We Ride 4: Cycling Through Books Series

Featuring Realtor and Cycling Enthusiast Kennen Cohen

Kennen and I met a couple of years ago through Denver's Cherry Creek Chamber where he leads the ambassador board. Having been a realtor for 27 years, he is a fountain of information about all things real estate in the greater Denver and surrounding areas. 

Born in the “Mile High City,” he lives in a historic home in Denver’s Washington Park neighborhood. He also owns a number  of investment properties. 

But perhaps his greatest pride is serving as an active rider and board member with  WeRide4, a community of cyclists that creates unique experiences for its members through weekly rides, participation in cycling events and social gatherings throughout the year. Tied to a broader mission of “We Ride to Give,” this non profit through its giving efforts provides under-served and at-risk youths the opportunity to experience healthier lifestyles by engaging in outdoor fun. 

Recently, Kennen and I met at Aviano Coffee in Denver’s vibrant Cherry Creek North District to talk briefly about his cycling interests and the role that book continues to play in his life. 

Share with us a little about your early cycling pursuits and how it turned into a passion. 

My love of cycling really began in grade school. We lived way out by Smoky Hill High School in Aurora (Colorado) and behind our house was an empty field. Me and all my friends, we had BMX bikes, and we built little dirt trails and jumps. We’d spend the whole day roaming the neighborhood on our bikes as that was our freedom and our transportation. I also biked through middle school and high school some. So it seems like I’ve always been in a biking environment. 

You then attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, a huge cycling town. 

I did. Cycling was a way for me to get around campus. But I wouldn’t say that I was a competitive cyclist at that point. Honestly, it was just transportation because that’s all I could afford. 

And your life after graduation? 

I got hired by Stewart Title Company where I worked in the title insurance business for 17 years here in Denver. It was there where I learned the ins and outs of the real estate industry. Then coming out of the Great Recession in 2011, I left the corporate world because it was always my goal to be entrepreneurial and do my own thing. Fortunately, I had a lot of good role models to help guide me. 

So how did you become a realtor? 

A lot of my clients were very successful realtors and I wanted to emulate what they were doing. But it was scary, at the time leaving a corporate job with a salary and benefits and going to something that was completely 100% commission. I was supporting my wife and my two little kids. We were coming out of the recession and it was tough the first couple years. Now looking back in retrospect, getting into residential real estate was the best move I could have ever made.  I am really glad that all of this transpired the way that it did. 

At what point did you fully discover your cycling interest? 

After my wife and I had our kids we kind of just made a conscious decision to try to get into better shape. So we started going to the gym. We also pursued some diets and then she got into running and joined a running club. Over time she started doing half and full marathons. And then I joined the running club and I started running. But I was never built to be a runner…. I mean I’ve got flat feet, short legs [laughter]. 

I had some friends that I had met in my neighborhood, mostly parents or fathers of kids at the same elementary school as my kids. And some of them were really into cycling. They encouraged me to go purchase a bike so eventually I bought this hybrid bike that was way too heavy, way too slow, I couldn’t really keep up with them but they were kind and they showed me the ropes by way of the trails and the paths around the city.  Eventually I upgraded to a little lighter, carbon fiber road bike and then I started doing some organized rides. 

How did you discover We Ride 4?

I got involved in Bike MS, the largest bicycling event in Colorado. They do it every summer and I think they get maybe 10,000 cyclists that come out for it. Really well organized. So I joined a fundraising team that participated at that event and they had maybe 100 members, raising a lot of money for multiple sclerosis. They had training rides and I very much enjoyed that. 

One of my team members was a gentleman by the name of Rob Dawson. He was the one that told me about WeRide4 because he was a member of both organizations. He said, ‘yeah you should come check it out, it’s a good way to up your cycling because they have multiple rides going on every week.’  He shared with me how they have team members of all abilities and that it was a very supportive organization. That really appealed to me because I’m a pretty social person. I also like biking with other people and meeting new folks. 

So in the spirit of “Great Books, Great Minds” can you share a little bit about your reading journey and how and how you’ve benefited from the power of books over time? 

I love to read but wouldn’t say that I am an avid reader. When I do have a book my wife always jokes that I should be reading something fun or a fictional novel.Yet most of the time I’m reading a business book or a sales book or a health improvement book. I’ve picked up quite a few of those over the years that have certainly helped me in my career. 

What about cycling books? 

I haven’t read a lot about cycling largely because there are people in the club that are very competitive cyclists. They have competed at races and have traveled the cycling world. I’m a very social person and just being around them I’ve learned so much about improving my technique and how to train, the clothes to wear, the nutrition, the equipment - there’s just a lot to it. 

How about a business book then that has really had an impact on you and your real estate practice? 

When I left Stewart Title and jumped into residential brokerage, one of the things I knew obviously is I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. There are millions of successful realtors around the country. Given that, there are proven strategies and techniques that I wanted to learn. So one of the books I was exposed to was called Ninja Selling, written by a very successful broker/owner up in Fort Collins named Larry Kendall.  Larry and his team put this book together and a training program with best practices of all their top producers in the company. That became my Bible when I started my career. 

So what in particular resonated for you with respect to that book? 

What I learned from this book is that the client business you’re most likely to get is going to come from people who know you, like you, and trust you. It taught me that building up your sphere of influence and staying in touch with people is the name of the game. Providing great, outstanding service and follow up and just growing it that way. The book explains why that is so much more successful than cold calling or any type of advertising or anything like that that you can do. 

That’s very cool. So when you do read, is your preference hardback, paperback, audiobooks, digital books, or a combination? 

Well, I would say I do read periodicals online. I probably read too much news to be honest. But as far as if I’m going to just read a book I prefer a hardcover book that I would either buy or get from the library. 

Finally, where do you get your book recommendations?

In real estate, we have a lot of training that we take, largely continuing ed classes. The company I’m with, there are so many great training classes where the instructors will often recommend a book that spoke to them.  I’ll then pick it up.  The Go Giver and The Go Giver Sells More are a couple that immediately come to mind that I was introduced to by being in a real estate class.