After moving to Santiago, Chile, Daryl Vaughn dabbled in bartending and teaching English before starting a small, craft hot sauce company, which became award-winning in 2018. Entrepreneurship suited him and he realized he wanted to own his own business after returning to the United States. “I knew I wanted to have my own company and build my own dream. My mentality shifted from pursuing employment to pursuing my passions.” After returning to the States and trying to make a living off of hot sauce while juggling day jobs, Daryl and his wife Marci moved to Denver in 2020, right before the Pandemic. “I had no job when I arrived and getting a job during the pandemic was challenging. That’s when I decided I’d pursue real estate, which I’d been thinking about for some time. I spoke with a few Realtors® and everyone said they loved it. That’s what I wanted… to get up for work every day and be excited and be able to tell people I loved my career.”

 

Daryl began working in real estate in 2022 and has found purpose in his new career. “I love helping people, and I try my best to live my life in the service of others. I always wanted to make a living on my terms. My wife and I are big travelers and working some corporate gig that gives you 2 weeks of vacation wasn’t going to work for the life I want to build. When I was running the hot sauce company, I found it difficult to tie purpose into it. Helping people find homes, I feel I have a lot more purpose.”

 

Daryl has always strived to find solutions to create better societies and quality of life, and he feels that getting people into homes fulfills that purpose. He is passionate about changing lives and says that’s not likely to change. Aside from getting married, buying a home is the biggest moment of someone’s life and he wants to be part of that. “The life changes that come with homeownership are astounding, and aside from the individual benefits, there are social benefits as well such as higher educational achievement, lower crime rates, happier and healthier neighborhoods and the list goes on. I feel that being a realtor is a way I can make an impact on both a personal and social level.”

 

When he first started, Daryl was worried he couldn’t be his authentic self. He thought he had to get as many people as possible to like him and cast a broad net. “I went out and bought some ‘realtor costumes’ to look the part. I eventually came to a realization that trying to appeal to everyone was not only impossible, but it wasn’t going to work for ME! I’ve chosen to break the mold of a conventional realtor and appeal to my ‘tribe’ instead.”

 

Daryl feels very fortunate to have learned this lesson early on, and credits his current brokerage, eXp Wolf Pack, for helping him come to this realization. “I can’t say enough about how the eXp Wolf Pack has contributed to my success. At my previous brokerage, I had no real direction. From day one of Wolf Pack, my mentor gave me a twelve-week plan that focused on two pillars of my business - one modern strategy and one traditional. In addition, I was advised to clearly identify my target demographic and tailor my activity towards them, rather than casting a broad net.”

 

Another aspect Daryl loves about the Wolf Pack is the coaching and mentorship. He shares there is a direction for any strategy from cold calling, YouTube, open houses and TikTok. In addition, the leadership is sensitive to new agents not having the budget a veteran agent would have, so new agents learn how to do things for free or low cost in the beginning. Daryl advises new agents to learn the lessons he gained from the Wolf Pack. “Lean into being authentic. This is always suggested, but rarely done. Most realtors try to fit in with what they think the public wants. Rarely are they truly authentic. My advice would be to be yourself to the highest degree possible, do authenticity as hard as possible, and attract people that will love you.”

 

In his free time, Daryl and his wife Marci enjoy traveling, especially to South America where they met. Marci is an expert travel planner and writer who specializes in South America. They enjoy eating great food, art, movies, music, and learning about other cultures. They also take advantage of the outdoors, mountains and wildlife since moving to Colorado. When he is not working in real estate, Daryl is an artist and illustrator and enjoys learning more about urban planning, quality of life and understanding what makes the perfect society.

 

Daryl defines success as “the ability to provide value in an authentic way and in return, be able to live the life you want.” He hopes to be remembered as someone who was always in it to serve others. Since beginning his career in real estate in 2022, he has proven to his clients and his community that he is already achieving this goal, and isn’t slowing down anytime soon.