Tanya Jones: The American Dream
Tanya Jones: The American Dream
This week we sit down with Tanya Jones, host of The American Dream TV Show in Kansas City. Tanya shares her inspiring journey of transitioning from being a stay-at-home mom to helping manage her husband’s masonry business, pursuing a career in real estate, and eventually becoming a host for The American Dream. She discusses her unique life experiences, including moving frequently, overcoming challenges, and reinventing herself in new communities.
Tanya also offers valuable advice on connecting with people in unfamiliar places, the importance of building genuine relationships, and how she differentiates herself in the competitive real estate industry. She reflects on the joys of being a host, helping small businesses and entrepreneurs share their stories, and her passion for fostering connections. Tanya encourages listeners to take bold steps toward reinvention and to embrace life’s challenges as opportunities for growth.
Transcript:
Alan Olsen 0:01
Welcome to American Dreams. My guest today is Tanya Jones. Tanya, welcome to today’s show. Thank you
Tanya Jones 0:06
so much, Alan. I really appreciate you having me here today. I’m really excited.
Alan Olsen 0:10
So, Tanya, it’s, you know, it’s exciting here. You’re the local host of American Dreams Kansas City. I am, and so you have a wealth of experience in front of the cameras and also doing your own own podcast. But today we’re going to talk about you as an individual. And so I, as we visit together, I like to kind of walk through some of the things that you’ve learned, the lessons of life that you’ve gone through. And so first of all, I want to talk about what inspired you to move from a stay at home mom to helping run your husband’s masonry business and also pursuing a career in real estate.
Tanya Jones 0:57
I met my husband actually kind of an interesting way. I had divorced from a gentleman. I was kind of living in a not so great situation, and his sister and I were really good friends. And she called one day and she said, hey, you know what, my brother needs a wife, and you need a husband. Can he call you? I was like, absolutely. So we talked on the phone about four hours, and I just, I fell in love with the man that he is. He’s such a spectacular person. He had a he had a three year old at the time, and so I had no children, and we got married not long after, and I, I just jumped in feet first to be in this little boy’s full time stay at home, mom, we didn’t want to put him into daycare, and I fell in love with him right off the bat. So I was like, Okay, I’ll be a stay at home mom. And I was previously working in the mortgage industry, and so I quit that career, got married, moved to Kansas City, and took on this little boy as my own. And so I stayed home with him for the next, you know, many years we had a little girl of our own. Five years later, and he, my husband, owned a masonry company, and it still does, and I did all the books for his company and kind of run the back office show of that situation and that. You know, we made the sacrifice for me to be a stay at home mom, which at times wasn’t easy. You know, I came from a career and not used to being at home with kids all the time, and but it was such a blessing to be able to raise my own babies when they were home. I was home, and I had the benefit of working my own hours with our company to where I was always there for them when they needed me. And it was just something I wouldn’t change for the world. But as they got older, I realized that, you know, I wasn’t missing on something. I wanted to add additional something to our family. And so having a background in construction, my dad ran a construction company. I read his backhoe. I framed houses. I did roofing with them for a lot of years, and with my husband being a masonry I just thought, well, maybe real estate is the way to go. And then it still afforded me a way to, you know, choose my own time frame that I got to work. So I went and got my license, and kind of took off from there. But then I thought, oh, man, I don’t know anybody in this city, I don’t you know, I never went. My kids played, or they swam, so they didn’t really have big groups on teams and things like that where they met the other people. And so I kind of ran into a small little roadblock with real estate. And while a lot of our friends, you know, jumped in and recommended me, which was so kind and amazing. Of all of them, I had to, you know, add an additional thing to my plate to make real estate work.
Alan Olsen 3:47
So you know, it’s interesting as you as you talk about that. So you transition to the first community that you were in. Was it inside of Kansas, or was it far from here?
Tanya Jones 3:58
It was. We were living in Westwood, Kansas, at the time when we got married, okay? And I really didn’t know anyone there. My kids were little, and we just never went out anywhere, you know? And then we moved to KC, K and Turner bought a little, what I call my farm. I’ve got 18 chickens, but we bought land out there and built a house, and we continue to run a masonry business.
Alan Olsen 4:21
There’s a lot of people right now going through transitions and moving from different areas. What advice do you have for them, coming in into a new community, and how did they integrate? Any looking back at your own life, what? What helped you along the way?
Tanya Jones 4:40
I always had to reinvent myself. I I was in a religion when I was when I was born, my family was in a religion that that didn’t allow us to integrate into the community, we had to say, very separate from anyone. So I wasn’t allowed friends. I wasn’t allowed to hang out with the neighbor kids and I. Of 26 times in my life. And so I was always reinventing myself. I had to be my one woman PR team, you know. And when I went into a new school, I always had a target on my head, and I always had to prove myself over and over again. And, you know, school was always in a different spot than where I left off. And so I tell people, listen, it’s not who you are or where you came from, it’s where you’re going. So use those experiences, you know, be okay with who you were, but draw off of that experience. So when you come into a new community, they don’t know where you’ve been. So you know you can choose to tell them any story you like, but embrace who you’ve been. Find those people that you know, fill your bucket and and and develop yourself in those people, because there’s going to be somebody for everybody, right? Join the local swim team, or, you know, find a local mom’s group that that likes crocheting, whatever it is, but just embrace the people that are around you, go find them and really love who you were and who you came from, and there’s somebody in that community for you. I promise there is so many people think to themselves, well, I can’t do this because of my past, or they let it wreck them. You know, my parents gave me the greatest, greatest gift. When I turned 18, I graduated, and a week later, they dumped me in a town with no food, no money, no job, no car, 1000 miles from home, and went off to live their dream, and I lived in a camper in someone’s driveway with no electricity, no running water, and I made it happen for myself and for people that think that they can’t, they should, like, pull yourself up, get moving in the right direction. You know, you can do it. You know, don’t. Don’t let your past define
Alan Olsen 6:59
who you’re going to be I love that deal. Just being positive. Yeah, I’m optimistic. When you started into the real estate industry, you mentioned something about getting your first clients, so a person starting out fresh, it’s hard, isn’t it.
Tanya Jones 7:20
Its very hard. You know, I did a lot of advertising on Facebook, and we had a very small friend group that recommended me. My first client came out of nowhere, and I still don’t, to this day, know how I got them, but they had me sell and buy their new house, and they’re still really good friends of mine to this day, and that’s important to me. When I find real estate clients, I want them to be able to call me, you know, two, three years down the line, and say, Hey, Tanya, do you remember who I call to get this fixed or anything like that? That that makes me so happy that they feel like that. They can continue to use me as their friend, their family member, or just somebody to bounce ideas off of and that’s really the direction I go with real estate. I want that referral. I’m going to work so hard for you that when somebody says, realtor, you automatically think of me, and you really don’t go anywhere else, and you tell your friends, friends about me.
Alan Olsen 8:15
How do you differentiate yourself with all the realtors out there?
Tanya Jones 8:22
I started real estate right at the end of 2019. 2020 brought in a barrage of people that wanted to be in real estate, right? And the more I worked with realtors, some and most are pretty awesome. You know, you can pick up the phone, they’ll always answer the phone. You can tell they work really hard for their clients, but I did run into a lot of realtors that were just there for the paycheck. You know, they didn’t. They really didn’t care how their actions impacted their clients and even their emotions. And not wanting that from my clients, you know, I didn’t want them feeling like a piece of meat. I wanted them to feel like like they were cherished and well taken care of. And at the end of the day, you know, I could sell their property for the most amount of money with the least amount of worries. And I wanted to be able to take on all their worries and only give them back what I thought they absolutely needed to deal with. So, you know that there are realtors out there that are just in it for, you know, the next cell and the next cell, I’m kind of in it. The beauty of our business with real or with masonry is we don’t need my income to survive. It’s hugely supplemental for us. And I’m so grateful for that, for, you know, things like college for the kids and things like that. But I don’t have to be that realtor that hits the next big one over and over again just to make it. So I’m gonna build a better relationship with you. I’m gonna work even harder for you to keep that to keep that relationship.
Alan Olsen 9:56
I want to jump over from moving from realtor to supplementing also with the host of The American Dream TV Show
Tanya Jones 10:06
I never believed in a million years the amount, the amount of joy I would get out of the American dream when I was chosen as a host here, you know, I did it to supplement my real estate business, to be able to meet people that I never would have met in a million years for real estate. But the longer I’m here as a host of the American dream, I’m finding that the people that I meet have incredible stories that they did wouldn’t necessarily get to tell anybody, and when I invite them as my guest on my show, I see how hard they’re working, the small businesses, the entrepreneurs, the philanthropists, just the story that they have to tell is so important to get out to others, and I’m able to connect I’m usually able to connect them with someone else that they need, and that’s feeling filling my bucket. I get so much joy out of seeing them make business deals with the people I’ve invited to be extras in the show, or, you know, being able to sell their product to somebody that would have ever known that they were there. So I don’t know where that’s going for me, but I’m so super excited about the prospect.
Alan Olsen 11:17
So when you What do you love most about being the host of the TV show.
Tanya Jones 11:23
Just the people themselves, they getting to tell their story, and knowing that that story wouldn’t have ever gotten out one way or the other, and seeing the smiles on their face when, you know, they get to tell that story, and seeing the connections that I’m helping them make with other people. You know, when I was asked to be the host of the American dream, I didn’t realize it came with a big, massive family. We have quite a few other hosts across the country, because each each community has their own host. You know, LA, Chicago, Kansas City, things like that. And when this group of people let me into their lives, you know, they’re all, most of them are all realtors or lenders, and they’re your competition. You know they’re, they’re going to want to go out and just, you know, be the best realtor they know how. But these people drug me in, and I could send a text to any of them right now, and they would jump on a zoom call and help me out. They are the most spectacular people I think I’ve ever met. And they are just working hard for their own businesses, for their own family. And they’re just, they’re amazing people. They really are, I think, I think I would sell hot dogs on this side of the road before I’d ever let my gig go, as long as they don’t take it away from me.
Alan Olsen 12:41
You know, it’s interesting. So you, you’ve been able to really build, not just the show or the podcast, but a lot of collaboration in your in your in your market of real estate. And so how do you, how do you connect with realtors to make them feel like, Hey, I’m here to lift and build and not to compete with you
Tanya Jones 13:05
Well, and that’s the thing you have to see another realtor. As one of my really good friends is a realtor. She She taught me everything I know about real estate, and to this day, she still comes to all of my American dream gigs. You know, she comes and shows up and shakes the hands of the people I know, knowing that there’s probably no one in that room that will use her as their realtor, because they know me, but she really supports me, and that’s because the bond we’ve built together, that she knows that she can call me any time of day if she has questions, and vice versa. You know, real estate shouldn’t be that Uber competitiveness, you know, because down the line, you know, who knows, I’m going to have a referral that I’m going to give her. And if you look at it that way, that you’re helping someone else achieve their goals, then it’s just going to be better on you. It really is.
Alan Olsen 13:53
What advice would you have to somebody who is looking at a major change in their life and would like to reinvent themselves?
Tanya Jones 14:01
Life is short. Just do it. Just jump both feet. And you know you might skin your chin, you might but can you imagine dying and never thinking to yourself that you tried, that you gave yourself that chance to just do something that’s been on your plate, that you’ve been wanting to do? And you know, you’re gonna pick yourself up. It’s gonna be okay. It’s okay to make mistakes. The most beautiful interactions usually come from mistakes. And I would just tell people, just try it. You know, I’m 49 years old, and a young 49 young 49 and I jumped in both feet when I was asked to try out for the American dream. I thought, Who would want me? You know? I’m I’m older. I’m not that charismatic. I’m just, I’m a realtor, you know? And after I tried out and they gave me the job, and I dare in the headlight, locked around my house for. The next, you know, 10 days, and I had to tell my friends, hey, guess what? I’m the new host of American dream. And they, they jumped in and they helped me. I will give them that I have ride or dies, and they are just always there to to give a lending hand. So try it. Find your tribe. Dig in both feet. Fall on your face a few times, but just live it.
Alan Olsen 15:23
What do you see as the next big idea, or your passion project looking into the future?
Tanya Jones 15:28
I want to find a way to continue with what I’m doing with American dream. I want to be able to connect those people that just need each other, that don’t know how to find each other, that that would make me so happy. I don’t know how to do it yet. I’m, you know, working on a few projects, and I just need to find that person that can help me show me in the right direction. Say, Hey, this is how you do that. But the people that I’ve met so far, there’s been a gentleman in my first, my first episode, Elliot Olsen. He’s, you know, he’s a great guy, and he’s really just come into our family and been our friend, but he’s got a lot of great ideas that’s helped me boost to the next level of my ideas, and I’m so appreciative of just getting to meet you and all the people that I wouldn’t have normally met so
Alan Olsen 16:19
well, Tanya, it’s been a pleasure having you with us here on American Dreams. It’s it.
Tanya Jones 16:23
It’s my pleasure. Thank you so much. Alan, thank you.
Tanya is a passionate and dedicated Realtor licensed in Kansas and Missouri, serving clients across the Heartland MLS. As the host of the Emmy-nominated TV show The American Dream TV Show, Tanya blends her lifestyle and media expertise with her deep knowledge of the real estate market to provide an elevated experience for her clients.
With over two decades of leadership experience as the Corporate Vice President of Jonathan Jones Masonry Inc., Tanya brings a wealth of practical knowledge in construction, budgeting, and project management, adding immense value to her real estate services. This unique background allows her to connect with clients on a deeper level, understanding both the emotional and practical aspects of buying, selling, or staging a home.
Alan is managing partner at Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen & Co., LLP, (GROCO) and is a respected leader in his field. He is also the radio show host to American Dreams. Alan’s CPA firm resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and serves some of the most influential Venture Capitalist in the world. GROCO’s affluent CPA core competency is advising High Net Worth individual clients in tax and financial strategies. Alan is a current member of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (S.I.E.P.R.) SIEPR’s goal is to improve long-term economic policy. Alan has more than 25 years of experience in public accounting and develops innovative financial strategies for business enterprises. Alan also serves on President Kim Clark’s BYU-Idaho Advancement council. (President Clark lead the Harvard Business School programs for 30 years prior to joining BYU-idaho. As a specialist in income tax, Alan frequently lectures and writes articles about tax issues for professional organizations and community groups. He also teaches accounting as a member of the adjunct faculty at Ohlone College.