Speaker 1: 0:10

Hey guys, welcome to episode 15 of its personal and entrepreneurs podcast. We have a super special guest. Special because this is our first fellow EXP agent, rachel and she's local. Thank you for coming.

Speaker 2: 0:23

Thank you so much for having me. I was so excited to be here and do this with you guys. Thank you.

Speaker 1: 0:28

Yeah, we really appreciate you taking the time. This should be fun, because you know we love interviewing all different types of businesses, but we really love talking about real estate too, obviously, so we can get a mix of all that in there and that should be a good time. One of the things we really like to start by doing is just kind of asking because it is called it's Personal, an entrepreneur's podcast how did you get to real estate and where you are now? Where are you from? What other things did you do and what was your kind of path to what you're doing in real estate right now?

Speaker 2: 0:57

That's a great question. So it definitely was a journey. So when I graduated college, it was 2009. I could not pay someone to give me a job and I really wanted to go into real estate, but then everyone told me I was crazy. These are like the markets crash, markets crash. Yeah. And knowing what I know now, that would have been a beautiful time to get into it. Yeah, yes, um, and I'd always wanted to get into the business, but I just, I guess, listened to the noise and you know. So I worked at a law office for a while, which was I learned a lot, right, but I was, I was not happy. I did all the work you know with the attorneys, like all the digging up dirt on the plaintiffs, which I'm so good at.

Speaker 3: 1:49

Yeah, which probably translates pretty good to real estate.

Speaker 2: 1:53

I like it to test it. If you got dirt I will find it, but so so did that. I learned a lot, a lot, but it was it was kind of, you know, depressing when I was working at nine to five that someone would say a value, you know, an hour of your life is only worth this amount. Long story short, I had my baby and then that's really when the concept of time registered, because when you have a child, you you're like this, this is everything. It totally changed my perspective on you know how valuable time is it's moving a lot faster now and it's.

Speaker 1: 2:33

It has to be dedicated much more intentionally.

Speaker 2: 2:36

Yeah, exactly, exactly. It's so precious and it moves so fast. Um, so, anyways, I, when my little girl she started going to preschool, I knew it was time to start doing something for me, because I was. I loved being staying at home, but it is the worst paying job and time consuming. Yeah, I believe that it's kind of a lot like real estate, except for you don't get paid, you know, you don't get days off, you don't get vacation days.

Speaker 3: 3:10

People fall all the time or babies cry yeah exactly.

Speaker 2: 3:14

And so I'm like okay, well, what do I want to do with my life? Because I knew I couldn't go back to the law office. There's no way I knew. If a grown man had a temper tantrum after dealing with, you know, a toddler, I would probably get fired, you know, the first couple of days, because I had given that mom, look and tell him to go take a time out.

Speaker 3: 3:35

I can't go to your office.

Speaker 2: 3:36

Exactly. I knew that that was not going to work. So, anyways I, I started doing my research. So, anyways, I started doing my research. You know, the median income, I think, for a woman in our area was like $30,000, even with a college degree. And so I was like, well, do I want to go to law school? Or what can I do to make six plus figures? And I thought, sales, I was still too scared to go into real estate.

Speaker 1: 4:14

So I sold insurance. Okay, which, if you can sell insurance, you can sell anything. I'm just gonna say that's a good.

Speaker 2: 4:16

a hard place to start, but a good place to start too Right, Nobody wants to talk about. It's not sexy, it's just was. You know, but I was, I was starting it. But then boom, it just was. You know, but I was, I was starting it. But then boom, category five, Hurricane Michael hit us and my house got blown away Like we couldn't live there. My little girl's school got blown away. It just it was decimated, our town. And I was like you know what? Real estate's not that scary anymore. Yeah, Like you know, because when you've pretty much lost everything. So that happened what in October? And then I told my husband I'm like, look, I'm getting into real estate, I'm doing it. Plus, I've been through Ivan in Pensacola, so I knew that the real estate market she had that yeah.

Speaker 2: 5:02

So I was like, all right, let's do it. I don't know, I was in survival mode at that point, so I had enough savings to finish paying for her school tuition for the remaining of the year and then I studied for my license. I was licensed by January 3rd, so I studied over Christmas. I was not living at home. We were moving from condo to condo to condo and I went. I studied, for we were moving from condo to condo to condo and I went. I studied for my exam passed the first time, um, then got into real estate. So that is how I did it. It is. But I think that those things in your life that happened to you, that push you Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 5:38

Yeah, it's, uh, the hardest things are like. If you can learn to see the hardest things that happened to you as an opportunity, like it really changes your perspective on a lot of things, because you're like something really good is coming, even though I can't see what it is.

Speaker 2: 5:51

And I can't see me having the courage or you know, to make that dive, had something like that, not had happened.

Speaker 1: 6:00

It took something that pushed you into like, okay, I'm at zero.

Speaker 2: 6:03

Yeah, and you know what else I learned too after the storm, the first people with roofs on their house had cash.

Speaker 1: 6:12

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 6:17

So you know.

Speaker 1: 6:18

They wanted the insurance having to pay for the roof. That was semi-philosophical yeah.

Speaker 2: 6:24

And so when you're making twenty dollars an hour, you know you don't have thirty thousand plus just in the bank, right? So I was like, screw this, I'm not doing this. Nine to five grind anymore. I'm not doing it, I'm going to real estate. I don't ever want to be in a position ever again where I'm at the mercy of having my home, you know, with the whim of an insurance company Exactly.

Speaker 3: 6:49

We all know how that went for 18 months, 24 months after the hurricane.

Speaker 2: 6:53

We're still going. I was back home in 10 months but it was because I was a rabid dog. They were like by the end of it they were like here, rachel, here's your check, go away. But I mean, I was an angry mama bear trying to get back home.

Speaker 1: 7:11

I was not screwing around like I was gonna get back in there. Where was your house at the country club? Okay, yeah, that got hit pretty hard.

Speaker 3: 7:15

Yeah, yeah, trees out there. Yeah, the golf course is not remotely what it? Was for sure, still a fun course to play. A bad day of golf is a good day.

Speaker 2: 7:24

I can listen my husband, he's always out there.

Speaker 3: 7:28

It's hot to play out there, though, right now, with the trees.

Speaker 2: 7:31

Well, it's July, but it is coming back. The canopy is coming back and the clubhouse got a renovation.

Speaker 1: 7:37

Yeah, we did, so that is really nice yeah.

Speaker 2: 7:40

So it's really good. But of course, yeah, you can't replace those oak trees, pecan trees, all that. But you know it'll take time. Oh, for sure It'll take time, but yeah, he's always out there. Let me tell you, when people ask me what my husband does, like especially if I'm going to ask exactly what I say, because I'm like it doesn't matter what my husband does yeah, it's my career, yeah.

Speaker 3: 8:06

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 8:08

But yeah, that's what happened.

Speaker 1: 8:11

So then, when you got into real estate, you got your license. What did you go do first? Did you join a team? Were you like an individual agent?

Speaker 2: 8:19

Yeah, so after that I started interviewing different agents. The agents, because I worked insurance, so I knew some people. Yeah, I knew some people, right? And then I thought in my head the ones that were selling were sitting in the condo sales offices.

Speaker 1: 8:37

Yeah, which is semi true.

Speaker 2: 8:39

No, I mean to an extent. I mean people don't really walk in and buy condos anymore off the street.

Speaker 1: 8:45

True.

Speaker 2: 8:46

Like they did in 2006.

Speaker 1: 8:48

No, that's definitely true. Yeah, people don't walk into real estate offices really anymore like they did back then at all. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 8:54

Agent on duty in the front Isn't really a thing.

Speaker 2: 8:57

No, or even those call you know things. No, you got. So I started on a team. You know things, you know, you got. So it started. I started on a team. They gave me a personality test. Um, apparently they said well, you cannot work with buyers because I was very high, d high, I, and you know all those. So then they said you're going to be a listing agent and if you want to sell you have to call interesting.

Speaker 1: 9:21

I've never really thought about that. What I'm, you know, I've taken tons of disc assessments, but I've never heard it related to real estate like that. Um, like apparently will.

Speaker 2: 9:31

The will, the big teams, the really big teams. They'll do that like they'll get wise high. What?

Speaker 1: 9:36

is it about? Because I'm an I'm a di what? What is it about that? That and I own. I tend to push toward listings like that's what I really try to do. Why is that, though? Do you know what the reasoning behind it is?

Speaker 2: 9:48

well, I think that they they thought that I would be too impatient with buyers, which I kind of yeah, I mean, you do have to be patient, and with with my buyers I'm pretty selective. They're usually past clients they're sellers that have.

Speaker 1: 10:04

Okay, yeah, that makes sense.

Speaker 2: 10:05

That's kind of interesting so I was calling, like my life depended on it, like my little girl's school depended on it, which it did. Yeah, so I was calling, calling, calling, calling, um, someone hung up on me. It was like they were hanging up on my little girl yeah which is not okay, you know.

Speaker 2: 10:21

calling back, hey, I don't know what happened. Anyways, karen, sounds like we got disconnected, like I was saying, and so the listings that I was able to get, the skills that I learned on the team, were great. The split was horrible, so at the rate I was going. I barely was even breaking, even even though I closed 13 deals in my first eight months in real estate, which is crazy, especially after we have an apocalyptic event like Michael, where most of the houses don't have roads, yeah it's kind of like a COVID market.

Speaker 2: 10:57

for anyone who hasn't experienced a post hurricane market, it's like a COVID market.

Speaker 1: 11:01

Yeah, any post like traumatic event. The market is very weird.

Speaker 2: 11:05

It's a frenzy and it's supply, demand and there's just not much supply and there's so much demand, so yeah, and uh, so let's talk a little bit about EXP, because we absolutely love EXP and being part of it.

Speaker 1: 11:18

What was it, what? Who got you to EXP? I guess is a great question. What? What is it that you like about EXP? Or drew you to eXp? I guess is a great question. What is it that you like about eXp? Or drew you to eXp initially?

Speaker 2: 11:26

So what drew me initially was I had to leave the team because of the split, so I went solo. So I was searching on YouTube like cold call scripts. Right, got the Tom Ferry ones which I used on the team. That's not my style. I'm not a very pushy person Like go for the clothes, well if. While sure, I'm not a very pushy person like go for the clothes, well if you could do this, like I just never like doing business I'm a conversationalist on the phones more, yeah and then I found kevin ward.

Speaker 2: 11:51

Um then I came across ricky ruth okay yeah, which was gold. Um, because I was like all right, well, this good old boy can make a million dollars a year selling condos in gulf shores, alabama, then there's no reason why I can't do this here.

Speaker 1: 12:05

Sure.

Speaker 2: 12:06

So I followed all of his free coaching. And then then COVID happened, which was crazy, scary. Our beaches were shut down for a whole month. We didn't know how long it was going to happen?

Speaker 3: 12:20

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 12:21

So anyways, ricky made the move to EX. He was like, hey, I'm going over to exp. You know, if you want to come over with me, let me know. And I was like I'm interested, yeah. And then I talked to him because he he had helped, he had been so instrumental on helping me establish my business. After I left the team and the way I was conversing with clients, the relationships that I was making, it felt good to do business like this because my clients trusted me and that's how I want to do business.

Speaker 1: 12:53

Yeah, and it's important, I think, to find like especially early on in real estate, someone like that, because there's a lot of different styles that work in real estate. But to find someone like that who kind of like you, kind of like their style, and could see yourself wanting to do that and then really latching on to whether they're a coach or a mentor or whatever. But success leads clues If they have a proven track record if they've walked the walk and they're talking the talk.

Speaker 2: 13:31

But you have to make sure that they have this success.

Speaker 1: 13:35

Yeah, that they do transactions.

Speaker 2: 13:39

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1: 13:40

Yeah, and or like for us, like we're involved in a lot of investment things in real estate and when we seek out people that are giving us advice, we want to make sure that, like they've done that before you know, lost is that they're not making sure vetting these people that they're following. I agree.

Speaker 2: 14:15

Anyone can go on YouTube and talk about things these days. That's the truth, yeah, um. I was just chasing after the shiny pennies and the just the shortcuts and, at the end of the day, that's not what is going to get you there. There is no shortcut.

Speaker 1: 14:30

Every, everyone is looking I don't want to say everyone, cause I'm not necessarily but people are looking for, like you said, the shortcut, the easy thing, and a lot of these lead systems and things that are out there in the real estate industry are pitching that. They're like this puts you on autopilot, and that doesn't exist. There is no substitute for the grind, hard work and doing monotonous things over and over and over and over and over again, consistently and disciplined. That's basically what real estate is all about.

Speaker 2: 15:00

And falling on your face. If you're not falling on your face all the time, you're not doing nothing.

Speaker 1: 15:06

Yeah, true.

Speaker 2: 15:08

Yeah, you've got to make sure that you know you're. If you're going on listing appointments and not getting the listings you know, that's okay, you'll get there, you'll get to the point where you wear it. But if you're not going on listing appointments, you can't even attend.

Speaker 3: 15:22

Yeah, yeah, you can't even attend.

Speaker 1: 15:23

Yeah, yeah, you can't even fail talking to property owners. How are you selling real estate? That's what I always ask myself.

Speaker 2: 15:29

I have no idea. Yeah, and and I see a lot of people with the social media they say, oh, like I do this on youtube and I do that on youtube, which and they, they are successful, right, but that takes so much work and so much production. And then you're at the mercy of someone calling you and who's an actual qualified buyer and like what we do with the investments, I mean that's a little tricky because at the end of the day, no one needs an investment property. So probably one of the worst YouTube videos I've ever made was how to buy a condo.

Speaker 1: 16:05

No, didn't go well.

Speaker 2: 16:07

I mean, I got calls, calls, calls, calls, calls, but at the end of the day I realized, okay, these people don't understand that. It takes 30% down and if you're financing, you're doing well, if you break even the first five years.

Speaker 1: 16:22

That's the truth is like it's become hard these days to have that conversation about how a condo is really a lifestyle property unless you're in it for the long haul and you never want to use it. That's the truth.

Speaker 2: 16:32

Yes, or you are just filthy rich and you need a tax write-off, right.

Speaker 1: 16:36

So that's what I was just going to say. Actually it's funny. You said that you said it's hard to sell because of need, which is very true. But if you can establish yourself at that niche person in an area that kind of deals with those things, the people who do need it are people who need a tax write-off. That's the truth, and they're looking for stuff every year.

Speaker 2: 16:55

I was not getting those leads, I was not getting those qualified investors from that YouTube show. Like I said, it was kind of like you know I could tell I explored the situation. They're nine to five fixed income. They don't have 30% situation. They're nine to five fixed income. They don't have 30% down. They're wanting to have a property that makes them income and I'm like well, if you want that, we don't need to go the condo route. This is not the best decision for you.

Speaker 3: 17:22

It's the people who are on vacation in the condos that are calling at that point yeah, yeah, we had two town leads for a while and that's what a lot of and that's what it was.

Speaker 1: 17:31

It was like oh no man, I was just. I was just sitting on the beach and saw this thing. Sorry, I clicked. Yeah, we're standing on boardwalk and it was very nice.

Speaker 3: 17:39

Yeah, I'd love to buy one, but I'm in no way qualified to actually do it or they want to go look at 50 condos like it's hgtv on their vacation and then they're like at the end they're like oh man, we were just looking, yeah this place

Speaker 2: 17:51

is too expensive for us, yeah yeah, exactly, or they don't want to trust you to use the lender that you know can write the condo.

Speaker 1: 17:57

Tell the vacation market is definitely like on face value to people who are in real estate looks super fun, but it's actually, I would say, for me one of the most difficult segments that I've had selling successfully. I've done lots of showings and leads and things in that arena and I've only closed some of them. I do much better with the investment things and single family homes. Vacation stuff is a tough market. It really is.

Speaker 2: 18:22

It is, and the best ones to call are the actual property owners that have already purchased that and they either want to upgrade or they want to get out, and you're just there to help them do what they want to do that makes sense.

Speaker 3: 18:34

What's the next?

Speaker 1: 18:35

step for you People who need that next step, either because they really want to get out of it or need to, or it just makes sense to move into something else and do like a 1031 or something like that Right and want to upgrade to something Take the equity, yes or something like that.

Speaker 1: 18:48

Right, and want to upgrade to something, take equity, yeah, that makes sense. Yeah, that makes total sense. So let's talk a little bit about just like entrepreneurship in general, because you kind of run as all of us at eXp do, we kind of run our own little businesses, right, what were like some of the things you weren't anticipating when you made that switch to eXp? And kind of like running your own business that, like you know, we're just like total blind sides to you.

Speaker 2: 19:09

Oh, wow. So I would say that it was the perfect fit for me, because I am an entrepreneur at heart. I want to have the branding like what you have here. I want to run it my own way. Yeah because, at the end of the day, my clients are going to be doing business with me.

Speaker 3: 19:25

True.

Speaker 2: 19:26

So I love the fact that I can make my own spin on and the freedom that it gives me. Actually, I was saying the other day that my MLS polices me harder than my broker. It's my broker Like. She's there when I need her. You know if I got a problem.

Speaker 3: 19:45

The world is amazing.

Speaker 2: 19:47

Oh well, the world's great.

Speaker 3: 19:48

I was in the world this morning once or twice a year, like once.

Speaker 2: 19:51

I got a problem. Oh, the world is amazing. Oh well, yeah, the world's great. I was in the world this morning. Once or twice a year, like once or twice a year. And it's only if something hit the fan and I'm like Miss Anne, what's up, I need you.

Speaker 1: 20:02

And then we'll go over the contract or whatever I need, but it's when you need them, like they're so available. I guess that's what I was kind of surprised about, even in the world, like for little things, because you know, and this isn't throwing shade at anyone but when we were part of brick and mortar brokerages, like you had to schedule with this person on like a calendar or something. It was like a real person schedule and they were also maybe even selling real estate and it was like it would be like weeks before I could like have a meeting or get a question answered for something simple, right, right. Like eXp, I just go into the world in five minutes. It's done at my desk. I can do it first thing in the morning, I can do it in the afternoon, I can do it when it works for me, and their job is to sit there dedicated and be available to me when I need them, and I love that.

Speaker 2: 20:40

I love that too and I love the collaboration right. So if I've got another eXp agent then I'm like I know that they're an expert in this or that. We will pick up the phone, call each other, be like, hey, what do you think I should do If it's not something that's a contract issue, right, if it's like an interpersonal kind of a-.

Speaker 3: 20:59

Situation yeah.

Speaker 2: 21:01

Like, hey, this is happening. Has this happened to you before? What do you think? So it's very collaborative um, which I love, and you can call agents. I agree in any market, right?

Speaker 3: 21:13

so I think that's maybe because of even like part of their equity distribution and some of the programs that they've made to incentivize competing agents right to to find a way to partner with if the company grows, we all do better yeah yeah, because the people who are really invested in the XP and in the company a lot of us take part of the equity program and so it makes sense for the company to grow and to grow the company with it.

Speaker 1: 21:38

And if you do that, if you bring people into the organization, sell real estate, they'll pay for it, which I think is pretty cool.

Speaker 2: 21:43

Exactly, and even if they're not, getting a cut of whatever, like nine times out of ten. Like I help agents all the time, yeah, like with just like random questions, they'll call me, like I've got agents in jacksonville and um all over, like hey, rachel, you know I've got this repair issue. I'm like don't put it in the addendums, the litter cannot see it. Keep this big do this or that yeah, yeah, and what?

Speaker 1: 22:06

what I? What I feel like they've done is they've said okay, really, really high producing agents are entrepreneurial in nature, yes, and what they need is xx and x. What they don't need is xx and x, and what giving that is worth is this, and they just capped it out. And I think that just makes sense. For if you're gonna stress over making your own branding, doing your own marketing, uh, it's not for you, you know doing all those things, then it's.

Speaker 1: 22:37

Then it might not be for you, but if you're doing those things already anyway, then you need to just sit down and do math. That's what I always tell people, because the math, just, it just doesn't make sense to give, it doesn't matter this much when you can give up this when you're going to do the same work anyway.

Speaker 1: 22:50

And that's really like. You know, I joined EXP by happenstance because we joined a team that was with EXP. So we wanted to learn from the team and the guys you know, nathan Abbott and TJ Martin Abbott Market Group they're still good friends of ours and they taught us a lot, but they were with EXP and they got us into EXP. And what I realized is that I went to an event. So I was like, okay, now we're with the EXP, I want to go figure out what this is all about. And I was talking to everyone and I was like it just they're right, like all these people who had tons of Keller Williams practices and all these things that came there, it's like they just were doing, they didn't change what they were doing.

Speaker 2: 23:33

They were doing thing and just keeping more of their own money and eXp created a model where that was allowable and I thought that was just super cool. I totally agree and I'm in the same situation. I did not come over to eXp for eXp. I had no idea what I was getting into and I'm like, oh, thank God I did this, because when I've gotten over 100,000 in pre-EXP stock for just doing my job, which is just selling real estate, I'm going to do that anyways, no matter where I go. I mean, but I didn't know the model, I didn't examine it.

Speaker 1: 23:59

Same, but that extra money they let us keep. That lets you build your business, which is smart for them and smart for you. And so it gives you that money where you're like at another brokerage, where your split is different, and you're like well, how could I start that, how could I afford that? That's what they're doing. They're allowing you to have that money to go. Do that.

Speaker 2: 24:21

Well, here I mean, here's the difference when you've got those old school models, the brick and mortar where you don't have cap and you don't have equity, that's basically like renting, yeah true. When you own, or when you have equity, that's like owning a home right, Because it's giving you value back, you're getting equity. So I just and to you know, eXp was the first right, the first ever model of this kind, and so we're seeing a lot of other knockoff brokerages.

Speaker 1: 24:50

Try to do kind of the same thing.

Speaker 2: 24:51

The same thing, but it's not proven. They're not publicly traded. Their financials don't look like us. So really, if this is a truly a numbers decision for you, I would say, stack it up Like who's publicly traded and-.

Speaker 1: 25:08

Well, and not only that. Yeah, because anyone, any private company, can hand out paper, right, but when something's publicly traded, the paper is actually has some sort of like almost guarantee. It can go up or down, but it has real value to it. Um, you can't really apply value to paper that a private company gives out. That's just.

Speaker 2: 25:24

That's just the truth you know what's crazy to me too, like at the times where I've gone to exp, con or even inman, and you know, you know how I am with faces terrible. Right, I was there with my friend and she was like, do you know who that is? And I'm like, no, who is that? Like it was, looks like somebody's dad, you know. Just like a regular guy, right, yeah, no, it was glenn stevenford at this. Billionaire, yeah, but but so down to earth and so approachable.

Speaker 1: 25:56

You can talk to him. Yeah, he's all of them. When I went to build last year in san antonio, um aj maida actually, uh invited me into like a thing he had in his room like a mastermind group thing and all of them were in there just like sitting down in chairs and you just walk up and talk to them.

Speaker 2: 26:11

I was like I've been part of corporations where I couldn't have done this, no, and the gems they drop, or to listen to like their issues they're working through, like it's totally game changing.

Speaker 3: 26:22

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 26:23

And then you are with these people that are so successful like more successful than anybody like in our market right. Yeah, 100%. You're swimming with sharks, but they see hustle and then they help you. Yeah, you know, you can call them and Lean on them.

Speaker 1: 26:40

Yes, it's crazy. The access to information and how freely people share it in eXp was also foreign to me. Yeah, the same, yeah, very foreign to me, but it's awesome because, like even now, like we still have a great relationship with TJ and Nathan and if we need something we can call them and they they even hooked us up with you know some of the resources that their team uses, because we're a small team and we wouldn't have access to those things, but because we were on their team and we had that relationship and we're still with the EXP, they gave us some of those things, which has really helped.

Speaker 2: 27:06

He wants you to grow, because if you grow, he grows. It was not like that at Keller Williams and I left that team. Well, no.

Speaker 1: 27:14

And that's the truth, is that's what EXP has figured out? Is it's really about agents growing agents, not brokers growing agents, right, and so that's what's happening is, agents are growing agents, and when competing with your broker, that's that's that's old agents.

Speaker 3: 27:30

And well, competing with your broker? That that's that's old. Yeah, that's that's outdated, at this point, at least in my opinion. Uh, I shouldn't have to compete with the guy who I'm giving 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 percent of my deal. Yeah, that person shouldn't be producing he's calling against.

Speaker 1: 27:41

He's calling the same people. Yeah, we should their way, whoever wins it.

Speaker 3: 27:44

He wins, he wins, yeah. Yeah, I mean, no matter what are they win it, that person wins it and it's just, uh, it's difficult.

Speaker 2: 27:51

Yeah, it just leaves a sour taste in my mouth personally, well, and that's because we're all entrepreneurs and, at the end of the day, we don't want to be capped. We don't want to be told you can only do this much.

Speaker 1: 28:02

Yeah yeah, and it's when you're, when you're willing to be 1099, you have to be a little bit crazy in your own sort of way and you have to find this kind of like grit within you to even make that jump. And then, once you've got that in you, to go do that. It's very hard to have someone telling you what to do. Not that we're not open to feedback and good with clients and we could be coaching and whatever, but you don't want someone controlling how you do that and um, so the eXp has kind of given us the freedom to, within the bounds, run our own business and run our business the way we want to, and get a lot of help from other people, and I love that. It's all at an arm's reach.

Speaker 3: 28:41

Yeah, in my opinion, I love that it's not in the same office with me every single day, because then if that is all in the same building, it almost can become a distraction. Yeah, yeah, I love that we have access to so many resources, but none of them are breathing down my neck or checking on me.

Speaker 1: 28:57

It's just like I have to go look for that right, but I know where to find it exactly and in the end, uh, you know, they've done a good job of basically basically saying build your brand right, like legally we are the brokerage and we have to be there, but have a brand. And, man, I've been at other places where that was definitely not encouraged. But you said it earlier, in the end they're doing business with me, right, that's who my clients are doing business with. So it's nice to be able to kind of, you know, put your name on something.

Speaker 2: 29:28

A hundred percent, and then the sky's the limit. There's not one time you can, you can't call, or you can only call these people.

Speaker 3: 29:38

Right this list.

Speaker 2: 29:39

Yeah, and that's just. I think if you really are an entrepreneur at heart, you know you're, you're're going to get, you're going to feel stilted.

Speaker 3: 29:48

Well, if you're a driven entrepreneur, if you're an entrepreneur that has to win to be able to pay for tuition to you know, yeah, there's a difference. That's, that's what I believe, and I believe there's a difference in that kind of realtor too. And I think, obviously, this chaos going on with NAR, we'll we'll shake that out a little bit, but the part-time business of real estate is tough.

Speaker 2: 30:12

Yeah, I don't know how you. It's a very expensive hobby.

Speaker 1: 30:16

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 30:17

I agree, All the money that we spend on everything Well not only that, but it's a great argument too.

Speaker 1: 30:23

Like you know, when I was kind of dabbling before I really fully committed myself to doing real estate, it was hard to be successful. And when I really committed to doing it, as scary as it was because I was letting go of other things that's when it became a lot easier to be successful, as long as you were doing the things you were supposed to do. But you can't be trying to do something else and give 100% to real estate. That business just won't give you the feedback you want if you can't give 100% to it.

Speaker 2: 30:52

Yeah, so where do you guys see? I mean, what's your five-year goal?

Speaker 1: 30:57

Yeah, I would say really. You know we really love the development side of the business New builds. You know we're building four spec homes right now. We have one house that we're renovating. We've sold two already this year. Four spec homes right now we have one house that we're renovating. We've sold two already this year and we really want to scale that. Andrew's dad is a general contractor. He works in our office here.

Speaker 2: 31:14

Oh, I know who to call the next hurricane we have.

Speaker 1: 31:18

Right, yeah, and we love. I'm a lifetime salesperson so I love sales, but really what drives me is helping other people and managing other people and showing them how they can be really successful in sales. That's kind of what I got paid to do in corporate because I was a sales manager both places I worked, and so my goal would really to be bring people in so I can show other people how to go do that, so we can focus more of our time on building that development business, and that business, I believe, will feed opportunity for those people too, because it'll give them new inventory to sell.

Speaker 3: 31:52

Exclusive inventory before.

Speaker 1: 31:54

Rehab houses to sit at. We're even open to working like we've talked to our capital investor and he's open to with those people on our team if they kind of prove themselves funding some things that they want to do too, just like he does for us. So it's a really unique opportunity. I think if, like, someone's interested in getting into those types of things and also wants to get better at selling and be fully committed, like that's kind of what we're looking to do is build a core team. I'm not I'm not going to say I never want to aspire because I don't want to limit myself but I don't see like 30 agents, right, I'm talking about like a core of, like you know, five or six like sharks that can come along and build those things with us.

Speaker 2: 32:31

And those people I think are very hard to find. I agree they're out there, but that you know. And what a good opportunity for someone who is wanting to get into the business and learn from people who are actually doing.

Speaker 1: 32:42

Yeah. You know, so that's kind of what we, that's kind of like our aspiration. I mean, what about you? I'd be curious to hear, like you know, what kind of things are on the horizon for you.

Speaker 2: 32:52

So I would say definitely not. A team is not the direction that I feel I'm going in. I guess my passion for sure is inspiring other female entrepreneurs, because it's definitely a different game. Sometimes is sometimes I, I agree so I, I, I want to inspire other women, but even any entrepreneur like if you want it, go get it yeah like you've.

Speaker 2: 33:22

you've got to go do it, um, but I would say that there's eventually going to be an exit strategy. I don't want to be working this hard when I'm 60 years old. Sure, so definitely have the investments, and then I really love the opportunities I've gotten to be on camera.

Speaker 1: 33:42

I was going to ask you've been on HGTV, haven't you?

Speaker 2: 33:44

I have not, not yet.

Speaker 1: 33:45

Okay.

Speaker 2: 33:46

But that's definitely on my list. I've done other TV shows that will hopefully be syndicated on other networks, but that's definitely a dream of mine. But I really want to show like the true aspect of it. Yeah, but who knows if anybody actually would want to watch.

Speaker 1: 34:04

that I mean. I agree with you, though, because even when we watch, like flipping shows oh my God, Like, and they never, never. They're never talking about anything like you know, like taxes or permit fees.

Speaker 2: 34:14

What tile are we going to pick out?

Speaker 1: 34:17

And they like over finish it. But then the cost. I'm like there's no way they bought that for that and it just drives me crazy. But then they make two hundred and eighty thousand dollars and sell it. But then I'm like if they followed around what's really happening, it'd probably be pretty boring, Right.

Speaker 2: 34:32

We'd be like oh, here's Andrew scrubbing the toilet, here's Kurt's toilet.

Speaker 3: 34:37

It would be boring and it would be scary. Yeah, people would not want it. It would not motivate them. It wouldn't motivate me to want to turn on HGTV and be like man man that looks like yeah, it's fun, it's enjoyable, it's profitable here's kurt's dressing in his bed at 3 am on his finances yeah, actually I know it's very well in a second.

Speaker 3: 34:57

He lock out on the same property so we can finish the project. Yeah, that's the but. Um, yeah, that's true, that's just so in my opinion. That's that's. That's social media yeah, true, and that's kind of where we became interested in starting this podcast and kind of having the nitty gritty conversation of how did you what's actually going on?

Speaker 2: 35:17

Yeah, and I think that's a great way to attract people of like mind.

Speaker 3: 35:21

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 35:21

Whenever you get your message out there and you connect with those people, that's magic.

Speaker 3: 35:28

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 35:29

Because I've definitely been able to connect with people all over the world that are like oh hey, I see you do this, or we're friends, we've connected, we've been friends for years, so I think that there's a huge opportunity there.

Speaker 1: 35:45

Yeah, I love meeting new people, which is part of what real estate is essentially it's all relationships, however you break it down.

Speaker 2: 35:50

however, love meeting new people, which is part of what real estate is essentially so, it's all relationships, yeah.

Speaker 1: 35:51

However you break it down, however you get your leads, you've got to have a whole relationship, yeah, so here's kind of like the last question we like to ask people, which is whether it be personal or professional. Uh, you know what? What is that one piece of advice for, like entrepreneurs, or maybe someone who's considering becoming an entrepreneur, that you would want to leave with people like a legacy piece of advice that you would have to give right now?

Speaker 2: 36:18

Okay. So if I could go back in time and tell that girl that graduated college in 2009, during a market crash and a real estate crash, I would just say if you know, you're that one like. If you know, if you inside like you know you're that one, don't be scared, go get it. You're going to fall on your face. There's going to be a lot of obstacles, but don't wait. But you have to know deep down you will do whatever it takes to get to that level that you want. But that's my biggest piece of advice If you know you're that one, go get it.

Speaker 1: 36:56

Don't wait. I wish I started earlier too. I'm thankful for my corporate experience, but I think back and I'm like where would I be if, instead of going that route, I just did what I knew I always wanted to end up, which was entrepreneurship? Where would I be?

Speaker 2: 37:10

It's kind of a sickness right.

Speaker 1: 37:12

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 37:13

Yeah, and if you have it, you know, just might as well like own it, I agree, but it's, it's definitely a, it's a whole mentality, it's a lifestyle. It's. You know, there's no days off, there's no sick day. It's not for the faint of heart. No, like you're, you gotta be in it to win it. Yeah, and if you're not, then maybe go get that nine to five.

Speaker 1: 37:34

I agree. Yeah Well, listen, we really appreciate you taking the time to come on. I know we're all like busy people.

Speaker 2: 37:41

Thank you for having me. I'm so excited for this, and it was. It gets me in your office which is amazing for the first time, so thank you so much.

Speaker 1: 37:51

Yeah, we appreciate it. Thanks so much, guys, for tuning in and be sure to check us out for episode 16.