Realtors at 50.

There we were, classic Gen X-ers at the cusp of turning half a century old, having just recently survived a global pandemic as restaurant owners, sandwiched between a teenager four years away from college, and a parent living with us in an attached apartment. I remember that day well - January 1st, 2021 when everyone was hopeful, even joyous about leaving 2020 behind us. We were consuming our morning caffeinated vices: me - coffee, Adam - Diet Mountain Dew. I was scrolling through everyone’s new year’s resolutions on Facebook, but they looked drastically different in 2021. Instead of vowing to do MORE, be MORE, and achieve MORE, everyone seemed to want to take lessons from 2020 and instead, do LESS. Slow down. Live with more intention. Focus on what really matters. So right there and then we were inspired to ask ourselves: do WE passively coast for the next 15 years of our working lives and “hope it all works out”, or do we begin to live with more intention, slow down, focus on what really matters? And so over the next year we worked with the very incredible humans at our restaurants to restructure our shops so that our staff and managers could also slow down and live with more intention. We closed two consecutive days for rest. We gave our managers 10 hours/week of “course relief” similar to the academic world so they can think, plan, rest and be more effective leaders. And this year, we will be providing limited mental health services/support for our staff. Like many others in our industry, we returned to focus on our core - making great food, providing great customer experiences, and demanding a work culture that values and prioritizes people.

This shift has created space and time for us to hit the re-set button and think more critically about diversifying the stability of our futures (COVID taught us a thing or two about vulnerabilities), while also giving us the opportunity to explore new and different ways to utilize our skillsets to prioritize what matters: provide for our family, serve the public, and impact our community. And so we spent the first 4 months of the year that I turn 50 and Adam turns 51, taking a 98 hour on-line real estate class and studying for a 4 hour exam to become people licensed to help folks buy and sell real estate.

Why real estate? Well, besides the obvious personal advantages - flexibility for us to run our other businesses and spend time with our son who will be leaving for college in three short years, while also generating income to build our family’s future and stability - it’s almost like the past 30 years of our collective work experience have been leading to this very moment. I was a fair housing investigator for 10 years at the state and local level, and have a deep understanding of the laws and responsibilities of those in my new industry to make housing accessible for everyone. Adam was an IT professional for 16 years and an amateur fixer of all things from hot water heaters to computers for probably 30! He has an uncanny ability to identify and troubleshoot physical things that are not working, or issues that if not addressed, would become much larger problems - making him greatly valuable in understanding and translating home inspections for our future buyers and advising sellers on home disclosures and recommending improvements to maximize price and sales. We are fortunate to have built a vast network of friends and allies throughout Kentucky - Adam was born and raised in Madison county. I’ve worked in the non-profit industry in Lexington, was alumni director for Berea College, and we’ve met some of the very best customers through our restaurant work. Together we have built, marketed, and sold products (noodles and sandwiches) and created a sustainable business model that employs 15 staff members and has been in existence for six years. In other words, if we believe in a product, we know how to create a compelling case for others to also see value in it - and we have a demonstrated record of doing so. Because of our personal journey, we also look forward to helping current and prospective small business owners identify and secure spaces for them to build their American dreams. And if you know us, you also know that we have always, and will continue to feel deeply responsible to contribute to our community. We recognize that access to fair and affordable housing, especially now, has reached critical heights and we intend to do our part in addressing this. We will be launching an on-line swag store (think “Housing is a human right” tees) with 100% of proceeds going to three organizations: the Homeless and Housing Coalition of KY, the Lexington Fair Housing Council, and KY Habitat for Humanity. We also plan to create a centralized network and listing of rental housing providers and help connect prospective renters to them as a free service.

So, if you are in the market to buy a home, sell your home, or find a space for you to start a brick and mortar business, give us a call. We will fiercely and professionally advocate for your best interests. And in the process, together we might even help level the housing playing field for our neighbors just a bit as well. We are the Good Dwellings Group at Keller Williams, and we look forward to serving you and our communities.