Q: Congratulations on Season 3 of Married to Real Estate. Will any episode encounter any transactional or construction challenges that you and Mike haven’t faced in the past?
ES: Thank you so very much! Yes, we are excited that the show has been so well received and growing. It’s mind-blowing that this show started as a social media moment on my husband’s cell phone, and now we are airing in more than thirteen countries. 

There is never a dull moment in construction. But luckily, our team has built our chops up enough to jump over any unexpected hurdles. This season was a little different because we took on Clark Atlanta University, which is a commercial project. There were many lines we had to color within due to it being a university and the scale of the project. But as you see in the episode, we were able to rise to the occasion. 

Q: You’re a strong advocate for business plans. What’s your advice on how to pivot when the plan is not working?
ES: I think any strong business plan should have both a pivot plan and an exit strategy. For instance, in my real estate brokerage, I train my agents to first strategize a plan with their clients prior to making any offer. Then to layer the plan with a B & C approach if their initial offer is not accepted as-is or doesn’t prevail above others. 

In my real investment experience, a large part of having a well-oiled portfolio is risk management. So, before I acquire any new rental property, I first look at whether I have various methods of achieving the desired performance from it. If perhaps short-term renting doesn’t work out as planned, then I would like to know what I can rent it for as a long-term rental and ensure those numbers work. If I am buying land with the intention of a development project, I may want to have more than one business plan mapped out just in case. Then if all else fails, an exit strategy should also be prepared. The only time you fail is when you fail to make a thorough business plan.

Q: What makes a compelling brand?
ES: I think when you look at solid marketing, it always has to tell a story. People love a good story, especially if it’s authentic and they feel they’ve followed the evolution of the brand.

Q: Egypt Sherrod is a brand in its own right. What motivated you to conceive Indigo Road?
ES: Thank you for saying so. I spent over twenty years building my personal brand in real estate. However, I began feeling pigeonholed as if real estate was all I could speak to. As much as I love my career, there is so much more to who I am, a mom, wife, life coach, designer, sister, friend, and woman of GOD. When I realized that I had more to say to my followers, I needed to switch the conversation from solely real estate. I was able to do that over time by authentically pulling back layers of myself and allowing folks to see my home life on social media. This transcended into a reality show, Married To Real Estate. 

Of course, I recognized this platform as another opportunity to show a different layer of myself. This time I wanted folks to get a full 360-view of my business, not just the real estate side. So, we began showing and focusing a bit more on the design angle of my business both on the show and on social media. This organically cemented me as a bonafide designer as well as a realtor in the public eye.

So, in recognizing I was successfully resonating with my audience and that the full picture was now being seen, it was the perfect time to introduce a consumer brand. INDIGO ROAD is my personal journey. INDIGO represents wisdom and purpose, both of which I seek in all facets of my life. I believe we all have a unique journey to travel, so we might as well make it beautiful. It was the perfect way to tell my story and to synchronize throughout my family of companies, which consists of Indigo Road Realty, Indigo Road Design Group, and Indigo Road Home Furnishings.

To read more of our exclusive interview with Egypt Sherrod, click here.