BIANCA D’ALESSIO

NATIONAL FEATURE FROM THE GROUND UP WITH NEW YORK REALTOR BIANCA D’ALESSIO

My first job after graduating from business school was for a non-for-profit. I traveled the country full time and conducted leadership, communication, and behavioral training workshops for women across the United States. While doing that, I learned a tremendous amount about myself and knew that I wanted to have my own business and use my skills to educate, train, and inspire people. I wanted to build a team of like-minded people who wanted to hustle and make a difference. I had no idea what industry that would be in or how it would all come together, but I knew I needed to come back to New York to get started. I studied for my real estate license, and upon passing, I quickly began working with an incredible team and learning as much as possible.

How did you grow your business as a young professional?

I started my career in Real Estate at a very young age, and in the beginning, I mistakenly thought that was my biggest obstacle. I convinced myself that people would never trust someone so young with their most significant and most expensive asset. With time and experience, I realized that my age was not the obstacle - it was my confidence In the early days I ran around seven days a week doing all of the things no one else wanted to do. I was always the first one into the office and the last one out. I listened to every phone call my teammates took, and I started to take note of best practices and behaviors that didn’t fit my style. I failed a lot in the beginning, it was incredibly hard to get started, but after about a year in the business, I felt a shift in momentum and everything started to click. “I have learned that this business comes in waves! The hardest thing to manage in the beginning was the emotional rollercoaster of sales. One day you are as high as you can be, and the next, you feel like the biggest failure ever. The most important thing is to keep showing up. I put my head down every day and I forged through.

Breakthrough Moments in Your Career

After building an incredible resale business in condos and coops across Manhattan, I realized I wanted to focus on New Development and made a move to another company. I started working on the biggest project to date of my career, A 338 unit New Development conversion project in Williamsburg – Austin Nichols House. This building became one of the best-selling buildings in NYC 3 years in a row, broke a tremendous amount of records, and changed my entire trajectory. I have worked on over 30 new development projects across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester, and the Hamptons and currently manage a $10B portfolio of active and pipeline projects for Nest Seekers International.

Growing a Brand and Building a Culture

In an industry where you are constantly told “you are only as good as your next deal” when you aren’t doing deals – that can feel very debilitating. It probably took me about 2 or 3 years to truly understand my value add and know my worth in this industry. My age became an asset instead of a deterrent. I understand technology and trends, and with regards to social media I know-how to create content and utilize platforms better than brokers who have been in the business for 30 years. Marketing and branding is at the forefront of everything my team does. Another obstacle I have faced is the how and how I am growing my team. It is fairly easy to bring on and recruit new agents to join me, but maintaining our team culture, work ethic, and reputation is incredibly important to me. Growing at the right place and with the right people can change everything and that is my number one priority right now!

Top Lessons learned along the way.

1. First, I would say that the world doesn’t owe anything to anyone. To be successful, you need to do the work. People notice hard work, and it goes a very long way. 2. Never stop learning and accept that there will always be someone out there who can do something better than you. 3. Don’t let your ego prevail; recognize this, watch and learn from them. 4. Believe in yourself and know your strengths and weaknesses. Always amplify your strengths and find partners or teammates who can help compensate for your weaknesses. You do not have to be good at everything to be successful if you surround yourself with like-minded people you can trust. 5. Always say yes and figure it out later. If you are willing to work harder than everyone else, there is no reason to say no to opportunities. 6. Be strategic, organized, and confident, and success will come. 7. And lastly, always remember to protect yourself. Remember in business, after all, not everyone will have your best interest at heart. Know who you can trust and who you cannot. People’s values and motivations say a lot about who they are as a person, take time to know the people you work with so you don’t leave yourself vulnerable.

Last piece of advice to our readers

Live in the present and trust your instincts. Life moves very quickly and can change fast. It is important to recognize your long-term goals and know there will be multiple paths to get you there. Believe in yourself, never stop growing and be a kind person.

“I have learned that this business comes in waves! The hardest thing to manage in the beginning was the emotional rollercoaster of sales.”

184 KENT AVE WILLIAMSBURG BROOKLYN to the left 120 JAVA GREENPOINT BROOKLYN