A Fraught Metamorphosis
Jen Josey’s transformed her life more than once, and every time, there were naysayers. When Jen woke up one day during her sixteen-year tenure as a middle-school chorus teacher and decided to quit, people were shocked. When she left her next job as a health insurance agent to become a real estate investor, everyone thought she was crazy.
The comments got to her. She shared her doubts with her business coach, who told her, “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so you can live the rest of your life like most people can’t.”
The Other Side of Fear
Jen thought about what her coach meant by “most people.” For her, “most people” were her friends and family who didn’t support the risk she took to better her life. “They’re too afraid of what lies on the other side of fear,” she says. “They’d rather judge me for accomplishing something they never had the courage to do.”
Despite the critics, Jen is a successful real estate investor based in North Carolina. Her journey into real-estate began with her love for home improvement shows. Late one night, she was watching HGTV when an infomercial came on for a real estate guru. The investor offered a course for aspiring investors, and Jen decided to check out the info session. Afterward, she realized that she wanted to be in control of her own prosperity. For Jen, prosperity can mean both financial and internal growth. Not only did she decide to be in control of her finances, but she also decided to be in control of her happiness.
A Jolific Carer
Jen and her husband began a real estate business called Jolific Homes, a name that combines their last name with the word “prolific” (They’re a fan of puns). They then built their rental portfolio through an offshoot called Jolific Properties to build their rental portfolio. This further evolved into the Acorn Agency, a real estate broker firm. The name “Acorn Agency” comes from one of Jen’s favorite quotes: “In the acorn lies the oak.”
Professional Accountability
Without the support of her friends and family, Jen had to forge new supportive communities for herself. She removed the especially toxic people from her life and created a Facebook support group for real estate investors. Members encourage each other and hold each other accountable for their goals.
The latter service was especially helpful for Jen. Before, she worked on a schoolday schedule. Then she was an insurance agent, where she worked for a hardcore boss who took efficiency seriously. But as her own boss, Jen has to set her own schedule. At first, Jen was overwhelmed by her own freedom. With the help of her accountability group, she’s able to focus on tangible goals.
Growth Mindset
Her renovation and rental work are rewarding, but Jen’s true passion lies in sharing her craft with others. About a year after they started their renovation business, someone asked Jen and her husband to present a past renovation project to a group of around forty investors. When she got up there, she says, “my soul became alive again.” It built credibility and confidence. Jen created an Online Masterminds platform for real estate investors because she loves teaching real estate investors mindset and business strategies.
It’s also important to Jen that she leads her business with integrity. Jen believes that her work has the potential to build communities rather than tear them down through gentrification. She listens to the needs of her clients and her workers. She likes to give them what they need, rather than what would be most financially beneficial for her.
Jen’s favorite way to celebrate her wins is to buy a new pair of shoes or go out to the cabin she rents with her husband in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Connect with Jen
Jen Josey is a real estate investor and professional coach based in North Carolina. She hosts REIGN, the Real Estate Investor Growth Network Podcast. She also created REIGN Mastermind, a network that supports real estate investors. Learn more about Jen’s work on her website, and be sure to follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
