"Surrounding yourself with individuals that challenge you to be more clear and provide other perspectives is a must for success."
Meet Corey Tyner – an Army National Guard veteran and serial entrepreneur whose primary business interests include real estate investment and real estate CRM software. He has several years of experience buying and selling real estate, including investment properties, renovations, etc.
His latest project is Sklyer 360, a revolutionary new CRM for real estate agents to help them keep track of buyer interest and follow up in order to increase closing ratios. He looks forward to continuing to help bring this product to market because it is going to be a game-changer in the real estate industry; as a person with many years of real estate experience under his belt, Corey recognizes the massive impact of this software will make.
He also believes strongly in the importance of giving back. One of his other business ventures, Great America Beverage Company, factors charitable giving into our business model. They donate $1 per case of their 100% all-natural beverages to organizations that are building schools, improving healthcare, and creating more opportunities for those living in poverty.
It’s his privilege to be involved in companies that are dedicated to changing the world and improving the lives of others.
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Table of Contents
Welcome to your ValiantCEO exclusive interview! Let’s start with a little introduction. Tell us about yourself.
Corey Tyner: Happy to be doing this interview! I’m a National Gaurd veteran and also an entrepreneur with many businesses. I’m involved with quite a few businesses but I am primarily involved with Buy Yo Dirt, my company that is involved in real estate. Apart from that, I have also made a new CRM for real estate agents and I believe it will be essential for many within the industry.
NO child ever says I want to be a CEO when I grow up. What did you want to be and how did you get to where you are today? Give us some lessons you learned along the way.
Corey Tyner: I don’t quite remember but I do remember that I wanted to be good at a lot of things which is why I’ve entered a few industries. I always knew that whatever I was going to be, I would be one of the best at which is partly why I’ve achieved the success that I have.
Along the way, I have learned that many will doubt you, especially when it comes to doing multiple things at once. They’ll claim that it is “impossible” but I quickly realized that letting this discourage me was a mistake. Instead, I saw these claims as challenges to overcome and it motivated me to work harder.
Tell us about your business, what does the company do? What is unique about the company?
Corey Tyner: As ex-servicemen, we run Buy Yo Dirt by the same code of ethics we learned as soldiers: Honor. Integrity. Respect.
Over the last 11 years, we’ve practiced real estate by following what we believe is the right way to do business: No high-pressure Sales techniques, offers tailored to financial goals, and full transparency with clear communication.
We offer consultation and also pay a visit to your property so that we can devise the ideal sales plan in your presence. Such visits enable us to provide you with an innovative option for selling your land as is. We usually make cash offers on the spot after inspecting the property.
Following acceptance of our offer, all parties sign a contract, following which full payment is due in 30 days or fewer. Moreover, unlike other businesses that make you an offer and then disappear, we will communicate with you on a weekly basis.
How to become a CEO? Some will focus on qualities, others on degrees, how would you answer that question?
Corey Tyner: By challenging your own perspective. Surrounding yourself with individuals that challenge you to be more clear and provide other perspectives is a must for success. Internal teams, as well as peers outside the workplace, should provide this type of input.
It’s critical to avoid confirmation bias, which occurs when we’ve made up our minds and begin asking people we know will agree with us. We must be able to open our minds to completely alternative ways of thinking. When CEOs create a method to obtain fair input on a regular basis, they set themselves up for greater success.
What are the secrets to becoming a successful CEO? Who inspires you, who are your role models and why? Illustrate your choices.
Corey Tyner:
I think the most important code for being successful especially during tough times is to have faith in your own abilities. Remember that you became a CEO because of your hard work and you likely have the skills to counter any problem you face.
My role model is probably Elon musk. Many of the world’s billionaires were once penniless and destitute. They now live in their dreamland thanks to a lot of hard work. Elon Musk used to barely get two hours of sleep every day. The remaining twenty-two hours were spent at work. He proved that by putting in more hours, you will surpass your competitors.
Many CEOs fall into the trap of being all over the place. What are the top activities a CEO should focus on to be the best leader the company needs? Explain.
Corey Tyner: In short:
- Financial management
The key to long-term success is to maintain a tight eye on your financial situation. First and foremost, keep an eye on your company’s financial condition. Learn about crucial indicators including sales per service or product, margin per service or product, cost per lead, conversion rates, operational expenditures, and revenue per employee. Don’t forget about capital; it’s one of the most important things a company has.
- Team Building
Identifying the right people, placing them in the appropriate positions, establishing a broad direction, and then releasing them is crucial to focus on.
- Personal growth
The only thing that all great CEOs have in common is that they keep wanting to learn. They are always learning something new and resist any sort of stagnation.
The Covid-19 Pandemic put the leadership skills of many to the test, what were some of the most difficult challenges that you faced as a CEO/Leader in the past year? Please list and explain in detail.
Corey Tyner: One of the most difficult challenges that we faced was the uncertainty associated with the pandemic. The frequent lockdowns made it very difficult to do any kind of projections and it ruined most of our plans. We could not do any cash flow forecasts which led to more issues. on the other hand, keeping employees motivated and engaged was also a growing concern as they too were worried about their jobs and I did not know enough to appease their concerns. However, I remained strong not only for the survival of my business but also for the employees that worked so hard for us.
What are some of the greatest mistakes you’ve noticed some business leaders made during these unprecedented times? What are the takeaways you gleaned from those mistakes?
Corey Tyner: Being a know-it-all: Managers alienate staff by ignoring their views, failing to listen, or attempting to lead with a “know it all” attitude. Gaining rapport and trust with your staff by making them feel listened to and supported can help you advance as a CEO.
Not being enough “hands-on”: When deciding whether to delegate or be hands-on, the duty of a leader becomes too difficult. As a leader, we must be able to use both methods and engage them as needed depending on the scenario.
The attribute of a leader is defined by being focused on one task and unable to look at others, as well as directing and teaching the team. Both are tantamount to courting problems. We must strike a balance and do whatever is required.
In your opinion, what changes played the most critical role in enabling your business to survive/remain profitable, or maybe even thrive? What lessons did all this teach you?
Corey Tyner: Providing online consultation instead of physical was a game-changer for us. Previously, clients had to be consulted in person which was made impossible by the pandemic. However, we decided on online consultation and that played a significant role in helping us to survive.
What is the #1 most pressing challenge you’re trying to solve in your business right now?
Corey Tyner: Figuring out what the best deal is for clients is one of our most challenging tasks. We need to offer them something that is aligned with their financial goals but the problem is, consumers are full of various kinds of biases which can lead to wrong decision making. These include confirmation bias, endowment bias, representative bias, and many other cognitive and emotional biases that we need to identify and counteract.
We’re trying to figure out better ways to identify and remove these biases.
You already shared a lot of insights with our readers and we thank you for your generosity. Normally, leaders are asked about their most useful qualities but let’s change things up a bit. What is the most useless skill you have learned, at school or during your career?
Corey Tyner: Standing in line silently is a worthless ability and one that schools should not emphasize as much as they do.
People of all ages have plenty of opportunities to practice their line-waiting abilities. We have to do that almost every day of our lives, sadly. With or without education, kids will ultimately catch up on this one and I think it was pretty useless to keep doing it at school.
Thank you so much for your time but before we finish things off, we do have one more question. We will select these answers for our ValiantCEO Award 2021 edition. The best answers will be selected to challenge the award.
Share with us one of the most difficult decisions you had to make, this past year 2021, for your company that benefited your employees or customers. What made this decision so difficult and what were the positive impacts?
Corey Tyner: Conflict amongst coworkers is one of the most aggravating aspects of the job. Conflict not only reduces productivity but also jeopardizes the positive workplace culture you’ve worked so hard to establish over the last few months or years. Conflicts affect more than just the participants; they also affect everyone else.
While you shouldn’t feel compelled to get into every argument, there are times when a CEO must intervene and that is no easy task but it has to be done for the betterment of the workplace. Telling employees that they’re in the wrong during a conflict, even if you’re very fond of them is a very difficult thing to do but one that is necessary for the benefit of the whole organization.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Corey Tyner for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Corey Tyner or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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