Mark & Jolene Jacobs

A CLEARLY DEFINED PATH TO PARTNERSHIP

By Robbyn Moore

Photos by Sasha Marceta with Skyview Experts

Mark and Jolene Jacobs are a husband-and-wife team that built a top-notch real estate business by setting a firm foundation with a clearly-defined strategic plan. They created a family-like environment that caters to both their team and clients, and developed a clear and concise training program that has not only brought them closer together but also set themselves apart from others in the business.

The couple established Jacobs Group Realty under the Keller Williams Metro brokerage after Jolene first began her real estate career in 2016, followed by Mark’s entry into the business two years later. “After 17 years as a human resource director, I decided I was brave enough to trust in myself to build my own business,” Jolene recalled. “Leaving a corporate job with great benefits, health insurance and retirement accounts was a very hard move to make, but I believed wholeheartedly in my ability to succeed.”

Mark made his move into real estate when he realized he wanted something more than his previous position as director of finance. “I saw how excited Jolene was to go to work every morning and learn new things, find new challenges and work on building her own business,” Mark said. “I wanted that too, so together, we envisioned the opportunity to build something unique as a couple.”

Prior to launching their business, Mark and Jolene clearly defined their roles, business goals and objectives, and a clear path to growth. “If there are no up-front discussions, you’ll be stepping on each other’s toes, causing conflict in the business, and that can spill over into your personal life,” Mark explained. Furthermore, in early 2020, they hired a coach to help navigate short- and long-term plans as well as identify the strengths that they each brought to the team. “Having a coach really helped us clarify specific parts of the business and fine-tune how to work together, which set us on a path of accelerated growth,” Jolene said. “Additionally, I think that every couple who decides to work together should first start by reading ‘Rocket Fuel’ by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters. The information conveyed in the book has been the foundation to our business model.”

With the help of the book, the couple was able to clarify which one of them is the visionary with groundbreaking ideas and which one is the integrator who makes the ideas a reality. “Without an integrator, you are far less likely to succeed long term and realize your business’s ultimate goals,” Jolene shared. “If you are both visionaries, then you have to align yourself and hire an integrator.”

With very different skill sets and virtually no crossover, Mark was identified as the integrator and Jolene the visionary. As an entrepreneur, Jolene has endless ideas and is a master closer of big deals. Mark breaks down Jolene’s concepts and puts them into an action plan.

The difference between Jolene’s big-thinker visions and Mark’s more reserved, analytical perspectives is the secret combination that makes the Jacobs team a standout in their field. “Jolene is a very outgoing person who loves to socialize and meet new people,” Mark said. “My background in finance and data analytics, coupled with my ability to provide structure and processes, has proven to be helpful in running and growing our business. Together, the contrast in our strengths is what unites us.”

In 2020, Jolene obtained her associate broker license as a strategic move to create a corporation for their business. Serving clients is a large focus of the team, but Mark and Jolene take just as much pride in creating jobs and opportunities that their staff can be proud of. “Our attention is on building a tight-knit, supportive team that nurtures careers and families,” Jolene said. “We have found great success in letting our growth happen organically, which we’ve been able to achieve since everyone’s values and motivation aligns with ours.” In addition to Mark and Jolene, their team consists of four agents, a transaction coordinator and a marketing director.

Currently, the duo is most passionate about growing their business and expanding their team into additional KW Market Centers. “Last year we experienced more than 100% growth in business,” Mark said. “This created opportunities for us to bring on new team members and show them how to rapidly achieve success by following the fundamentals of our business model.” Jolene added, “We worked very hard to build an exciting value proposition for our team members, including team splits, training and development, technology and systems/processes. As a result, we have helped our team members build their own businesses without relying solely on team leads.”

One distinct area of growth for the group has been within the healthcare sector. “Our backgrounds and relationships in this industry helped us carve out a niche market,” Jolene shared. “We have developed special relationships with some of the largest healthcare systems by helping relocate employees’ source housing.” Additionally, the couple has diversified their business and created a new investment venture called Plaid Shirt Properties.

Married for 14 years, Mark and Jolene enjoy hosting fun house parties and game nights. They also find time to golf, remodel homes, travel and explore new areas. A little fun fact about the couple is that, while they live less than two miles from their office, they do not drive to work with each other. “We must take separate cars and have our autonomy with the schedule of our day,” they both said with a smile. “It’s one example of how small details can make a big difference in all touch points of our relationship.”

“Our future consists of keeping real estate as our core business and expanding our team’s footprint into other areas,” Jolene said. “In 2021, Mark received his builder’s license to increase the scope of services we can provide to clients.”

As highly optimistic people, Mark and Jolene naturally think about the future of real estate, their team and how to better serve their clients. “While we spend almost all of our time together, we are still madly in love with one another,” Jolene said. “We truly enjoy each other in business and in our personal lives.”

DYNAMIC DUO -- Mark & Jolene Jacobs from Keller Williams Metro