Kaira Sturdivant Rouda: Real Executive, Real Partner, Real Mom

By Naomi Gitlin

The daughter of a marketing professor, Kaira Rouda learned early on that a woman could do anything. Surprisingly, she learned that from her father, the first in his family to go to college. Throughout her career, she’s taken that philosophy to heart and to home.

Rouda is president of Real Living, headquartered in Columbus, OH, which is one of the country’s fastest growing real estate franchisors, with 4,000 sales associates and employees in more than 160 offices nationwide. While Rouda joined the company in 2002, its three core values—family, innovation and results—always have been part of her DNA.

“My mom was a stay-at-home mom, who was creative, understood the importance of family and shared that with my siblings and me,” Rouda said.

After majoring in English and graduating magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University, Rouda landed a job as a reporter at a local business newspaper. There, she was lucky enough to have a great mentor who taught her about the business.

Following her journalism stint, Rouda switched to advertising sales at the only urban radio station, at the time, in Columbus. After learning the ropes, she joined an advertising agency. “I always wanted to write the great American novel and be in advertising,” she said. Rouda gained more knowledge about entrepreneurial businesses and how to market to consumers.

She kept her dream of writing alive by taking on freelance writing assignments. Once, she worked for a publication that closed and was not able to meet its payroll. Through that experience, Rouda worked with an attorney who helped her get the paycheck she was due, and although Rouda didn’t know at the time, this attorney would become a central figure in her life.

From the advertising agency, Rouda went to the client side and became the national VP of marketing for an Inc. 500 company with more than 230 franchises in 47 states.

Rouda’s husband Harley changed careers and acquired a couple of regional real estate companies (HER REALTORS, founded by his father, and Realty One, founded by Vince and Joe Aveni) to create Real Living. He knew he needed a strong umbrella brand to create a seamless relationship between those established companies, build on their success and market the new company nationally. And he knew just the person to lead the effort: a woman with experience marketing a company with more than 230 franchises in 47 states, his wife.

Achieving Results through Innovation
“Real Living is a new kind of real estate company,” Rouda says. “We recognized that most real estate decisions are made by women; women are our target audience.

“But most real estate marketing [in the past] was talking to ourselves, filled with images and words that would make brokers or agents comfortable, but didn’t necessarily speak well to consumers.”

According to Rouda, Real Living talks to and interacts with female consumers in a way that resonates with them. “We’ve added services, the power of technology and community to reach these women,” she said.

For example, Real Living’s “What Style is Your Homestyle Quiz” helps build understanding with female consumers and adds value to their relationship with Real Living. The marketing approach is multidimensional and fully integrated, a mirror of the company.

“Women want to be engaged in and with your site,” Rouda said. “They search for community and context around a property, not just payments.”

To help create that community, three years ago Real Living launched the industry’s first Web portal, MyRealLiving, for a consumer to open and activate. Once a consumer selects an agent, she can communicate directly with her agent and others by saving, sorting and sharing information about prospective properties. That type of direct approach works because “women are natural community builders,” Rouda said.

Throughout her career, gender has played a role in Rouda’s professional life. She is still surprised when people think of her as just the “CEO’s wife,” rather than as the accomplished woman she is, one who had a solid career before joining Real Living.

“And it still surprises me when women don’t support other women,” she said. “We need to be each others’ fans and supporters.” Continue to page 2