Meet Raven Reed: Realtor and Mom Setting an Example for a Future Generation of Women

Raven Reed is a Realtor specializing in luxury, residential, and commercial real estate. In less than a year, she has become a multi-million dollar producer and earned multiple prestigious awards. She has been honored with the Rising Star Award, and will receive a position in the Ohio REALTORS® President’s Sales Club.

Raven’s success has earned her two designations, including the Real Estate Negotiations Expert (RENE) and Commitment to Excellence (C2EX). She has even been a guest panelist for the Realty Executives International Conference. But her career isn’t what defines her. Raven has achieved everything while being a full-time mom. She is closing deals and listing houses while still spending precious time with her child. Raven is an inspiration to moms everywhere that, although it is difficult, you can thrive as a mom and a boss babe!

As an award-winning Realtor and philanthropist, Raven is passionate about community involvement. She has worked with many non-profit organizations and served as an Ambassador for the Livestrong Foundation. She’s had the privilege of representing the great state of Ohio in national pageants such as Miss United States, Miss International, and Miss Galaxy.

Raven sees real estate as the perfect mix of the things she loves. She is involved in helping her community buy, sell, and invest in property while forming new relationships. “People are the lifeline of your business. Treat them well and with respect every day! Always give first!” she says.

Raven comes from a family of entrepreneurs, so the entrepreneurial spirit is in her blood. She started her first business, Makeup By Raven, when she was 18 years old. After spending 10 years beautifying women, she decided to pursue her first love: broadcasting and journalism. She quickly found her place as an on-air personality and producer with ESPN 106.5 The Ticket.

At the same time, she did freelance work for NBC News Radio as a locker room reporter covering The Cleveland Indians. Her journalistic success even extends on camera. Raven has made appearances on Fox 8, Fox 36, TLC, MTV, and secured the cover of Supermodel Unlimited Magazine. Unfortunately, the paychecks weren’t enough. Real estate became the perfect opportunity for Raven to utilize her skills.

Putting her media and entrepreneurial skills to use, she has grown her brand. She has an avenue to give back to her community and enjoy the freedom of creating her own salary. All while doing what matters most—raising her daughter. On top of her great success, Raven’s proudest achievement is knowing she is providing a powerful role model for her little girl. She is teaching her that she really can achieve anything if she believes in herself.

Even though Raven has seen incredible growth, her beginning was less than ideal. She achieved her license weeks before the global pandemic hit, creating a huge stumbling block for any new Realtor. Instead of seeing the obstacle before her, she saw an opportunity to grow through continuing education.

When she was ready to emerge, Raven found herself in a cold market. She was unfamiliar with the community, had almost no contacts, and a newborn baby. Everyone told her to walk before she could run, don’t overshoot her goals, even to quit while she was ahead. But she believed in herself and smashed every single goal she set, and more. When she came up with a plan that people said was “impossible,” she made it possible. She wanted to double her volume in the first year. Raven tripled it in the first three months!

When starting on the path of an entrepreneur, Raven acknowledges that the willingness to invest in yourself and your brand is crucial. If you won’t take a chance on yourself, why should your clients? She echoes the resounding advice to “follow your passion.” Your passion gives you purpose and meaning in your life. With a clear and concise mindset, you can map out each goal and every milestone. This keeps you consistent, organized, and accountable.

Without proper planning, you will never prosper. Living this truth is how she accomplished so much in such a short time. Don’t become a victim of fear. Life is too short. Each moment passes and you never get it back, so make this one count! By falling victim to fear you only hold yourself back. So look fear in the face, grin, and take the leap of faith.

Because Raven has put forth her own efforts into building her real estate business, she recognizes the importance of investing in yourself. She has placed an emphasis on creating a team that builds up each other’s strengths, while helping to alleviate each other’s weaknesses. Because she built her business in less-than-ideal times, she faced more skepticism than support.

But she never let that stop her from taking her business to the next level. For Raven, success isn’t measured in the things you do, or the money you make. It’s measured in the lives you impact. Raven feels the joy from her clients as they walk into their first home, dream home, vacation home, or first investment property. By making their impossible, possible—that’s success.

“There’s not another me on this planet, so staying 100% authentic to who I am to my core will ALWAYS differentiate me. Nobody else will ever have my work ethic, my visions, my passions, my ability to provide/deliver, or my hustle. I bring a lot to the table and often am told I possess the rare quality to make people trust me. There’s a reason I can do that – because I actually DO CARE and my clients sense it. I go to great lengths to make the process as fun, smooth, and simple as possible, all while delivering in the most professional/polished manner possible,” Raven says.

What’s next for Raven? She’s completing her Home Staging Certification with the New York Institute of Art & Design and attending the Institute of Luxury Home Marketing Membership/Design. As a home stager, Raven will not only work to increase the selling speed of her clients’ properties but also increase their profit margins. Ultimately, Raven looks to continue to find ways to improve the experience her customers have when working with her. You can follow Raven on Instagram @ravenreed.

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