Meet David Camp

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Camp. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.

Hi David , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
The power of the spoken word. It is not something we comprehend until we experience the force of its full impact. Full impact happens when that person, friend, parent, teacher or coach speaks into your life, and it pushes you to achieve more than you thought possible.

“Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate, and to humble.” -Yehuda Berg

For me, the impact of the spoken word was never more forceful than on an October evening in 1983. I was 17 years old and a senior in high school. At that time, I was a young kid filled with self-doubt and in fear of disappointing the people who cared about me. On this evening, I was the starting QB on my high school football team. Our team was solid, and we were in a run to make the playoffs. Making the playoffs would be a big deal for it had not happened in over 20 years at our high school. The mission was clear. Just win the games you are supposed to win. Well, this Friday night in October, our team was struggling. In particular, I was struggling. During the first half of the game, our offense went up and down the field, but a fumble or turnover would halt the opportunity to score. Everyone was frustrated as we were losing to a winless team that had a 20-game losing streak. At half-time, my offensive Coach, Donnie English pulled me into the back of the locker room. This is the moment where I learned the power of the spoken word. Coach took me over to the mirror, stuck my face in the mirror and challenged me. He said, “winning or losing this game is on you tonight. Get it together.” That is the clean version of the conversation.

We received the kickoff to begin the second half. The very first play I proceeded to throw an interception. I quickly ran to the sideline doing all that was possible to not make eye contact with Coach English. He followed me all the way to the other end of the sideline and said, “you can do this”. The rest of the half was more of the same. We moved the ball but failed to score time and again. With 1 minute and 20 seconds on the clock we received a punt and had the ball one last time. This team was on the verge of blowing our opportunity. As I proceeded to take the field, I stepped up to Coach English to get the play. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “this is on you”. It was on me to rally my teammates. It was on me to call the play. It was on me to lead this team to a score, tie the game and get to overtime. We started fast with a quick first down. Then on the second series we stalled. It was 4th and 14 and I dropped back to pass and escaped the pocket for a 25-yard run. We quickly came up to the line and hit two quick passes. With 7 seconds left on the clock, I hit our TE to score, and we kicked an extra point to tie the game, 7-7. Eventually, we won in overtime and kept our playoff hopes alive. That night, I set a school record for pass attempts, completions and yards. In fact, that year I was the leading passer in our county and set most every passing record in our schools history. But what I remember the most was not personal accomplishments; it was the night I believed in me. I was a winner. I could lead. I had what it took to achieve. And that happened because my Coach, Donnie English, believed in me. And he chose to tell me just that and change the direction of my life. From that moment, a belief in my life ahead was birthed. The opportunity to be and do anything was ahead of me.

And that story of an October night in 1983 on a high school football field in Georgia tells the power of the spoken word. One person chooses to speak into the life of a young kid, and it launches him into the journey of becoming a young man, a spiritual leader, a family leader and a business leader. Don’t underestimate the power of the spoken word. Those who are speaking into your life matter. Those lives you speak into matter.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
HomeScout is a leading real estate software and fintech company based in Atlanta, Georgia.

At HomeScout, our mission is clear: to empower both Real Estate Agents and Lenders with robust consumer direct tools, all while preserving the strength of local relationships. Our goal is to equip professionals with the means to provide clients a personalized, VIP experience from the initial interaction through the entire home buying process, fostering lasting relationships that extend beyond a single transaction.

Our innovation is removing friction in the buying process for consumers and enhancing the relationship with the local real estate professional.

Some of our latest innovation can be experienced through our Qualified Borrower process. In just minutes, a consumer can understand how much he or she can afford without pulling credit or speaking with a loan officer. HomeScout Qualified Borrower can assess a consumer’s eligibility for a mortgage using rent payment history, income and employment information. By providing banking info and explicit consent, our proprietary analysis of the banking information gives one a more holistic view of his or her financial situation and ability to pay a mortgage.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I would consider the top three skills that have impacted my career to be as follows:

Ability to build and maintain relationships. Relationships inside and outside of work matter. At work, relationships drive the ability to move a team in a common direction. Outside of work, engaging in relationships will stretch, challenge and grow you as a person.

Creating focus by understanding your strengths and weaknesses. Know where you need to exert effort and where you need to solicit support.

The most significant lesson gained is learning to live a balanced life. Successful individuals often struggle to learn this lesson to late in life. Balance comes through learning to manage your time, protecting your productivity and understanding your why.

The best advice ever received was via a mentor and boss who would always repeat President Teddy Roosevelt, “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This truth applies at home, at work or in the community.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
In September of 2022, I lost my wife of 32 years in a drowning accident that was caused by complications with diabetes. This for me was the lowest personal moment for me and my two daughters. Her death was a tragic and sudden event that presents to you the single greatest challenge of your life.

Tragedy can send you into an endless spiral or it can embolden you to stand firm. Which direction someone takes is often determined by a personal decision. For me, I made the decision to stand and fight. And so, in my hurt and grief I chose to live according to these truths.

-I am devasted but not defeated. Life is not fair and to expect it will be is telling yourself a lie. Bad things happen to good people. Choose to not be defeated in the bad.

-There is strength in struggle. Weight and pressure create emotional and physical strength. The process is not easy but embrace the struggle.

I wish it were true that everything in life has been redeeming and perfect since that day. It would seem somehow deserving. But, that is not the case. Tragedy and hardship will happen and continue to happen. The challenge is how will one respond.

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