'I have learned that there's no one right path to get to where you want to go in your career. Your first job will not be your last. It's about progressing along the way to get to where you want to go, especially in real estate.'
"Get involved in every opportunity available, declining an invitation to participate will be a missed opportunity," says Avison Young's Dorothy L. Alpert.
"Had I listened to the bankers who laughed at me or called me crazy 20 years ago when I went to their offices to seek financing to develop my first project along the Miami River, I would not be where I am today. I believed in myself more than anyone did and if I was going to bet on someone, I was going to bet on myself."
According to Carolyn Pistone, president and managing director at Clear Blue Commercial, the most valuable tool you have is yourself and you take that with you wherever you go.
"Our most successful problem-solvers are people who approach the problem from different viewpoints and perspectives and try to do it better than before. Key to all of this is effective and thoughtful communication."
A piece of advice I remember from my grandmother is "I can show you better than I can tell you." Proactive action outshines unsupported words everyday.
"My advice for the next generation would be to become self-aware, determined and cultivate personal strengths, constantly evolve, and always show up 100%, provide more value than you receive, and demand equality at every turn."
Kendall Guinn is Chief Marketing Officer at AQUILA, a commercial real estate firm in Austin, Texas, and focuses on the implementation of design and execution of sales and marketing strategies.
"To get a foothold I would recommend looking for an internship with an engineer, general contractor, developer, etc. to ascertain which focus within CRE is most interesting."