Are You Ready To Quit Or To Sink Your Teeth Into Your Business in 2008?

Every day I get a call or read an email from or about another agent that is leaving the business because they just can not make it in this market. Many agents are keeping their licenses but having them go inactive as the deadline to pay NAR dues gets very near. 

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Passion sustains you, directs you and fills your cup when it is near empty.

Just as a car needs fuel to make it run, you do as well. This may or may not be the business for you. You alone are the only one that is able to search your heart for the answer to that.

Tracey Thomas wrote a wonderful post about this subject and included Steve Jobs speech from a Stanford graduating class that is a must read for any of you that are unsure of the future of your real estate business.

In any business, there are ups and downs. Real Estate is not a job, it is a business. If you treat it like a hobby you will get as a hobby pays. If you do it part time, then it is not your business. You must have the entrepreneur spirit in order to really get to the top in this business or any business for that matter. Get out of the employee mentality. If that is ingrained within you and you are not able to shake it then having your own business may not be for you.

Markets go up and they go down. This is the nature of Real Estate. You go with the flow or you walk out the door. No matter what you must love what you do. If you do what you love, the money will follow because you will attract it to you. 

When you run a business of course there will be things you love to do within that business and things you loathe to do. A good business person knows how to delegate the tasks he/she hates to do. If you do not like the income producing activities that you are doing, change them to actions that you enjoy and look forward to doing every day. If you hate to cold call; you really can not delegate that action to an assistant or to someone else who also hates it so  just don't do it. Find something else. There is no ONE thing that works in bringing in the business. It is a matter of your personality and what you enjoy doing.

Now if you have tried all the income producing activities and still are not loving what you do then it is time you evaluate if this is really the business for you. Most of the time I find that agents just are doing the wrong things because it is what they heard in a seminar or from a coach. Systems of producing income must be customized to who you are and not some generic system. Coaching needs to be customized and your coach needs to be able to work one on one with you over the phone and email with your goals. Most coaches have a system they use and it turns out to be rather robotic. When I coach an agent I make sure I get to know the agent and their personality and help fit them to the business actions that they are a match for. 

Most of the time you can not see yourself clearly, you are looking in a clouded mirror. I have found that if you search out a professional third party to assist in your evaluation questions are asked of you that you may not have thought to ask yourself. It it is not me that you choose to coach you in this area, that is just fine. I am not writing this post to solicit you to call me but rather to help you in your business. All successful business owners hire coaches to help guide them and hold them accountable. 

So if you are an agent who is wondering if 2008 is the year for you to get out or stay in, get someone to help you with a self evaluation.

And if you should decide that Real Estate is not for you, you are not a failure. It only means that your path has taken a different direction and that is O.K. too! There is nothing wrong with you! It is far better to know now and be happy doing whatever it is you love to do than to be miserable doing things you will never really enjoy doing!

Hang on to your seats, this is going to be one of those Cliffhangers!