Kendall E. Bonner, Esq. is a licensed Florida attorney and broker/owner of RE/MAX Capital Realty in Tampa, Fla., who, last year, was listed among the top RE/MAX broker/owners, launched a podcast and served as a guest speaker at the company's R4 convention and Broker/Owner Conference.
She also collaborated with real estate professionals Teresa Rogers and Ann Carlson to co-author the recently published book “So… You Think You Want to Be A Real Estate Agent?”
Bonner, who has a legal background and has been practicing law since 2003, found her true passion in helping others buy and sell real estate. She believes her background has given her a unique advantage over her colleagues due to her training and skills in contract writing, negotiation and problem solving.
Here, Bonner discusses what it means to her to be named among this year's Newsmakers and how she's been assisting fellow small business owners in achieving their goal of success in the real estate industry.
RISMedia's Real Estate Newsmakers honors were created to recognize the people who are raising the standards of professionalism in the real estate industry. What does it mean to be named among this year's 300 honorees?
Honestly, I'm super humbled and grateful. As a female broker/owner of a smaller business, I'm just so grateful for the opportunities that have come my way. RE/MAX changed my life—there was a lot of risk involved in going into a new career, and I'm just so thankful that my hard work has paid off.
You were selected as a Newsmaker within the Influencers category, which is dedicated to the thought leaders within our industry. Could you tell us about the podcast that you launched last year?
It's called "Improve Your Hustle" and it has been a part of my brand for years now. It's targeted toward other small business owners and my goal with it is to: Learn. Test. Teach. The podcast is a medium for me to share what I've learned, but also to interview other thought leaders, such as Adam Contos, CEO of RE/MAX.
What do you think the biggest misconception is that newer agents have about working in the real estate industry?
That it's going to be easier than it really is. There are a lot of successful agents out there that make this career look easy—that it's easy money. That simply isn't the case.
How has your legal background given you an edge in real estate?
Most people think that it makes me really good at the contacts. Although it does, my background has also helped me be a better problem solver and deconstructor of issues. I also think it has just made me a better business owner in general.
Could you tell us a little bit about your recently published book "So… You Think You Want to Be A Real Estate Agent?"
That was a fun project that I was actually invited to participate in. I think it's a great resource for people who are in and out of the industry. I also think it's a great resource from the broker perspective. There's a lot of stuff in the book that I commonly find people don't understand about our industry.
What does the motto "Got GRIT?" mean to you?
I was reading Angela Duckworth's book "Grit" one day and she talks about how grit is the balance of passion and perseverance. I was struggling in the moment at my office and I said, "Lord, I need an acronym for GRIT." I think the result sums up what I want people to know about me: Greatness is a Result of Intentional Tenacity!
