We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Snider and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I spent the first 10+ years of my career working in the corporate world. First as a management consultant and later as a project manager / strategist / marketer at a premier asset management firm. Honestly, I didn’t grow up in a particularly entrepreneurial environment and was fairly risk-adverse, so starting my own business was never really part of the plan. I valued the security and stability of being part of established and well-paying organizations. I got to work on some really exciting projects alongside lots of very talented individuals, but I often found myself frustrated with the bureaucracy, the politics and overall lack of meritocracy that seem to be prevalent in big companies.

After the birth of my first daughter, my perspective on everything changed. I knew I wanted to continue to work and grow professionally, but if I was going to spend the time away from my baby it was going to need to be something that really filled me up. Something I was passionate about and where I felt more in control of my own destiny. Becoming a mother was a really empowering experience for me. And after so many years of professional success, I had a new level of confidence in my ability to build something on my own. My husband Jamie, who is an entrepreneur, was incredibly supportive and gave me the push and the support I needed to make the move.

So I resigned from my job, leaving a lot of opportunity and some incredible employee benefits behind, to pursue a longtime passion and start my career in residential real estate – an ‘eat what you kill ‘environment with no ceiling on your earnings, but an incredibly high failure rate.

Still being someone who loves to learn from others and who builds confidence through knowledge and competency, I immediately sought out a mentor in luxury real estate. I was lucky enough to find an incredible team who took me on as an assistant. My starting salary was significantly less than I made at my first job out of college over a decade earlier…but it was an invaluable apprenticeship that jump-started my career in real estate. I take the responsibility of guiding people through what could be one of the biggest financial transactions of their life seriously, and wanted to be sure that even from my first client, I was doing right by them and providing the best possible service.

6 months later I was operating as an agent on the team, bringing in and closing my own deals. My experience on that team gave me a strong foundation and allowed me to develop a vision for my own real estate business. So after about 2 years, we amicably parted ways and I went off on my own.

What should our readers know about your business?
As a luxury real estate agent in LA, I help buyers, sellers and investors with their residential real estate needs. Unlike many real estate agents, my business is very much relationship based, rather than transaction based. Which means we really focus on creating lifelong relationships with clients. and supporting them in building wealth and achieving their goals through real estate – whatever that may look like for them. Having this relationship approach means we are always focused first and foremost on our clients best interest vs. getting a deal done. My job is to understand my clients unique goals, priorities and considerations, provide them the information and advice needed to facilitate their decision making, and facilitate the best possible outcome for them in the market.

Coming from a background in consulting, vs. traditional sales, this approach came naturally to me from the beginning, but can go against a lot of the traditional approaches you see and advice you get on how to succeed in real estate. One of the challenges in this business also happens to be one of the great things about it – there really is no one right way to do it. Of course there are elements of the job that are technical skills you just have to get right, but there is also a lot of freedom to find your own authentic methods for connecting with clients and building your business. A focus on authenticity, integrity, quality, knowledge, and work ethic has been what’s worked for me.

The vast majority of our business comes from repeat clients and referrals from past clients, which is an incredibly encouraging indicator that what we are doing is working and sets us apart from the crowd.

I live and work primarily on the westside of Los Angeles but because of the nature of my business, I have successfully served clients from Malibu to Glendale, and from Westlake to Westchester!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh my gosh. There is so much to do here! Whenever I have visitors from out of town, especially my NY friends, they are always surprised by how sprawling and spread-out LA is. So I like to cluster activities and stops by the different pockets of town I think they’d enjoy. And I always try to incorporate as much time outside as possible as the weather and natural beauty are some of my favorite parts of living here.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of some of my favorites!

To do / visit:

Westside:

·      A hike in the Pacific Palisades, Los Leones is one of my favs

·      Shop and people watch in the Palisades Village

·      Shop and people watch on Abbot Kinney in Venice

·      Walk the canals and walkstreets in Venice – ideally on a Sunday so we can pop in to some open houses!

·      The Getty Center for some culture, views and killer architecture

·      Hang on the beach on the Marina Peninsula – south of the Washington and the pier. This is my favorite beach to chill at because it’s super quiet and peaceful – a total hidden gem

Eastside:

·      A hike in Griffith Park (is it really even a trip to LA if you don’t hike?!?)

·      Shopping in Silverlake

·      Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena

·      The Broad in DTLA

Weho / Mid-City :

·      LACMA

·      The Grove (I know, it’s just a mall, but depending on where you’re coming from, it can be worth doing!)

·      Shopping on Melrose

To Eat & Drink:

Westside:

·      Tasting Kitchen for cocktails – get the Braveheart, it’s not on the menu but it is my all-time favorite drink

·      Gjelina, Great White or The Rose for brunch

·      Hatchet Hall for brunch or dinner

·      Drinks at The Proper hotel in Santa Monica because the Kelly Wearstler designed spaces are to die for!

·      Drinks on the rooftop at The Erwin Hotel in Venice, more so for the sunset views

·      Dinner at Cassia in Santa Monica

·      Dinner at Felix or Barrique in Venice

·      Dinner and drinks at Etta in Culver City

·      Sushi at Shunji in Santa Monica

Mid-City / Central LA:

·      Brunch or dinner at Republique – the pastries! the ambiance! the food!

Eastside

·      Some of our favs in DTLA (downtown LA) are the Girl and the Goat, Bestia and Bavel

·      There is an amazing new spot in Eagle Rock called Dunsmoor

·      Highly recommend drinks with some live music at The Cara Hotel in Los Feliz and you can stay for dinner by the pool. Such a gorgeous space!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have so many amazing mentors, colleagues and clients that have contributed to my success, but I am going to take this opportunity to shoutout my incredibly supportive husband. Jamie is my rock, my sounding board, my biggest fan and my CFO! Caring for two small children and one complicated dog while we both build our businesses is no small feat! I absolutely could not do it without him.

Website: amysniderla.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsamysnider

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-snider-32b10622/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amysniderrealestate/

Other: https://www.zillow.com/profile/amysniderla/

Image Credits
Jennie Pegouskie, Neue Focus, Virtually Here Studios, Steven J Magner

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