Setting Big Goals in the Smokies: Lessons from the Transaction Coordinator Retreat

Last week I packed my notebook and headed to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, for a two-day Transaction Coordinator retreat with 29 TC business owners from all over the country—Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Washington, Oregon, and of course, Georgia. We gathered in a huge luxury cabin more like a private boutique hotel with 21 guest rooms—where our meeting space overlooked the misty Smoky Mountains.

Each morning, as the sun lit the ridgelines behind our speakers, we dove into goal setting with Ashley Miller of Coach with Ash. One particular line really stopped me in my tracks:

“If you don’t understand how your business makes money, you don’t actually have a business—you have a hobby with overhead.”

But what impressed me most was that Ashley didn’t start with spreadsheets or sales projections. Day one was about heart work—understanding how our current goals and daily choices feel and whether they truly match the life we want. Only after that deep reflection did we move into numbers on day two.

That shift matters to me as the owner of Right Hand Real Estate Services, a Georgia transaction coordinator company that partners with agents to build thriving, referral-driven businesses. I want my financial targets to serve my life, not the other way around.

Business, Balance, and a Little Bit of Fun

Of course, it wasn’t all notebooks and flip charts. A crew of TikTok pros coaxed even the shyest of us into making a hilarious group video one evening. We sampled classic Southern cooking, including unforgettable corn fritters with maple butter (yes, I brought some home and reheated them the next day for snack time). There were late-night conversations in the hot tubs and quiet moments by the indoor pool.

Ashley B, the "wild granny" in the front, decided that we needed to wear wigs and muumuus on Friday night. That's me with the blue wig/brown mullet on the left.

But the best parts happened in the long, honest talks about leading TCs through a post-pandemic market boom and today’s high-interest-rate slowdown. We wrestled with how to embrace AI tools without losing the personal touch and how to honor our own challenges and setbacks as entrepreneurial women.

Mona taking a selfie of me, Kris and Alex.

Bringing It Home: Lessons from the Transaction Coordinator Retreat

I drove back to Georgia energized and already implementing changes that will shape my 2026 goals and numbers—starting now, in the fourth quarter of 2025. As I guide my team and support the agents we serve, I’m clearer than ever that real success starts with vision and alignment, not just bigger spreadsheets. I can’t wait to watch the other business owners put their new ideas into practice and to meet again at our annual conference in Tampa this February.

For my agent partners and future clients: know that when you work with Right Hand Real Estate Services, you’re not hiring “help.” You’re gaining a business partner who invests in big-picture strategy—goal setting, smart systems, and sustainable growth—so that you can focus on selling homes and building wealth.

Ready to talk about how a Georgia transaction coordinator can help you hit your own next-level goals?

Let’s start that conversation.