Creating > Fixing

There is something funny about the way we talk about real estate. Everyone wants to "fix" the industry. Its outdated structures, gatekeeping, glacial pace of evolution - all problems to be solved. From conference rooms to coffee shops to LinkedIn comment sections, everyone is analyzing the problems. Don't get me wrong, the problems are plentiful. But...upon joining the "dark side" of the industry, I realized: I'm no longer interested in fixing anything. I'm interested in creating...in building.

 

Over the past few years, alongside one of the most brilliant, generous, hardworking humans I know (Brad Colburn), I started things that didn't exist before: Next Chapter Partners, The Parker Insiders and Ladies of Parker. None of them were launched with a "let's disrupt the industry" manifesto. They each started because something was missing and we were committed to filling the gaps.

 

Brad and I started Next Chapter Partners because we wanted to build the kind of real estate experience we'd want for ourselves and our loved ones. We wanted to design an experience built around people, not pressure; around clarity, not chaos; around trust, connection, and guidance, not simply "getting the deal done".

 

In reality, most real estate transactions don't feel human. They feel rushed, transactional, and sometimes straight up confusing. We saw that, we heard that, and we thought: we can do this different. We can create something where clients feel heard, supported, and strategically guided throughout their entire chapter of change. Buying, selling, relocating, investing...it is all part of something bigger in a person's life. Next Chapter Partners exists to meet them where they are and stay with them through all that comes, up to and long beyond the closing table.

 

We didn't want "business as usual." We wanted to create a relationship business, done intentionally. So we did.

 

Then came The Parker insiders. If I'm being completely honest, this one was rooted in frustration. We LOVE Parker! I mean...we deeply love this town. While it didn't shape us, it ironically resembles everywhere and everything that did. Then, over the past few years, we started watching that small-town, local-business magic slowly slipping away. We started seeing more chains, more big box stores, more of that bland, copy & paste feeling creeping in around the edges. Sadly, along with it, some truly great small businesses started disappearing.

 

At first, we handled it the same way most people do - we complained. However, we eventually had to check ourselves. Complaining wasn't helping, and nostalgia wasn't going to keep the lights on for these businesses. That led us to the question, "What can we actually do to affect change?"

 

So we thought on it...a lot...and ultimately decided to carve out a huge chunk of our own marketing budget - not to promote us, but to promote others. We wanted to promote the local businesses we love and want everyone to know about - those businesses that were quietly doing incredible work and often getting ignored by the algorithm.

 

We called it The Parker Insiders, and we started showing up with camera crews, interviewing owners, and filming real stories. We highlighted the people, places, and passion projects that we feel make Parker...Parker. We set out with one goal - to make a difference, and it's been one of the most fulfilling things we've ever done.

 

Then there's the Ladies of Parker. If I'm being brutally honest, this group started out kind of selfishly.

 

I wanted to make more friends. I mean, I have plenty of friends. But...I wanted to make more LOCAL friends. I wanted to meet amazing women who lived nearby, hung out close to home, and were in a similar life season and wanted more community, too.

 

I'd been seeing a lot of posts in other local groups from women saying they felt isolated, or were struggling to make friends as adults, or just didn't know how to find their people after relocating. Sooo...instead of scrolling and nodding along in a "misery loves company" kind of way, I decided to try something.

 

I started a group. No big master plan, no end goal, nothing more than a simple place where women could connect and feel less alone. This group has since grown into something way beyond what I ever expected. This group truly fills my heart. 

 

I've watched friendships start in this group - actual, soul-feeding, "call me for anything" friendships. I've heard women say they've never really felt like they fit in anywhere until now. I've seen shy women nervously walk into events and walk out glowing and giggling with their new girlfriends. I've had so many tell me they didn't even realize how much they needed this kind of connection until they found it.

 

It's not a Facebook trauma bond group.

It's not a "get your popcorn and watch the drama unleash" group.

It's not a performative support group.

 

It is real.

It is live.

It is LOCAL.

It is warm and funny and grounding and exactly what I needed - and I don't think I'm the only one.

 

The common thread through all of this is:

We didn't wait for permission.

We didn't fix what existed.

We built what was missing.

 

None of it is perfect or finished. We are still in the building and learning phase - and if it's up to me, we will always be learning and building.

 

Soooo...if you're looking at 2026 with big questions and not enough answers, maybe don't start with a 5-year plan. Instead, maybe start with a blank page. Ask what's missing. Find the people who get it and build from there.

 

The most powerful thing you can do this year is to stop fixing and start creating.