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Meet Trailblazer Bonnie Hissey

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Bonnie Hissey.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Bonnie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My early years, I worked in engineering designing multi-layer printed circuit boards. After that, moved to Mexico for three years, owned a small fishing boat for charters, and also worked on a private yacht for Carlos Slim. Came back to Denver and got my real estate license. I have a chronic pain disease that became acute and unbearable when I was 30. I had been a cheerleader, gymnast, and athlete playing competitive softball for CU Boulder, so this was devastating. Which is why I had to quit a 9-5 and find something that gave me more flexibility while also allowing me the possibility to still support myself. I had already bought real estate and was planning on owning multiple properties so I came by that career honestly. I struggled for many years but still made sure my clients were my #1 priority. I gave up things like cooking and cleaning. 🙂 Slowly but surely, I established a reputation that allowed my business to be 95% referrals. I have received the Five Star Award now seven years in a row. An accomplishment that’s been given to less than 2% of real estate agents in the Denver Metro area. I spent over 20 years trying numerous ways to increase my health. The majority of things cost me money, time, and disappointment. But I hung on to every baby step and am now in a position I couldn’t have dreamed of for many years. I have three properties in the Wash Park area and also bought a property in Mexico where I used to live. I’ve traveled to Europe, beaches, islands, and don’t plan on stopping. Life isn’t about fixes or perfection. It’s about managing what comes at you, doing right by yourself and others, surrounding yourself with quality people, being grateful, and never giving up. I love watching this city grow! It’s always been poised and worthy of getting bigger and better.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ahh, I wrote about some struggles on the other page. But particularly for young women. My family gave me many luxuries that I would wish for all women. I was brought up in a household where my mother and father were adamant that there is nothing a female isn’t capable of, there was never a discussion of body or body issues, so my accomplishments had to do with brains, wit, athleticism, etc. And they did not burden me with any societal demands that a relationship, marriage or children have anything to do with making someone whole. I know I am lucky in this regard. I would wish this for every woman out there. They also gave me stability and love which allowed me to hold my own and excel in male-dominated engineering work environments. I also believe in justice and ethics so I am typically loud when I encounter or see something I know isn’t acceptable. We have to be our own best advocates and we deserve to be listened to and be respected. Trust your instincts, evolve, and honor yourself. Your life can be full inside or outside the box. Choose whichever you wish. Don’t ask for permission to be confident.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I care about the best interests of my clients. I’m not successful unless they are ultimately happy and well represented. I fight for them as hard as I do for myself. I love this city, I love architecture, and I’ll never tire of visiting homes. My knowledge and passion for numbers, contracts, and trends allow me to do the best possible job and give my clients more information than many other agents. I never try and “sell” you anything. I want to find you what you really want and I’ll be honest about what you can get. I also am completely transparent. There are a lot of things the public doesn’t know about how this business works. I like to clear up misconceptions and provide the truth regarding all aspects of it. It’s what I would want if I were on the other end. I am completely hands-on and take care of each client personally. There are moments in every transaction where I know that I’ve added things they would never think of or other agents might miss. But an interesting flip side is if you’re doing your job well, then people seem to think it’s easy. To that I say, try it. There is a lot of time, brain damage, and hard experienced work to make it look easy. Many people could do this job. Few do it exceptionally.

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I think it comes from both sides. Often one has to fight for equal representation in the male community. So you have to be better than a male to even be considered. I was told once that I almost wasn’t hired into one of my engineering positions because my looks might have been distracting to the other engineers. And a similar incident where I was called into an office because other engineers were visiting my cubicle. At which point I walked out and loudly told them to go talk to their engineers that were getting up out of their chairs. I considered that ignorance and not maliciousness. So I made my stand loudly and I got respect for it. Maybe I was naively confident. But I am friends with the same men years later. I’d like to see more women demanding and taking place at the head of the table. A huge part of it is believing in yourself and your position. One shouldn’t have to be extraordinary to be a woman at the top. We should be allowed to be equally as flawed as every male in the same positions. That’s when real equality will be achieved.

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