[ HAWAII AT WORK ]
Commercial sales
agent likes her spaceChula O'Neill turned
from accounting to brokering
commercial real estateI'm a real estate sales agent at CB Richard Ellis Hawaii Inc., but I started out doing accounting for the firm.
When I moved back to Hawaii the timing was right. They were moving their accounting services back in house, they used to outsource it to the mainland. So I got hired on as a property accountant. I helped establish that department and worked there for about a year and half.
At about that time, I reached a point where I wanted to learn more. The more people I met on the real estate side, the more interested I got.
I talked to (Managing Director) Joseph Haas about making the shift and he said I should start attending the in-house sales training courses. He was extremely supportive. At the same time, I went and got my real estate sales license.
By January, I was sort of doing two jobs. I was getting into sales while training my replacement in accounting.
Now I'm working full-time with the advisory team in the office leasing department. In corporate advisory, we represent tenants who are seeking office space or need to renew their office space. We try to assist them with all the details of transitioning their business, with space planning and whatever else they need. Especially when it's a large company, there's a lot to coordinate.
We try to let them concentrate on their business while we take care of what for them is a headache.
I've always had a thing about office spaces. Buildings, architecture, they've always sort of fascinated me. I like going into a blank space, especially when someone is starting a new business. It's exciting to help with that.
The firm wanted me to go into retail, I think just because I wear funky clothes, but I wanted to work with office space.
I recently put Communication Services for the Deaf into a space in Waikiki. They were great. It was interesting to learn about what they do and how they do it. The job is about more than office space, you get to learn about all sorts of businesses.
Sometimes I miss the structure of accounting. Real estate isn't as structured. But I like this because it offers more varied experiences. Every transaction is different.
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