BLACK HISTORY MONTH n
Thriving as a Black Woman Entrepreneur in Central Florida
by Nesterine Blair
s a British born Jamaican , who migrated to the United States in 1985 in search of the American dream ; I quickly realized that in order to succeed I had to be prepared to embrace my moments of opportunities . I also realized that opportunities do not always come in the form of an acceptance letter or a promotion .
After residing in New York for 14 years , I relocated to Orlando , Florida in 2001 . As a mother of two children , I had just become a single mother and was forced to seek new endeavors to increase my earning power . Unfortunately , it was close to the 9 / 11 terror attacks when the US suffered the deadliest attack from the foreign terrorist group Al-Qaeda . Not only was the country reeling from the devastating effects mentally and emotionally , it also took a toll on the availability of job opportunities as many businesses suffered from the economic effects of the tragedy . I soon discovered that becoming a self-employed individual would be the way to go , and embarked upon a real estate career . I went from the security of a paycheck every two weeks to commission pay , based on my performance .
As it is with any business , it took time to gain traction in the market and create a brand . However , I soon realized that as a black woman , I had to work twice as hard as my non-black peers to make it in the Real Estate industry . What does that mean ? First , It means that in order to expand my target market , I had to prove that I was as capable and knowledgeable as my non-black peers ; I had to build credibility . This acknowledgement pushed me to focus on first -time homebuyers and assisting families in getting into homes who otherwise did not think it was possible . It was then that I made it a mission to educate a specific target market in the community via various media outlets about credit worthiness , incentives , and home buying requirements . At this point in time , Real Estate agents were allowed to also be mortgage brokers , so I also provided both financial and Real Estate advice . This mission became personal , as I made more and more dreams come true for first time home buyers who were on the lower echelon of the economic scale . The credibility I gained with that market was incessant as I gained lifetime customers , and word-of mouth marketers .
Unfortunately , in 2008 when the market crashed
23 IBA Success Magazine n VOL 7 , Issue 1 and the US economy was at its lowest in years , I went from making a six-figure income to making seventeen thousand dollars in the following year . This placed me in a precarious position where I was now at risk of losing my own home . This was a daunting moment ! I questioned my survival in the real estate market but was once again forced to pivot , to turn a negative into positive . That is when I stepped out on faith and started Blair Realty Group , Inc . This move afforded me the opportunity to capitalize on the knowledge I provided to agents over the years to now become a Real Estate Broker . I now made the transition from being self-employed to being a business owner . I started with two agents and today I lead a team of eighteen . All agents with Blair Realty understand that no one should dismiss the humble beginnings of the company , but rather we focus on building the first-time homeowner market and have ventured into the mid to luxury market closing on several properties over $ 1million in value . Recently , one agent closed on a $ 1.8 million home .
In 2015 , my mom passed . You might wonder what that had to do with my business , but the most feared event in my life propelled my business to yet another level . It is Napoleon Hill who said “ Within every adversity is an equal or greater benefit . Within every problem is an opportunity . Even in the knocks of life , we can find great gifts .” The weeks following her sudden illness and untimely passing resulted in ‘ make up ’ time at work . This meant long hours and intense grinding to get back on track . It was during one of these long evenings I met a change agent who introduced me to my next business venture which allowed me to add being a Financial Professional to my portfolio . Today I am a Senior Marketing Director with World Financial Group leading a team of 25 licensed financial professionals who ensure the financial security of families in line with their mission of “ No family left behind ”. We teach middle class americans how to strategize and structure their finances similar to the Rockefellers in this country .
As I maintain multiple streams of income , I have learnt that resilience and the courage to embrace risks is important in one ’ s success . I have learnt that the American dream is not limited to a successful 9 to 5 corporate job , as I once had , but to owning my own businesses , and now making the American Dream possible for others ! n
COURTESY OF JENNIFER YON AGENCY