“I don't want to be in real estate man, that's crazy. Why would I want to be a real estate agent?” That was the response ERA Strother’s Chief Executive Officer Denise Strother gave more than 30 years ago at the thought of becoming a realtor. Interesting words to begin a career spanning 33 years.

“I went to school to be an accountant. And actually, my sister and I had our own little business that we ran. We did people's taxes, did the books for small businesses and stuff like that,” recalled Strother inside of her corner office in the Festival Park Plaza located in Downtown Fayetteville. “And the more I got to thinking about it, I said ‘What the heck I want to go ahead and get my license.’ And then bam, it just went from there.”

After encouragement from her sister’s boss, Strother received her real estate license in 1989 and officially got her start in the real estate industry in 1990, a time she recalls as not being the most ripe for home buyers. 

“My first year was during Desert Storm, and how in the world I made it, I don't know because there was not any business going on in this town at all. The streets rolled up you know, because everybody was in Iraq fighting that war. And so that's, that's how I got started. I didn't know any better, so it just went ahead and went for it.”

Strother said she got her start selling new homes in her home county of Harnett County under Bill Shaw, and later went into business for herself before moving into the ERA Real Estate franchise which she said offered the tools and resources she needed.

“I practiced real estate for a while, and then had an independent company and then moved on into getting a franchise later on just because you can’t offer every tool that you need as an independent,” recalled Strother. “I wanted to make sure that I was providing the best for the people that work for me, and recreating the wheel every day was kind of difficult and I couldn't grow the company. So, by going to a franchise, they had all the tools and systems that anybody can ever offer to be able to help them grow and help the company grow as well, so ERA was the best fit.” 

Now in Fayetteville under the name ERA Strother, Denise is celebrating 23 years with the franchise. 

“The franchise has actually helped me grow locally, just because their brand is all over the world, even in China and all these locations that you wouldn't imagine, they're in Japan and all over the Middle East. So, they've helped me grow and be a better leader. By offering all of the things that they do,” shared Strother. “I'm able to interact with other top brokers in the country and understand how they're running their business. I can bring those kinds of things back home to my people and help them grow and we help one another. The greatest thing about the ERA brand is that they are very helpful and warm and really want you to succeed and I've always found that to be beneficial to me."

With two offices in Fayetteville and Sanford, ERA Strother covers six counties and staffs between 85 to 100 agents at any given time. Strother said that while growth is important, it’s important to monitor the real estate market so that growth remains sustainable and take care of the people that make your business possible.

“Don't overwhelm yourself, make sure you stay close to the vest and stay lean. Because you know, a lot of times when the market is really hot, you want to add a lot of people and do a lot of things to overgrow. You just have to really be mindful of that and be smart and strategic about your growth: Grow smart and not overgrow,” advised Strother. “You should be just focusing on what's most important and that’s your agent base. Grow your agent base and your company will grow. Help them be more productive. Teach them more, knowledge is power in real estate. You need to be the smartest person in the room. Teach your agents, educate them, groom them, help them be better every day, inspire them, motivate them and encourage them and your company will grow.”

Strother has been able to not only handle the growth of her company, but has also expanded, opening, owning, and partnering with different companies and bringing them all to the second floor and into her office space to keep the entirety of the home buying process under her roof. 

Strother is the President and CEO of Five West Media Group, a media production company that her agents are free to use to market themselves. Strother also owns Empower Commercial Group which focuses on property management. She is also a partner with and brought in Lendello Mortgage, a mortgage lending service, and she partnered with Attorney Grey Newell Thomas, LLP who handles residential real estate and other areas of law. With all these businesses available under one roof, Strother said the goal is to become a ‘one stop shop’ for all her client’s real estate needs which includes expanding into insurance in the coming weeks. Strother also shared that her goal is to continue to provide a great buying experience for her clients and continue growing into new markets. 

“At the end of the day, every transaction has to be rooted in caring. And if you don't have that, people don't care what you know, if you don't care about them, they're going to kick you to the curb. They just are and you have to be genuine, and our mission is to be ‘Bold, fearless and authentic.’ That's our company statement,” shared Strother. “I think that pretty much describes who we are. You have to be bold, you have to be able to stand up and take a risk when nobody else will and be a disruptor, so that can carry out. You just got to stay in town, believe in what you're going to do. And fight for your clients and be true to who you are.”