Meet Jimmy Khounlavong

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jimmy Khounlavong.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
My story starts in a small town in Kentucky where I was raised. Being a part of my family’s first generation to be born in a rural part of the country, I found it challenging to find my identity. I felt that no one looked, spoke or thought like me. As early as I can remember, I was searching for the endless opportunities I saw on TV. After graduating from the University of Kentucky, my journey took me anywhere & everywhere that would provide the access I was desperately searching for. After several lucrative but soulless stints in medical & IT sales, I had my first internal “value systems” conversation. I asked myself, “What is important to you,” and “When was the last time you actually enjoyed working?” It took me back to my part-time high school job at The Finish Line – stocking, talking & selling sneakers. The truth is, I had a difficult time assimilating during my teenage years until I found sports & sneaker culture. This ultimately led to my time at Nike.

I consider my >16 years at “the swoosh” as my on-the-job MBA. I’m grateful for the experiences, friendships and knowledge gained while working at what insiders call “behind the berm.” Nike allowed me to work directly with inspiring athletes, amazing teammates, bring innovation to market, play a role in huge events and initiatives, travel the globe and, most importantly, impact the people and communities I reached. Long story short, as my experiences grew, so did my desire to do and be more for myself and others. As I matured, leaving a legacy became increasingly more important. My willingness to parlay the joy I received from helping customers, teammates and athletes achieve their goals evolved into something bigger — a purpose.

Having the luxury of working in the sports & fitness industry, I became obsessed with living a healthy lifestyle. The next stop on my journey was to create a wellness concept based on holistic contrast therapy, aka hot & cold immersion. I left Nike and Los Angeles for Phoenix to start my new company. Humbly, the post-COVID and macroeconomic environment proved too big of a mountain to climb. While I never had a problem locating potential investors, finding the “right” investors was a challenge. The market has since caught up to my vision, so I pivoted.

Coincidentally, while “Plunge Studio” was winding down, I experienced a tragic family event when I lost my father. My world stopped. While COVID was a significant pause for everyone, this was exponentially more personal. I had to “gut-check” myself once again. While going through such a significant valley, my head became flooded with a million thoughts and memories. All visuals revolved around the many great times my parents afforded my sister and I in the home where we grew up. That was it. I would reimagine my career through real estate. Although I knew the market was primed for a downturn, it didn’t matter. My purpose was to provide others with the opportunity my parents gifted me. The chance to help people turn their own personal “moments into memories” became my goal.

In addition to the opportunity to help others build lasting memories, real estate also enables me to achieve other personal passions…

1. Help & teach others how to build equity and wealth for themselves and their families.
2. Have the freedom to satisfy my entrepreneurial drive while building other business ventures.

Ultimately, I enjoy being a connector. I am charged with finding solutions for my clients through the same access and opportunities that I’ve always wanted for myself. My days are fulfilling because I’ve created the opportunity to manage my schedule and choose who, what, and where I invest my time. Although work is rarely “easy,” I feel inspired and free. Whether it’s by helping people find their dream homes, building a talent management company, helping start-ups raise money or creating a brand for a client; I’m grateful for my days. I’m exhausted when my head hits the pillow but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m thankful for a life that I’m energized to wake up to and ready to get back after it every morning.

It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Challenge naturally comes with change. However, it doesn’t mean that it’s not worth it. It may sound cliché but it always comes down to focusing on what you can control and letting go of what you can’t. Four years ago, the world stopped and the ramifications are major contributors to our current macroeconomic headwinds. To say that it has been a challenge to start a new real estate business during these tough financial times would be a massive understatement. However, giving up simply isn’t an option. This is when you lean into your purpose. This leads to my biggest obstacle – myself.

When starting a new path, there will always be endless self-doubt & self-criticism. Once the rosy glow of a new adventure wears off, you’ll discover that entrepreneurship can be a very lonely journey. You’ll find yourself questioning your decisions, whether you made the right choices and worried about where the money will come from frequently. Someone once told me, “You’re not an entrepreneur until you’re sitting on the edge of the bed at 2 am with your head in your hands, wondering if you’ve made the right decision.”  You HAVE to accept that it’s a part of the process and actually learn to love it.  In fact, it’s actually a gift because you’ll have clarity of where to start.

During these digital times, everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. Corporate America has proven that for it to succeed as an organization, it must be more loyal to itself than its employees. It’s not right. It’s not wrong. It’s just what it is. To conflate the issue, social media makes it seem like starting & running your own business is simple, “just do these 3 steps and you’ll be rich.”

The truth of the matter is, just like life, entrepreneurship is hard. It’s not fair. It takes work. It’s difficult to watch others get breaks while you go broke. Questioning your decisions and sometimes your self-worth is inevitable. But as Alex Hormozi says, “You have to outwork your self-doubt.” Things won’t always go your way and on the timeline you want but if you have a clear vision, commit to the process, do the hard work as if you like it and fall in love with the journey — you’ll get there. You don’t know where a conversation can lead or where a referral can go. A single social media post can change your life. As soon as I came to these conclusions, it all started to change and opportunities began to present themselves. I’m not here to say that all of my businesses are performing at their peak. In fact, they all have enormous opportunities for growth. However, I can confidently say that fortune favors the bold and results occur when we put ourselves out there, dare to be different and do the work.

We must fear regret more than rejection.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Although I spent a long time in the corporate world, I’m an entrepreneur at my very core. I’m proud of what I do today because I have the opportunity to work with purpose while also having several irons in the fire. My businesses include real estate, talent management and building creative go-to-market business strategies. They allow me to tap into both sides of my brain. As a realtor, I get to work with an incredible team (Housed.com) and at the best brokerage for me – North&Co. The founder and namesake needs no introduction as he’s one of the most prolific real estate and business leaders in Phoenix. However, in my opinion, the most essential part of the name on the door is the “CO.” It’s a brokerage that’s committed to building and helping the communities we serve. The open-source learning environment is unrivaled. We work hard to ensure that our commitment to excellence shines through in every transaction. If I don’t have an answer, I know that I can find it through my vast resources of peers, leaders and network of professionals.

My favorite part is that they champion me to be myself. They believe in my vision, support my goals and empower my brand. They know my strengths and enable me to bring a different perspective as an agent. While many brokerages are outdated, staunch and uptight, that’s not us. I come from a lifestyle background, so you’re more likely to catch me in some Jordans than wingtips and they love it for me. I pride myself on being a connector of people — absolutely zero gatekeeping. Whether you need a reservation at a restaurant or a recommendation for a plumber, I have your back. My goal is to be the “go-to” resource for day-to-day life & business, not just for houses.

In addition to my real estate 9 to 5, my business partners enable me to lean into my passion for sports & building businesses from 5 to 9. My other ventures (Jasper Sports Management & Lip Loi Creative) allow me to lean into assisting talented athletes and start-up businesses to achieve their goals through personal branding, endorsements and raising capital. I’m fully aware that being diversified can potentially hurt my real estate growth. However, I wouldn’t be authentic or satisfied if I just did one thing. After all, none of us are “just one thing.”  I’d love to empower more people to share more of themselves – more of what makes them special. We’re all dynamic individuals and have more to offer the world than what we contribute from our traditional jobs. Why not share it? Leveraging the power of the collective only makes us all better.

What does success mean to you?
To me, success means being able to look in the mirror at the end of every night, knowing that I did my absolute best that day. We live in a toxic “hustle culture” that promotes unhealthy lifestyles. Being the first one to arrive and the last one to leave doesn’t pay off if you’re not efficient with your time. Being busy doesn’t mean being productive. I’m not downplaying hard work or determination. I’m championing them. Along with purposeful sacrifice, both are critical and necessary for success. However, they’re only valuable if we have a solid vision of what we’re working towards. If I am confident that I did everything I could to maximize the day with intention & purpose, I consider it a successful day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://housed.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsyourboyjimmyk/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmykhounlavong/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChZ8qDBorXZfK5s7xNTYwUA

Image Credits
@rccreativemediaco – Rob Cordero Jr @thegingersvideos – Max Muehlhausen