LONG before the use of vision or action boards was endorsed by American celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Steve Harvey as a source of inspiration and motivation, Lana Forbes affirmed the value of visualisation in achieving goals and aspirations.

Today she can happily say, “I’ve done it all,” even as she savours her current role as realtor associate with RE/MAX Elite Realty, a member of the UCC Group of Companies

Born in Spanish Town, Forbes has achieved academically as a proud graduate of The Queen’s School and The University of the West Indies where she earned a bachelor’s in computer studies and social sciences, a diploma in management studies, and an MBA from its Mona School of Business.

This is the foundation, she says, that has propelled her professionally along her vision/action board in a career spanning 11 years as a sales representative at Moore Business Forms/ XOMO followed by other senior sales positions, including sales manager at Grace Unisys; as a pioneering corporate sales manager at Digicel Jamaica, which she demitted after six years; and as Dealers Channel manager with oversight for over 200 dealers . Lana is also a former director, sales and service, at Scotia Insurance Company Ltd and vice-president sales, product branding for CUNA Caribbean, which saw her travelling all over the region.

So to say that sales is in Forbes’ DNA is an understatement, and that foundation has made for a seamless segue into the world of real estate, which she says allows her to use her tried and tested sales abilities without venturing too far from her beloved Jamaica.

She explains: “Working as a real estate agent gives me a sense of independence – it’s like running my own business. When my children were small, I was very risk-averse and I was lucky to have had very good jobs, which made me comfortable. Now with the contacts made over the years and the flexibility it affords me, including family time, real estate is turning out to be all I could ever want.”

The satisfaction, Forbes says, is in helping people to realise their dream of home ownership.

“I love working with people and I get particular pleasure from finding the perfect home for young people or first home purchasers. There is a special joy that comes with watching those happy faces as they realise a major accomplishment on their vision board.”

Never one to sit on her laurels, Forbes is already looking to widen her horizons. She sees “lots of potential in the real estate industry” and may well add property management to her list of skills in the very near future. No doubt she will soon be recording yet another notch of success on the Lana Forbes vision/action board.