A lot of times people say, I'm brand new to this market, How am I going to start, I don't know anyone here and we hear that quite a bit on the show. Our guest today can be a huge inspiration to you all because he was from a different country. In 2008, he came to the States over from Scotland, and he started from scratch, like how I moved to San Diego and I just got my license. Again, I say this on the show, because I'm gonna start recruiting all you guys. When I got to San Diego, I told myself, I'm not gonna sell real estate I was burnt out. Five years later, here I am, I got my license back. I'm not going to get into the sell, sell, sell, sell, but I am going to build other people's brands and create content for him and all the above. And no matter what you do with this business, you'll never escape it once you get into it. But there's so many different facets of it and I found his story really interesting, because a lot of people will say, Oh, real estate is not for me, but this guy comes over from another country goes into Denver, and he starts just selling houses, and he does very well. Listen up because I think you guys are gonna get a lot out of this episode!

Three Things You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How to get started in a new market
• Networking in an area where you know no one
• Pros and cons of working in real estate

Resources

Learn more about Euan Graham

Real Estate Marketing Dude

The Listing Advocate (Earn more listings!)

REMD on YouTube

REMD on Instagram

Transcript:

So how do you attract new business? You constantly don't have to chase. Hi, I'm Mike Cuevas a real estate marketing dude. And this podcast is all about building a strong personal brand people have come to know, like trust most importantly, refer. But remember, it is not their job to remember what you do for a living. It's your job to remind them. Let's get started What's up ladies and gentlemen, welcome another episode of the real estate marketing dude, podcast. Look at this, folks, two weeks in a row. If you listened last week, I had an episode where I called myself out for not being consistent on our podcast schedule. And it's something I teach and preach. And then even you know, me, the guy who talks about this all time, I've messed up, and I said, I was gonna let it happen again. And I promise you that. So I started loading up on shows. And what I'm doing is I'm, I reached out to a bunch of groups out men, I'm like, Hey, let me get some shows. Because I know a lot of the groups I'm in we have a lot of friends in the business and industry. We're just killers all over the country. We have a lot of masterminds with you on the back end. And what we wanted to do today was bring one of them on, and he's got a really cool story. You know, a lot of times people say, I'm brand new to this market, I How am I going to start I don't know anyone here and we hear that quite a bit on the show, we get people that write in and whatnot. But this guy was from a different country. Okay, in 2008, he came to the States over from Scotland, and he started from scratch, like, you know, what, I moved to San Diego. And I just got my license. Again, I say this on the show, because I'm gonna start recruiting all you guys. But when I got to San Diego, I told myself, I'm not gonna sell real estate I was burnt out. But five years later, here I am, I got my license back. And I'm not going to get into the sell, sell, sell, sell. But I am going to build other people's brands and create content for him and all the above. And no matter what you do with this business, you'll never escape it once you get into it. But there's so many different facets of it. And I found his story really interesting, because a lot of people will say, Oh, real estate is not for me, but this guy comes over from another country goes into Denver, and he starts just selling houses, and he does very well. And I think you guys are gonna get a lot out of it. So I've known you for a while. How long? I don't know how many years, maybe five, seven years. And I haven't seen in a couple years since COVID and whatnot. So but we're gonna do a show back then I believe. So why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself to the audience here. And let's get right on into this because I think all you guys are going to get a lot of good learning lessons of how to start from scratch. So if you're struggling today, if you're just stuck, you don't know something's not working. You don't like interest rates your buyers are stopping to buy because their payment is no longer affordable, or vice versa. Look, we all start from somewhere so this is going to kick you in the ass. So without further ado, let's go ahead and introduce Denver realtor Yun Graham. What's up, dude?

Hey, Mike. Great to be on the show. COVID has been kind to you, you're looking great. I've had as I said, I've not been I've not seen you for a couple of years. So I've seen a lot of weight, like nine parent, I've not seen you in person. But obviously I've seen we've seen each other online and stuff like that. So yeah, it's great to be on with you. I think, you know, I love to do this. I love to kind of maybe share my perspective on things my perspective not just on, on real estate, but the opportunities that we have and that we're blessed with in this country. So I think that's really part of my story as well. You know, swam over from Scotland 1415 years ago. But I got here, you know, these American girls, Mike, they're too hard to turn down. So

look, especially with an accent like that. A bunch of a bunch of women coming into the call

Union on YouTube video. Well, it's interesting if you if you put close captioning on when I've been talking, it can come up with some pretty interesting phrases and words that follow me but yes, so moved over in 2008. My wife's a Colorado girl. So we met actually Mike in San Diego, in 2004. She was out there. So we met in 2004. married a year later spent a couple years in Scotland where I think we're laughing that we were both drug dealers before we got into real estate. I was selling pharmaceuticals. Yeah, then moved over. You know, with my eyes wide open, but no, in the worst financial market we've seen in you know, 80 years. So to be honest with you, Mike, I didn't know what I was going to do. I wanted to get back into maybe selling pharmaceuticals or doing medical devices but you know, in 2008 Nobody was hiring everybody was laying off. I So I came over with this, you know, charming accent and I would just get a job. And it just, it didn't work like that. So I really had to pivot. I

did you have any real estate experience when you came over?

Absolutely. Well, actually, we own a little property back home in Scotland. So we have a little slot that we still have to this day in my hometown. That was the only kind of experience I had. I know I liked it and kind of like, always had a mystique around it in terms of what it might, you know, what am I end up with? But no, absolutely no real estate? So first job in the United States, I was selling Yellow Pages. And, you know, I think what that told me, Mike, is, Yellow Pages is definitely not the future. I was trying to tell small business owners it was, but I'll tell you, I went and knocked doors for close to 18 months, small businesses in Denver and down in Colorado Springs, we went down there. And I and I looked back on that time in my life. And I was like, Why the hell was I doing it, because I don't know about you, Mike. But I'm a firm believer that every everything happens for a reason you're doing something, there's a reason behind it, you might not know then, but you'll figure that out. And when it taught me really was how to build relationships make. Because what I would do is obviously, build the relationship with a small business owner and do a great job for them and provide value. And then they would, in turn, tell their friend who was another small business owner about me. And I can always remember him, he would come in on a Friday afternoon, and we'd have to cold call for four hours straight. And we would pick up pick up a yellow book and call through that. And I didn't do it, I refuse to do it. Because that was not my intent. I was not a cold call guy. I was at relationship guy and I was always the one that had the most appointments for the next week was closing the most amount of business. So there was something behind that. And I was part of a little networking group that had a realtor in it. And he said, You know, I think I think you're looking for something else. I think you use theirs and I said look, I am in America I'm in the Wonder opportunity. I'm all ears What are you thinking? He says you should get in real estate. I think you'd be really good at it. You know, you can you can you know the world is your oyster in real estate you really are you know, it's like that you're your own boss you've got the fleet you know, it's a throughout the comments of it's flexible. It's like yeah, right. Bullshit flexibility in your first two three years there's absolutely none. So yeah, I in 2010 I got quit quit the Yellow Pages studied at home for two weeks, because I didn't have the money back then to attend the courses. I just bought the books the the real estate books, studied when in a class for a week summer test, got a license and just came out the gate and realize that Mike, I think, you know, back then I had no experience I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't have a mentor but I knew that I would learn over time but I could outwork anybody like work was not the work ethic part was not polling to me so if you if you had the experience but didn't have the work ethic, I was going to beat you on work you know work ethic so the first full full year in real estate and you know what it was like back then and Mike it was a it's insane to think about that. Basically nine out of every 10 homes are in short sale or foreclosure back then that's what I cut my teeth on. I was selling condos in Denver for 12 $15,000 I was making a couple 100 bucks which was a fortune to me on a commission check and you know that first year I just hit No no days off at nine years weakness so 36 homes in my first year and I did not have any kind of idea of if that was good or not because I thought it's really good. If I sell 36 homes in my first year with no experience the average realtor must be selling 100 homes he know that make that's what that's what I believe because I didn't I know

what do you notice searches today? Or even that it's never changed? Like five to 766 homes the average size a realtor sells and I don't know how you can make a living off of that.

No and I you know I I sold her a lot of homes, but they were you know, I think my average price back when I started was around $80,000. So that's kind of what my average price point was. But I just didn't look back because I loved that I loved I didn't Thanks, I was working Mike, I think I found something. And we talked about this just offline about, the longer you get into the business, it becomes, you know, it does become a little bit of a grind but the that that first year, I was just on cloud nine, because I, you know, I was making some money, not a lot of money, but I was providing for my family and I found something that I found. It just came naturally to me. And the other big thing that I really want to reiterate to the listeners, if you're if you're, if you're born in this country, if you're born in the United States of America, you won the lotto, you won you got you got the Charlie Wonka golden ticket, because there is nowhere else. And I've said this so many times, there is nowhere else in the world with so much opportunity. And gobble I came, I came here as an immigrant with with nothing like, I didn't have some trust funds with my parents like I, you know, my parents went through a divorce right before we moved over. And I just wake up every day. No, you know, sometimes a little bit different Susie, artistically, but I know that I'm a kid in a candy store, we can up in America, because the opportunity is off the charts. And I'm living proof of that I did, I had no connection to anybody in Denver. Anybody in the metro area, my wife is from a small small town in Colorado, 100, people she didn't know grew up in the city. So I had to create these relationships and create the business on my own. And I'm living proof that it may sound corny, but the American dream is, is alive. And well. And I'm telling you that right now, if we just focus on what is good out there, good things happen. And I just like I grew up in Scotland, it's not like some third world country, you know that I have a lot of friends that have come from, to the United States. But the opportunity is nowhere near anything like we have here. So it was just like, it was fascinating to me that I really put the work in, I learned, you know how to do things my own way, because nobody was nobody, I had nobody to show me I just had to figure it out. But that was a good thing for me. Because I figured out my you know, my flow for things my that the way I handled things. And you know, I, I sold the most homes ever in a first year in Denver and just continue to build my business from there.

Let me unpack a couple of things that you said. First off, thank you for recognizing that I don't know what the hell's wrong with so many people today where they talk shit about our country, but our country is the biggest opportunity that exists and it's, it's a breath of fresh air to hear someone appreciate that. So thank you for that. Thank you for all those who have served and everybody else who fights for it every single day. But listen, you have the exact same story as me as myself. So this has some similarities here. I didn't come from Scotland, but I did come from Carbondale at Carbondale, Illinois, which is probably the armpit of America when it comes to colleges. And I remember one day, I was doing a kickstand, and I was 22 years old getting blacked out. And then the next day, a week later, literally, I was walking down Michigan Avenue and my first suit being like what the fuck happens now. And I was 22 years old at that time, and I started at a company called I think was called it was called home touch. And home touch was a buyer agency only. And if you guys are familiar with Chicago, you see it on the news water tower mall used to have a kiosk in the very bottom level of the mall, which is a tourist trap or tourists Central. And in the kiosk, we'd have a bunch of just different listings and properties there. And we would just stand at this kiosk and just strike conversations with people because people would stop by to say, Hey, what's going on with that listing? Right? Or, Oh, how much does this thing go and then you just start a relationship. The very first house I sold was to an attorney, I had nothing in common with like this guy and me. I still stay friends with him over the years. Like we're totally opposite of the political side, everything. We have nothing in common. He's an attorney. I'm a dude. But I always knew the power of relationships. Because when I was in college, I was like, the guy who had all the parties. I had all the bar bartenders, I always knew how to grease people to get in. Like I had everything I was a shit in college. Then I got to the real world. And I'm like, damn, I started over I was nobody. The one thing and the one thing I learned is that everyone always has a common ground and in business, regardless of what the common ground is. If you can find it early enough in a conversation, you'll earn the chance to have that conversation. All right. So this dude was in a fraternity and I just got out of one. And that's how I struck it. We bonded talking about frat hazing, frat parties and all this crap. We ended up selling them a $420,000 condo for sale ever did came right off the floor of water tower Mall. That gentleman I continued to nurture the relationship with him over time. I've even till the time I left Chicago, 17 years, 18 years I, I known this guy, I can't tell you how many people he's referred me to over the course of time, he's had me over his house for dinner, all of that different stuff. This entire business is based upon relationships. You guys, it's not based upon lead generation, it's not based upon that auto responder you don't know how to use. It's not based upon the AI technology that the Guru's are pumping down your damn throats right now that you're never going to learn how to use what it is going to be based off. And what it always has, since the dinosaurs ruled the earth has been based upon relationships because 88% of people close with the first agent they meet with. And if you do all the stats, you can look up and see where people choose their agents from it's not any of the places I mentioned, it comes from people they know you personally met, or that you're referred to. And that's where over 80% of business comes from each and every year. So to have a guy, how old were you when you came over? I mean, I still have a 29 year old dude, come over to the States probably has stars in his eyes, like holy shit, this is great. Probably like a kid in a candy store, like you said, and you just didn't know anybody, but you focus on building relationships. And, folks, that's what the business is. If you're sitting here, trying to think that you're in sales.

You're in the wrong damn business. In my opinion, I don't believe we saw I don't think you can sell anyone anything without first having a relationship. So there's a good book that demonstrates this. It was called cocktails, the name of it. It was written by the dude that sold the most used cars in one year. And his name is Joe Girardi I believe. I'm blanking on what the name of the book is. But the whole point of this book was this guy sold like 346 Used Cars in one year. Okay, this wasn't a condo building where you get 346 listings with one developer, he did individual likes. So it's not like he had a bulk sale, he did individual car sales one at a time. And how he did it was he came up with this thing he calls Gerards rule of 250. And he goes, every single person knows 250 people that they can refer you to every person does. So he goes when I this is like the Centerstone of our philosophy today's like he goes when I sold someone a car, I didn't spike the football. When I sold him the car, I spiked the football and I got the third or fourth or fifth referral from them. Because once he sold him the car, he instantly went, Hey, if this person can refer me their friends and family, this is a used car salesman guys. Okay, we're talking about selling real estate, the biggest investment ever, this guy's did the same concept with used cars is this guy, if I could get into there, people have 250 people, and then they could introduce me into the 250 people. And that's how this guy rolled. He just kept leveraging relationship off relationship, a relationship or relationship? Because you know, how many times do you get turned down on a referral when you go to a listing presentation? Never? How many times you get turned down? When you go up? And you get a cold call, like, Hey, I've got this lead, I'm gonna go over, you know who the hell it is? They're interviewing five other agents? Well,

it's just it's a different, it's a completely different proposition. And it's, it's a different process as well. And it never seems to go as well. Even if you get the listing, which you don't always get obviously. And because it's a it's a completely different set of parameters you're working to. So yeah, like, you hit the nail on the head, it's, I'll tell you what, there was a period for about six months in 2017, where a lender and I partner together because a lender was like, we need to, you know, we need we could grow exponentially, and we wanted to do, we bought leads, and had a team like five agents that were cold calling and calling and calling and calling and calling and I was miserable. It was just so authentic to who I am as a person. And like, we got rid of it. And I sat the team down, I said, I'm gonna teach you how to grow, how to grow by repeat and referral business. And I'm going to teach you how to develop relationships. And we teach how to be authentic, and we teach you ultimately how to provide more value than you're ever going to receive and payment. And, you know, talking about books, the, the the one, the one book that changed my life was the Go Giver. And that just taught me all about it's, it's about providing value before you ever ask for anything in return ever. And you've got to provide way more value than you expect in return. So that was just something that, you know, I was given in my first year in real estate as well. And it just hit home to me it just was like, it was just like, it was like I was looking in the mirror reading this book. And I think the big thing Yeah, you look not everybody has, you know, an outgoing personality. There are introverts out there that succeed in real estate but they maybe do it differently but for me, my personality is is extroverted. So it's very much you know, high energy, high Passion, people see that I can care because of where my heart lies. Leave it I'm very transparent. So that's just the stick who I am. And that's how I mesh well with and that's where we would get really good results. So let's go back

to the let's get out of real estate for a second, let's go back to the phone sales. Like you knew this, this is not a real estate thing you guys this is any business, any referral business, anything that you're self employed or and then you're in charge of and you're the brand or you're in charge of going out there and getting direct sales like referrals is where it's always at. How did you like us? So you when you would go on your phone sales, the same thing as what I'm talking about with the used car salesman? You would focus not necessarily on the sale, but on the relationship?

Well, yeah, I so like, how do you

probably have, you probably have a system in your head that you're like, Alright, here's how I build relationships where you like, Alright, first thing I do is I make them laugh. Second thing I do is I do this, like you probably have something that you It's you guys, it's like dating,

it's, it's more about finding common ground. Because we would go in our office with these little cubicles, and we'd sit in, and I would hear the guys that had been doing it forever, like 30 years selling Yellow Page ads, right. And they were, they were polished and I put it near quotations and I would hear them on the phone talking to prospects. I'm like, What the fuck? Like, honestly, this biggest chill cheeseball bullshit I've ever heard. And like, how can you it's like, so scripted. Yeah. And it was just like, so sleazy. And unlike, I just, it just wasn't me. And the thing is, it was all about just being authentic to who I am. Like, you get what you see with me. And yeah, I'm there, I'm always thinking about how I can help people. And that was the big thing for me as my my internal cues were when I was listening to people, it was always I was looking for something, I was listening to an opportunity where I could make an impact in their life, make their life better by introducing them to somebody or something that was going to help them in their journey. And these are the conversations that I love to have. Because I want to surround myself with people that want to achieve the ones that are high achievers that want to make a difference in the world. And I like as this like young kid from Scotland coming over and having these clients when I was selling these 2030 $40,000 condos, I was always looking, I was always, you know, sending a little handwritten note every time I met somebody and just build and build and build in. And that that was that was something within me. And when I when I hear kids nowadays get into real estate, and they're, you know, the Instagram kids that are grown up in real estate know that want the private jet and the Ferrari before they've even sold a home. Yes. And you know, I get the I get a lot of people calling me and asking to meet me just to they're going to get in real estate. And you know, I won't help people, but I'm selective. And I tell them, I say the word of advice, the advice I give to you is, for the next three years, you're going to work seven days a week, you're going to work 80 to 90 hour, hours a week. And if you're still in real estate, after those two to three years, come back and talk to me, because I guarantee you'll probably give up after the first three to six months, because it's too hard or you're not good enough business. And you've got like I'm a firm believer, Mike, that you got to earn your stripes, you just don't get like I've never had anything handed to me. And it's just the way I am. It's like if you don't earn your stripes, you're never going to understand what the what the roadmap is like and what the struggle is. And, and you can't look back on that and have perspective. Because I'll tell you right now, when I started in real estate, me and I had, you know, nothing. And it was like, I can remember multiple times over that first two years, hoping and praying a closing was going to happen. So I could get that extra three or $400 to pay our mortgage. And it was like, that's given me a perspective. You know, I can look back on that and say, there was a grind, and there was their stripes. And like I just think, you know, I know we're going kind of off on a tangent here but there's just been a loss of that. You know, you know everything everything wants to come too easy.

Well the you said it earlier to you said I failed forward essentially. You don't the best like I look at I take your perspective too. I've gone through a transformation the last 567 years myself bankrupt when here but they're all that you know went up and went down from you know, I've been there done that. But truthfully, guys is you can't unless you like learn lessons. The hard painful way you don't actually learn them is what I found out and there's something great about being humbled and coming from very humble beginnings because it is how you you'll look back. I do Do believe that, you know, I used to read these books all the time. And you always read the books about the millionaire, right? And he's just successful. But if every single one of the books has the same story, if you guys ever really pay attention, someone goes out and does really well, then they lose it all. And then they build their ship back up, right? It never fails. And it's because you'll make mistakes. If this business isn't too easy. The truth is like you have to you have to fail. I believe that to you, if you don't get burned. You never learn. And it's made me personally with everything. I've gone through way better person, way better businessman. I know what to look out for. But in this business, you need to suffer through that. It's just how it is because you're right. It just won't. You'll never learn and if you never learn, you'll never be able to do it. So I same thing. First Three Years, I didn't have a life. Yeah, I just sat there and work. I was crying. I was like, What the hell am I gonna survive? Like, just like a little kid stuck in the city? Like, what the hell am I gonna do? Yeah, but you just have to hustle. And it's same story, dude. It's like directly the exact same story. It just went through building relationships, building relationships.

And I can remember, but my daughter was, you know, I've got a 12 year old and a 10 year old, no, but my daughter who's 12, she was six months when I got in real estate. And you know, when she was one, between one and two years old, she would pick my cell phone up and be like, Dad, dad, because that's all she knew, that she just she she grew up, I grew up with me just being on if she saw me, I was on my phone. And, you know, I look back on that time. And then I miss a lot of time with it when when the kids were little, yes. But do you know what they now have is they have an unbelievable understanding of work ethic and how how, you know, hard to work with things and things don't just come to you. And, you know, I think that that's where I'm at, in my real estate career is now is, is trading dollars for time, because, you know, I do want to, you know, my my philosophy, Mike is you get one shot at this, this isn't a dress rehearsal, you got to go out and knock it out of the park in all facets of your life. And, you know, number one, the most important thing to me is my family and my kids. And if I'm, if I'm not putting a lot of time and energy and resources into them, and I'm feeling there's a.so Ultimately, that's the goal. And I've been lucky enough to use real estate as that vehicle. You know, to get there and to get to a point where, you know, I'm able to trade the doors for time.

So the one of the when I worked in my first job, because you're like this, the girl, the gal girl, she's from England, or she's from Ireland. Before we got on the show here, I'm like, oh, that Irish kilt on your brand. He's like, I'm not Irish. I'm Scottish guys. Like, oops, sorry, my bad gotta keep it in mind. But the but the your accents the same. And her name was Andrea. Andrea was a top salesperson. They're much like you very similar story she must have. She was only in the States for a few years. But she was a top salesperson there. And when she used to use use her accent to her advantage, because it's adorable. Like she's like, Oh, how are you doing? Like, you know how you're doing it. Now people probably say it all time. I love your accent love your accent. But she use it to her advantage because she knew that's what made her different. Right? And I look back at it and mindset or and I look back and look at that. That's how she she crushed it on the floor. Like she would just crush it. You pick up a client every time she was out there. So you know, but she embraced her authenticity, she embraced her personality. I'm sure for someone coming over here. You might be a little insecure about your accent maybe. Right? Or maybe not. Maybe Maybe you got too many women that just started putting themselves out there dreamy over here. But a funny

couple of things. When I go back to Scotland, my friends give me so much shit because they think they see I've got an American accent now. So it's changed dramatically. And I'll tell you why. Because I was never insecure about my accent. But I had, I had been given a referral in my first year in real estate and I picked up the phone and called them and the wife was on the phone with me. And after about 30 seconds she said stop. This is not going to work you in because I can't understand a word you're seeing. And I caught like offended. I was like, Do you know what I said? I said I'm speaking English. Like I'm not I'm speaking the same language. And it's funny because they're great clients to this day. They were one of my first clients and we joke about every time I see them I'm say I say Can you understand me now? But it of course it is it's an icebreaker with anybody because they're they're, you know, they're interested. We have questions like query formance. It's a query from an Ireland and I'm like, well I'm not from Ireland from Scotland and of course I use it to my advantage but it It's it's it's something that, you know, I thought was going to be a hindrance rather than a help when I first started in real estate but no, I've definitely been.

We deal with this all the time with video, we'll create content for people and the big oh my god, I look stupid. I'm too fat. I'm this I'm that. And like, folks, get over yourself, like, no one cares about that stuff except yourself and like, and people can see it when you're faking it too. So regardless of what it is, yes, be yourself. Like, that's how video works. If you try to do it too scripted, or you try to do it too polished or too perfect. It doesn't it doesn't do too well. Right? Yeah. So you got to you got to take the stuff in. Alright, so tell me how you're doing it. Now. Let's fast forward to today. You're running basically all referral based? Are you doing any type of lead generation or anything like that?

No, no, any. Like, I'm not buying any leads. There's no, you know, Zillow or anything like that. I'll tell you, the thing is that the struggle for me, Mike over the years has been to recruit and retain good people. And I think that's one of the things that, you know, I think the majority of people that get the real estate license, just have this, you know, imaginary outlook on things, everything's just gonna be driving around showing these million dollar homes and making big fat checks. Well, that's not reality. And the other reality is, I have no business acumen or experience. And we're thrown in to become business owners, basically, when we get our real estate license, and we have no experience on that we don't know how to hire, we don't know how to, you know, retain people, we don't know how to recruit. We don't know how to run a p&l, I didn't even know what the hell a p&l was when I got my real estate license. And that in that caused trouble in the early days, because I didn't know how to save for tax or anything. But I think the big thing for me is, the word of advice is get if you're getting into real estate, or you're struggling in real estate, then get with somebody that knows how to do it and actually treat it like a business, not treat it like a hobby, not treat it like you know, you're just selling a lot of real estate, but you don't know what you're doing after that. Run it as a business. And the where I'm at right now is I've had agents come and go with me over the years, like lots of agents, I've never been able to really retain them. And I've not known really how to recruit properly, and also hire great admins or great operations directors or whatever like that. But now I've kind of I'm getting there, I'm still I'm still not where I want to be. But we've got I've got another agent that works with me full time. I've got director operations who we hired in January, which has been fantastic, because I realized I didn't need an it wasn't an assistant that I needed. It was more operations, just to run the show. Then we have a transaction coordinator and we're about to hire on for marketing because I my previous marketing girl just, it's just having her second baby. So we're looking for that. But I'm trying to get the foundation, really solid and then recruit some more agents, nothing crazy because I don't I don't want to be a babysitter because you know, there's other things I want to do in life. But yeah, that's where we're at right now. And our goal this year, which we're on our way to doing is 100 sales and 100 million volume. So that's kind of where we're, that's where we're talking towards

congrats and that's not a big team that's nice and lean and mean but you're doing a lot of times I see a lot of like, I'll be honest, you guys I used to have a brokerage I used to have a team. And the bigger the team, the bigger the brokerage i for brokerages, I had up to 70 agents, I had 68 headaches. When I had a team of 27 people I had 24 headaches. So team leaders don't have production sense sometimes lean and mean is the way to go. Don't let your ego float you all the way to headache Ville. So it's like we both been down that path. Yeah, but dude, this is really great. Let's get this all wrapped up. What I here's what I get out of this, you guys. You hear it from me every week. I didn't know we're gonna talk about when we got on here. We're like, let's just roll with it. And record Yeah, but it came down like you see a guy like you and super successful is gonna do 100 deals this year. But he's gonna do it off of relationships. And I have yet to meet someone in this business, even the lead generating people, because they'll pay for those relationships, but they still have to be good at building them even if your lead gen, because you won't get the client until they start building trust, which is only happens when you have relationship. So focus on that, folks, if you guys heard some of the stuff he had, if you're just starting out that first couple years in the business, it's not a walk in the park. This is a business this isn't a job. And that's why there's an 87% failure rate in real estate industry is HGTV makes it look really fun on the outside but what you get when you start off, man, this is a grind. You're starting a business any new business is a grind guys, it's not the real estate business. You're an entrepreneur and every business is a grind but I agree with con Hoadley that's

the thing Mike is you there's no better place to be able to do it. That's what I keep going back to building a business, there's no better place to be able to do it. Because we are afforded the most incredible opportunity. Like, in America, whatever the hell you want to do, you can do it. And like, it's not easy. It's not going to be a walk in the park. But you can do it, and surround yourself with great people, people that you can look up to, but the understand it's about, as you said, about the value of relationships, and always looking at more value in every relationship that you have every single you know, back to just the basics a been with your wife, like, you know that that's what I've learned about learn that there's, there's no hair like it, Mike, and I know you get this and all you preach that but yeah, we're lucky to have the opportunities that we do

have it, folks, if any of you guys in the Denver area or you want to maybe you just say you're looking for somebody, you need some more agents

like definitely we could do with at least a couple right now. So yeah, I would love you know, if anybody has any questions just reach out to me or wants to in Denver that wants to sit down and get lunch or have a coffee. Like, you know, i The other thing, my real estate's given me everything, everything I have in life, every opportunity that my family have has come from real estate. So I want to give back as much as I can, you know,

why don't you tell them how they can reach you and we'll get this rep.

Yeah, so best way to reach me is cell is 303619 4400. An email is my first name un. Graham, my last name group denver.com.

Love it, man. Great to see you in person. Okay, now that events are back we see you at one of these. I'll be I'll be out to San Diego soon. Awesome. And folks, thank you for listening another episode of real estate marketing dude, if you don't know what we do yet we help you nurture those relationships, build more relationships by putting your videos in front of those very people so that you build a personal brand that people know like trust and more importantly refer and return to when they need to buy or sell real estate or get a loan whether your mortgage broker So visit our website at real estate market to do.com. Just visit it just once Just once I can follow you around over the internet until we get a call until we start scheduling and until you start getting on video. It's very hard to build a brand without creating content. If two options, create a lot of content, nurture people with it or you make a whole lot of phone calls to people you already know just keep taking them out to dinner every other week. You have two options which one you want to do. I like the other. So appreciate you guys listening to other episode check out our channels, Facebook IG, and YouTube make sure you subscribe and we'll see you guys in next week's episode push. Thank you for watching another episode of the real estate marketing dude podcast. If you need help with video or finding out what your brand is, visit our website at WWW dot real estate marketing dude.com We make branding video content creation simple and do everything for you. So if you have any additional questions, visit the site, download the training and then schedule time to speak with a dude and get you rolling into your local marketplace. Thanks for watching another episode of the podcast. We'll see you next time.