Thank you for spending these few moments reading my first post to my blog: One Elemental Truth. I am excited and grateful to have this venue in which to easily share with you my thoughts and observation on life, personal evolution, and the pursuit of intellectual, creative and economic fulfillment in the realm of business. Those who know me know that I have been intensely focused for some years now on developing that niche for myself in this world which allows me to (a) reach and serve as many folks as possible, as a galvanizing force helping them to shatter their limitations and grow into their next dimension, (b) develop myself as an expert, while still always maintaining the ability to continue to learn and master my practice, and (c) support my family, live well and develop wealth that will last generations.

Fortunately, God has blessed me with a huge amount of energy, opportunity and many teachers, mentors and gurus to each endow me with some Elemental Truth on my Path to mastering my niche. I was blessed to be born into a family of origin which included (a) a Grandmother and three great-aunts who all finished college as young, Black women in the South in the 1940’s and 50’s, and (b) parents who taught me – without reservation – that I could do anything, then put their money where their mouths were, making many sacrifices in order to provide me with a privileged education. Unfortunately, what I heard my parents say was that I had to do everything. This, along with my insatiable curiosity and interest in so many different subjects of study and business models, led to the years in which I had, in my mother’s terms, “Career ADD”; in a 10 year period of time, I worked as a Girl Scout Program Director, a Probation Officer, an FBI Intern, a Vocational School Instructor, a Mental Health Services Worker, a Personal Trainer and an Attorney.

When I left the practice of law to use the Real Estate Broker’s license I had obtained with the intent to save my father (a Real Estate Investor, a.k.a. to me as “The Bank of Randy”) some money on commissions, I had no clue I had finally arrived in my element. As an Attorney, having practiced in such diverse areas as Legal Malpractice Defense, Criminal Defense, Civil Litigation, Corporate Transactions and Real Estate Transactions, it wasn't too steep a learning curve for me to learn the transactional detail involved in a real estate purchase and sale transaction. However, the marketing and business development side of my real estate business was a total and complete revelation to me. If I found a niche market, I could strategize about how to over-serve that market, get the word out about my high-touch service, and secure business! I could do all sorts of interesting – and exhilarating – things with the people in my database to generate referrals, which led to an incredible group of clients who were the friends, family members and clients of people I already knew – and liked (i.e., people I didn’t have to be scared to get in the car with as we house hunted).

When I discovered that the large brokerages were, in my opinion, neglecting single women, Spanish-speakers, investors conducting 1031 exchanges, and other savvy consumers of real estate, I realized that I could reach out to these groups – through education in a seminar format – and develop my business by attracting a well-educated clientele who was committed to knowledge and taking responsibility for their own transactions. This is the best kind of client I could ever ask for, given that I spend a lot of time educating clients and managing their expectations, which the seminar-attendee type of client truly appreciates.

So, the first niche market I worked with in terms of seminars was single women; I now call them Single Girls. The second largest homebuying demographic in America, buying homes at twice the rate of single men. INCREDIBLE. Yet totally underserved and even improperly served by condescending real estate agents. I customized the solution-oriented knowledge, educational, expectation management, and transaction processing system I had crafted for my general client group for the specific needs and concers (and advantages) I had observed in the many single women I had sold homes to. I put together a meaty, fast-paced seminar for Single Girls, and a companion booklet. I put the seminar on in Oakland and Walnut Creek for free, as purely a mechanism for generating business.

And incredible women showed up. And they started teaching me. They said, “Tara – write a book about this. We crave this information.” They said, “This is a breath of fresh air. None of the Realtors® I’ve met at Open Houses even took me seriously.” I got emails from women in Southern California, who had heard of the seminar from friends in the East Bay and wondered if I was ever going to give it in L.A., and Orange County. Then I got a call from a Southern California Realtor®, who wondered if she could sponsor me to give the seminar in her area, to help her brand herself as an expert in serving this niche AND generated business at the same time. Whew.

This was a revelation to me. I was on fire and in action. I set a mission for myself and my new company, TN Knowledge Systems, LLC. My mission is to create more women homebuyers than any other entity. I feel blessed to have been given the ability and desire to go out and meet Single Women everywhere, and share with them the expertise I have cultivated, which will allow them to truly transform their lives through homeownership, which can DRASTICALLY affect a Single Girl’s daily lifestyle; her lifelong financial and wealth development; and her sense of independence, power and voice in her relationships. I am presently selecting an agent for my upcoming book, tentatively titled The Single Girls’ Homebuying Handbook. I am converting my seminar into a Learning Annex course. I am developing a program for Realtors® to teach them how to effectively serve and market to this niche. I am in talks with a couple of nationwide home décor and lifestyle product retailers about possible corporate sponsorships of a nationwide seminar tour for 2006. And generally, I am in my element and thrilled at the prospect of helping exponentially greater numbers of women through these media, and more.

Why did I name my blog One Elemental Truth? At a frustrating time in my niche search, one of my gurus, Bill Gwire (the most incredible plaintiff-side legal malpractice attorney in California, and one of the most emotionally evolved attorneys – or people – I’ve ever met, period) gave me a quote which I kept taped on my calendar, for constant reference. In the years since then, I’ve seen this quote everywhere from O Magazine to the Quote of the Day mailing lists. It is now ubiquitous because of its undeniable power and truth. It is now proving itself true for hundreds of my clients, seminar attendees, and for myself in this new venture. If you let it, it will prove true for you, too.

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.

Concerning all acts of initiative there is One Elemental Truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help that would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance which no man or woman would have dreamed could have come his way.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic to it.
Begin it now.


--Goethe, 1749-1832


Very truly yours (VTY),
T