By Associated Press | December 30, 2018 at 9:35 am By ALEX VEIGA LOS ANGELES (AP) — Glenn Kelman knows something about steering a company through tumultuous economic times. As chief executive of Seattle-based Redfin, Kelman led the discount real estate brokerage through the extreme boom-and-bust cycles that that roiled the U.S. housing market the past two decades. That includes the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and the worst downturn in housing since the Great Depression. Redfin provides listings of homes for sale online and via a mobile app users can use to search for properties and find information on pricing, neighborhoods and other details. It also employs agents to work with buyers and sellers in more than 80 U.S. markets. Kelman shared some of his insights and experiences as CEO with The Associated Press. Questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity: Q: What advice do you have for small business owners right now given that most economists expect growth to slow in 2019? A: Redfin is the ultimate example of this. We basically got our start right when the financial crisis hit housing and destroyed the whole economy. And everything we tried didn’t work. I really felt that it was a personal failing. It’s so important to be steady. And here’s the source of steadiness: If you start talking about some highfalutin mission for the company when the shiitake hits the fan, it’s too late. If you’ve always been about the money and now that… [Read full story]
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