Renee Birnett

I think the most pivotal moment in my career was that very early on, I set my sights on really wanting to be in a C-level position, and I gave myself a timeline of that mark by the time I'm a certain age, and I achieved it. To me, you know, to other people that may not seem like a lot, but to a girl who came from a small town and really worked her way up and worked hard to be where she is, that was a huge achievement for me. I came from a very small farm town in Florida, grew up there, and moved out when I was 17 to go to college. I am very independent. My mom will say, you're always the one that I knew I didn't have to worry about. I always just took on a lot of responsibility, and I pushed my way through college, got married, and had children early, in my late 20s. My biggest achievement was pushing myself and paying for my own college. I did not come from a family where that was something that was easy for any of us, but I persevered through and then pushed myself into my career. I learned a lot of things by doing things on my own, and those achievements, learning by doing, are so very important to me, because you understand the value of what it means to be in a role. One of my mentors told me that tenacity is the best trait that you could ever have, and to never give up on it.

The best career advice I ever received was from Bruce Fable, who was the president of our company and a huge mentor to me. He told me that tenacity is the best trait that you could ever have, Renee, and to never give up on it. That advice has stayed with me throughout my career.

If I was giving advice, I would say persistence is the biggest thing. Never give up on your goals, because sometimes hearing a no is okay. Just remember to always push to achieve your own goals. Don't lose sight of the visibility of where you want to go, and just go for it. I also think it's important to start in sales or learn from the ground up, because when you're coaching someone, no matter if it is personal coaching or hands-on coaching and mentoring at work, if you've been in that position, it's much easier and people respect you. I manage with boots on the ground consistently, and I feel like it doesn't matter what position you're ever in in life, you need to help your team. If the phone is ringing at the front desk and I walk by, I'm gonna answer it. That just shows your character and integrity at the end of the day.

Right now, we're working on building locations, and it's a lot of work. We just opened up our third location and are getting ready to look at four locations in other states. You forget how much work it takes to build a location from ground zero. One of the buildings was brand new, so you go through a lot of painstaking things. It's a lot of nights, a lot of weekends, a lot of time, a lot of dedication, but it's worth it at the end of the day. We're looking to branch out, with our fourth location up in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens area, and then looking to branch out into some different states after that as well.

Character and integrity are most important to me at the end of the day. I believe in jumping in and helping your team no matter what position you're in. If you walk by and see something that needs to be done, whether it's straightening the bathroom up, replacing toilet paper and paper towels, or answering the phone at the front desk, you do it because this is your brand. I manage with boots on the ground consistently. I also value independence and taking on responsibility. My mom always said I was the one she knew she didn't have to worry about, and I take that to heart. I believe in learning by doing, because when you've been in that position yourself, you understand the value of what it means to be in a role, and people respect you. It makes coaching and mentoring so much more meaningful.