Close My Eyes: Me 5 Years Ago
at a time, was always on call, and couldn’t be more than an hour away from home when he wasn’t on.
With 2.5 years of real estate experience, I had recently closed my largest deal, which came with a $20,000 commission, and I had just started my brokerage, Jo & Co. I had no clue what I was doing. All I knew was that I had found myself in an industry where I didn’t feel I fit in, and the solutions were quitting or creating Jo & Co.
So, how did I get from where I was to where I am?
I didn’t give up. — Moments after picking up my $20,000 check, I was sitting in my Jeep, parked in front of my broker’s $3M home, and I was bawling. We had just finished a conversation that didn’t sit right with me, and I was too distraught to drive, so I called my husband. I told my husband, “I just want someone to care about me,” and he told me I was in the wrong industry. Mentally, I told myself, “F that. I refuse to accept that.” Then, I made another phone call. A friend I met some years ago, her mother, was in real estate. She told me that I could own the brokerage and not be the broker. So that is precisely what I did. Once I gained enough “experience”, I sat for my broker exam and passed it. So, today, as I type this, I own my brokerage, and I am my broker of record.
I found my easy button. — Life is hard. Anyone who believes otherwise hasn’t really lived. So I try to avoid hard in the areas where I have the most control, my business. Finding your easy button for lead generation is the key to work-life balance. My first easy button was through organic Yelp.com leads. My final year leaning into these was 2019. That year, I made $300,000, with 80% coming directly from Yelp organically. In 2020, I started leaning into YouTube. I made about $500,000 that year, with 80% coming directly from YouTube organically. The following year, I generated $800,000 GCI, and in 2022, I generated $900,000 GCI. Along the way, I created an omnipresence in my content marketing. Today, I am getting about 40% of my leads from YouTube and 40% organically through my blog posts (aka my website). So, my easy button is online content found through search engines.
I created systems for my business. — Systems come in all shapes and sizes. SOPs (standard operating procedures), automation, a proven content strategy, and hiring a virtual assistant were the four things I did that impacted my business the most.
I stopped wasting money. — A couple of years ago, I lost sight of what I wanted. I was building a dream, another dreamt, and I was on a path to getting something I didn’t want while becoming someone I didn’t recognize. Once I woke up, I realized that 2–3 activities generated 99% of my income, and I focused my efforts and dollars on those.
I remembered something my dad taught me years ago, “your four walls”. — Your four walls is my favorite concept for prioritizing (or remembering) what is most important in your life. Once you know your four walls, you can make every decision in coincidence with your four walls. So what is your four walls? Your four walls is anyone that lives within your home. They should be your top priority, and you should make all your life’s decisions with them in mind.
I never stopped seeking growth. — This looks different for everyone, but I realized yesterday that I didn’t know in my 20s that I was supposed to be doing this. Growth can happen in many ways: naturally through life experiences, learning through stories from others, and, my favorite way, through books. In The 7 books that will change your life., I share my favorite books and authors.
We all have a story. This one was mine. What’s yours? With love, Jo.
P.S. Looking to learn how to build a real estate business that compliments not complicated your life? Click here: http://www.os.joandcoaching.com/cs.
What’s next? Are you seeking both personal and professional growth without sacrificing? We are looking to work with those who are building a business while seeking a balance between family and work, and they don’t want to do it alone. We provide coaching, build-outs, training, step-by-step guides, mentorship, and one-on-one consultations.
Empowering you to build a successful business that complements, not complicates, your family life, offering you the tools and support to make it happen,
With love,
Jo
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