Desirée Patno is the CEO and President of the National Association of Women in Real Estate Businesses (NAWRB) and Desirée Patno Enterprises, Inc. (DPE). With over 25 years in real estate and championing gender equality, she brings insider knowledge to NAWRB’s mission of advancing women and women-owned businesses in the housing ecosystem.

As Vice Chairwoman of NAWRB’s Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council, she oversees the accountability of increased women-owned and small business utilization and women inclusion at all levels. NAWRB has raised awareness of diverse opportunities, supporting with the development and implementation of workforce and supplier diversity standards for the multi-trillion dollar housing sector since 2010.

Desirée resides on the Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) Leadership Advisory Council and Enterprising Women Advisory Board. In 2017, she was named the highest-ranking woman and 4th overall Top Real Estate Influencer to Follow by Entrepreneur.com and received the Connected Women of Influence Women’s Advocate of the Year Award and Walker’s Legacy Power25 Award. In 2016, she was honored with HousingWire’s Women of Influence award and was selected the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Women in Business Champion of the Year.

In this episode, Desiree and Karen discuss:

• Desiree’s journey to success
• Desiree’s business development
• Desiree’s commitment to get leads
• Desiree’s strategies
• How Desiree connects to build and grow

Key Takeaways and Actionable Success Principles:

• Even though women make up the largest percentage of real estate professionals, they’re usual on the agent or LO side
• What is something easy for you that you love and don’t consider work?
• Do the opposite of the trend! Sell when everyone’s buying and buy when everyone’s selling
• Get involved and join a local chamber!
• Define why someone “can’t do something”.. Figure out a way to do it and get it done