Mark Lockhart
Jul 10, 2017 · 6 min read

Going Solo

I guess that term can sound a bit dramatic, Going Solo, but that’s where I am at in my real estate career. In the seven plus years that I have worked as a realtor in the Calgary area, I have been on a large team and most recently in a business partnership as a small team. Today that changes. Today I start the journey on my own in this crazy business. There’s a lot to think about, a lot to set up and, there is a ton of excitement going through me. I have been thinking about and procrastinating on starting a blog or some sort of article in this space and realized that today is a great time to hit go. The voice of Gary Vaynerchuk is ringing in my head today. I always feel that I have no content to put out, no story to share, but when I peel back my excuses, I know that I do. So let’s start here. A new beginning in the same business, a fresh start, on my own. There’s no one else to look to, there’s no one else to make it happen. I have to do the work. It’s up to me, and that brings with it a whole pile of emotions, thoughts and possibilities. So, let me go way back and set the stage for today, and we’ll see where this all goes!

Growing up in western Canada, it was natural that I played hockey. I also played baseball and got into golf as well. But hockey and baseball were my two favourite things to do. Both of which are team sports as everyone knows. I loved the high paced action of hockey. I loved having team mates that became life long friends. I loved having others to depend on. Only as a team could we win and that meant everyone had to trust each other to do their job. If we couldn’t score we didn’t win. If we couldn’t keep the puck out we didn’t win. I love the competition that comes with the game, the intensity, the physicality and the comradeship that I felt as part of the team. Hockey took me a lot of places in my life and for that I am grateful. It taught me so much about life and mostly about myself. I came to realize in my early 20's, that during a hockey game you could deal with so many different emotions in a 60 minute span. You could be frustrated and mad one minute, and elated the next. Back to frustrated and even embarrassed two minutes later as you let your team down. It’s a crazy emotional roller coaster and the higher level you play at, the higher the pressure is. I began to realize that it’s a snapshot of life. If I could learn to deal with my emotions in that fast paced environment, maybe I could do it in life too. Easier said than done. I am an emotional guy. I can have some pretty good peaks and valleys. I failed a lot at keeping my emotions in check in hockey, and in life. But it’s a journey, and we move forward every day! Sorry, rabbit trail! My point was that being on a team, became part of who I was, how I identified myself, without even realizing it.

I played high level hockey until I was in my mid twenties and then due to injury and less desire for it, I stopped playing altogether for a few years. Over the next while I worked a variety of jobs. I coached some hockey in between, but it never really did it for me. I worked in a couple different corporations as an employee, a team member. I never found fulfillment in those jobs. Many times the thought of the 9–5 appealed to me. Weekends off, evenings free, no worries after hours. It never fit me though, there was always something missing in those jobs. I tried to start up a small import business at one point, but it never really took off as a long distance move became necessary. I worked at a small college as the athletic director which I enjoyed at first with the team atmosphere and the school rivalries. It was while I was doing that job that I began looking around for something that I could start up on the side. A friend pointed me in the direction of starting a landscaping business, and off I went. Still working at the college and trying to get this small business going. I had the job to fall back on if something went wrong so the pressure was minimal. The business grew quickly during the boom here, and before long I was able to quit my day job. Things continued to grow and I thought I needed to bring on some partners, which I did and that was the beginning of the end. A short time later, frustrated, embarrassed and sitting on a pile of debt, our economy shifted and things weren’t so easy. I became restless and wanted a change. I was now in my early thirties and had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew a at that point though that I enjoyed having my own business, but didn’t know where to start over or where to look.

It was at this point that real estate came into my life. My wife had a meeting with a friend who ran a large and successful real estate team,(notice the word “team” again) and my name came up in the conversation. Two weeks later I was sitting in a classroom taking the real estate course and trying to keep running what was left of my landscaping business to pay the bills. Now, let me take a step back. I had never once thought in my life about being a realtor. I mean never. The image I had of most realtors was not a good one. Going down this road was merely a way out of the situation I was in at that point. I found though, that I enjoyed the course. I started to get excited about selling real estate. I really started to get excited about the competitive nature of the business. So, course finished, piece of paper in my hand that said I was now a licensed realtor, and I started working with one of Calgary’s most successful real estate teams. That word again!! I jumped in with both feet. I worked a ton, I wanted to impress my friend who had hired me and to show my value to the rest of the team members. I wanted to carry my load and more. The work was great, I enjoyed meeting new people every day and hearing their stories. The competition was what I knew I had been missing in my work and I embraced it. I worked hard and made great money but after 6 years with that team, I knew it was time for a change. I left and teamed up with another realtor who I had know since my realtor course. Did you notice that word again? Yup, another team. Please don’t get me wrong, teams are great, I am not trying to put a bad light on real estate teams! The issue here, was with me. My whole life it had been about teams and even at that point where I looked to jump out and start something new, I fell back to a team. I have just had this revelation in the last couple weeks and this is the first time putting the words down in front of me, so bear with me. Fast forward one year, and here we are. My new business partner began to realize we were both at different places in our views on the business and we have made the decision to work independently. Three weeks of looking at we had we had started and trying to decide which direction to go. It was in this time that I began to gain some perspective into myself. I have realized that I have always fallen back to the team. It was as if I always needed someone else there with me to help carry the load, it was a safety net. I have for so long carried this entreprenereul bug, but was always afraid to take too much of a step on my own, to really commit to it. Now, here I am, going solo. I am extremely excited, overwhelmed and scared all at the same time. I am grateful as well. I am grateful for my wife who fully supports me in this, I know it will be a sacrifice for her too. I am grateful for all my clients, past, present and future, I have enjoyed getting to know you and look forward to hearing the stories of those of you I have not yet met. So here we go! I am going to document this journey and would love if you joined me. Comment if you like, your feedback in this would be greatly appreciated. I will try to not be as rambling and hope to give direction and insight into the Calgary real estate market as we go.

Going solo,

Mark Lockhart

Realtor

Re/Max First