Herculean Effort on a Spartan Diet

I was speaking with one of my veteran agents this morning when the subject of our "early days" in the business came up. I mentioned that when I first started out almost ten years ago I would often go to a restaurant and just have a cup of coffee while my grade school son (at the time!) ate his breakfast. I was on a mission (my new real estate career) but I was at the same time on a budget as money had not yet started coming in on a regular basis.

I haven't forgotten those days of making a "Herculean effort on a Spartan budget." I observe many newly licensed agents, both in my office and in the marketplace, and occasionally I even catch a glimpse of that same quality in one of them. And as a Managing Broker I'm always looking for individuals in Chicago who are farsighted enough to realize that the real rewards often come later than sooner.

In those early days I made a decision to be a Listing Agent and was 'Rookie Of The Year" in my office with 18 listings my first 12 months. There were others agents who started at the same time with more money in their bank account, a nicer car and a bigger sphere of influence. I was never concerned about them other than in casual passing. I tried to remain focused on my early goals. I knocked on doors, learned by trial and error and drank a lot of coffee---I was on a budget and I was making an effort!

image by askwhy