Saul Serna, Creator and Organizer
Saul Serna, a successful businessman and entrepreneur, came to the United States as an exchange student from his native Bogotá, Colombia, returned to Colombia to attend the University of La Sabana, Colombia, and then traveled back to the U.S. in 1988 to follow his dream. He returned with Master’s degrees (in Business and International Marketing) but, since he did not speak English, he took a job in a restaurant washing dishes and mopping floors. He understood that it is necessary to start at the bottom sometimes, and he was committed to doing excellent work regardless of the nature of the job. Before long he was speaking English and managing the restaurant.
In 1992, a local real estate broker who needed a translator encouraged Saul to get his real estate license, and though his English was broken, his energy and enthusiasm for the business made him a dynamic real estate agent. He reached out to the Hispanic community like no one ever had, and was welcomed with open arms. As he grew in the business and saw what was possible, he made it his personal mission to help every Hispanic consumer to enjoy the pride of home ownership in spite of the numerous obstacles they might encounter.
As an Agent, he helped over 1,200 families achieve their housing goals. Due to his outstanding sales production and distinguished service to Hispanics, he was named Today’s Realtor for helping an ‘underserved community’ and graced the front cover of the National Association of REALTORS’ Magazine in January 1997. In 1998 he was inducted into CENTURY 21’s Masters Hall of Fame.
Saul didn’t stop at sales. After becoming a Broker he, together with his wife, Jan, took their real estate company to the top of the industry, ranking #1 within Century 21’s Chicagoland region, and consistently ranking in the top 10 Century 21 offices in the nation and in 2010 they elevated their brand to Nextage Realty International, where they now rank #1 in the world.
Envisioning the possibilities that existed beyond his local area, Saul set out to teach others to implement his proven tools, systems, and standards within their own companies. Thus began his career as a business development Coach and Consultant. By the time he became Senior VP of Century 21 International, Saul had earned recognition inside and outside of the real estate arena. He worked with Fortune 500 Corporations such as General Motors, Wells Fargo, Univision and others who recognized that their teams needed to be coached by the best in order to reach out and serve the Hispanic market.
Saul has been a real estate professional since 1992 and for his innovative approach and passionate service to diverse communities, Saul received the first ever Lifetime Achievement award presented by the Hispanic National Mortgage Association (HNMA) and was deemed a “champion of Hispanic homeownership.”
In addition, Saul has written numerous sales training and coaching manuals and coached over 3000 sales professionals with his MAP to MASTERY® sales coaching program.
Saul’s attentions are not limited to the business world which is evidenced by his active role in applying the lessons from his award winning book, ‘Just Bee’, a children’s bilingual character building and diversity coaching program currently implemented in elementary schools around the globe. The program encourages students, parents, and teachers to work together, respect one another, and celebrate their differences, creating stronger communities from within, starting with the youth.
His knowledge, energy and passion continue to motivate entrepreneurs to reach their goals and exceed expectations year after year.
Saul currently serves as the Regional Executive Director with Nextage Realty International, and his mission is to take the real estate business to the Nextage by coaching real estate companies and their real estate professionals to recognize and embrace innovative business opportunities and to fully develop their personal and business potential based upon team building, cooperation, respect, compassion, and a high level of professionalism.
Saul can be reached at saul.s@nextagerealty.com