Meet April Echols | Realtor

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

Hi April, how do you think about risk?
Over the years, I kind of accidentally created a process I run through when I’m faced with risk or failure in life or business, which in other words really means that I had to get up close and personal with it so I could learn to live with risk on a daily basis and not flip out or quit every time it showed up to play. Which it does, like the “likely spam” calls I get every single day. On that same note, I figured I must be attracted to risk or it to me because I decided to start a career in an industry where the majority walk away in the first couple of years. And I am happy to share some of the things I’ve had to learn.

One of the first steps I go through is to decide if I would regret not having tried. I literally take a moment, feel my future older, wiser self and ask, “Will I regret not having done this?”. I sit with her for a moment and really feel how it would feel not to do the thing, whatever it is. If something hits me as a possible regret if I don’t try it, then I set up a plan to do it. I would rather avoid a possible regret than a failure or loss most times. After having one too many regrets, one of my big life learned mantras is “No Regrets” and as cliche as it is, it has been a guiding star in my life, that funny enough, I don’t regret at all.

The second step I use is once I’ve determined that I’m going to do the thing, I commit to “it” mentally and emotionally. I look ahead to see what could possibly get in my way and start problem solving a solution for those obstacles, whether it’s securing accountabiility, changing my schedule, self care, or whatever support I need to make sure the obstacles have a lesser chance of winning. I know I’m going to have bad days, and with that in mind, I want to be set up and supported for those days. I am 100% human and I own that all the way! I know that the present “not the best version of me” will probably need to make some changes so I sit with her and ask her what’s going slow me down, get in my way, and cause me to lose to this risk? Let’s make a plan around that!

Then the third step I do is a preview of feeling a little some of that failure or loss if it doesn’t pan out. It sounds terrible but it works! I use that feeling as an extra motivator to find gaps in my knowledge and expertise and also to motivate me to stayed focused and to understand fully what’s at risk and what it’s going to take to succeed. Also, that taste of that feeling allows me to understand how “OK” I really am with this risk and how to foresee managing the yucky feelings that come along with fear of failure. If I take a moment to sit in that yucky feeling right now, I can go back to that feeling when I need a little extra motivation. It’s a tool. I don’t want to feel that again so I’m going to do X,Y,Z to prevent it. My rule for this is there is no shame allowed! Zero tolerance of shame! I can’t be mean to myself. I can’t be negative, Stick to the facts of the matter and allow myself to just feel a bit of that yucky feeling without shame.

The last and never ending step I use for risk is to study up and get ready. I gather data by studying the numbers and market trends, talking to mentors and friends and listening to a podcast or reading a book about the subject matter. Leaning in on my natural curiosity of the subject helps secure my knowledge on it, so I run with that. I have room in my schedule to allow me to be constantly curious and learning. That’s why I love driving! It gives me so much time to listen to some really smart people.

In my business, I help people manage risks on the daily. Back to my initial thought. I picked a career where risk is apparently my best friend who I get to talk to every day! Buying or selling a home, an investment property or building a home can all come with plenty of risks. Helping people decide on whether they should remodel and stay or sell or rent comes with a lot of responsibility because I don’t want to let my clients down and miss out on great financial opportunities. These are their opportunities to create financial changes in their lives and I am going to ensure I provide them with excellent guidance. That’s when I take a breath, lean into my processes, and gather good data so I can share that knowledge with the clients to help them manage their risks. Understanding what my clients have at stake, helps me provide them with better guidance.

As a business owner and professionaI, I feel it is of upmost importance to ask targeted, intentional questions to my clients to give them the space to process. As they process, I get to learn their personal risk mindset as well. Everyone handles risks differently. It’s emotional and messy and in desperate need of a plan! I have to be aware of these differences and plan accordingly for each individual client. One of the things I have appreciated the most about my career, is when having these conversations with my clients, I get to walk them through a process like the one I use for my risk mindset and provide them with education and guidance so the client can feel confident about their decisions.

What should our readers know about your business?
I have the amazing privilege of running Twisted Peach Residential! We are a sales team focused on selling and buying residential real estate. We are partnered with Ansley Real Estate as our broker and and have absolutely loved being there! Was it easy to get to where I am now? I could laugh and cry all at the same time trying to answer that! It was a huge personal growth process and I am beyond grateful to every single client who put their trust in us to help them invest in a property, move into a new home or community, build a home, or sell a home to make a great financial gain. I am grateful for each person I’ve had the oppportunity to learn from as well. There have been many kind agents I’ve had the benefit to learn from and I love paying that forward with agents I get to meet and work alongside.

One of the things that caused a ton of personal growth was learning to do videos and learning how to have fun with that instead of taking it too seriously! That is a unique feature of Twisted Peach Residential. We do a lot of videos thanks to my husband’s media business Twisted Peach Media. Marketing has a hold on my heart and I appreciate it when it’s done right! We like to have fun while doing all the hard work, too. I believe in having strong systems and plans so doing the work itself can be less stress inducing and more often about finding the joy in the moment, whether it’s running comparable analysis, walking a client through a process or providing some well earned advice through a difficult negotiation. I want to have the “calm’ at the ready for when it’s needed so I plan accordingly!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love being out in nature, so hiking is one of my first go to’s. My favorite spots are Red Top Mountain State Park and Kennesaw Mountain. Both offer varying styles of trails and views and are absolutely beautiful! Red Top has Allatoona Lake and Kennesaw Mountain has a view that extends so far you can see all the way to Stone Mountain on the east side of Atlanta. For a lazy morning brunch I like Salt & Pepper Cafe in Dallas and for a fun retro laid back evening, Ate Track Bar & Grill in Cartersville is a fav. When in Marietta for work or play, I enjoy popping into the Marietta Square Market for pretty much a whole variety of different kinds of cuisine! I love walking downtown in Cartersville, Dallas, and Acworth and checking out the different boutique stores. Every time I go, I find a new one to check out. The last couple I visited with friends were the Tin Bucket Mercantile in Dallas, which has a robust holiday section upstairs each fall and the Southern Cove in Cartersville, which has great gifts for the men in your life.
Obviously, the city offers a ton so the Fox Theatre is always fun and I’m a fan of the Atlanta Symphony so if there’s an opportunity to go, I really appreciate those! My hands down favorite downtown activity is the High Museum of Art! I can spend hours and hours there way after my whole family’s attention span has worn out!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There is this group of women that I had the absolute gift of meeting in 2007 when I moved to Georgia. They showed me what it means to be a classy, strong, smart, gracious, kind woman. They supported each other. They were real with each other. They didn’t shy away from the hard stuff or sugar coat it. They gave you space to process and just listen. They let each other shine in their own unique ways. They challenged each other emotionally, mentally and spiritually in a humble, gracious way. They showed me how to be vulnerable and be real and strong and still be kind and not bitter or unloving. I will forever be grateful for each one of them for the individual impact they had on me. Looking back, I honestly don’t know where I would be today without their influence on my life. I truly wish that every woman could have a taste of that kind of impact and love and community. It’s because of that experience that one of my daily goals is to provide that spirit of love and encouragement to each woman I get to come in contact with. We are stronger and better together when we lift each other up. If you find that you don’t have that support, reach out… seriously, because every woman needs it and I love to share of what I’ve been given!

Website: https://www.ansleyre.com/site/aprilechols

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