Are you set up for success in 2016? Join 2,500 real estate industry leaders Aug. 4-7, 2015, at Inman Connect in San Francisco. Get Connected with the people and ideas that will inspire you and take your business to new heights. Register today and save $100 with code Readers.


Takeaways:

  • Dr. Tommy Sowers served 11 years of active duty in the U.S. Army, including two combat tours as a Green Beret.
  • Training yourself to think like a soldier and act like an entrepreneur lends itself well to the real estate industry.
  • Organizing a strong team to support your business endeavors will increase your productivity. Sowers will be at Inman Connect to share more about his experience.

Dr. Tommy Sowers is the current CEO and founder of SOLOpro, a venture-backed real estate marketplace that offers a full 3 percent rebate to homebuyers as well as access to real estate agents who have unbundled their services.

He also served 11 years of active duty in the U.S. Army, including two combat tours in Iraq as a Green Beret.

The chasm between soldier and entrepreneur may seem vast, but as his session at Inman Connect San Francisco will illustrate, there are many similarities between the two roles.

Tommy Sowers

Tommy Sowers

Training yourself to think like a soldier and act like an entrepreneur lends itself well to the real estate industry.

As an Army Special Forces detachment commander in Iraq, Tommy Sowers was well-versed in persuading people to cooperate with the U.S. Army.

“Some of them wanted to kill us, but you had to find out how to get them to work with us,” Sowers said of building rapport with different elements. (Sounds a little like dealing with clients …)

That experience, along with a number of other stints that required him to win over strangers (teaching at Duke University, serving as assistant secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs), has taught him quite a bit about how to build relationships, which is arguably the cornerstone of establishing, managing and maintaining any kind of successful business. This is particularly true for real estate.

So how do you think like a soldier and act like an entrepreneur, particularly when you’re out on the firing line, trying to close a deal?

Tip No. 1: Assemble a platoon. Organizing a strong team to support your business endeavors will increase your productivity. Alone, you can go fast, but as a team, you can go far.

[Tweet “Act like a soldier, think like an entrepreneur tip: Assemble a platoon.”]

Join us at Inman Connect San Francisco to learn the rest of Sowers’ tips for thinking like a soldier and acting like an entrepreneur.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×