Happy Agent Co. - Real Estate Agent Podcast for Women - Hosted by Lindsay Dreyer, Real Estate Coach

Build a Business You Don’t Need a Vacation From with Erin Bradley of Pursuing Freedom

• Lindsay Dreyer • Season 1 • Episode 31

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In today’s episode, I’m joined by Erin Bradley—host of the Pursuing Freedom podcast, bestselling author, speaker, and real estate business coach on a mission to help agents build a life they don’t need a vacation from 🙌

Erin shares her powerful story of hitting rock bottom early in her real estate career (we’re talking maxed-out credit cards and a declined coffee order), and how that low moment set her on a path toward building a thriving, referral-based business rooted in authenticity, joy, and freedom.

We talk about:

  • Why traditional sales tactics feel out of alignment for so many agents
  • How to create real human connection without burning out
  • What “vacation energy” is—and how to tap into it daily
  • A totally doable strategy for creating a business that supports your life (not the other way around)
  • Why more conversations—not more hustle—is the key to growth

Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been in the business for years, this episode will inspire you to build in a way that feels good and works.

✨ Grab Erin’s free 5-Step Guide to More Referrals
https://erin-bradley.mykajabi.com/5-step-opt-in

🔗 Learn more about Erin and Pursuing Freedom
Website: pursuingfreedom.com
Instagram: @pursuingfreedomofficial

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📲 Connect with Happy Agent Co. on Instagram or Facebook – instagram.com/happyagentco

📲 Connect with Lindsay on Instagram or Facebook – instagram.com/lindsaydreyer...

Speaker 1:

Hey friends, you are in for a treat. Today I am chatting with Erin Bradley, host of the Pursuing Freedom podcast. Definitely check it out. Bestselling, author, speaker, coach and, seriously, just one of those people who lights up a room, any room that she enters. She's on a mission to help real estate professionals build a life that they don't need a vacation from which, obviously, we're all about around here, we talk about everything from the moment where she had a credit card declined at a coffee shop to redefining success on your own terms.

Speaker 1:

Erin's story is real. It's full of truth bombs that we all need right now, especially if you're feeling burned out, stuck or like you're paddling upstream. If you've been craving more joy, more ease and more alignment in your business, you are going to love this conversation. Let's dive in.

Speaker 2:

Hey Erin, oh, hey girl, hi Lindsay.

Speaker 1:

All right. So for those of you who do not know the incredible Erin Bradley, can you tell us who you are and what you do?

Speaker 2:

Sure, so my name is Erin and I am the founder of an organization called Pursuing Freedom, which started with a book that I published by the same title in 2016, and then started a podcast by the same title so original in 2018. And it's led over the years to a lot of speaking and coaching, and just really connecting with freedom seekers is what I like to refer to. And I say this because when I went 100% commission in the real estate space in 2007, perfect timing I was on the mortgage side, yeah, but I had no financial safety net, no confidence, no systems, no game plan and, honestly, all the training I was given just felt really dreadful and out of alignment with who I am, and so I promptly fell flat on my face and within a year of going 100% commission it was the summer of 2008, I had to ride my bike to a client meeting because I didn't have enough money for gas. I was maxed out on all my credit cards and got there early to make sure the sweat dries off before I meet the client, and unfortunately, he got there early too and introduced himself to me at the counter as my credit card was being declined for a cup of coffee. So the worst part is I thought that was the card that would work, but I didn't know what to do because if another card was declined, he would know the gig is up. So I just lied and was like that's so weird, I'm going to have to call the bank Anyhow. He bought my coffee and I was mortified and I just remember feeling like a failure and asking my dad for some advice and he basically said look, if you think you're going to be good at this, do whatever it takes. And so I opened another credit card.

Speaker 2:

I bought internet leads, whatever that means in 2008. And I hired a coach and you know a lot of people say they can't afford to hire a coach. And I was at a point where I couldn't afford not to because what I was doing wasn't working. And you know a lot of people think, oh man, what was it like coming into the industry as the industry was crashing all around you and I was like, well, the good thing is I had nowhere to go but up. You know my only perspective was to climb.

Speaker 2:

And so I hired the coach and out of desperation, I just said tell me what to do and I'll do it. And I don't disagree with this approach that you need to have a game plan. However, even with all the action, even with getting results and starting to close deals and being able to pay my bills, there was still something missing I was. I never felt like I truly belonged in this industry. I always felt like a bit of an alien, and it wasn't until four years in, in 2011, that somebody gave me the book the Go-Giver.

Speaker 1:

And I read it. Oh, it's one of my favorites. Yes, it's such a good book.

Speaker 2:

And if the listeners haven't read it, you have to read it. It was a complete paradigm shift for me and everything clicked, because what I realized is that, up until the point of reading the Go-Giver where the concept is that the goal is to give value above and beyond what you get paid to do, or be a value beyond even the service that you provide, everything I had been doing to date was really push marketing about me and how I could solve my problem by making more calls, writing more notes, seeing more people and get more leads, get more deals, get the money to solve my problem, to pay my bills. And so, even when I was executing with consistency, there was resistance in it, like I would. I knew what I was supposed to do. I was sitting in a state of insecurity and fear and failure and I had the action plan and if I muscle through the activity, I'd even get results. But something wasn't quite right, like it wasn't enjoyable. So when I read the Go-Giver, I was like, oh, this makes way more sense. I've been a go-getter and that's not really who I am, but I can develop a process where I can systematically be a value to my clients even when they don't need my services, which immediately it made all the fear evaporate, like my insecurity was replaced with curiosity how can I be a value to you today, even if you don't need my services? So I was able to become unleashed in more communication with people I care about and finding ways to be a resource, and my business blew up. I mean it more than doubled.

Speaker 2:

I went from averaging like 30 transactions a year to doing nearly 80, which sounds like a great problem to have. I was earning more than I ever anticipated, but I was pregnant with my second child and I was drowning. I was working 24 seven, tethered to my phone. My daughter was born at the end of 2012. And I remember asking advice of some of my colleagues. If I ended the year almost $20 million in volume, there were other men and women doing $30 million in volume. Kids were a little older than mine and I asked them for advice and they all admitted that after they put their kids to bed, they work until 10, 11, 12 o'clock at night and they've never taken a vacation without being tethered to their phone.

Speaker 2:

And I just remember thinking this isn't what I signed up for either Like I'm finally making money, but at the expense of my present moments with my kids, my family, my friends. I was becoming a shell of myself. I was pretending I was fine when I wasn't, and I was praying for it to slow down so I could come up for a breath of air. And when this happens, inevitably your prayers come true. The pipeline dries up and you don't feel relaxed, you panic, and so I just remember thinking I don't feel free having my credit card decline for a $2 cup of coffee, and I don't feel like I have freedom and flexibility when I'm simply a slave to my business to sustain this quote, unquote success that I've built. And so I almost quit the business, but luckily I didn't.

Speaker 2:

I found more mentors and coaches and communities and I started to design my business to fuel and finance my life, and as I did, I became obsessed with teaching real estate agents what I was doing, and so it just led to a lot of workshops and conferences where I would teach the strategy that worked to be yourself, increase your referrals and have more fun growing your business.

Speaker 2:

And I found I wasn't alone, like there's other people out there that don't want to fit the mold of outdated salesy tactics and and want to be themselves, be authentic, but they also crave financial stability and significance, and you can have both. It doesn't have to be one or the other. And if we're going to be self-employed and we know this is not the easy route if you're not willing to design it to give you the time freedom that you crave and the ability to be present with your loved ones and to take those vacations, then what's the point? Go work for somebody else who's going to give you permission to be off for two weeks out of the year, and it's really kind of wild that this isn't talked about more. In our industry. The burnout level is at an all-time high, even experienced and again external success. When I say the word successful, like even experienced realtors and lenders who are closing deals right now can admit they're kind of bored, they're a little burned out and there is a better way. So that's my passion.

Speaker 1:

I love it and I 100% agree with everything that you said. I am curious to get your thoughts on why do you feel like the real estate industry is so obsessed with being a go-getter? Why are they so obsessed with this mentality of just like you have, it's always more, more, more From your perspective? Why is there that obsession?

Speaker 2:

Well, I have two parts to answer this question. Number one why is there a go-getter energy? It's fear-based. So, thinking back to when you first took the leap of faith, you go a hundred percent commission, you forego the steady paycheck and the security of that. The very first thing you're going to feel is fear and uncertainty. And so out of that, in that space, we seek guidance, and those who are training us haven't necessarily dissolved their own fears that have been deeply embedded in them since day one.

Speaker 2:

I think that we develop these thoughts, these fears become beliefs, become behaviors that become habits, then become our excuses for why we say, well, I have to, I need to, I just have to, it's real quick, honey, I just have to take. It's real quick, honey, I just have to take that call. And it's like says who you are the boss. Right, you became self-employed for a reason. So in the beginning we don't know what we're capable of. And so when the business inevitably picks up which it will, as long as you don't quit and as long as you're willing to seek guidance and start taking some action, you're going to inevitably start having some business going on, and at that point you feel so lucky that you convince yourself. It's totally fine to just become completely out of alignment to serve the clients, right? I mean, we're servant-hearted people and we're willing to compromise our own values sometimes to make sure we don't let others down.

Speaker 2:

But the other part to the question that I want to address is when you say why more, more, more? I actually don't think there's anything wrong with the concept of more, more, more, because I believe that as human beings, we're on this planet to grow and expand and learn and improve, and the reason I feel that way, interestingly enough, is I read this book called the Gap and the Gain by Benjamin Hardy. Have you read that? Yes, yep. So for the listeners, the Gap and the Gain it's really good.

Speaker 2:

But he talks about the threat of the more, more, more right, in the sense that the idea behind the Gap and the Gain is that, most specifically Americans, in our society, it's like you set a goal, you achieve it, and then it's quickly replaced by a new desire. And now the goalpost has moved and you're back in a state of unfulfillment or not enough, or angst or stress about not being there yet. And then you get there and you celebrate for a minute, and so you're constantly in the gap between where you are and where you want to be next, rather than the gain, which is the distance from where you are and where you want to be next, rather than the gain, which is the distance from where you are to where you started. And we've always so like.

Speaker 2:

We talk about this a lot in my coaching community how, if you picture your life as an ascension, you're climbing a mountain and you're always striving for whatever is next, whatever feels exciting to you On that climb. There's valleys along the way, but even in that valley, you may feel stuck, you may be in a slump, it may feel like the depths of despair or darkness, and it can come for all kinds of reasons, right, but you're still at a higher elevation than you were when you started, and so the gap in the game concept is to remember how far you've come. However, I think that there's beauty in the more more. More because we can be a witness to how many times in our lives we've achieved something, and it's quickly replaced by that new desire, and I think that's what keeps life interesting.

Speaker 2:

I think the joy is in the acknowledgement that so much of the unfolding that's happening all the time is actually relatively unscripted by us and if we could lighten up and have more fun in the process of engaging with our community, seeking things that interest us, being willing to let go of the things that don't interest us anymore. Just because we used to like it doesn't mean we still do Like. That's part of the human experience. It's okay to evolve, it's okay to release the vine and to graduate from things that no longer serve you. As you're on this journey of exploration and, I believe, like upward mobility, I mean, I hope I'm always seeking and growing and learning and expanding. I hope I never get to a place where I get to complacency because I think there's fun in it as long as it's not accompanied by the strife and the striving and the compromising of your sanity to get to it. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think like it comes down to alignment and integrity with what you want and really like your goals. And so I think you kind of said it, which is we have to define our definition of success, and that's what we're working for definition of success and that's what we're working for. So, if more, more, more is in the quest of what you define as success or your end goal, it's not defined by somebody else, and I think so often we're in this in real estate, we're defining our success by external metrics that we didn't choose our for ourselves. We, like the industry, chose them for us, whether it's I need to be the top producer at my brokerage or I need to have 25 team members, or whatever it is.

Speaker 1:

There's this enough is not enough, and I think that more, more, more can be absolutely in alignment as long as you're intentionally choosing that. And I also think the flip side is there is there's like satisfaction or success in having enough as well, depending on what season of life you're in and what your goals are and what your success metrics are. So I love your explanation I think it was. It's it's really nuanced, but I think it comes down to what's in alignment with you and what do you want and what's joyful for you and what's enjoyable for you, and what's enjoyable for you and what's authentic for you.

Speaker 2:

Well, also, it's interesting because when we talk about the nuance of more, more, more right, and the connotation and like the negative connotation connecting it to some external metric like more money. But what I'm saying is more, more more is like more joy, more peace, more connection, more fun. More more is like more joy, more peace, more connection, more fun, more adventure. And funny enough in our industry, when I ask if I'm in a room full of real estate professionals, ask anyone to raise their hand. Who's ever seen their business pop when they go on vacation or they intend to go on vacation or attend right?

Speaker 2:

And everybody's like hands in the air and it's so annoying, right, we're like we're going to take some time off and then the phone rings and I really believe deep down in my soul that that's because there's a special energy, that's vacation energy. That when you're excited, when you're having fun, when you're not thinking about work at all, you're just being your true, authentic self, your heart and soul. All of a sudden it's like the universal lines to match you to people that suddenly show up in your path needing your support. And we separate ourselves from that when we put on the work hat and we start thinking like what could I do today? What should I do today to solve my problem?

Speaker 2:

This void in my bank account, my pipelines dried up, the rates, the inventory, the market, all the world, the economy, the politics it's All that stuff is just pushing on the dimmer switch of the light within us. But there is a light within us and when it's on, when we can activate vacation energy, it's like turning on the lighthouse in the storm and the ships start coming to port. So I'm more interested in helping real estate professionals figure out what it means to them at this stage, at this juncture. What does more joy look like for you. What is more connection, more authenticity, more love, more impact, more fun look like for you? And how do we cultivate vacation energy on a daily basis so it doesn't have to be a separation of our soul from our business, and it's incredible how it leads to growth in business. And it's a little bit of an inside out approach, right, a different frequency to the same destination, which is abundance.

Speaker 1:

Yes, you're right, it's changing the frequency instead of the fear of what's going on around you and yes, there is a lot going on right now. It's really just amping that attraction energy. So I'm with you on that. There's a lot of agents who they are in the doom scrolling anti-vacation energy spiral right now. What do you have, like? What advice do you have for them? What is like one or two things you feel like they can do to kind of get moving in the right direction.

Speaker 2:

Well, first things first. Whether people agree with it or not, I don't. I don't watch the news, I don't spiral down on things I can't control that are going to sap me of my energy. My energy is everything and protecting it is my number one priority, because the purpose of life is to enjoy each day and to live it to the fullest that we possibly can in the environment that we're in. What does it mean for me to have the most impact today?

Speaker 2:

And so something that a mentor said to me in a workshop in 2011, a million years ago, but I remember it so much. She said whenever I'm in a funk, she said all morning, while I go through my morning routine, while I shower, get ready, I just repeat to myself I intend to be of value to every person I meet today. I intend to be of value to every person I meet today. I intend to be a value to every person I meet today. And as I do that, I start to shift from a negative state of emotion and fear and anxiety and worry and lack of control to a state of curiosity and contentment and hope and purpose. Right, and then I have to ask myself well, who can I be a value to today if I'm not talking to anybody because I'm stuck here in my own funk? So I've got to awaken to the curiosity to find someone to serve today, and that could be as simple as being nicer out in the world when I'm buying a cup of coffee, or I'm at the grocery store, or slowing down when I'm on a walk and I bump into a neighbor who's walking their dog and not need to have my AirPods in and fly past them in a hurry to get to nowhere, right? So what does it look like to be a value to every person you meet today?

Speaker 2:

And then the other thing I'll say the most powerful thing that I can ever encourage anyone to do when they're feeling lonely is to know that you're not alone and to get in the room with people that are energizers.

Speaker 2:

So ask yourself where are you spending time? Consuming information or having conversations, and are those things energizing you or draining you further? So seek out the room with people that remind you of your future, because there are a lot of people right now in this world, in my community, people I meet on my podcast, that are thriving, that are having their best year ever, and the one common denominator is they hang around people, whether it's masterminds, communities, mentors that people are seeking ways to be of value, seeking ways to be of impact, and their business is growing as a byproduct. So we can't wait for the external circumstances to change to give ourselves permission to let our light shine again. And if the light is extinguished again, hang around somebody that can ignite that flame or ignite that spark within you, and then go share that spark with somebody else, because your light will shine brighter the more people you help and serve.

Speaker 1:

I love that and that goes back to the go. Giver. It's all about that giving generous energy. I love that and that goes back to the go. Very simple. It's actually not that hard to show up with a generous spirit every single day and it is pretty magical. Magic happens, you attract those opportunities, you attract those people and it really does just snowball from there. So that was really amazing advice. So, in terms of creating a business that you want to run towards, which you that is your term and I love it so you have a strategy for real estate agents to create a business that they actually want to like. They're so excited and like so revved up to go run towards and build. So can you dive into more of that strategy and what you recommend? Because I think that so often we're like backwards looking and I love this idea of like forward looking. So take the mic, let's go.

Speaker 2:

Yeah Well, there's no shortage of sales training out there. That gives you the action plan, and if you're in a state where you're on the negative side of the emotional spectrum or energetic spectrum and you're looking at your year to date, you're looking at your volume, your pipeline, your bank account, all the things, and it's bringing you down right. In my opinion, logging more hours, checking more boxes, taking more action isn't the antidote, so the first thing to do is just be okay with that's where you are and then do some practices to help move yourself along the emotional scale, which can look like making a list of all the people you've met in the last 12 months that have had a positive impact on your life that you didn't conjure up and hunt down and bring into your existence. The stars align, the paths cross, like Lindsay and I, you know, we didn't know each other a year ago and now we've become friends through an introduction. But I didn't make that happen, you didn't make that happen. It's just, it's an evolution, and all the time we can be a witness to how much beauty in our life is unscripted and how many good things have happened, and it's a reminder that, as I look ahead to the future. I haven't even met half the people that are going to show up on my path on the journey towards my new desire, right, whatever that is for me at this time in my life.

Speaker 2:

And the other thing is that I hear a lot of people in the business specifically seasoned, you know, experienced realtors and lenders that say things like I just have to, I just need to, I just have to get back to the basics. I got to get back to the fundamentals. I just need to make some more fun goals. I know what I need to do and I'm like I know you know what you need to do. But the fact is, everything you just said, right there was so laden with resistance and dread and heaviness that even if you were to execute with 100% consistency which chances are you're not, because it feels like a pain chances are you're not executing. But even if you were executing with 100% consistency, it's falling flat because you're not even enjoying the process. You're just going through the motions because you've got a problem to solve.

Speaker 2:

So what I like to do is kind of reverse engineer this and say all right, so let's imagine Lindsay's in my database. She's a client that I helped in 2021. I haven't talked to her since. I'm feeling really bad about that. But I really like Lindsay and I even think to myself I'm going to call Lindsay, she's one of my favorite people. And then the chatter starts to activate in my mind. But Lindsay doesn't need to buy a house right now or sell a house, because she's got a rate of 3%. And all the chatter starts happening and I always say, yeah, you're right, that's a you problem, that's 100% a you problem. And you're so focused on the you problem, which is the byproduct of whatever you've been doing or not been doing the last 60 to 90 days.

Speaker 2:

And one thing I know for sure if Lindsay woke up at three o'clock in the morning last night and she couldn't fall back asleep, I know with 100% certainty what was keeping her up at night was not my pipeline, it was not my volume, it was not my real estate business and there was something keeping you up. So my job is to take my work hat off. Was something keeping you up? So my job is to take my work hat off, take the agenda out of it Like if I needed nothing. Tap into that. How could I be a value? How would I want to feel today? How would I want to show up in the world and who could I be a value to? And if Lindsay's a person I really enjoyed getting to know and I haven't spoken to her in years or months or whatever, and I'm feeling really bad about that and I don't know what to talk about, because I don't think she wants to talk about real estate, you're right. Okay. So just exactly scratch that all together and get curious about what is the 3 am moment.

Speaker 2:

The 3 am moment is whatever Lindsay is working on right now, whatever she's excited about, whatever she's worried about. That's what she cares about. My job is only to show up there. There's a really great quote that said it's when you step back from the single brushstroke that you can see the entire painting. So I always think to myself the real estate transaction is just one brushstroke in the painting. Once we've gotten to the closing table, until they need my services again, my job is to get to the bottom of the brushstroke of the painting you're on right now. They need my services again. My job is to get to the bottom of the brushstroke of the painting you're on right now.

Speaker 2:

And when we really drill down from a strategic perspective let's say, lindsay. When I helped her buy a house in 2021, was single or married or engaged or whatever dating but she wasn't married yet. Now it's 2025. She's married, she has a 14 month old baby, she works full time. She's got a spouse. Like chances are, the 3am moment for Lindsay today is radically different than when I met her and helped her buy a house a couple of years ago. So all I need to do is show up for you where you are today, not where I need you, and in that way I can have an impact from my heart to your heart and that's going to ripple out to the conversations at the dinner table and at the office or on the sidelines, like I'm trying to get to the heart of the matter. And when I stop worrying about my bank account, my pipeline, my issues, it becomes much more easy to engage from a place of curiosity and contribution.

Speaker 2:

And what I've noticed is that when you do this, when you can like clean, I always say if you think about your database, but picture it like a garden in springtime, and when you come into your garden in springtime, it's filled with weeds. There's stuff that pops up every year that you might like. Maybe it's just been there since you moved in. There's stuff that you plant every year and there's stuff that you've never even really evaluated. If you like it or not. It's just there and it's just what you've accepted. Now think about your database. Like that garden and go to the database and just pluck the weeds. You don't have to eliminate them from your life or even your CRM, but like, just pluck the weeds, pluck the things that feel like a maybe and then identify the relationships that are that hell yes, energy. Like I freaking love Lindsay.

Speaker 2:

Every time I talk to Lindsay I'm happy, I'm energized, all the things, and with no agenda, only curiosity. Start to re-engage with those people from a place of service, get curious, find ways to be a resource to them, and you will be shocked by how quickly you start to see your business compound and those types of relationships you really enjoy today start to multiply. So we start to have a little more fun with the process of communicating with people. We care about checking in with how they're doing, finding ways to connect them to service providers or just show them we love them and appreciate them with a handwritten note or a gift or something, and within 60 to 90 days you see your referrals, seemingly out of the blue, not from Lindsay, because I remember I didn't call Lindsay because I was hoping to get something out of it. I just called her because I care about her.

Speaker 2:

All of a sudden, though out of the blue, I'm getting phone calls and DMs and text messages and bumping into people that are asking me about real estate.

Speaker 2:

And it's all because we're doing the work to turn the light on from within. We're sharing that light with people we genuinely care about and we're having faith in the unscripted that we haven't even met half the people that are going to help us get from where we are to where we're trying to go. It feels a lot more fun, it's a lot lighter and it's just the difference between paddling upstream, doing all the obligation stuff that the sales trainer told you you should do to solve your problem. It all feels like upstream energy or just get on the raft. Let's get on the raft and go downstream, get in the flow, have some fun, but it's like everyone I know that's having their actual best year ever in real estate or mortgage. Right now, the one thing that they're doing is they're hanging around people that believe there's opportunity and they're having tons of conversations, and the only way to get into conversation is to get out of our head and stop thinking. This conversation is going to serve me yes.

Speaker 1:

I am so with you on this. The conversation piece is so crucial. So my brokerage is in Washington DC and there are massive layoffs, as you know, with the federal government or maybe you don't because you don't listen to the news. We're lucky. But the agents that I know that are doing really well right now. They aren't scared to engage those people who are going through that hard life transition.

Speaker 1:

And a lot of people I talk to they're like well, I don't want to be an ambulance chaser and I'm like you're not calling those people to ask them do they want to sell their house? You're calling to check on them because you have a good relationship with them. Are you okay? Like, what's your next move? Do you need an introduction to somebody for like, a new job? Like, how are you guys doing? Do you need me to send you? Do you need me to make you dinner? Like I mean, it's those personal relationships where you don't have to be scared when you come from it from a generosity lens. It's like we're not ambulance chasing and I think so much of the advice is just make your calls, ask for referrals. But that's not what it's about. It's exactly what you're saying, which is let's be of service to people. Let's build real relationships. Let's have real connections, the heart to heart is what you said and I agree.

Speaker 1:

It's like that heart to heart connection is it's human, it's like we're we're connecting on a human level, it's not a business level, and if you can connect on that human level, first the business comes. You don't have to worry about it, and you and I both built very robust referral based businesses and that's where it comes from is it's that human connection of I care about you as a person and they know that you're going to care about whoever you bring into their life, like whoever they introduced to you to. They know you're going to care about them just as much, and that is something that I think is missed so often. But I think that it's such a good point, which is don't be scared to have the conversations, even if someone's going through something really tough.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so this is a perfect example, right, because we talked about the 3 am moments. So someone who is in DC, who's lost their job, who's having to face this hardship, that is their 3am moment, right, it has nothing to do with real estate.

Speaker 2:

And there is a way to figure out how to be a value to that person where they are today by having conversations with others and starting to gather and amass the contact information of any five starstar professionals that are bringing value right now to these types of people, so that you can come armed with resources. Now one of my best friend's husband has worked in government for the Democratic Party. He was the lead advance man for Obama for eight years. So they're now having to relocate right, so they're having to move, and so in a conversation with them, for example, I might find out if they can connect me with anybody who's been a resource to them and who's helping them. And maybe, when I find out where they're moving, if they decide to buy when they relocate to another city or state, maybe I can get connected with that agent that they're going to utilize. Or perhaps I can go on a mission to find a realtor to refer them wherever they are moving to. I mean, there's so many ways to think about how the ripple effect if someone's going through something and I can relate to that pain or I want to be a value to them in this hard time what does that mean? It means I need to be armed with resources that I can say here's this resource, this resource. This has nothing to do with me, but in the process I'm showing up, I'm engaging, I'm being my authentic self, I'm caring and I'm also connecting with other service providers that have the same heart to serve the same population, and we're now developing a collective resource for people going through this very specific thing so that can translate in our life and business. And it's seasonal.

Speaker 2:

So we talked before we were recording about how a lot of realtors and lenders are feeling very burned out right now, and I think that we need to embrace the fact that we've all experienced life in our own unique way. We've navigated stages of life, life experiences that have made us right now uniquely equipped to be of value to others and serve in a way that we didn't have the capacity to do 10 years ago, before we've lived all this life, and so it's really just getting to the heart of that, like, where do you want to show up with sincerity, to be able to serve, to be a value? And I know I'm like beating a dead horse, but if we can get to the bottom of who are your people, what are they going through and what does it mean for me to show up? And then, who do I need to be friends with, like? Who do I need to partner with to connect them to so that they have every resource they need to navigate this particular transition in their life?

Speaker 1:

It's really as simple as that and I think, like so many agents are looking for the shortcut or the hack or the automation or the like. Now we have AI, obviously, and everyone is looking for, looking for. How do I make this easier? It's very simple.

Speaker 2:

I know my conversion rates, I know my KPIs, meaning, on average, if I have 10 actual conversations per week, I typically get two referrals per week, not necessarily from those conversations, but that's just an example of a metric, a conversion ratio I want to have. Let's say, I want example of a metric, a conversion ratio I want to have. Let's say, I want to be closing four transactions a month consistently. Well, on average, 50% of my leads will actually turn into a conversation and meaning, like if you say I gave your name to someone at my company who wants to, was thinking about buying an investment property, that may never lead to a conversation, but I'm still going to count that because it means somebody's talking about me and thinking of me in this vein. Or if somebody says to me hey, I want to pick your brain, I'm thinking about X, y, z, you know, next summer, I'm going to count that, even though it maybe isn't going anywhere today. So we track how many leads and if, on average, some people have much better conversion ratios, but if, on average, 50% of those leads turn to conversations and 50% of the conversations turn to closings, then if I want to have four closings a month consistently, I want to have eight meetings, conversations, appointments, whatever and that means 16 leads a month. So divide that by four weeks, it's an average of four leads a week for four closings a month. So it kind of works that way across the board. As a lender, when I wanted to be closing 15 transactions a month, I wanted to be generating 15 new leads a week, and I did that through massive amounts of conversation. And then from there we take it one step further and say, okay, well, if I don't have the time for that many conversations in a week like, let's say, it's 50 conversations a week to get to how many leads I want per week well then, maybe I can figure out a way to create some kind of weekly networking group or mastermind group with other business owners where I'm in front of 15 people every Tuesday and 15 people every Thursday, so that's 30 people. Then I just need to have 20 more conversations.

Speaker 2:

Now I know I'm rattling off a lot here, but this is the difference between a successful business owner and someone who's floundering right now is they can rattle off their recipe for success, their formula, and when it comes to what? Well, how do you stay committed to that? Well, I have a schedule and I sprint three to four hours a day, three days a week, and I protect that time, like my life depends on it. Because it does, because my business depends on it. And if I don't have any business, my life is feeling quite stressful. And if I say that's my problem, I want to solve that's my pain point, but I'm unwilling to develop a repeatable recipe for success and I'm unwilling to protect my time, then I can't be complaining about my outcome.

Speaker 2:

So it's not about being a workaholic, it's not about logging a million hours. It's about cutting the distractions. Eliminate anything that's sucking the life out of you or at least batch it into windows of time so it doesn't interfere with your ability to show up as your best self, your brightest light, finding ways to connect in conversation and being a resource to people and all of the relationships I already have. If I love them, I'm going to be asking them to introduce me to the service providers they love and refer in other industries. Because if I love this person and they love that person, chances are they run their business in a similar way. And I want to be constantly adding to my old school Rolodex, like I want to be constantly building my tribe of local service providers that I can refer to, and then I'm just constantly promoting other people's businesses. I'm not promoting myself, I'm just always spotlighting other people, connecting them to my community, and I just become the hub of the network. So you know, in terms of the system and the schedule I don't know how AI plays into that, but I'm sure there's a way. It just comes down to one simple thing If you took a job working for somebody else right now, chances are you're doing it because you want steady income and you're not getting it from your current reality.

Speaker 2:

And so my question then becomes what is the expectation of the person that hires you? That there's a business owner or a manager there who has a plan for profitability, that they know what they need you to do to help make the business profitable. And as long as you show up to work on time and do what's expected of you, you're going to get paid in exchange for it. And then I ask people how do you run your business? What time do you do the things you say you're going to do, and on what days of the week? And then what gets in the way? Right, if we can commit to showing up to work on time and doing what's expected of us, we will have predictable growth in our business.

Speaker 2:

And the way to do that with joy and ease is to stop settling, pluck the weeds, really evaluate the relationships in your life that bring you energy and then get very intentional on what it means to that person in this stage of life they're in. Who can you enlist to bring and be a value to them? And that is the way in which we can just lighten up, literally like lighten up, stop stressing, stop worrying, have more fun, turn the light on from within, share the light with others and create a wildfire of unexpected opportunities. They're out there, I know, because there's people doing it. It's the only difference between us and anyone in them is that they've decided to thrive. They're willing to find a way in this market. They're not waiting for the market to change for them to thrive. They're not there, they don't have time for that. They're just out there creating value and that's it. It's like it's just lots of conversations and lots of value in specific windows of time that you protect, like your life depends on it.

Speaker 1:

I think we're going to end there. That was perfect. It's like keep the light on baby. That's what it's all about. We are open for business. We are keeping the light on. So, erin, if people want to find you or connect, where's the best way for them to do that?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so I have a free five-step guide to more referrals that kind of walks people through the step-by-step of just reevaluating your goals and your people right, the flowers you want to plant in the garden and see multiply, and then strategically how to be a value to them so that your business grows. And you can find that at pursuingfreedomcom or you can reach out to me on Instagram at pursuingfreedomofficial, dm me. I love hearing from people like we're here having this conversation and putting it out to the ether and hopefully, if somebody's listening, if you took one takeaway that was a value. Please DM Lindsay or DM me so we get. We get motivated to keep going.

Speaker 1:

It is so fun to get that feedback where people follow you and you're like where did you find me? They're like I listened to you on a podcast. I'm like that's yeah, all right. Well, thank you so much and I'll definitely link both of those and everything you mentioned in the show notes. But thank you again for jumping on. I really appreciate it. Thank you, lindsay.

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Lindsay Dreyer

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