GRIT: The Real Estate Growth Mindset

In today’s world, there’s a lot of pressure for entrepreneurs to succeed. And when they don’t meet their own high standards and goals, they end up feeling like failures. But what if we all start celebrating our failures instead? What if we start seeing them as learning opportunities and stepping stones to even greater success? Failures are a necessary part of the journey. And if we can view them i...

In this week’s GRIT Podcast, Colton Lindsay, the CEO of WGR, joins Brian Charlesworth to discuss the current real estate industry and practices. Colton goes over the different economic seasons and explains the challenges faced during those times, specifically by real estate agents.  He also provides his insights regarding the stability of the real estate market. According to him, we can experience...

Growing up, children are told that for people to like them or to get what they want, they have to be nice. That’s why when someone goes into the sales profession or becomes a real estate agent, they think that in order to close the deals, they would need to be the nicest, most-liked person the client has ever dealt with. Yet oftentimes, nice people tend to be more focused on gaining the approval o...

The average rate on a mortgage has recently gone up to 6%, the highest it has been since the recession in 2008. And most experts are saying that the housing market is experiencing a downturn right now.  If you’re running a real estate business, it’s crucial now, more than ever, to have your business operations in check, implement automation wherever possible, and make sure that you’re making wise...

According to Google, the most searched job in the US today is a real estate agent. Becoming your own boss and earning substantially through commissions are just some of the things that make real estate an attractive profession to many people. Yet, if a career in real estate is that good, then why do almost 90% of agents end up leaving the industry after being in it for just 5 years or less? Findin...

Economic recessions are part of the business cycle.  And as depressing as that may sound, recessions have an effect that the economy can benefit from.  Just like how clearing the forest gives way for new growth. That is why finding your grit is extremely crucial especially during a crisis such as market crashes or downturns. Because it allows us to confront challenges, pivot as needed, and keep mo...

Convenience is everything in today’s real estate market.  That’s why more and more brokerages and team owners today are moving into mortgage, title, home insurance, property management, etc. Not only does it make transactions a lot easier for consumers, but it also allows the team to have control over the entire customer experience, from pre-sale to closing and even beyond. Another benefit of adop...

Every business has a unique culture. Some have a traditional culture that relies on hierarchy, while a common purpose drives others.  Whatever culture your workplace has is critical to your business’ success. If you have a culture-based business, you need to protect your culture and keep it positive no matter what. Even if that means letting go of people and nipping the “cancer” in the bud before...

We make decisions every day. And in some difficult situations, there are those who avoid making decisions altogether.  Oftentimes, it’s because they worry too much about the outcome or that their choices might lead to failure. Indecision is a decision in itself.  And it is actually worse than making the wrong decision because it robs you of the opportunity and the chance to learn from your mistake...

Although Vija Williams was doing well financially running her own real estate team, she realized that she was miserable.  She felt she had to do 17 different things to run a good team, but she wasn’t good at any of them.  And her profit margin wasn’t high enough to support the number of staff she needed.  So at 48 years old, despite having doubts about whether people would still hire her because o...

For most business owners, success means financial gain.  And the more time and effort they put into their businesses, the more money they make. Yet, success in this business means getting more life back for some.  If your business requires you to have an active role in its day-to-day transactions, it becomes your job. Business owners should aim to build a business that they can one step away from...

There are two ways to build a business in real estate. One, you can build a practice which you can grow, but then it dies when you decide to leave. Or, you can build a business which you can also grow and integrate processes and systems in it so that it will continue to thrive even after you’re gone from it. If you want to build a business, you need to decide which way you want to go and how you w...

What is the single most important factor to a real estate business’ growth?  Is it having the best leads? Or having the best sales managers on the planet? How about having the most amazing systems and tech?  While having all these would be great, none of them would matter if you don’t have people.  That is why focusing on human resource, human development, and human attraction is crucial for scali...

Most people who come into real estate think it’s going to be fun.  They’ll have the freedom to earn as much as they want and have control over their schedules. Yet, soon enough they realize that to be successful in real estate, you have to work all the time. When Spring Bengtzen began to grow her business, she felt she had to be everything to everyone until eventually, she felt exhausted.  She the...

Most real estate professionals have a sales background, which is critical especially in a highly competitive industry. While some have a knack for finding solutions to problems and implementing systems, which is essential in increasing a real estate business’ bottom line. In Ty Voyles’ case, he had both.  Though his journey was not as straightforward as most, he was able to combine his sales skill...

Selling real estate is like an extremely strong contact sport. You need to go out there, talk to people, establish rapport, and build relationships with your contacts.   And the more contacts you make, the better chance you have for a successful business. For Gaurav Gambhir, making it in real estate proved to be more challenging. He was an immigrant who didn’t know many people at that time and Eng...

Being an entrepreneur is a rewarding experience, but it also comes with many challenges. From marketing strategies, hiring the right people for the job, to finding systems and technologies to support the business’ growth, entrepreneurs today have to be resourceful to tackle these problems. Yet some were able to overcome these challenges before and are willing to share their experience so others ca...

Some people go into real estate as sales people, while others are in it to build a business.  And for those who choose the latter, most of them would agree that starting their own business is not for the faint of heart. Yet, for those who have what it takes, building a real estate business is a very lucrative endeavor.  Most especially for those who are able to scale at a massive rate in a short s...

Everyone has their own journey.  From the outside, we can look at someone else’s journey and wonder why theirs seems easier compared to yours.  Why is it that some people are more inclined to be successful, while others are doomed to fail?  Yet, the most successful people are usually the ones who have the biggest challenges and go through multiple failures before they came to where they are now. A...

Louie Hamner grew up in Indiana in a farming community with 12 other siblings.  Growing up poor, he came to a point in his life where he decided that it was not a life he wanted to live.  So in the summer of the 6th grade, he started earning money for himself by catching fireflies for a penny. He was able to pay for his school books and bought things for himself with the money he earned. At his yo...

Brett Jennings got into real estate right after the market crashed in 2008.  At that time, he saw an opportunity doing short sales and foreclosures, which gave him the experience necessary to understand the value of leverage and importance of building a team. Yet, Brett knew that he couldn’t do short sales and foreclosures forever.  So even before the market turned a couple of years later, he was...

Brandon Hedges got into real estate by accident.  He was in between a job and starting law school when a close friend convinced him to try selling real estate. He agreed thinking that he could pay his way through law school and make a little money while doing it.    Three and a half years later, he graduated from law school, worked in a law firm for a while and realized it was a lot more fun worki...

Tyler Smith was 19 when he went into real estate. After selling his first home, he was amazed at how much money there was to make. After eight months, he had sold 15 homes and was already making more money than his friends who had attended college. That’s when he decided to go all-in, double down on his referrals and build his own business. Being ultra-competitive, Tyler always felt the need to be...

When Ryan Flint got into real estate, he realized he wanted to deal with CEO’s and corporations rather than sell homes.  That’s when he decided to go into commercial real estate.  He then learned pretty quickly that the commercial real estate brokerage community is pretty competitive.  And to survive, you’d have to “eat what you kill”. He also noticed that this industry lacked a good customer serv...

In 2011, Josh Cunningham was working as a recruiter for a small boutique brokerage.  He attended a Mike Ferry training event when he met Frank Klesitz, CEO of Vyral Marketing. Frank’s story of success inspired him so much that a few months later, he reached out to Frank to ask how he can work for him.  This was when he decided to take a leap of faith and jump into the entrepreneurial world.  A cou...