How Running a 5k Helped Me Build a $100k+ Real Estate Business
So I just finished running my first 5k and it was an absolute awesome experience. After all, I did nothing special but…..run…… for about 25 minutes, but my energy was on a level comparable to me putting together an 100 unit complex deal for my client. Aside from the opportunity to donate to charity and ……..run…… what made this 5k so special for me? To be honest, I can’t answer the question one way, but here’s what I felt.
Accomplishment. The desire to finish. The desire to push forward. The desire to run a bigger race next time.
Let’s be clear, I was never really a runner. I played basketball my entire life, but my father was an avid runner.
Here I am decades later and I’m starting to develop a small passion for the hobby.
A few hours after I finished my first 5k, I started to reflect on the things that lead up to the 5k and how it reflects how I built a $100k+ real estate business over the past two and a half years. Each segment of the pre-race, during race, and post race all made me think about my real estate business.
“Austin, you ran for 25 minutes along with many other individuals. I can run two of those. You did nothing special. There are still 10k races, 15k races, and the obvious monster, the marathon. You did a mere 5k and you’re telling me that helped you build a $100k real estate business?”
To answer your question. Yes.
However, building a $100k+ business in real estate wasn’t the result of running a 5k, it was more of a reaffirmation of how I got to the point of building that type of business.
So how?
Success and realizing your strengths
I didn’t train for this 5k. I didn’t change my diet in preparation, I didn’t just start running 5k’s in the morning to prepare. I didn’t do any that, but here’s what I did do.
Right when I started my business about two years ago had I developed the habit of running first thing in the morning, usually around 6am to get the day started. I would only run for about 10-15 minutes just to get my body warmed up and my mind alert. Definitely nothing special, however, can you see how I was already playing on my strengths? I’m no track star, but do you see how there was an alignment with what I was planning to do with what I was already doing? Success is the same way.
Most of us spend time on trying to fix our weaknesses instead of focusing on our strengths.
If you were planning on starting a business, whether in real estate or any other industry, you’ll have a much better experience when you’re starting with your strengths. For example, if your strength is in marketing and you find yourself being shy in front of large groups, can you imagine if you were to try to start a business in say, public speaking or running a tech startup, which requires you to pitch to your investors.
Do something that is synergistic with your current strengths That’s why God gave them to you.
The second thing I want you to realize is that a success is a success, no matter how big or how small. I don’t care if you’re building a business or planning to go to the club. If you planned on getting there and then executed — success!
Stop envisioning the money, fancy cars, vacations, and Instagram models (that last concept was for my fellas).
Truth is, you can get all of that and more now without a problem. The problem is the story in our heads. I still struggle with it from time to time. (Not the Instagram model part).
Before I even knew I would run a 5k I was already doing something that was aligned with it.
For my business, I was putting my gift of gab, people skills, and teaching skills in the right place in the industry of real estate. I was aligning my skills with what the industry is synergistic with.
Practice vs. Live
We all have those moments where the thoughts in our head create a euphoric vision of us achieving our goals. The rush of positive energy has us thinking about our goals all day.
“It’s all a matter of time….” you say to yourself repeatedly.
Or you may sing the popular DJ Drama record “Just waiting on my momennttt…”
Whatever that vision is, just follow it. It already knows what you want to become.
The vision is what leads you down the road, practice initiates the action, and then you go live.
In my 5k’s case, I had ran the 3.2 mile phenomenon two times before doing it live. Once while I was on a treadmill in Puerto Rico, and the other was the Friday before the race which took place on a Tuesday. I handled both without major concern. After all, as I mentioned, I was already used to running every morning. Adding an extra 10-15 minutes was easy.
What I didn’t realize is that this was practice. Yes, we’re talking about practice (in my Allen Iverson voice).
Yes, practice. Totally different.
I already had the vision of running an extremely successful real estate business. Putting the transactions together, hiring assistants for leverage, marketing, making the connections, etc. The whole kit and caboodle. The only difference is that this was in my head. I had added the extra 10-15 minute lap, in my head.
I had already built an extremely profitable real estate business without even putting my first transaction together. Not to mention I was still living in an apartment, yet helping individuals become homeowners.
Everything was easy, manageable, and ready to be accomplished in practice mode.
When you’re live it’s a whole different ballgame. The pressure is real, the emotions are real, reality is real. At the end of my first year, I made an AMAZING income of $15k.
Yes, you read that right. $15k. You’ll have to also realize that with deductions and tax write offs, I reported $5k as my income to the IRS for 2016.
$5K!! Meaning, $5,000, meaning five thousand dollars! Let that sink in.
Some dream huh?
I had it all worked out in my head, but that was practice and I was now in the live game.
The was the same case with the race. I had practiced once or twice before, I had imagined me running the 5k, but there was nothing like actually running it live. HUGE difference.
Race Day
Here it was, race day. A day I was actually looking forward to. I couldn’t wait to run the race!
The funny part is, I hadn’t even registered for the race yet.
Why? Procrastination. The same reason why most of us aren’t where we want to be currently.
Why do we do that? We know we’re going to do something, we have every intention of doing something, yet, we still procrastinate.
You know what this reminds me of? Dating.
You wait ALLLLLL day for the text from someone that you like, they finally text you….and what do you do?
You wait! To make it seem like “you’re not as interested.”
First off, you eventually find out that majority of those dating scenarios never work out in a fruitful relationship. It becomes a competition of who can ignore the other more.
Pure stupidity.
When you find that one, there isn’t a need for all that guesswork. You just do it!
Anyway, back to the race.
I signed up just a few hours before the race and as a result, I couldn’t even get a t-shirt. They were all out. Again, another result of procrastination. You never know what you’re going to miss out on by waiting. In the race’s case, it was a t-shirt, in business, I lost a potential client and therefore, a $3,000 – $15,000 check.
Anyway, I was prepared, stretched out and ready to run. I had the feeling it was going to be a breeze. After all, I was already used to running so an extra 10-15 minutes wouldn’t kill me.
Until I realized the race had already started and I was still in the section with the walkers of the 5k…..
“Wait, what?!” “I thought the race started at 6:30pm? It’s only 6:23!”
Another lesson. Take responsibility for your actions. Was it the race coordinator’s fault? Or was it my fault I wasn’t waiting at the correct station early?
It was my fault.
Same concept in business. Take responsibility for everything, good and bad, that happens to you.
I’ve had two fraternity brothers who I’m rather close with wind up closing on a home with another agent besides me. Could I blame them? Yes. After all, they did things behind my back, and I had no clue.
Let’s be clear, this was around $10k worth of income that I lost out on. What would you do with an extra $10k?
Just like that, the opportunity was gone. This was also early in my career, when I couldn’t even afford to keep my checking account out of the negative balance.
But it was truly my fault. I could have coached them better, I could have prepared for that, but I didn’t. My fault. No excuses.
This is not to get confused with taking everything that happens to you as your fault. It’s not about fault – we have a negative connotation to that word.
Instead, asking what you could have done differently changes your perspective. Taking responsibility is not necessarily saying “it’s my fault, it’s my fault” but instead owning up to the fact that you may have experienced a different outcome if you did something different, not the other individual or entity.
So as I start the race off as the very last one, something happened: I kicked into high gear.
Don’t you realize that when you feel like everyone else is succeeding at a higher level other than you, it forces you to level up? Same case in the race, same case in business.
For the race, I was trying to catch up to everybody that I saw in front of me.
In business, in my office, it’s not uncommon for individuals to make $300, $400, $500k in a year. That alone forces you to think differently and level up!
With my music in my ear, “Victory Lap” by Nipsey Hussle to be exact, I started to pick up the pace tremendously.
So here I am, finally back in the mix and passing people, and I realized that I’ve never ran with that type of pep in my step.
I mean, yes I was going for my morning runs, but those were more like morning jogs. Half speed.
I found myself winded after 75% of the FIRST LAP – I had 2 to complete.
Perfect example in business is that we underestimate how much work it actually takes to start up a business and how winded you can get when you haven’t even scratch the surface of what you can accomplish.
Winded, I can still hear my tunes pumping through my ear and as I approached the first lap marker, I could see individuals cheering on the runners. An amazing boost of energy and business is no different.
Sometimes, actually, most of the time, you’ll need someone cheering you on. That’s the only way you’ll be able to get through the tired, energy sucking thoughts that roam through your head on a daily basis discussing whether or not you’re good enough to achieve the goals you set for yourself.
I crossed the first lap marker. Success! Just one more to go.
This is the equivalent of reaching a milestone on the path to your goals. “Understanding the importance of celebrating the small wins is a sign of maturity” as legendary entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker Jim Rohn would say.
Feeling solid as I began the 2nd lap, something happened. Something I’ve never experience while on my morning jogs.
My right leg was becoming sore as all hell! Right on the shin. Straight pain.
“Oh C’mon!” I said to myself wondering if I wasn’t going to be able to finish because of a random injury.
Despite the pain, I pushed on. I just continued to focus on the music and keep my legs moving.
Same in business. Random things happen all the time. It’s up to you to press on through it all based on what you focus on.
As I came across the last bend, I could see the finish line up ahead. “Time to kick up” I said, as I started giving it all that I got to finish the best I can. At this point, “Mob Ties” by Drake was coming through the earbuds, a good enough song to make you want to run your fastest.
Passing the finish line
Passing the finish line was an emotion we all feel with various accomplishments… “I’m done! I did it!”
No, fireworks didn’t go off, I didn’t cry tears of joy and start my speech with “First off, I’d like to thank God……”
Not for a 5k.
Nonetheless, I still felt like I accomplished something. A goal. An endeavor. Starting something and then finishing it despite what may come up that you didn’t plan for.
Success.
About 30 minutes after I finished. I had that thought. “What’s Next?” 10k? 15k? Marathon?!
Completing one goal makes you want to take on a bigger, more challenging, more rewarding goal. Same thing in business. When I first started, I wanted to close on 5 homes in my first year, then 10, then 20, and eventually, I’ll make it the goal to double my business each year at a minimum.
My first of many 5k’s was interesting. It challenged me more than I originally thought but it reaffirmed me how I look at most goal inviting opportunities – with severe optimism.
Until I go live. That’s when the real work begins. That’s when the real problems begin. That’s where the real emotion begins.
That’s where seeing a goal in your head and finally executed, begins.
This race was awesome and as I start to work towards bigger and better goals, I’ll always remember my first 5k and how it’s indicative of how we handle each and every goal no matter how small or big.
Small goals require a 5k.
Big goals require a marathon…