Megan Strzala

I would attribute my success to my kids. I want them to see how hard both my husband and I have worked to be able to show that hard work does pay off and nothing comes easy in life. I feel like their generation gets everything handed to them, and I want them to see that you have to work hard and it does pay off. It's not something where you're going to slide by the skin of your teeth and everything's going to come to you. You're never going to get handed a position, you're never going to get handed money, you're never going to get handed anything. They're going to see that mom is by her computer working, mom is always doing this, dad is always working. We will take time and have our time with our families, but during the day, this is what we do, and we always are working, and this is how we make our money. That's why I want them to see all the hard work that we're doing, because I want them to be able to know that this is what you have to do. And it doesn't matter what career path they go in, I want them to know that they have to work hard.

Always let yourself be new and never be afraid to ask questions. No question is dumb in any way, and you should never feel like you're asking too many questions, because you never know what you don't know. If you don't ask the question, you're never going to know the answer. Transitioning into this position, I've asked probably more questions than I've ever asked in my lifetime, but I've gained so much knowledge from asking those questions. I haven't been afraid to be new, and I feel like that's helped me propel to where I am today. A lot of people hold back on trying to be afraid of being new because they don't want to be vulnerable in that sense, but that vulnerability helps people to succeed. When you don't ask the question, that's when something happens and you're like, I should have asked that question. That's when someone will look at you unfavorably, but if you ask the question, you'll never have that problem.

Never stop trying to go for the next opportunity and always keep looking. Don't be afraid to ask questions, don't be afraid to be new, don't be afraid to shadow, and don't be afraid to ask the person above you what they think of their position. Don't be afraid to keep exploring and keep your eyes open, because you never know what opportunity is around the corner. I learned that after this whole opportunity sat on a desk for a year, so learn from my mistakes. Don't ever feel like you're stopped or that you're in one position and that's all you're ever going to have. If you're in a job that you love, keep looking for the next opportunity in that job. Keep looking for the way to keep moving forward in that position. No one should ever feel trapped or like there's no way out.

The challenges are trying to succeed when you've been told no, or trying to pivot in your career. Mortgages is tough in regards to being able to pivot because they try to put you in a cookie cutter. If you don't fit that cookie cutter when trying to transition into something different, you're going to get an automatic no. So it's very hard to transition into those paths, and you have to be the chameleon and adjust quickly and on the fly. When you have that opportunity presented to you, you have to jump on it quickly, so you have to make sure the timing's correct and the stars align quickly for you to be able to make that transition. A lot of job postings in mortgages want someone with 20 years of experience, but you have to be the chameleon and structure everything correctly to get that experience in there. When this opportunity presented itself with Reman, I jumped quickly because it was the moment where they were looking at everything that I have, as opposed to something I don't have. As for opportunities, we can move up to management roles, regional roles, or director roles. There are different paths we can go into, and it's just a matter of which path you want to take and whether you want to stay in sales. I love that the opportunities are endless in this position, especially with Reman. We're always growing and trying to find different niches, and if there's not that niche yet, they're looking to create it. Even with different ideas I've presented, nothing's been shot down - they've always explored it. For being here less than a year, I feel like I have a voice and my opinions matter. Even if it's not in a management role, I can lead the charge on a project that I think would be beneficial for the company.

Integrity and honesty are the most important values to me. If you don't have those two things, you're never going to succeed, especially in this business. If you don't have honesty and integrity, you're not going to get far. I would never poach an account that's someone else's, and I will turn around and say, this is your account. I wouldn't want someone to poach anything of mine, my family's, or anything along those lines. It's do unto others as you want done unto you, and I feel like that comes back to you in spades. If you don't have that as your personal trait, that's going to impede any growth you have personally or professionally.