If the past few years have taught Bryan Trujillo anything, it’s how to build the life he has always
dreamt of.

Growing up in Chamita, New Mexico, Bryan, his two siblings, and his parents spent their
weekends at the Sante Fe farmer's market. “My dad was a safety and health inspector, but he
was a rancher in the evenings and on weekends,” he said. “He and my uncles were always with
livestock, and we would sell apples, chilis, and herbs from the farm.”

Though Bryan knew the ins and outs of his family’s farm, he gained experience in various career
paths. “I’ve been a firefighter, I’ve done construction—all kinds of things,” he said. When Bryan
was in his 20s and expanding his workforce skills, he was also co-raising his daughter,
Katelynn. Eventually, as his daughter grew older, and without realizing it, Bryan found a niche
that would help propel his career down the line. “I moved to Albuquerque in my early-30s and
found a job as a barback in The Downs Racetrack & Casino,” he said.

Within six months, Bryan was promoted from barback to bartender. After two years, he was
promoted to lead bartender and stayed in that position for seven years. “Throughout that time, I
built so many relationships and developed a network bigger than I ever had before,” he said.
While he was the lead bartender working the night shift, his now wife, Cathleen, worked the day
shift.

“We always talked about our futures and where our lives will take us, but then COVID-19 hit,” he
said. Right before the pandemic, they welcomed their son, Julian, and Cathleen enrolled in
nursing school. She had been attending for six months when everything closed. “The casino
shut down, and we were both laid off for what we thought would be one month, but it turned into one year,” Bryan said.

Cathleen could attend her nursing courses virtually, and Bryan was with Julian full-time. As
things slowly opened up during the summer and Cathleen’s courseload lightened, Bryan earned
his real estate license. “I interviewed for Coldwell Banker and immediately knew I was in the
right place.” As he started in real estate, Bryan took on a part-time bartending job a few nights
out of the week. There, he would leave out his real estate business cards for customers, and he
continued to grow his network. By April 2021, Bryan completed his first transactions. As he grew busier with clients, he no longer had the time to bartend. “I jumped headfirst into real estate,” he said. “Every transaction in 2021 was because of the people I met bartending.”

Cathleen graduated from nursing school in September 2021 and accepted a job at the
Presbyterian Rust Medical Center. Around the same time, Bryan had completed 18 transactions
and sold 5.5 million in volume and production, he was named Rookie of the Year, and they
welcomed their daughter, Lucia Rose, to the family. Fast forward to 2022, he doubled his
production with 11 million in volume and completed 39 transactions.

Bryan says his motivation has always been his family. “My kids, my wife, my parents—they're
the reason I’ve strived,” he said. Looking ahead, Bryan wants to invest in more properties so

that he can have the residual income to pass on to his children when he retires. Katelynn now
lives in Albuquerque and is attending the University of New Mexico to become a dental
hygienist. “We all come together as often as possible,” he said. “We watch movies, play in the
backyard, go boating and fishing when possible, and often take the kids to parks, zoos, and
aquariums. My children were my ‘why’ before I knew what having a ‘why’ was.”