We had the good fortune of connecting with Ahndea May and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ahndea, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking a risk is the decision to bet on you. It doesn’t have to be something huge like a roll of the dice that will either double your money or lose it all in an instant. A risk can be as simple as the choice to take action. We all have the same 24 hours in a day and it is our choices that will either bring us closer to our goals and dreams or keep us exactly where we are. My first career was working with the most prominent leadership author and speaker in the world, Dr. John C. Maxwell. At 21, I had no idea that being in an environment of growth would push me to get outside of my comfort zone and challenge what I thought was possible for myself. I have used the principals of Dr. Maxwell in every business opportunity I have had the privilege of stepping into and the single most important decision was to “fail forward” or what some would say take risks.

I took a risk in my early 20’s to move from the Midwest to GA to work for the INJOY Group, Maxwell’s organization. I took a risk to purchase our first home at 22 and then see an opportunity to lease it and start building wealth through real estate. I took a risk to become a mom to 5 beautiful children and while raising them became an entrepreneur launching several businesses including a full service branding agency that won a Telly Award in 2021.

Not every risk pans out and is fruitful, in fact in 2008 our family suffered a huge loss after having a property management company and owning many homes during the market crash. We had to sell everything including the dream home we had built just 2 years earlier. Losing our savings and retirement we moved from a 7,000 square foot home to a 900 square foot home with little children in tow. We went from a luxury kitchen to a kitchen with green carpet and no dish washer and quickly gained perspective on what truly was important.

I consider these moments in life the opportunity you get to rise up! Champions are made in the darkest of times. Almost every successful business owner has experienced a “lost it all moment” and it is those who have the grit, mindset and passion who can become stronger and wiser and build again!

I took another risk when I turned 40 and became a single mom of 5 children. After being an entrepreneur for 20 years, my greatest strength was leadership and building businesses from concept to execution to scale. I was given an opportunity to be a CEO of a Keller Williams Franchise in GA. Although I had been in real estate for many years, this was a massive opportunity that came with massive responsibility for hundreds of people and their families. My entire life my passion had always been people. If I could help enough people realize their gifts and talents and build those strengths into their business, they would have a life by design and so would I. This choice of course came with the negative self doubt and fear, and yet the same inner voice connected to my faith gave me the confidence to take the risk.

I chose Keller Williams because the God, Family, Business core of the company aligned with my core values. KW is also the only brokerage model that is truly built for the entrepreneur. In a time when there are more self made millionaires every year, having your own brand is critical to long term scalability and wealth building. For me to truly operate in passion, it has to be the agent and their brand in first position. The reason wealth is important is because it changes the trajectory for an entire family line, It is never about the money, it is what the money can do and offer for you, your family, your service, your churches, your communities.

If I were sitting with you today as a coach, I would say “risk means, stop thinking small. Don’t short change yourself or your future by living in fear and scarcity. Just start! Choose today you will make one decision that will help you win your day. Create action habits and don’t be afraid to fail.” I remember someone saying to me before stepping on stage to speak to thousands of people, “what if it all worked out?” The reward of risk is GROWTH. As I continue to take risks in my career I am currently the CEO of KW Peachtree Road of the Rawls Group in Brookhaven, GA. We are one of the top KW offices in the company and we get to serve hundreds of real estate agents and business owners through our magnetic culture, business coaching, proprietary technology, social media tools and innovation so you have no lid on your success!

What should our readers know about your business?
I touched on most of this in my first answer.

My name is Ahndea May and I am a lid lifter! I am the CEO of KW Peachtree Road, a leading real estate office in Brookhaven, GA. My passion is coaching 6 and 7 figure real estate agents and entrepreneurs to build massive growth and wealth intentionally. Our model is different from other brokerages as we have layers of leadership to help our agents truly build a business and not just sell houses. We were just named one of America’s Most Innovative Companies by Fortune. When the market is always changing and skill is what wins, you need to align with a company who has the right culture, coaching, technology, marketing, social media tools and allows you to have your own brand.

At KW Peachtree Road, we have developed many unique programs from dual career, a strategic coaching program outside work hours to allow you to build a plan to retire from one industry into real estate full time or do both and be successful. Our Momentum Coaching Program is for new full time agents to learn the foundation, systems and tools to building a business and making 6 figures your first year in real estate. For our seasoned agents we have developed a monthly wealth building mastermind to ensure multiple streams of revenue and how to leverage your income for more opportunity. We also work with our top agents on a path to MREA, which is to net $1 million every year. This includes coaching on how to build a team, global expansion and even leadership opportunities throughout the company.

We are known for attracting top talent who are drawn to our leading divisions like Luxury, Commercial and New Homes. The number 1 reason an agent leaves their brokerage is for better marketing. With KW, it is YOU, your brand first, powered by KW. We have a branding team in house to ensure a white glove transition for our top producers, giving them a full agency experience with custom logos, lifestyle images, custom collateral and signage. We even provide monthly social media for our agents and have a green room for video content days to truly remain top of mind and work smarter through digital marketing.

Our office has partnerships with major syndication’s like James Edition and List Hub Global, as well as a proprietary partnership with META and KW that allows for listings to be boosted with massive brand exposure for their clients. Our goal is for our top agents to stop paying thousands on multiple software tools and use the technology built by agents for agents to become fully optimized working their database automated and generating leads through social media while marketing for their clients and gaining brand exposure.

I am most proud of the growth in our agents and lives changed. We grow leaders at Peachtree Road. Our office grew by nearly 200% in 2023 as the Real Estate Board was down. We have beaten the odds because of our people. The magnetic culture is truly palatable when you walk in our office.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The next time you come to Atlanta, here are some places you would need to stop. My itinerary will always be best places to eat, shop, find coffee and keep eating. For a fun night out, I love the Buckhead Village. It is an upscale vibe with walk able shopping and amazing restaurants. You could definitely do a day to night here. Lunch at Le Bibouquet is the perfect little french cafe with delicious cocktails and salads and sandwiches. Then you must pop into the shops

Drinks at Carmel is so fun with their Mediterranean feel, live dj and the best smoky margarita in town. This is an excellent place to start your night and peep for celebrities, they like this place.

Head up the elevator to Gypsy Kitchen and take in the views and Spanish tapas. The Brussels are divine!

After dinner you could make your way over to the St Regis and after taking lots of photos throughout the incredible hotel, make your way to the Garden Room for an after dinner cocktail.

If your feeling frisky after you could hit up an iconic hot spot for dancing, Johnny’s. The playlist here is incredible and you will get all ages letting loose and having fun.

For another day to night experience, I recommend West Midtown. There are many places for coffee and sweet treats, there is great shopping and something for everyone when it comes to food and night life.

If your going fancy, you must eat at Marcel. The ambiance is incredible. The Italian cuisine is perfection starting with their house bread… it is drool worthy. Their veal is enough for 2 people and incredible. Overall you cannot go wrong with this experience.

Walk across the street to burn off your food and play some games and or dance at the little bars next door.

If your looking for live music, there is a very old historic dive bar, North side Tavern that is very fun. Looking for something new and current The Foundry has live Dj’s and bands. They don’t have something every weekend so make sure to check their calendar.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We all have those special people in our story who helped define who we are, gave us the belief we didn’t have or was just always there to be a listening ear. For me, my faith has been the root of who I am. The belief that we were created to be a light in this world and serve others is truly what drives me. My incredible children Ainsley, Anden, Abryn, Adie and Arlie, are my why in life! My mom and dad will always be at the top. My late father James D. Allen was a self made entrepreneur, he served our community and had a deep faith, He woke up every day saying “something good is going to happen today.” He truly had the mindset that there was nothing you could not accomplish. My mother, Darcy Staaland is one of my closest friends. She is centered in faith, wisdom and is so intelligent, She has been with me during every up and down in life and is always there cheering me on.

My husband Thomas, who is my steady. He calms the noise, he is my biggest fan, he loves me so well and truly when you are in a relationship where you are iron sharpens iron, you will soar in so many ways. I would not be where I am today without his love.

My sisters are truly my best friends and I could not be more thankful for their love and support in my life.

Dr. John Maxwell came into my life at 21, and he changed my life. He called out my gifts and leadership abilities when I didn’t even know I had them. The single most important thing John did for me was “believed” He believed in my when I didn’t and he gave me just enough of that belief in an incredible growth environment that I started to see it and begin stepping into who I was.

As women we all want those deep friendships and people you can live life with. For me, it is the ” Sensational 7.” The 7 of us women have been friends over 20 years and have gone through loss, babies, divorce, raising kids, launching businesses and everything in between. I am so thankful for good friends.

Finally my KW Peachtree Road family, as leaders you are only as good as your team, and I am so honored to work with the most talented, kind, people first world changers.

Website: https://kwpeachtreeroad.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahndeamay/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahndea-may-8973055a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ahndea.may

Image Credits
Ainsley May, Elevate Branding Agency

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