Reflect and pivot. That seems to be the key to Betsy Sarcone's success.

In 2008, while living in Florida, the economic downturn forced cuts in her company. She lost her marketing job. For the next six months it was all temp positions until something better came along. That time and that situation gave her ample opportunity to reflect on her trajectory and what power she really had to determine that trajectory.

"I just got fed up," says Betsy. "So I decided to take control. I earned my Real Estate license, moved back to Iowa, and chose to never have a corporate job again."

Betsy's mother had been a Realtor since 1996 when she earned the Iowa Realty Rookie of the Year. Betsy also graduated from Marquette University, focusing on public relations, marketing, and advertising. So she was entering the business well-positioned.

She worked for a local Des Moines company for four years. She remembers, "I wanted to control my income and have unlimited earning potential. I am a creative thinker, so the idea of having my own business and growing it how I chose was attractive to me."

That's when she read The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller. "Joining Keller Williams was definitely a defining moment for me," she says. " I now had a playbook. It clearly showed me how to be a productive Realtor and build a business with unlimited potential."

She started the business as a child-free newlywed. But that didn't last long. "I quickly ended up with a baby on my hip during showings. Soon, I had another one on the other hip."

Betsy notes, "At that time, my goals and definition of success revolved around transaction count and how big I could grow."

In 2015 she rolled her business into a national expansion team, Five Doors Network.  Betsy became a regional owner for them. "That was a valuable experience —to be in some big conversations with nationwide real estate influencers and to look at the real estate business from a larger perspective." Her team won the Inman Most Innovative Team Award that year for many of the groundbreaking things they were working on for the industry. 

 But having a family is a watershed moment in most lives. For some, it hits immediately. For others, the realization dawns more like a spring morning. And when Betsy felt this change, she was able to do what many others wouldn't have the strength to do. 

"I pulled back," she says. "In 2018." She took time, again, to reflect. Then she pivoted.

"I chose to focus on how much I net rather than some transaction count."

She continues, "This was pivotal in that I was completing fewer transactions. But I was spending more time with my kids and actually taking home more money."

"Then, once I learned to truly time block and set appointment times when I chose, I created a much better quality of life for myself and my family."

Now she is also focusing on using her Real Estate and life experience to build a coaching business.

"Real estate isn’t a hobby," says Betsy. "Your job is to be an expert to the clients, and it is really a huge responsibility that we have to protect the client and their investments. We're building relationships, not just some portfolio."

Besty notes how important it is that change is okay, even necessary. 

"Real estate is a business you can work in many different ways. It can evolve with your lifestyle and goals. Feel free to change those when needed."