FWM’s Queen of Real Estate Issue (May/June print) features formidable women at the top of their game who are making serious boss moves in the real estate arena, an industry traditionally dominated by men.
Lisa Song Sutton does it all. From Pageant Queen to Queen of Real Estate, Lisa is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, author, and journalist with articles featured in Forbes, Business Insider and Fast Company just to name a few. As a broker with Christie’s International Real Estate of Las Vegas and multiple businesses under her belt, Lisa has achieved on every level. The TEDx Talk presenter has made it her ultimate goal to mentor and empower women.
FWM: Lisa, it has been my pleasure to interview you for our magazine. Introduce yourself and your business?
LSS: Hi everyone! My name is Lisa Song Sutton and I’m co-owner of Elite Homes Christie’s International Real Estate in Las Vegas. We are the exclusive real estate brokerage for Christie’s in southern Nevada.
FWM: What first drew your interest to the real estate industry?
LSS: My parents started real estate investing in residential single-family residences, and then branched out to multi-unit buildings. I became interested in real estate through realizing that it’s one of the steadiest ways to build your net worth.
FWM: As a woman in real estate, what do you feel has been the hardest obstacle to overcome?
LSS: Real estate is definitely a male-dominated industry. Our Christie’s office is the only female-owned, female-led international luxury brokerage in Las Vegas. We definitely have to show that female leadership within the real estate industry is important and here to stay.
FWM: Not only are you a Queen of Real Estate, but also a pageant queen who has held numerous titles. Do you think the pageant industry prepared you in any way for the real estate industry?
LSS: Absolutely! There are a lot of similarities in the hard work required to succeed in pageantry, and also in the real estate industry. You have to have tough skin, believe in yourself, and stay focused, even if competitors try to get in your way.
FWM: Tell us about your TEDx talk, “Find your Crown and put it to work in your Community.”
LSS: I was so blessed to have the opportunity to give a TEDx talk. I focused on the lessons learned during my time as Miss Las Vegas and Miss Nevada, and how I realized that by volunteering and giving back to the community, my business opportunities and revenue increased as well.
FWM: What tools and/or strategic partnerships have you put in place to help women? And the community?
LSS: I’m incredibly fortunate to have been a speaker at the World Women Summit. Through that, I took a pledge to assist them in their mission to mentor 1 million women by 2020. I try my best to serve as a resource for the women in my local community and those I can reach via social media, and to serve as inspiration in showing these ladies, that if I can do it, they can too.
FWM: What is next in the life of Lisa Song Sutton?
LSS: I’m just continuing to grow and build my businesses. I have always been focused on bringing in multiple streams of revenue from various sources, and I’m really excited to continue to build on what’s been laid so far.
FWM: How can people connect to you outside of this interview?
LSS: You can keep up with me at my website www.lisasongsutton.com and on Instagram @LisaSongSutton. You can find her Tedx talk on YouTube.
Photos by Oscar Picazo and Georgina Vaughan
