The Hawkins Team at eXp Realty
JANUARY 2022
FROM SIDE GIG TO TOP 100
In 2005, Jaybee accepted a position in real estate as a broker’s assistant and property manager. At the time, this was just a convenient job with flexible hours – something that she needed while she completed her college degree. Little did she know, she would quickly fall in love with the challenges and new relationships that the real estate industry presented her with.
It was not long before she was shadowing the agents in her office as they worked showings and wrote contracts. “I was a fly on the wall, learning what the top agents were doing,” she recalled.
THERE’S NO "I" IN TEAM
After diving into real estate full time, Jaybee’s business grew quickly, and it became increasingly apparent that she could not handle every aspect of her business on her own. To solve this problem, she knew it was time to scale her business. “I began to employ the help of agents around me,” she told us. “Long story short, that turned into running a team.”
Today, The Hawkins Team includes Jaybee, the team leader; Tama Treat, the Operations Director, who is also an agent; and two producing agents, Stephanie Richardson and Abbie Meler, and an inside sales team. We also just added an amazing new agent, Daneka Traczyk (not pictured).
As an all-female team, Jaybee is proud of the authenticity that The Hawkins Team brings to the Tulsa real estate industry. “We are real moms, real wives, real veterans, and real people. There is no front here,” she continued, “because we pride ourselves in meeting people where they are. It is important to us to be open and transparent with both our clients, our colleagues, and each other,” Jaybee shared.
As an individual, Jaybee is passionate about helping agents realize their potential in the industry. “I love to encourage people to live out their dreams and to go for it! I am zealous about motivating people to do what they believe in and helping them along the way.”
TEAM CULTURE
As a team, it is well-understood that "ego" is not allowed. “We genuinely love working with our clients and each other. Our hearts are in the right place. I am most proud that we lift each other up,” Jaybe told us. Keeping ego out of the mix allows The Hawkins Team to focus on what matters most: serving clients, hitting goals, and having fun along the way.
“If you’re not having fun on your way to the top, [the journey is] pointless,” Jaybee said. In order to keep the environment fun and sincere, members of The Hawkins Team often find themselves laughing at one another and finding joy in the little things. This, above all else, is how Jaybee defines success for her team.
Her true spirit of winning and perspective on success, she believes, comes from her time as an athlete. Jaybee competed as a tennis player throughout high school and college, something that she believes added a set of skills to her life that still contributes to her life as a real estate professional today.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
When it comes to work and life balance, Jaybee isn’t so sure that she’s a believer in it.
“I could give you a really fluffy answer to this question but, honestly, I don’t think work and life balance is a thing,” she continued, “...only a really great concept. It comes and goes in waves. I think I can be the best mom while also building a company. I can be a great leader for my team and allow that to spill over into my family. It’s about quality for both business and family life. I think it’s about being present wherever you are and the quality of what you are pouring into your people.”
The Hawkins Team is built on this very concept: Life isn’t perfect, and there will, without a doubt, be ups and downs. At the end of the day, it’s about being
"real" and adapting to life’s waves.
JAYBEE HAWKINS
Much of Jaybee’s view on life and ability to overcome adversity was instilled in her by her late mother, Judy. “I’m glad I was given that journey. While it was tough, it built me into the person I am today. I am forever grateful for the 13 years that I was able to learn from my mom. She was, and still is, my hero.”
Jaybee was born in Texas and raised in Oklahoma, where she has now raised her own children. In 2014, she met her future husband, Russ. After dating for only 51 days, she and Russ were married and have not looked back since. Together, they have raised four sons: Chandler, 23, Brayden, 22, Riley, 20, and Colyn, 17.
While Jaybee runs The Hawkins Team in Tulsa, Russ, a retired Tulsa Firefighter, runs Firehouse Roofing Co. in Broken Arrow. “My life is like a frat house and locker room 24/7, and then add two dogs to that, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!”
Jaybee is excited for what the future holds both personally and professionally. “We have lots of things happening and cannot wait to see how things change!"
Written by Laley Freeman, photos by JJHomes Photography
