Author Archives: Desiree Patno

sheCENTER(FOLD) Tami Bonnell

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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21 Dec

CEO of EXIT Realty Corp. International

Tami Bonnell

Tami Bonnell is the embodiment of leading by example. Always recognizing the value in people and staying true to her word, she has crafted a 30-year career and made it her mission to help as many people succeed as possible. In this conversation with NAWRB, Bonnell relates corporate leadership lessons alongside parenting tips and provides a look at the life of one of the most important women in real estate.

NAWRB: Who has inspired you most throughout your life?

Tami Bonnell: The first person is my mother. She died very young, in her forties. I’m one of six kids and the number one thing that she said to all of us is, “Never say, ‘I wish I had.’” You get to a certain point in your life, and if you haven’t experienced things that you really wanted to that are on your bucket list, you may reach a point when you can’t. My dad always said, “Your standard is the lowest level you’re willing to accept.” I always thought that was such a smart line because if you didn’t give your best today, whatever you gave the worst of was your best. That’s the reflection of you. Anytime he said it I’d go in and inspire people.
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Jumpstarting Your Career & Business in the Housing Ecosystem

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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10 Oct

As a professional in the housing ecosystem, it is crucial to think outside the box and utilize the resources at your disposal to grow and advance your business and career. Analyzing your market, familiarizing yourself with the competition and crafting a superior business plan are great first steps, but pioneering decisions are what will make or break you in the market.

Adapting to the changing times, leveraging your differences, preparing for the future of the market and surrounding yourself with people invested in your success will help you seize opportunities for advancement.

Balancing New School and Old School
If you consider your favorite products, are they the “best” or the most inexpensive choices on the market? Or, have you developed a relationship with a particular brand that you buy because it has done right by you? Similar to your preferred items, your business can become the go-to for customers.
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sheCenter(fold) – Danielle DiMartino Booth

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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26 Jun

Founder & President of Money Strong, LLC, and author of Fed Up: An Insider’s Take on Why The Federal Reserve is Bad for America

Danielle DiMartino Booth

Danielle DiMartino Booth exemplifies the passion and unique perspective powerful women bring to the table. Chronicling life milestones—such as having college dreams pulled out from under her at the last minute and the process of writing her pioneering book on the Federal Reserve—the mother of four shares sage guidance with women and consumers, providing abundant food for thought about the future of our industry and country.

Interview by Desirée Patno

NAWRB: You have attended the University of Texas at San Antonio and at Austin and Columbia University in New York. Which of these educational institutions and/or cities do you hold most dear?

Danielle DiMartino Booth: San Antonio College. I was accepted into the scholar’s program at New York University; I was one of 15 individuals who were admitted to their journalism program who was then admitted to their really elite group of high school seniors in America. We were to go to one different country every year as part of the program; Russia would have been that first year.

They were going to pay for half of my education in New York; this was my life dream come true. As soon as I received my acceptance letter my father informed me that he hadn’t been paying his taxes for several years and that I wasn’t going to any university, my parents were going to be getting a divorce and I might want to consider community college.

It was one of those formative moments in my life and I was forced to go off to community college. I was working probably 80 hours a week at the time, even as a high school senior, to make my way and help my mom. I entered community college as bitter as you can imagine.

I emerged two years later with the ability to start at the University of Texas at San Antonio with a great degree of respect for kids who have nothing and are forced to start in community colleges and keep going. That’s where I started and I kept going.
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NWBC Entrepreneurial Ecosystems & Their Service of Women Entrepreneurs

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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15 Jun

Women entrepreneurs are on the rise, and they are leaving their footprint on the nation’s economy. In 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau reported an estimated 9.9 million women-owned firms, 35.8 percent of all U.S. firms classifiable by gender, and the total estimated receipts from those firms was $1.4 trillion.

Nevertheless, women-owned businesses are still an underrepresented segment in the economy and require support for their continued growth. The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) is providing insight on how federal and regional stakeholders can help.

In April of this year, the NWBC released Entrepreneurial Ecosystems & Their Service of Women Entrepreneurs, a research report conducted with Washington CORE, which analyzes local entrepreneurial systems to identify influential actors and mechanisms that aid, or present a barrier to, the support and growth of women-owned businesses.

The report utilizes the “entrepreneurship ecosystem” model, which Washington CORE defines as “a set of interconnected entrepreneurial actors, entrepreneurial organizations, institutions and entrepreneurial processes which formally and informally coalesce to connect, mediate and govern the performance within the local entrepreneurial environment.”

This approach, the report explains, “emphasizes the importance of the overall environment within which an
entrepreneur establishes and grows her business,” helping us understand the resources she can leverage, as well as gaps within the economy that may hinder her.
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Raising Your Bottom Line: Capitalizing On Your Business Classification-Women-Owned

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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15 Jun

In today’s competitive business arena, a minute detail or decision can mean the difference between long-term success and immediate failure. In the real estate industry, where networking and connections play such a significant role in business performance, what you and your business connote is particularly vital.

As a professional in this highly competitive marketplace, not utilizing the business classifications at your disposal is an oversight. A strategy as old as the industry itself is tailoring to your community. You must play to your strengths, and increasing your business’s appeal to a particular market including potential homebuyers is essential. For women business owners, the utilization of women-owned business classification is vital.

According to 2014 Census Bureau data, there are currently 18,057,000 female homeowners in the United States. As women make advancements in their careers and their wages grow in parity to those of men, women’s homeownership will continue to grow. With this extended buying power, we are seeing the emergence of more women homeowners and a specialized niche for real estate professionals. This growing market is evidenced in the fact that 10 million American women homeowners live alone.
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Who is the Most Influential Woman in Your Life?

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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23 Mar

In honor of Women’s History Month, we went around NAWRB headquarters and asked some of our team who the most influential woman in their life is. From mothers to idols and peers, the NAWRB team provided some powerful responses about the incredible women in their lives.

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SheCenter(FOLD): Marcia Davies

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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07 Feb

NAWRB: What is your favorite characteristic of Washington, D.C.? What sets the nation’s capital apart from other cities in which you’ve lived?

Marcia Davies: Washington is a beautiful city, with all of its historic landmarks and rich culture. We who live there sometimes don’t stop and really appreciate when we see a monument or the cherry blossoms in bloom, that it is unique and beautiful.

I think what really separates it is you definitely feel the political energy when you work in Washington. Sometimes it’s subtle and other times, like most recently with the inauguration, you feel it in everything, whether it’s your commute or how hard it is to get into a restaurant or make reservation. There is a real political vibe and energy. We know when Congress is in and when it’s going out. I really think that it makes it a dynamic place to live and work.

I have been privileged on several occasions to be in the White House, and not just see it during the holidays when the beautiful Christmas decorations are up. I’ve attended meetings in the Roosevelt Room and as I’m leaving I always stop before I get on the other side of the gate to take it in for a moment, thinking, “Wow, I was just in the White House.” Then in 10 minutes you’re back in your office. For a lot of people, that’s not a normal day. I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve been able to do that on more than one occasion.

I can honestly say that when I was growing up I never thought I would be in a meeting, let alone more than one meeting, in the White House. And it happened.
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sheCenterfold Rebecca Steele

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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23 Dec

CEO and President of Sigma Associates, LLC

Rebecca Steele

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Rebecca Steele, an incredible courageous woman and mother, reveals her valuable lessons as a senior

executive woman leader. From playing junior Olympics basketball to her excitement in advancing women’s

inclusion, Steele shares her unique journey and what the future holds for her life and career.

NAWRB: What have been the proudest moments in your life, professionally and personally?

Rebecca Steele: Well, I have a lot of proud moments. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career, but mostly ups. My proudest moments are when I could build successful organizations and was given the opportunity to lead, motivate and execute. A perfect example was the challenge to build, grow and integrate Countrywide and Bank of America’s retail sales platforms. That was huge!

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Laurie A. Maggiano

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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14 Nov

Screen shot 2015-08-18 at 1_24_19 PMServicing and Secondary Markets Program Manager

Office of Research, Markets & Regulations

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Laurie A. Maggiano

 

From being a theater major in college to becoming the Program Manager for Servicing and Secondary Markets at the CFPB, she details her illustrious professional journey and expounds on her personal life and the ideologies that have helped her rise to where she is today.

NAWRB: In 2011, the Five Star Institute recognized you with a Lifetime Achievement Award for your contributions to the mortgage industry, and in 2012 and 2013, HousingWire Magazine featured you as a Woman of Influence. Throughout your prolific career, is there a specific moment or project that is particularly special to you, that you are the most proud of?
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Barbara Corcoran

Posted on by Desiree Patno
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24 Jun

Real Estate Mogul and Business Consultant

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She took a bite out of the real estate world and turned her extensive knowledge into exhilarating  opportunities on the hit television show “Shark Tank.” As one of the most sought-after investors, she shares how women business owners can achieve success.

NAWRB: You’ve revealed your struggles with school and establishing your career as a young woman. What sparked your transformation into the powerful mogul you are today?

Barbara Corcoran: I don’t think there’s such thing as transformation. For me, it happened inch by inch. I had  many setbacks along the way that I got very good at moving forward. I wouldn’t call that a transformation but definitely moving forward, no matter what. I was like many of the entrepreneurs I work with now. We take a hit, but we keep popping back up. We don’t lay low in recovery. I learned how to get back up and move forward. Taking those hits can inspire people to achieve what they want.

NAWRB: At the beginning of your journey, you started your real estate business, The Corcoran Group, in 1973 with only $1,000 to invest in the company. What challenges do you see for women who want to start a business in our country’s current economy, and how can they overcome them?
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