Karen Kelly, MBA ’05, works for Austin’s Van Heuven Properties as a real estate broker, a career she happily discovered after a few false starts in other directions (country music DJ, anyone?). She is a member of the McCombs MBA Alumni Advisory Board and serves on the committee for Reunion 2010 (Oct. 22-24 for MBA classes from 1995, 2000 and 2005). Kelly is also a longtime volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Her first mentee graduates from UT this year, and, after introducing her current “Little” to Longhorn football games, hopes to help him enroll at the university in 2018. Hook ‘em.

Your MBA reunion is coming up. What are you expecting in your encounters with classmates?

I am amazed by the success of my classmates. Each time I reconnect with someone I am astounded at how much everyone has accomplished in only 5 short years. This reunion will be exciting to see where everyone has landed and relish in their successes.

Why did you choose McCombs?

Pete Essig, MBA’02, gave me some advice on my way in that I will never forget. He said, “Don’t take classes because you feel like you need to take them. This is your chance to change your career and your life. Take classes that you are interested in and subjects that you want to learn more about.”

I chose McCombs because it provided a blank canvas for me to explore my passions and eventually create a career path customized specifically for me. I don’t know of any other MBA program that encourages their students to find their passion and take hold of their careers quite the same way. I loved Professor Eugene Sepulveda’s community development courses and also traveled with him to Asia with Plus Global my second year. He really cared about influencing his students to make a life long commitment to giving back to the community. Professor Steve Magee invited students over to his house for dinner on multiple occasions for round table discussions—I loved his passion for teaching, his funny stories and his commitment to get to know all of his students.

How did your MBA experience change you?

I was miserable in my consulting job before going back to school searching to discover my passion and make a huge life change. I had math and engineering degrees from undergrad and decided that I was going to use my two years at McCombs to explore different career options and discover my true calling. My MBA experience completely changed my career plan and enriched my life. 

What are you most proud of in your career as a real estate broker?

About 95 percent of my business comes from referrals, and that alone is something that I’m proud of. I love getting phone calls or letters from my clients letting me know that they couldn’t have imagined going through the process without me.
 
What keeps you motivated every day?

I love my job. Every day I meet new and interesting people and am faced with challenges and new adventures. My clients are the best thing about my job—they are the most interesting group of people and have taught me countless things about how to achieve personal success. They are a wide array of people from all over the world—entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, celebrities, filmmakers, you name it. Many of them have become my closest friends and consider me a trusted resource. That provides me with the sense of accomplishment and encouragement I need on a day to day basis to keep me motivated.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was little I always wanted to be a matchmaker. I always thought that it would be such a glamorous job and would be incredibly rewarding. Funny thing is, now I’m a matchmaker of sorts—instead of matching someone with their future spouse, I help find the perfect home for my clients.

What are some bits of business wisdom that you have tried to abide by in your career?

Use your natural talents and passions. Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole. If you love something, try to find a way to make a living at it. Don’t listen to anyone else’s opinion of your job—the most successful entrepreneurs all had people laugh at their ideas.

I’m living proof that “doing what you love” will ultimately not feel like work at all, and that provides me with the emotional accomplishment that makes me feel successful every day. I’ll be the first to admit that finding a job that I loved which could also pay the bills wasn’t easy. I tried everything from being a DJ on a country radio station to working on a vineyard in South America. Despite the fact selling homes wasn’t considered an “MBA-caliber job,” I knew that I was passionate about design, knew the numbers and am a natural salesperson. I watch HGTV for fun and spend my weekends looking through design books. I don’t know why it took me so long but real estate was a natural fit for me.