Have you ever felt stuck in a job you didn't enjoy and knew you needed a change? That's exactly where I was in 2013 when I decided to pursue a career in real estate. I got my license and began working full-time purchasing properties for a hedge fund. But despite my friend's promise of making $10,000 a month, I was barely scraping by with only $3,000 a month. It was tough supporting my family on that income, but I refused to go back to corporate America.
To make ends meet, I started doing traditional real estate on the side with a friend. We hired a professional real estate photography company for our listings, but I wasn't satisfied with their service. After looking around for other options and finding none, I decided to buy a camera and teach myself how to shoot real estate. There were few resources on the topic at the time, so it was a challenge with a lot of trial and error. I remember taking terrible pictures of a friend's listing when I first got my camera. It was clear that I had a lot to learn.
I started practicing and researching ways to improve my picture quality. Once I felt confident in my abilities, I started offering my services to other agents. To my surprise, it was relatively easy to get customers because they had the same experience with the other company. Within six or seven months, I was making over $10,000 a month. I had found my niche.
But running a business was not without its challenges. I was overwhelmed as a solo person and decided to bring on my first employee. However, I didn't anticipate the seasonality of the business and struggled financially during the slower months. It was a tough time, but I persevered and continued focusing on improving and growing the business.
Today, ListerPros is in over 15 markets, generates millions in revenue, and has a team of over 50 people. We shoot over 10,000 homes per year. Building a real estate media business may not be rocket science, but it does require a lot of time, effort, and energy. That's why I created a course to help others shorten their learning curve and find success easier than I did. Don't be afraid to take risks and pursue your passions. You never know where it might lead you.