Rather than retreat, Laricy’s team rallied. He delivered her eulogy and brought Holbrook’s husband onto the team, ensuring any business from her former clients generates income for her daughter’s future. “Her mom told me at the luncheon that Catherine would want us to kill everybody and just win this year,” Laricy recalls. “I took that to heart.” The losses compounded. His main assistant took maternity leave during peak season. Another assistant quit from burnout. A top producing agent relocated to Florida. Yet the team is posting its best year ever, surpassing all previous records. Laricy opened the Hinsdale suburban office that Holbrook was meant to lead, climbing from #45 to #38 among 4,500 agents in DuPage County within months. THE SUPERMAN FEELING: WHAT FUELS LARICY’S UNSTOPPABLE DRIVE The origin of the Laricy Team’s relentless work ethic traces back to a childhood defined by low expectations. “Most people always told me I was stupid. Most people always told me I would never amount to anything in life,” he says. “That was just kind of the general theme of my life.” He was brought to a speech therapist as a young child because he spoke so infrequently that adults suspected a developmental problem. The shy boy who barely talked grew into a man who sleeps four to five hours per night, works seven days a week, and takes fewer than 18 days off annually. The Laricy Team scores a 20 on the ACT, a result that traditionally signals limited academic potential. Yet he never internalized the negative messaging. “I always believed in myself. I didn’t believe I was dumb, and I didn’t believe that I couldn’t be whatever I wanted to be,” he explains. A childhood friend once described his energy as a “superman feeling,” the unshakeable conviction that he could conquer anything through sheer effort.“Not because I expect to get it, but because I am willing to work for anything I want, and I will stop at nothing to get it.” His team philosophy echoes this intensity. Most agents dream of hundred-person teams; Laricy maintains nine people including himself in the downtown office. “My nine people, my nine are better than a hundred,” he states. “I like my people 170 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 11
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