Author Robert Kiyosaki changed Keller Williams agent Damian O’Meally’s life for the better and now Damian is paying it forward and changing other lives for the better, too.

It was reading Kiyosaki’s popular book on real estate investing, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, that first opened Damian’s eyes to real estate as a source of income and as a career. And then a chance encounter with an investor buying 20 washers and dryers at the Best Buy where Damian worked more or less set his path to success. 

As owner and team leader of the Vanderbuilt Team at Keller Williams in Williamsville, Damian is proud of his and his team’s success. For five years running, it has won Keller Williams Platinum Performance Award, the platinum designation marking the sale of 50 properties or $10 million in sales. The day he was interviewed for this article, Damian was also looking forward to attending that night’s Premium Mortgage Top 100 event for the second year in a row. 

Real estate has been very good to Damian and is a career that traces its roots back to his days working at Best Buy while earning an environmental design degree with a minor in architecture at the University of Buffalo. Starting as a seasonal employee, Damian moved on to sales and then worked at various stores and corporate headquarters in training and training development.

He was making decent money, he says, but after reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad, realized he was headed down the Poor Dad’s path. It was about then that Keith Carlins walked into Damian’s Best Buy and bought 20 washers and dryers for apartments he owned. A successful Western New York Realtor and investor, Keith was impressed with Damian’s people skills and Damian knew Keith was the mentor he needed.

Since then, both Damian and Team Vanderbuilt have enjoyed considerable success. Along with himself, members of the team are Octavio Smith, Rashon Hundley and Shannon Graham. 

“What sets us apart is we’re young,” he says. “Within that youth are new ways to market, new energy. Being younger, we're savvy with technology, we're moving quicker. It's not wet signatures and fax machines anymore but e-signatures and digital marketing and drones being flown over a seller’s neighborhood and house. My clients love that stuff.”

Another differentiator between his team and others is marketing. While some agents might do one, if any, open houses, “we do three in the first week,” he says, noting the first 10-14 days of a listing are the most active.

“We hit hard with marketing from the moment we list you,” he says, adding homes usually sell within six to seven days. Damian and his team work with investors and handle single-family, multifamily and commercial properties.

He says he gained much of his business acumen at Best Buy, learning how to provide the best customer service and communicate with folks from different walks of life. He credits Keith for much of his early real estate knowledge. But he also learned from his family, who despite their rudimentary education in Jamaica, immigrated to the U.S. and succeeded.

His dad found success as a plumber, Damian says, a job that paid his way through college. An extremely frugal man, his uncle came to New York without knowing how to read or write and over time bought 13 properties. 

“I realize now that he had an intellectual understanding of money and the fact that it's a tool,” Damian says. “Once people realize money is a tool, it's a whole different game; it’s a whole different mindset.”

Outside the office, you’ll usually find Damian at the gym early, a healthy habit he developed years back when he shed 100 pounds from his 6’4” frame. These days his daily routine is as much for his mental health as for his physical. 

“Miracle Morning is another book that changed my world,” he notes. “I know if I can win the morning, I'm going to win the day.”

Growing up and attending public schools in Rochester, Damian says kids didn’t see real estate as a serious career path. To let a new generation of students know that it is, he gives school presentations to help them know that millionaires aren’t just sports or entertainment stars. Becoming a millionaire can come from doing things to help folks, too, he says.

Travel is another passion and he tries to get away once a month for new experiences and to help keep burnout at bay. One travel spot that’s a favorite because of the greater appreciation of his own circumstances it gives, is visiting relatives in Jamaica. 

He tells of a recent visit when a nephew was riding a bike on rims for lack of tires while the family laughed and joked about the smallest things. “I feel humbled,” he says of such visits, saying everyone should learn to “be appreciative.”

Looking to the future, Damian would like one day to perhaps build a team doing business all along the East Coast. And he wants to leave some kind of legacy behind.

“If they could accomplish what they did without an education and without technology,” he says of his parents and uncle, “There's no way I can fumble the ball.”