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Meet Trailblazer Sallie Simmons

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Sallie Simmons.

So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am from a small town in the MS Delta. I lived there for most of my life. In 2004, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and wasn’t sure what my next steps should be, so I decided to keep going through graduate school. After receiving my Master’s degree in Community Development from Delta State University, I went out looking for full-time jobs in my field and had a difficult time finding one. I found a position as the District Manager for a chain of gift and gourmet food stores in Mississippi. After several years of working there and doing trade shows all over the nation for them, I decided I needed a change of scenery and packed up all of my belongings and headed West.

I decided the Denver Metro area was it. Once settled in, I took a position as an outside salesperson, and then, very quickly, I became a sales manager for the same company. From there, I had other sales jobs where I felt I was simply a number and not truly a valuable part of something bigger. I wanted something more fulfilling. After networking with a group here in the Metro area for a while, I was convinced by two members who are agents to give real estate a shot. While I didn’t actually take the leap for two years, when I did, I knew that it was the career for me. I took my real estate exam and got my license in 2014 and haven’t looked back since. I truly love helping each person find where they belong here in Denver because I absolutely love it here! With Red Rocks, skiing, hiking, and the many other things Denver and Colorado have to offer, who wouldn’t love it here?!

In 2016, I met Virginia T Coleman and began collaborating with her in a variety of avenues in her custom design business- railings, furniture, etc. I did electrical work with my Dad through my entire college experience, so I am pretty handy and good at problem-solving. Since then, I have helped brainstorm and problem solve on many projects and am often the extra set of hands she needs. I love having an additional creative outlet to real estate, plus everything she makes is beautiful.

Has it been a smooth road?
Every new start that I have had has been difficult, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. When I moved to Denver, it was 2009 and the economy was not in great shape. I found a job, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. I used it as a learning opportunity and a stepping stone to bigger, better things. I learned a lot in that position and have in everyone after it. I made my way through various jobs- some I loved and some I didn’t, but the one thing that kept me positive about them all was that they weren’t my forever jobs. I never considered them that in my mind, so I just kept rolling along until I could find something that was a better fit. The economy has since rebounded, and Denver is thriving, so take each opportunity and a new beginning as a stepping stone to something better if you are struggling. We are constantly growing and changing, so what is not fulfilling and rewarding now could become that way eventually or can at least be a lesson for your future.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
As a realtor, my focus is to make my clients as comfortable and confident as possible in one of the largest (usually THE largest) purchase of their lifetime. I make myself readily available for each and every client and their particular needs- whatever they may be. If I am awake, I am generally available to answer any questions. I treat everyone as I would like to be treated in that situation, and I do my very best to make it a smooth and fun experience. My proudest accomplishment as a realtor is that I work primarily on referrals. This makes me proud because it means that I have done a job that was stellar enough not only for clients to come back to me time and time again when they buy or sell real estate, but they also refer their friends and family to me. That is the biggest compliment I get as a realtor.

Which women have inspired you in your life?
All of the women in my family have inspired me since day one. My great-grandmothers, my grandmothers, and my mom are huge inspirations. My great-grandmothers lived through the Great Depression and could make the most delicious meal on a shoestring budget for our entire family. They raised large families at a time when life was difficult but never let those influences affect them and their parenting. They all raised amazing, respectful humans. My grandmothers both worked while raising their children at a time when many women stayed at home mothers. They didn’t always have to, but they wanted to be a participating member of the workforce and society as a whole.

My Mom has been a huge inspiration to me. She has been a nurse for my entire life. She never let herself become stagnant and has always excelled and moved up the ranks. She was an LPN for many years in a nursing home where she was a very respected and loved part of the community. She went back to school and got her bachelor’s degree when we were young, and then she went right back to that nursing home and became the Director of Nurses. After doing that for many years, she started teaching nursing school and graduated many classes of a new generation of nurses. Her dedication and tenacity in her field of expertise, and life, in general, has always been an example to me as a young girl and is still one today. Having a strong female role model since day one has been what has made me who I am today.

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Sallie Simmons

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