look back at with gratitude in my heart. But all in all, I just knew it I wanted to build my own business and to continue growing as a human. It had always been between film school and business school for me and I decided – this time around I am going to pursue business. Real Estate seemed like a logical choice – my dad owns his own construction company that remodels high-end homes in Finland and I have always had a knack for visual aesthetics. I enjoy the creativeness of translating the essence of a space into digital visuals. I do a lot of my own filming and editing work for my client’s properties. It’s a process that does not only give me marketing materials, but it also gives me deeper dive into the possible thought processes the potential buyers may have when they look at a property. I am all about the aesthetics and visuals and utilizing the contemporary digital media and the data it provides for any of my marketing pitches. Every Real Estate Agent has their own ways of doing things but this is what I enjoy as a process.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This makes me smile – if only it was easy! It has definitely been tough and it has taken a lot of grit and strong will to preserve under pressure but that is what life is – overcoming adversaries. I have had countless challenges that I have had to figure out. One that comes to mind off the top of my head is transforming my mindset from a thinker that is looking for perfection to an action taker. I would often naturally want to postpone taking action as I would not be sure if I am 100% ready and that would hinder my level of execution massively. I had to completely re-train my default mindset in that area from waiting to get everything perfect to just getting up and getting after it. Sometimes making a decision – even a wrong one – is better than standing still in indecisiveness. It took me some trial and error to learn that any challenge no matter what kind it is – can be overcome with changing your mindset. The way you think is absolutely everything. There’s a book by James Allen called “As A Man Thinketh” that is an exceptional summary of how our inner monologue affects our actions and I highly recommend for everyone to read it. It is quite short so even those that are not so fond of typed text should be able to enjoy it. It hammers in the importance of how the way we think literally molds our paths.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a licensed Real Estate Agent (Lic. 02167609) in the State of California and I service Los Angeles and Orange County. I have an extensive background in media and digital marketing. I do a lot of filming and editing for my clients due to my background in professional Film and Television production. I specialize in creating compelling visual stories in modern media. I mostly do residential real estate. You can definitely find me in Manhattan Beach, Sunset Beach, Redondo, Bel Air, Hermosa, Long Beach, Beverly Hills, Seal Beach etc. I do service all of Los Angeles not only these cities, but those are some of my favorite neighborhoods – we all have them, but in the end of the day – I will always go where my clients need me.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I could talk about this all day because I get very passionate about giving other humans my two Euro cents. I love supporting human beings in pushing through their mental challenges and doing something they thought they can’t. It makes me happy to watch people blossom. You can always check me out on my Instagram (@theraytee) where I post more on these subjects. But for the sake of this article – I will TRY to keep it short and sweet. Here’s my advice for you if you are just starting out: whatever you are starting out with – whether it is real estate or anything else – the logic of it will remain the same. You have a huge learning curve ahead of you and you will be making a million mistakes along the way. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Set your ego aside. Do one simple thing at a time, one step after another – continuously and consistently small steps until you can handle more. For instance, if you are in real estate – you do not have to cold call 400 people, door-knock 1000 homes and post 17 reels all in one day. If your back end (knowledge and operational) can’t support that activity yet – that’s okay. Just start by calling 10 of your friends and figure out by taking small steps what you need to support a larger activity. Build one brick at a time. Consistently. Consistency is the key to anything you want to do successfully in life. When things get tough (and tough they’ll get) – you have to have grit, strong will, perseverance and most of all – self-discipline. The latter will fight for you when nothing else will. So get up and get after it and fight for yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.teegrouprealty.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theraytee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theraytee/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theraytee
Image Credits
Headshot photo by Stacey Adams.
