Rising Through Resilience: “They told me it was was impossible, but I did it anyway”, with Jarred Kessler of EasyKnock
Grit is resilience. It’s extremely important to move forward when it seems like the world is telling you not to. This causes some people to stand out from the rest, and it clearly shows through their business and the way they treat their employees.
In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of resilience among successful business leaders. Resilience is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jarred Kessler, Founder & CEO of EasyKnock.
Jarred is a vision-driven entrepreneur with over fifteen years of experience in the financial services industry, where he performed for industry stalwarts such as Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and Goldman Sachs. Throughout successful endeavors with these companies, Jarred witnessed firsthand the effects of technological change on the industry. Where others failed, he became adept at evolving his career to align effectively with emerging trends. Since then, Jarred has spotted similar changes occurring in other industries. As CEO of EasyKnock, Jarred now applies this sharp awareness of change and his vision of a new and improved world to real estate.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
My career began in the financial services industry, where I worked for Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and Goldman Sachs for over 15 years. This is where I witnessed firsthand the effects of technological change on the industry. I felt it was important to leverage my experience to help solve problems for Americans by bridging my knowledge from Wall Street with what can help middle class Americans, and that’s when I decided to start EasyKnock. I view real estate as a market that is ripe for disruption.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
During the credit crisis when I was trading distressed securities, I learned a lot about risk. When I was working in the finance space, I lost money and thought I was going to be fired, so I worked twice as hard to really understand my business. This period also opened my eyes to just how badly the middle class was impacted, and inspired me to find a solution, ultimately leading me to start EasyKnock.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
First off, EasyKnock is the only company that offers a unique, 2-option business model — Sell and Stay, which gives homeowners the ability to access the value in their home without moving, with the flexibility to buy back their home or move at any time, and MoveAbility, which solves the widespread timing and financial challenge of homeowners looking to get out of their current house and into a new home. Additionally, EasyKnock solves an emotional and financial need for consumers — which is rare. Each story of how our clients came to use our services is unique, and each one adds a layer to our company that no one else has. Helping each and every one of our clients helps us better our performance, results and day-to-day activities.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Yes, EasyKnock’s first investors. They bet on me — not just my idea — and I am committed to making them proud every single day of my life.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the trait of resilience. How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
Grit is resilience. It’s extremely important to move forward when it seems like the world is telling you not to. This causes some people to stand out from the rest, and it clearly shows through their business and the way they treat their employees.
When you think of resilience, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
My mom is the most resilient person I know. Growing up, she was a great role model and always gave everything her all. She taught me that I should believe in myself and to remain passionate about my endeavors, even if they are faltering.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
When I started EasyKnock, most people discouraged me and said it was a bad idea. I didn’t listen, and now run a successful and rapidly growing business. Every single day I aim to prove those voices wrong.
Did you have a time in your life where you had one of your greatest setbacks, but you bounced back from it stronger than ever? Can you share that story with us?
As I mentioned above, the uncertainty during the credit crisis really inspired me to learn and master every aspect of my job. I knew that I could be fired at any time, so in order to make my value known, I worked day in and day out to expand my skillset. This allowed me to come out ahead, and set me up for success when I started EasyKnock.
Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share a story?
Yes, I had many positive experiences, but most importantly, I had great examples that helped build my resilience. My parents didn’t accept laziness or taking shortcuts, and these values are part of my — and my company’s — core today.
Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone can take to become more resilient? Please share a story or an example for each.
1) Thick skin
2) Not caring what others think
3) Perspective
4) Grit
5) Not taking things too seriously all the time
An example that intertwines with all of these is founding and running EasyKnock. If I hadn’t used the above to keep my head clear, there probably wouldn’t even be a story to tell, much less the success we’ve seen with EasyKnock.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I am lucky enough to be doing work that I am extremely proud of. I believe that EasyKnock is an already existing movement that has a positive impact on its customers. My favorite part of my job is helping people who feel like they have no options when it comes to their home, and seeing them breathe that sign of relief when we tell them they do!
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
There are so many people with great potential around the world that must be incredible to speak with. If I had to choose, I’d love to sit down and talk to anyone who risked their life for our country because it’s what I respect more than anything!
How can our readers follow you on social media?
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarred-kessler/
- Twitter: @JarredKessler and @EasyKnock
- Facebook: @EasyKnock
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Rising Through Resilience: “They told me it was was impossible, but I did it anyway”, with Jarred… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
