Upon entering the restoration industry for the first time over twenty years ago, 22 year old Tony Flattum witnessed just how unfair the world of sales can be. Newcomers would often miss out on commissions and sometimes individuals wouldn’t get paid at all. With a spark in him to make a change, Flattum embarked on a journey to revolutionize the way company’s treat their employees, and in the process, has founded the fastest growing real estate company in Minnesota, Flattum Capital.
As the Managing Director of the company, Flattum helps individuals and families all over the state with their real estate needs, and he truly puts their needs before his own. Till date, he has toured thousands of properties and learned how to inspect them for quality and damage. His customer first approach along with his experience in restoration, gives him an undeniable advantage in real estate.
Flattum purchased his very first property in 2004, and turned it into a rental. From that point on, he continued to buy more properties and maintained focus on growth, building Flattum Capital as a go-to company for your real estate and property needs.
Flattum is a trusted expert who helps homeowners keep their property’s exterior safe and sturdy all-year-round. He joined Built Strong Exteriors, a one stop shop for homeowners in need of roofing, siding, or window repairs in 2016.
“When we go out there, we give an honest inspection and customers are always so thankful,” Flattum says. “A lot of the time customers aren’t guided in the right direction, and that’s where we come in. People know my name and recognize me as somebody that’s been doing this for a long time,” he adds.
Flattum runs his companies on core values like honesty, respect, and integrity, which have quickly helped to position him as a leader in restoration and real estate, but it hasn’t been an easy process for him getting to this point.
“When I got my first company going, I partnered with another person. It was great, but we experienced hurdles when we realized that we both wanted to go in different directions with the company. When we parted ways, I had to really start from zero and complete a whole company rebrand,” Flattum shares. From that point on, he partnered with another individual and experienced the same thing again.
“I had to be the calm of the storm and come into work with a smile every day, but it was really tough,” he adds. Forced to start over for a second time, Flattum says that’s when he came out the strongest.
“I’ve gotten really good at just working with people and bringing a human touch to my interactions with customers. If someone is upset about something, it’s like, ‘hey let’s work through this together and get it taken care of.’ After doing this for so many years, it really just conditioned me to understand that you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you handle it,” he says.
With selflessness at the core of what he does, Flattum established his first company at the age of 26, and ever since then has made sure that anyone who ever works for him is supported, respected, and especially, paid what they are owed.
“People have to get paid for what they do,” he says. “If they’re not getting paid, it can impact their livelihood including their ability to make ends meet,” he adds. Flattum’s desire to keep his employees and customers happy is part of the reason why he’s so successful today, regardless of his hurdles.
“There’s a lot of guys in our company who have always believed in what I’m doing. It fuels me because I’ve realized that when I grow, my team grows. That’s why I’m always going to events and finding new ways to motivate them. I want to learn more so I can take it back to my team,” he says.
Regardless of the setbacks Tony Flattum faced, he always managed to put one foot in front of the other. His strength is inspiring, and a huge reason why his company Flattum Capital is slated to take over the real estate industry in Minnesota. To learn more about Flattum Capital, be sure to visit their website.
