Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Hickman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Founded in 1976, Seven Gables Real Estate was established to provide a culture for its associates to work and thrive within at an extreme level of competence, care and innovation for the benefit of its customers. We believe deeply that our collective belief in the established values that adorn the walls not only guide us, but provide us with a constant reminder of our “why”, not just how we do our job nor what we do. Most recently, Seven Gables Real Estate has been awarded with Orange County’s Top Workplace for two consecutive years for mid-size companies. (Less than 500 associates) Our vision of “Helping Our People Maximize Their Potential” is embedded in every aspect of the company.
Our Core Values are proudly posted on the walls throughout our offices and together with our passionate belief that happiness creates success, rather than success creating happiness, has produces a strong and vibrant culture that definitely connects the founding principles to the present day values.
Seven Gables Real Estate is a member of Leading Real Estate of the World. Membership spans 550 companies from around the world, from 62 countries. Proudly, Seven Gables was awarded with the distinct honor of Most Innovative Brokerage, 2016. Considering the context of the award that included some of the most well-known companies in the world, Seven Gables is truly grateful for such recognition and the award was accepted on behalf of the exceptional team of Associates and the clients we feel privileged to represent.
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?
Not at all. The many cycles in real estate and business have certainly presented obstacles. For 41 years, operating as an independent company in the real estate profession has presented challenges from much larger, nationwide firms and franchises.
In each, being nimble, innovative and creative has assisted us with overcoming the challenges. Most of all, a willing and trusting team of associates has led to the successful overcoming of the challenges presented.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Culture, culture, culture. We specialize in innovative approaches to supporting our associates and extending our brand promise through our associates to the consumer.
We are small in proportion to many regional or national firms, but our associates outperform the competition in our primary markets, in many cases, by as much as a 2-1 margin. We are a luxury boutique firm that places the value of an experience for our clients before anything. The careful, well planned marketing, advertising and promotion of our properties has been emulated by our competition for years.
I am most proud of our associates for allowing us to guide, lead and encourage them.
We take it very seriously when associate affiliates with our firm and trusts their career to us. This is monumental and they soon realize they are not just a number or they are not being monetized.
There is a genuine concern for their wellbeing -both professionally and personally. In the end, I am most proud of how we have served the clients who have trusted our associates and for who we are as people, not what we have produced as real estate professionals.
What were you like growing up?
Introverted, deeply passionate about athletics and academics in general. Fast forward to college where I was fortunate enough to be influenced by a baseball coach named Gary Adams. “Coach” was my coach and mentor for my initial two years of four playing college baseball. During those two years, we won two national championships and the relationships that begun many years ago still exist today. Coach left our program and rekindled a poor program at UCLA, all the while sharing an office with John Wooden.
Coach had returned to his alma mater where he later was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. Many of us can pinpoint a person who truly influenced us with their values, their mindset, their skillset and set of actions necessary to be successful.
Coach was and remains that person today for a huge number of men across the United States. His influence (unknowingly) set many of his players on a course of success and of course, the influence of John Wooden was very significant. I had other interests including travel, law and curiosity of culture and creativity.
Today, the mangers of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks are both former players for Coach. And Chase Utley of the Dodgers is his former player. Just sayin…………………
Contact Info:
- Address: 12651 Newport Avenue
- Website: www.sevengables.com
- Phone: 7143974041
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: sevengablesrealestate
- Facebook: @sevengablesrealestate
- Twitter: @7GRealestate
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