Colin Reilly

Be humble and be grateful for your circumstances, no matter what! It is often the valleys and disappointments that bring us life’s greatest lessons.

 

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Colin Reilly has become known for his versatile skill set and strong work ethic. Since 2003, Colin has launched a successful career in real estate, working his way up to President of Townsend Kane, an investment firm dedicated to providing real estate solutions. Now, Colin is sharing his experience with others in hopes of inspiring them to find their passions.

As the youngest of four children, Colin grew up constantly surrounded by others. Naturally, he developed exceptional communication skills, which led him to work in sales during his undergraduate degree. Selling books door to door with the Southwestern Company, Colin was recognized as a top salesman and recruiter among 3,500 other students.

In 1994, Colin graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. In 2003, Colin decided to take a chance and purchase a “We Buy Ugly Houses” franchise. His success launched him into a lifelong career in real estate, and by 2008 Colin was named the number 1 franchisee among 300 offices.

Colin attributes his strong work ethic to his parents, who both worked in healthcare as a surgeon and a nurse. He hopes he can pass on the same inspiration to his own children.

Currently, Colin lives in Tucson, Arizona, with his college sweetheart, Sacha, and their four beautiful children. As the President of Townsend Kane, he helps to resell and lease properties that were once distressed single family homes.

Where did the idea for Townsend Kane come from?

My brother and I knew we wanted to create and build a real estate investment firm after our experience with HomeVestors. We used two family surnames which were also our sisters’ middle names and started Townsend Kane.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

Wake up at 6am and take my two dogs for a run! I make breakfast for the family and after a visit I begin to check emails. Once at the office, I invest time in prospecting for the best homes to purchase. The three areas of our business consist of acquisition, rehab, and disposition. While I’m kept informed on the status of construction as well as any pending sales or offers, my focus is on the acquisition process.

How do you bring ideas to life?

There are many ideas to come to life in my office! We have round table discussions to quickly evaluate the validity of the idea and the risk vs the reward. Ideas are welcomed, evaluated, scrutinized, and implemented once we believe it to add value to a product or process.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The general public is educated and savvy! Buyer and seller have access to information immediately which allows us to integrate technology into our business. We communicate through phone, email, text, instant manager and in person. These medians give us many ways to touch a client and communicate vital information.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

Every January, I contemplate a theme for the year and measurable goals using a scoreboard. This information overshadows all decisions and behavior and allows me to consider each choice in light of how it impacts achieving or not achieving a goal. By focusing on what I can control, I’m able to find the levers that will have the greatest impact on the business and focus on them.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be humble and be grateful for your circumstances, no matter what! It is often the valleys and disappointments that bring us life’s greatest lessons.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

President Trump is not a racist.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Focus on the action that will have the biggest positive impact on the business. It is easy for all of us to get bogged down in the details and minutia of the business. By identifying that single activity I can control, with the help of accountability, I can measure my success by whether or not I completed those tasks.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

One strategy that has helped me grow my business is focusing on opportunities that are scalable and have significant upside.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

When the real estate market collapsed in 2008, we were holding 140 rental properties. The values dropped hard and fast and kept dropping. We were suddenly in financial trouble and were dealing with devaluation of real estate. Giving up was never an option so I do everything within my power to sell properties, reduce liabilities, and stay alive! It was a very, very difficult 2-years but we relied on prayer, hard work, and vision!

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I bought a floral arrangement for a gal we hire to sell and manage properties. Her step son had died recently and I wanted her to know that our love and prayers were her during this time of loss.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

We use a software called Spotio. It’s a door to door app that we can populate with prospective houses we may have an interest in purchasing. Any communication we have with a customer, we update with notes.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey

What is your favorite quote?

The credit belongs to the man who is in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood…who strives valiantly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who
neither know victory nor defeat.

Key Learnings:

● Focus on the opportunities that will have the biggest impact
● Build your business on a strong foundation. With potential market downturns and the increasing knowledge of customers/clients, any weakness or shortcuts taken will eventually be exposed. The strong companies will survive.
● If you have a “why” driving your goals and actions, you can accomplish anything.