Getting to know: Susan Stynes with River City Elite Properties

Title: broker/owner of River City Elite Properties in Chesterfield County

Born: April 1967 in Baltimore

Education: John Tyler Community College, registered nursing degree, 1994; studied business management at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1985-88

Career: created a company to help distressed homeowners out of foreclosures; hired by Main Street Homes as the land acquisition manager; sales manager for Dumont Custom Homes; worked with Long and Foster and became certified as a luxury home marketing specialist; joined Joyner Fine Properties; started own real estate firm

In which part of the metro area do you live: “I live on a peaceful 6-acre home site in Powhatan County.”

Best business decision: “Giving back along the way when I’ve been successful — whether it’s running a book drive to help an inner-city school, donating Christmas gifts to families in need, scrubbing floors at local shelters with my fellow Leadership Academy members through Richmond Association of Realtors, or donating to my church and other good causes. Everything I have belongs to God, and I love giving back what has been given to me. By doing this, my business has grown exponentially.”

Mistake you learned the most from: “Not to have so much self-doubt. I didn’t always have the confidence in myself that I have now. I have a morning ritual modeled after ‘The Miracle Morning’ by Hal Elrod. Positive affirmations are important to keep my mind positive and focused on the good and on my accomplishments. I love to look at the list of things I accomplished in a day instead of the three I didn’t get to.”

First job after college: “I worked with cancer patients at Chippenham Medical Center. It was heartbreaking, rewarding, an honor, beautiful and terrible all at the same time.”

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently: “I would have gotten outside my comfort zone sooner — that is where magic happens. We all hold back from doing things we don’t feel comfortable doing, but sometimes our biggest opportunities live there.”

Book that inspired you the most: “Two that I’ve read and/or listened to more than once are ‘The Power of Full Engagement’ by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz — it speaks of managing your energy more than your time; and ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill — one of the best business books ever written.”

Favorite/least favorite subject in school: “I loved how, for the most part, there was only one right answer in a math equation. There’s no gray area. The logic always clicked with me, and I excelled in math throughout my school years. I have a creative side, too, and I loved my art classes. Although I love history now, it was my least favorite subject back then.”

Original article appears in Richmond Times Dispatch, click here to view it.