Selling the Dream: A Podcast for Resort & 2nd Home Real Estate Agents
Ep. 135: Jessica Forrester Shares What It’s Really Like to Open a Boutique Broke rage, Part 1
Have you ever thought about starting your own brokerage?
You love team, but are thinking about what else you can do in your business.
It’s not easy; that’s for sure! We’ve talked endlessly about how to make the decision to join a brokerage, or if you should be an independent agent. We’ve talked about what it’s like to be part of a SEAL team, or just what goes into making a solid team.
But what is it really like to start a boutique brokerage, with a small number of dedicated agents?
What can be possible in your business, if you were to go out on your own? Hand pick a team of similar (or different) agents, and go out on your own?
What could happen? How could it completely change your business? What questions should you ask yourself, and what do you need to be prepared for?
We’re exploring all of these questions in this week’s episode of the Selling the Dream. This week is part one of a two episode series where I am talking to Jessica Forrester about her experiences starting a boutique brokerage. It took years for them to get started, but once they got going, the sky’s the limit!
Jessica shares insights gained by years of experience working in several different markets until she created the PERFECT spot just for her.
Before we dive in: have you created your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE to join. Click here to register, fill out your profile and get listed today.
Highlights of this episode:
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Tom introduces Jessica Forrester, and part 1 of this 2 part podcast episode.
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Jessica shares how she got into real estate, and how much she loves working in the second home market: she loves helping make dreams come true.
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When Jessica moved from Texas to Florida, she joined a team.
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How did she pick a team to join? She looked for the data, to find out who was successful in the area.
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She contacted ten of the top agents in the area to see if they had a team, ended up interviewing three different agents to see about joining their team, and chose from there.
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Through the brokerage that she worked with, she ended up meeting future teammates, and establishing relationships in the industry.
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Eventually, Jessica started her own team: they had different agents that fulfilled unique roles and made the team well-rounded.
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It was not easy: the new team worked 24/7 for the first few years.
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The team grew and adapted as they learned how they could best serve their market.
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Tom asks Jessica how they set up their boutique brokerage and the timeline for starting the company: it didn’t happen overnight!
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Jessica wanted to start her boutique brokerage for people who wanted to do more, and experience higher levels of growth in their business.
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The key with a small boutique brokerage is for the team to have a reputation, but also for each agent to get individual recognition.
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Implement systems and scalability as quickly as you can: those keep you from burning out.
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Jessica shares how they handle the money and payments for each transaction.
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How do they pick people to potentially work with them? Jessica shares the criteria that she looks for in potential real estate agents on their team!
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Video messaging is a great way to connect personally! Try Bomb Bomb to send video messages to potential clients or team members.
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It’s ok to be selective about who you bring into your brokerage: people who come in because of money are the people who are going to leave because of money.
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Jessica shares how they follow up with leads, and what they outsource.
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Come back next week for part 2 of this interview with Jessica.
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Have you made your free profile on the Second Home Agents website? Go over and get started: it’s FREE. Click here to register, make your profile and get listed today.
As always, thanks for listening. Don’t forget, you’re not selling a home: you’re selling the dream.
See you next time!
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