Meet Melissa Cruz

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Cruz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Melissa, thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.

Back when we were in the recession I got laid off from my job. My position was going away and they didn’t need me anymore. Like many who were experiencing the same thing, I was heartbroken. I didn’t think it would happen to me. When it did, I didn’t know what to do. To make matters worse, because I lost my job and I could not get another fast enough I had to move back home with my parents. Talk about winner winner chicken dinner over here.

Shortly after that I was at my local supermarket and saw that they were hiring. I talked to one of the managers and he mentioned a position being open in the corporate office. I thought my luck had turned around. I scheduled an interview that took place about a week or so later.

When I got there however, that position had been filled. Gut punch! I ended up interviewing for a cashier position. I had done that when I was sixteen so I knew I could do it. I was offered minimum wage, to which I accepted.

I left there and immediately called my mom balling my eyes out. At that time I was worth at least ten dollars an hour and here I was accepting a $7.25 job. I felt like a total failure. My mom said something really powerful to me though which changed my whole attitude.

She told me that while she understood why I was upset, she said that I could try looking at this as a door opening. It may not be the door I wanted but at the end of the day, it was a door. It was an opportunity and that could go anywhere from there if I had the right attitude.

I wiped my face and put my big girl panties on and changed my attitude. If I was going to be a cashier I was going to be the best and rise faster at the company than anyone had. About three weeks later I was approached about becoming a lead cashier. I was actually excited. Except a week after that I got word that the position I wanted was open. The woman they hired did not want the job and quit.

I went in and interviewed for the position and I got it!!!!

Moral of the story, accept the door being opened for you even if you have no idea where it is taking you. Trust that the universe is working for you to win.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Since I was a little girl I knew that I wanted to own my own business. No, I wasn’t the girl that dreamed about a wedding like some of my other friends. Now, I wasn’t quite sure what I would do but I knew I had big dreams and it wasn’t going to happen in New Jersey. Fast forward to 2012, I moved by myself to Florida. By 2013 my now hubby moved to Florida and soon we were expecting our first child. By 2015 I had both of my children. Yes, it was a lot very fast. At that time I was working in retail management. I knew though after I had my son that I no longer wanted to do that. I had the opportunity to take time off and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. So I did.

After about a year I was itching for more than staying home with my beautiful children. I was ready to take the world by storm and do something magical with my life. Insert real estate. Not that I knew very much about it. I knew that a real estate career would give me the freedom I sought. I didn’t want a job to tell me how much I was worth, if I could take a vacation, or worse not being there for my kids.

I went off to real estate school and got my license. The first one anyways. The first couple of years in the business though were much more difficult than I thought it would be. I had a million and one questions which I felt slowed me down a bunch but it’s all I could do at the time. As I learned and gained experience I started to help some of the other top agents in the office. Other agents started telling me that I would be a great broker one day. I was meant for this.

After a few years I hired my first business coach. It was during that time that I discovered, we discovered, that my true calling was being a coach as well. It was something I always did and was naturally what I had always done. That was the beginning of this incredible journey I’ve been on.

Since that aha moment I went on to join The Locker Room, a national real estate coaching company. I have spent and still spend many hours mastering my craft. Over the years, I have had many achievements. But the one I am really excited about is becoming an ICF (International Coaching Federation) certified coach. Which I am super close to accomplishing!

I absolutely love what I do. Many people ask me what I love most about coaching. I always tell people that my favorite part of coaching is when my clients see in themselves what I have seen in them all along. It is then when magic starts to happen and they take off in their careers.

Not only do I coaching agents individually and in a group setting, I also have written five real estate courses to help agents where they are without sacrificing anymore time they feel they don’t have. My two best courses are my time management class and a twelve week course helping agents build a business they are proud of.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think in any small business the top three qualities one must have to succeed are, resilience, grit, and humility.

Resilience because it is inevitable, you will fall down. You will fall down more times you can count. You MUST get back up. You also must believe that every fall is meant for you. That experience or lesson is there help you not hurt you.

Grit because it is going to take a level of mental toughness you may never have had before. The amount of time you hear no or get rejection it cuts you. Not literally obviously. You will need grit to overcome obstacles and not give up.

Humility because there is no room for your ego or being to prideful to say I need help. No one succeeds alone and you won’t either. Asking for help does not make you weak as some may think. It is what makes you a powerhouse of a human.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

This may be an unpopular opinion but I am a believer in working from your strengths more so than trying to improve your weaknesses. At this stage in the game, what most of us aren’t good at, we my never be. And while you might be bad in some areas, it is a strength in others.

I like to think of it as stealing joy from someone who thrives on what I lack. Can you imagine the incredible team one can build when we collaborate through each others strengths?

That my friends is how we can all be unstoppable, together!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcruz.19/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cruzm19
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcruz19/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@melissacruz1019