First off, let me just say how excited I am that Perkins Realty Group is growing from one to two. Our new agent, Mike Watkins, will be joining us soon and I cannot wait to introduce him. As this is really happening I feel overwhelmed with excitement. Opening my own real estate company has been a goal of mine for many years and after leaving the bank I knew that the only way for me to stay motivated and happy is to work for myself. Here are some ways I made it happen:
-Evaluate Spending. My wife and I are pretty simple people. We knew that to make this happen we would have to downsize our "status quo." So, for starters we sold our bigger (4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath) house and moved somewhere smaller (2 bedroom 1 bath). This was an adventure within itself and I will soon tell you how we made it happen. By doing this we saved with our mortgage and also majorly with our heating and air bills. We also have had to put off a few wants (new car), a few home improvements, and lived on a smaller budget.
-Embrace the risk. A regular paycheck is awesome! You know exactly how much money you will get paid every week and then you can spend that money accordingly. Once I left the bank and lost that "security" it took my family some time to get used to the "ups and downs" of real estate. We had to learn how to live with nothing coming in and to save when the money is there. Not easy for two people who like structure. But we're getting used to it.
-Work smarter and not harder. Looking back I realize how much time I wasted throughout and 8-10 hour work day. Long talks in the hall, lunches out, time spent reading on the internet, etc. But, at the end of the day I was still paid for a "full days work." Working for yourself has nothing to do with how many hours are logged. That was hard for me at first. I remember sitting at home on a Tuesday at 3p feeling guilty that I "wasn't working." However, now I know the difference in working hard when the work is there and how to maximize my time. (Not even a hint of guilt last Thursday as I embraced all that March Madness had to offer).
I don't want to make it sound easy because it has been a whirlwind of ups and downs to get to this place. However, I do want to share that it is doable....totally doable and it feels amazing!