“We’ve built our business brick by brick together,” says REALTORⓇ Katie Minott about her partnership with fellow agent, Kimberly Marino. “Collaborating with someone who has different strengths translates into added value for our clients.”

“I think bringing two dynamic females together with very different skill sets is the secret to our success,” adds Kim. “We keep our egos at the door and are always willing to help others.”

Early in the 2000s, Katie and Kim each earned their stripes within real estate—Katie in sales at Ryland Homes and Pulte Homes, and Kim as a buyer’s agent at RE/MAX. They also both spent several years out of the workforce raising their respective children. Katie and Kim met in their neighborhood and quickly partnered together in roles with their kids’ PTA. They found such synergy when working together in this environment that they quickly shared thoughts of re-entering the real estate workforce and doing so as a team.

“We both discussed going back into real estate someday,” says Katie. “Once all of our kids were in school full-time, we decided it was time to launch our business.”

Katie and Kim each bring their own expertise in real estate and unique experiences to the team. Kim grew up in Naperville and moved back after graduating from Illinois State University. She holds deep roots in the western suburbs and knowledge of the local markets. She’s also an experienced home renovator, has a passion for design, and thrives during even the toughest negotiations. 

“I love renovating homes and making little changes that will translate into equity,” continues Kim. “I have flipped two homes myself, and I feel a sense of pride whenever I’m sharing ideas with clients so they can get more money for their homes.”

Katie, who is from Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, studied communications at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her ability to connect with people and their stories adds a personable element to the team’s client relationships.

“I’ve always been invested in the stories of the people around me,” says Katie. “And being able to support others in their next chapters is incredibly meaningful to me.”

For both women, one of the key benefits of joining forces was the ability to support each other from day one. 

“It was challenging at first to balance work with being a mom,” notes Kim. “We love being actively involved with our kids, but we also had lofty goals for our business that required a significant investment of time. Thankfully, having a partner to work with made navigating those waters easier.”

“From the beginning, we took our real estate careers very seriously. We knew that to best serve our clients we had to cast the widest net we could with advertising and networking, and that meant working full-time work from the start,” adds Katie.

“One of our mantras we credit with our success to date is “don’t get caught up in the trees,” shares Katie. “We’ve wanted to be sure to always look at the whole forest by considering the long-term impact of each decision and move we make. For example, is this advertising or marketing vehicle on-brand for us? Will the advice we give someone looking to sell or buy support our longevity in this industry or just be a quick fix for the moment?” 

“It’s important to mentor each other and learn from the best,” adds Kim. “And that if you fail at something, you get back out and try again. Everyone talks about success, but you actually learn way more from your failures.”

Since those early days, the Kim and Katie Group have earned numerous top-producing awards and have been recognized as key contributors to their community. Now well into their seventh year as a team, they have not only added another broker, Nicole Meyers, to their group, but they’ve also expanded into the Florida market. They see their journey as just beginning.

“I see myself being a REALTORⓇ long into the future,” says Katie. “Even if my husband and I decide to purchase a second home for retirement, I can see myself continuing to support buyers and sellers in both the Chicago and Florida markets.”

Kim and Katie share a close network of friends outside of their business partnership. They both live in downtown Naperville and love how each neighborhood feels like its own small town yet all benefit from the amenities of a large city. Katie and her husband, Joe, spend their downtime racing from one activity to another with their three kids, Charlie (15), Henry (15), and Jojo (12). You’ll most likely find Kim at a baseball or softball game for one of her kids, Brady (15) and Aubrey (13), year-round.

The two also share enthusiasm for charitable organizations, both starting and running their own over the years. Katie is president of Giftmart Family Charities, Inc. The organization hosts a toy shop of new, donated toys for local families facing economic challenges to shop at during the holidays. Inspired by her father’s battle with cancer, Kim ran the nonprofit Batting 4 A Cure for five years, raising funds for cancer patients who could not afford their medical bills. Since retiring from it, she’s helped Katie with Giftmart every holiday season.

Thinking about their business, Katie and Kim are excited for what the future has in store, both for their own business and what they can do in collaboration with other dynamic REALTORSⓇ.

“I can’t stress how great it is to be on the other end of a deal with another agent who you know is knowledgeable and professional,” says Katie. “When we work together collaboratively, it elevates our entire industry.”

“Real estate has been so good to us,” adds Kim. “And it’s been wonderful being able to show my kids that if you put your heart and soul into something, it can open so many doors and provide you a great life.”