"The Next Episode."

The Next Episode, indeed. 

Leaving The Address was one of the hardest decisions of my life – almost as hard as selling the company in the first place, three and a half years ago. 

One of the questions I’ve been asked again and again – both before announcing that I was leaving the company and since – was why would I leave something that I had started myself.

Sometimes an image can convey an idea in a way that words cannot. I could feel my reasons and see them in my head, but I’m no artist so I couldn’t communicate my feelings visually. That’s why I decided to work with an award-winning cartoonist to show how I felt. The result is this drawing, titled “The Next Episode.”

Leaving The Address wasn’t just the next episode for me. It was the next episode for The Address. Envisioning and founding a company is a different exercise from growing that company to reach its potential. It requires different strengths and different skills. Leaving was by no means easy, but knowing that the company is in the hands of someone who is going to help grow it makes it a little bit easier.

Knowing that there is a team of people in place who care so much about the company and the vision, and knowing that they have the desire to nurture and help it grow, gives me great peace of mind as I move forward. This little tree in the forest of brokerages isn’t a sapling anymore; it’s a full-grown tree. I leave knowing that the group that is in place has grown stronger as an organization and ownership team, and that they want nothing more than to see The Address thrive.

So much of life isn’t black and white, it’s shades of gray…….. 

Walking away is hard. Knowing whether you’ve made the right decision – for your family, your health, your personal life, and your work family – is difficult. 

Was selling the company the right decision in 2018? I don’t think I will ever really know the answer. There will always be regret, but I truly believe that it was God‘s plan. The silver lining for me will be seeing the company that I started grow from one of the top 750 brokerages in the United States in 2020 to Top 500 in the near future with the new leadership in place.

Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to build the relationships and friendships I have at The Address. It has been the experience of a lifetime, and it’s only the beginning – for all of us.