How They Escaped the Corporate Grind with Steve and Tonsha Hokanson

Steve and Tonsha Hokanson share their professional backgrounds before entering the land business. Steve spent 25 years in the reinsurance industry managing accounting and claims departments before leaving in February 2021 to escape the corporate grind, eventually starting both a land business and a bookkeeping service for land investors. Tonsha taught for three years before staying home to raise their four children, then pursued various ventures including fitness training, personal training, and multi-level marketing companies while maintaining a long-held interest in real estate.

The couple discusses their current business structure, which includes a land team of four people (two Minnesota-based intake/acquisition managers and a Filipino VA handling website and listings), plus their daughter managing social media and partnerships with multiple realtors. On the bookkeeping side, Steve manages part-time international VAs. They deliberately maintain a lifestyle business model rather than pursuing aggressive growth, prioritizing peace and fit with their other responsibilities including short-term rentals, dog sitting, and family care.

Regarding leadership philosophy, Steve notes that corporate leadership differs significantly from entrepreneurial leadership because he now directly pays employees and is responsible for their sustainability. He initially wanted to practice servant leadership but was constrained by corporate policies. Tansha emphasizes their focus on making team members feel valued and loved as family rather than mere employees. They employ several motivational strategies: Tansha regularly sends small monetary gifts (via Venmo for coffee during meetings, birthday gifts, surprise $20 gifts), gives gifts to team members' homes, and sends bonus payments when properties sell. They track birthdays via Google Calendar reminders and specifically acknowledge their international VA's value despite limited ability to send physical gifts.

Both leaders acknowledge how they've evolved. Steve has become more involved in daily accountability through their CRM (Pebble) and Open Phone, meeting with teams weekly while maintaining daily contact through tagging and check-ins. He monitors analytics including dial counts, phone time, and appointment-setting. Tansha focuses on relationship-based accountability rather than automated systems, preferring direct daily communication given their smaller team size. They've shifted from trying one full-time manager (which created coverage gaps) to multiple part-time VAs who can cover for each other.

When asked about areas needing improvement, Steve identifies the need to delegate basic bookkeeping cleanup work rather than handling every account himself, recognizing he should focus on higher-level critical thinking while paying someone $10/hour to do $50/hour work. Tansha admits difficulty having tough conversations with underperforming team members, noting her tendency to shy away from confrontation despite wanting accountability. Both acknowledge the challenge of finding the right people for the right roles, recognizing that good interviewing skills don't guarantee job performance and that sometimes the best employees have weak resumes.

They discuss practical hiring strategies, including hiring multiple candidates simultaneously to test fit, considering college interns who gain credit (unpaid but mutually beneficial), and working with transitioning military personnel. They use tools including Pebble CRM, Open Phone with analytics tracking, and consider implementing bonus structures tied to acquisitions. Their business model deliberately avoids explosive growth—they're happy with current property volume and team structure.

Final recommendations include not fearing business change and pivots, staying mindful of the importance of leadership books and podcasts (Steve recommends Zig Ziglar's Goals; Tansha recommends John Gordon's mindset-focused content), and recognizing that health and mindset affect all other aspects of business. They emphasize that every land business operates differently and there's no universal playbook—leaders must find their own path forward.