Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Gullo
Matthew, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started off like many, not knowing what to study in college or what to do after college. I had to go to A&M to be with my friends and I liked the town and campus. Exploring there massive book of degrees I didn’t see much I was interested in but I loved to draw, design, build, and organize so I found one degree that would allow me to do those things and that was architecture. So here we go. I went to A&M and got that degree in architecture. In 2001 I moved back to Houston where I was born and grew up. I got my first job and started chiseling away at the hours required to take the architectural exams and become a licensed architect. Fast forward to my third job in architecture in 2012/13 and I am a successful licensed architect with a good title. I was a principle of a Texas based firm with 3 offices. I was effectively designing buildings, was second in command in the Houston office, and I was miserable. I didn’t know what to do. How do you leave a career you worked so hard to have and how do you get back to feeling good about what you are doing in your work and serving others. One day I was having lunch with a good friend from childhood, a fellow Aggie, and we were talking about being frustrated with my career and not knowing what to do next. Sometime in 2012 I started a blog called Smart Simple Life, no longer on the internet, and was writing a lot of my feelings, options, thoughts, ideas, and what I was learning while trying to figure out my next career move. That friend was reading my blog and said you should come and explore Keller Williams, not to sell houses but they have a culture and training that is synonymous with the things you are writing about. That next week I went for a visit that changed my career and my life. A few weeks latter I was studying for my real estate license everyday before and after work and I put in my 2 weeks notice as a principle architect. I was excited more than I was scared but the nerves of quitting a good job and not really having another job or income for a while were flaring. I was all in though and was not looking back. The one thought that helped me push through was that I could get another arhcitecture job and even if I wasn’t a principle or didn’t make as much income I could survive financially. With that in hand, my back against the wall, and a whole lot of drive to make it work I was off to the races. Today I am a Realtor with 11 years of selling experience, 12 years of previous architecture experience, I still hold my architecture license and I have negotiated over 400 transactions and sold over one hundred and thirty million dollars of real estate.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been smooth. In the beginning I would work hard and scrape up business and then once I had the business I would have to service it. By month four of being in real estate I found myself working with 6 clients. While I was serving those 6 it was tough to keep the activities required to find future opportunities. That lead to a cycle of feast or famine income and anxiousness when I closed the last property and it was time to find more opportunities. It was hard to continue searching for new work and taking care of current work. While it was exciting for a while I began to burn out and desire a more steady stream. For the first two years I did everything myself. I was trying to prove I could do it and was afraid to hire someone especially if I had to pay them in one of those down moments. I realized I needed help though. The next obstacle was hiring someone, training them, and still working to keep the business I had as well as seeking more opportunities all going forward. My first executive assistant was my wife. She also quit working to raise our son but had some time when he was in school to help me. Within a year I had hired a full time salaried executive assistant and things became a lot smoother and I got some of my life back. It was the best thing I had done for the business and I should have done it sooner. You can’t do it alone. In 2023 after being in real estate for 10 years the market shifted and really hit our sales numbers. There were some somber days, but again we sold enough to stay in the black and keep going. I never give up and always push myself hard. I may have a bad day or week but I get back up and keep forging ahead. In 2024 our sales numbers are back up and we are looking ahead to big goals over the next 10 years.
We’ve been impressed with The Gullo Group , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Gullo Group sells residential and commercial real estate. Our main focus is helping families sell their current homes that no longer fit their needs and get them into a new home that does. We do the same thing for small to mid sized businesses. The Gullo Group mission is “To provide unparalleled real estate experiences, leveraging our architectural expertise, unwavering integrity, and client-centered approach.” We are known for our integrity, client forward approach, professional expertise, commitment to communication, and going the extra mile. Those are not from me but from our Google reviews and the many people that have trusted us over the last 11 years. I am proud of the trust people put in me and my team and the consistent track record we have held for over a decade.
If you are venturing into changing homes or getting a new space for your business look us up and let us serve you.
– The Gullo Group “Connecting People to Homes + Commercial”.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My grandmother and parents bought me a big wheel that had a lever you could pull to slide the back around and spin out after peddling fast and getting up some speed. It was so cool and it fostered my later obsessions of riding skateboards, bikes, driving fast remote control cars, and eventually racing dirt bikes from seventh grade to college. Going along with that and my architectural design background, I also entered a drawing contest to design a skateboard and ended up being the youngest finalist, getting to go to water world and see all my skateboarding idols as well as taking home some prizes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gullogroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewgullo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthew.gullo.144/
- Twitter: https://x.com/matthewgullo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNwzXxwlTE0hki92wuFtZDg
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en-US&gl=us&q=The+Gullo+Group,+5050+Westheimer+Rd+%23200,+Houston,+TX+77056&ludocid=11737136554672473069&lsig=AB86z5XcxKf2P8oinu9a_zK_UKZL#lrd=0x8640c169394110d3:0xa2e2af82ad8143ed,1,,,
