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ISI Brotherhood Podcast
A podcast for growth-minded Christian businessmen who desire momentum and accountability in their business, family, finances, faith, and personal wellness. Each week, Aaron Walker, also known as Big A, shares authentically from decades of business ownership, marriage, and raising a family. He takes on listener questions and deep-dive into FORGE episodes with tried and tested co-hosts. Subscribe and visit our website https://www.isibrotherhood.com/podcast
ISI Brotherhood Podcast
112. THE FORGE: What's Keeping This Realtor From the Luxury Market?
What if you could transform your career and lifestyle in one bold move? Four seasoned business owners sit down with Trevor, a real estate entrepreneur determined to make a shift from the working-class market to the luxury sector. What's stopped him so far and why is his confidence in this decision lacking?
Alongside our insightful cohosts, Anthony, a therapist and coach, and Bret, a seasoned construction business veteran, we dissect the complexities Trevor faces in his pursuit of success. This candid conversation unveils Trevor's journey from his Midwest roots to his current aspirations in the Southeast, highlighting the psychological and practical challenges of embracing a more luxurious lifestyle.
Key Takeaways:
- Why hasn't Trevor committed to the luxury market yet?
- Where is God in your big decisions?
- How Trevor ended up in his own business after getting fired 5 times
- Is it wrong to be looking for a new challenge?
- How do you feel confident in big decisions?
Our discussion delves into the nitty-gritty of transitioning networks, branding transformations, and the personal sacrifices that come with targeting high-end clientele.
As we wrap up, the dialogue shifts to broader considerations of personal fulfillment versus financial growth. We spotlight the role of mentorship and accountability, with Trevor reflecting on his goals and aspirations. The episode challenges him—and our listeners—to scrutinize their internal motivations and fears, encouraging a journey of self-discovery rooted in faith and values.
Join the Iron Sharpens Iron Community: https://isibrotherhood.com/community
Connect with Anthony Witt: witthouse.com or anthonywitt.com
Anthony Witt is a professional licensed counselor and a business owner with a deep understanding of how entrepreneurship impacts personal health and those around them. Having bought, sold, and started multiple businesses, he has gained valuable experience at the intersection of personal health and business. His belief that "a healthy business owner creates a healthy business" underscores his approach to helping entrepreneurs thrive.
Connect with Bret Barnhart:
Barnhartexcavating.com
Bret’s Calendar Link
Bret’s Linkedin
Bret Barnhart, Jr. is the fourth generation in his family to start his own excavation company. He began Bret Barnhart Excavating (BBE) in 2002 with $1,500, a single backhoe and truck, and a trailer. Since then, BBE has grown to an entire fleet of heavy machinery and trucks, averages just under 20 employees, and grosses $4mil annually. Being specialized, along with having a personal mentor and joining a mastermind, has helped shape not only Bret's company but also himself as well. Bret and his wife Crystal have been married for 16 years and have two children, Cole and Adelyn.
Connect with Big A:
View From The Top Website: https://isibrotherhood.com
The ISI Newsletter: https://www.isibrotherhood.com/newsletter
Big A’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronwalker
Hey guys, welcome back to View From the Top podcast, where we help growth-minded men who desire momentum in their business, their family and their finances get through the valleys and up the mountain to their very own view from the top. This week's episode is a forge episode. This is where we have a panel of co-hosts and a guest that presents a problem he's facing and we help by deep diving into it with him. For this episode, we have Anthony and Brett back with us, along with Big A, our usual co-host, and along with our mystery guest. Remember, for these Forge episodes, as this business owner joins us, his voice and his face are masked. We do this to protect sensitive and confidential information related to the guest, family, employees and business. The benefit is so we can deep dive with no holds barred. So buckle up, strap it in. Let's get ready to go. Let's get the guys in and get rolling. Guys, welcome. How are you today.
Speaker 2:Hey, wally, what's up?
Speaker 1:Good to see you, man, it's been a month since we've been together, so let's just do a quick update. Brett and Anthony, just kind of remind the guys who you are. Got a little backstory, just 30 seconds. Bring the listeners up to speed today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm Anthony. I'm out here in Nashville, I'm a therapist and coach for high-performing entrepreneurs and business owners. Got a lovely wife and a whole bunch of kids and I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 2:Is that beyond count? Now, you don't even give it a number. I just stopped counting.
Speaker 3:I just don't even count anymore and the real number is the real number is seven.
Speaker 2:Seven. Okay, all right, is that it that's it, or next episode that's it According?
Speaker 1:to what we've been learning lately in Revelation, isn't seven the number of completeness.
Speaker 3:That's right. The number of completion that's right.
Speaker 2:The end of it is done. You're there. That's cool man. Good to have you today, anthony. Good to see you.
Speaker 4:Brett yeah, brett. Barnhart, tulsa, oklahoma, been in the construction business for 22 years. Been married, 19,. Had two kids, cole's 12, and Addy's 9. So, yeah, glad to be here, glad to be back.
Speaker 2:Most recently got his pilot's license. So congratulations on those pilot's licenses. I'm looking forward to a little check ride with you, let's go.
Speaker 4:I'll come pick you up tomorrow. It's going to be fun. It's going to be fun. It's going to be fun. He's ready to go.
Speaker 2:Good to see you guys. Man, I couldn't be more excited today. I'll be honest with you. We do a number of podcast episodes. The Forge is by far my favorite and it's because we get guys in to help them solve real problems. And today we've got Trevor. Trevor, it's good to have you today.
Speaker 2:We're going to dive in deep. We're going to talk about some pretty deep issues that you've been confronted with recently and on this episode we're going to kind of unravel one small business owner's pursuit of confidence and the deeper motivations behind what's driving your luxury lifestyle ambition. I just have to admit straight out of the gate I've struggled with confidence in some areas. Somebody's like Big A, not you. I said no, like privately. You know I haven't shared a lot, but there's been some times and I'm sure everybody on this call, and even the people listening today, have struggled with a sense of confidence in one area or another. The other side of this that we're going to solve is Trevor's deep desire to live a more we'll call it flamboyant lifestyle Country club, nicer house, nicer cars, nicer things. I'll let him kind of unpack that. We want to see where his motivations are and see if we can help him today. So, trevor, welcome to the Forge.
Speaker 5:Well, thank you for having me, guys. It's a pleasure to be a part of a group and to have the people on this call to give some insight. I always strive to have people around me who know more than I do and can see things that I can't see, so it's nice to be here and can see things that I can't see.
Speaker 2:So it's nice to be here. Let's unpack a little bit about who you are first, and then we want to better articulate the challenge that you're having at this juncture in your business.
Speaker 5:Of course. So I grew up in the Midwest with an older brother and sister. Dad was a nine-to-five traveling salesperson and did a lot of that. As I was growing up, moved to the southeast to get in, went to school down here at an ACC school and then ended up staying here in the southeast. I've had multiple W-2 jobs that I was very proficient at, getting fired from one of the best that there ever was and then got into residential real estate. With that being said, I have a wife and three kids 11, 9, and 7. And in the residential real estate world right now it's been doing it for seven years, been very successful. God has blessed me beyond belief and now just looking at some different opportunities or some different ways to kind of expand my business and getting into that and trying to work out what that looks like.
Speaker 2:Let's dive into a little bit more of. First of all, how did you get into that space?
Speaker 5:So I got into residential real estate from um.
Speaker 5:My last corporate job was a director of an international construction equipment company and um got up into that and just didn't work out in the corporate world and then went and tried to start my own business, which failed flat on its face, really, really bad, and had some challenges with the family and things like that and then it was basically a I wouldn't say an ultimatum, but it was basically a hey, we've got to find the next thing that you're going to do Like no more bouncing jobs, no more of this, that or the other.
Speaker 5:We've got to find this and let's stick to it. So then, from some advice from other people in my life, kind of got into the residential real estate, which has been great. It's really had God align me with. What my skillset is is being able to serve him through serving his people in the biggest purchases or sales that they will ever do in their lives. You know, for 99% of the population if they're not buying and selling businesses, but really guiding people through that which really speaks to my heart for teaching heart, for helping people understand things that they don't understand, which is a lot of what residential real estate is is guiding people through the process, which is something that I enjoy doing.
Speaker 2:Let's go back a little bit for context. You were W2 for years, international construction company. What was the catalyst that got you thinking about becoming a small business owner? What transition happened? Why did you decide? Your dad was in sales, you said, and you grew up kind of under that model, traveling sales, I think you said so what was the catalyst for the move? I got fired. That was the catalyst. I needed money to put food on the table. So what?
Speaker 5:was the catalyst for the move. I got fired. That was the catalyst. I needed money to put food on the table.
Speaker 2:So it wasn't choice. You didn't go. I think I'm going to go in business for myself. Never, never never, I'm tossed out.
Speaker 5:There has never been anyone in our family that was an entrepreneur, so would you still be there today if you hadn't got fired. No, well, like I said before, I was very proficient at getting fired. So I think I got fired from five W-2 jobs. So it was just a matter of time before and now realizing, looking back and seeing what God was doing is. It wasn't because I was a bad employee or anything like that. It was that my mind.
Speaker 2:You weren't a great employer. What was the theme there? What was the common thread?
Speaker 5:Challenging authority was the common thread.
Speaker 2:I can see that in your personality.
Speaker 5:Challenging authority, yes, challenging authority and it was always good ideas and one person said this to me and it stuck with me. He was the first guy who fired me and I'm still in communication with him today. Um, but he always said he always said it's better to be wise than it is to be right, very strong headed with being right and would always come up with the right plan and stuff like that. But how to interact or execute and stuff like that I was never wise or gentle in how I would do things.
Speaker 2:It's for a different episode, but we're going to have to break that comment down. I don't know that I'm in perfect alignment with that comment, but it's better to be wise than right, possibly most of the time. That's interesting. So, five times over what period of time you were fired?
Speaker 5:Probably 13 years.
Speaker 2:Okay, what was the first business? You left there and went in business for yourself. Doing what?
Speaker 5:I started a consumer products company. It was my oldest daughter had gotten a cup of coffee and I'd set it down on one of my hiatuses from employment and she put her hand in it and then pulled it down and it got second degree burns on both of her hands. And so I was trying to and this took a matter of years to come up with an idea of a lid that would cover in, that would cover our coffee cup, that would cover anything. And so I engineered, developed, sourced, had manufacturing for a lid that would cover anything from a styrofoam cup all the way up to a yeti and even coffee mugs in between, with one size. And so then I took that and my hiatus from employment on my last corporate job, sunk a bunch of money into it without any real knowledge of what to do.
Speaker 2:What's a bunch of money? What do you qualify as a bunch of money?
Speaker 5:Probably 20 grand. Okay, when we had three kids at home, new house, all that kind of stuff, a wife that was working, you know, one or two days a week, how did that go over?
Speaker 2:with her working, you know, one or two days a week.
Speaker 5:How did that go over with her? Like a lead balloon, I mean, it was just bad and it caused a lot of marital problems. It really did, and later on down the road.
Speaker 2:What was the problem? She didn't trust you. You were spending money. You didn't ask her permission, like. What was the problem?
Speaker 5:The problem was it wasn't putting the family first in the decision making it was taking you were trying to though not to defend you, but you were trying to make some money to support your family yeah, but it wasn't done right that big a and that's an issue that's what led me to isi later on down the road is I wanted to be surrounded with people who could give me insight that I didn't have, Because if I would have been in a group like ISI at the time, they'd have been like no, this is a dumb idea. It's not the right time for you to do it. Get stable, get steady income coming in. Don't count on a grand slam.
Speaker 2:So you were doing this in isolation. You were not consulting other trusted advisors. You were not consulting other trusted advisors, you were just out making your own decision best. You know how you W-2 employee all these years. Now you're going to be an inventor. You're going to do this thing with no outside counsel, correct? I would have been mad at you, too, if I'd been.
Speaker 5:Well, I'll see. That's what you get for defending me a little bit here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Well, I didn't have the whole story. So now, now that we do so, as a result of that, you're wanting to pivot. So you're doing X, Y and Z in business and you want to go a different direction. Explain to us what that is.
Speaker 5:Yeah, so it's. In the residential real estate market right now Things are kind of slowing down a little bit, which is based upon many different factors. That's for another conversation at another time, but things are slowing down. Type of customer I like interacting with and I enjoy interacting with um is one who is a little bit more of a high net worth individual Um cause. It's different conversations, it's different um ideas that are spoken versus. You know little tiny things here and there, um, and wanting to shift a segment of my business over to going into that and really putting a lot more energy and effort and time into doing that and what's the best way to do that? What are my motivations to do that and are my motivations pure and wanting to go and do those things? Are you going?
Speaker 4:to sell them houses.
Speaker 5:Yes, sir.
Speaker 2:So what is the primary problem we shared earlier? There's a sense of confidence or lack of.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I think the big thing with that is just for me is how does that? I'm definitely a person who has a lot of ideas and having the confidence of hey, is this a good idea? And then two, I'm definitely do. I have the discipline and the fortitude to continue to move through it. Okay.
Speaker 2:So just last question, Brett Does the collapse of the first business, is that impacting your decision to move forward and your wife's decision for you to transition?
Speaker 5:Is that impacting your decision to move forward and your wife's decision for you to transition. I mean, I think it has an. I don't know if it has a direct impact, but there, if you don't learn from your past mistakes, then you're never going to grow. So I think it's. It's definitely a fishing reference. It's probably an anchor that fully hasn't hit the bottom yet.
Speaker 2:I got you, okay, brett.
Speaker 4:To understand it a little more do you have to step out of the boat you're in to get into that boat?
Speaker 5:I don't, do you have to. No, I don't. But what it would be is probably a shift in 30% of my time and probably 30% of my marketing budget.
Speaker 4:In what way?
Speaker 5:And it's a big transition in terms of when you get into those types of spaces. It's very much network oriented and, once again, that's not necessarily a network that I have, Um. The network that I currently have is um and, to be flatly honest with it, is a working class network.
Speaker 4:And what's wrong with?
Speaker 5:that work and what's wrong with that? There's nothing wrong with that. But when you get into the higher price you're going to and I mean you're in construction, you understand this, the lower dollar amount jobs you have usually more headaches than you do with the higher amount jobs. And do I want to keep on doing the lower amount with the same amount of headache, or would I rather go to the higher amount, still have that same headache, but get paid more?
Speaker 2:I would contend you do have to get out of the boat and get in the other boat to make this transition, because your branding is going to be different. Your marketing is different Uh, your avatar is different. The words that you use are different Uh, you're going to be straddling the fence in attracting different avatars rather than your brand as being for the lack of a better word the elite realtor. You're going to be going to different places, interacting with different people. I contend it's going to be very difficult to stay in both arenas.
Speaker 3:Okay, personally, anthony, I agree, I think it sends a mixed message if you stay in that same boat and I think partially. I've got like 75 questions based on what we've talked about so far and one of those questions be becomes um, do you believe in this direction? Like I'm not sure if I at this moment, I'm not sure if I believe in it now we haven't been talking very long yet. Um, yeah, I've got some background information on you, but my first initial set of questions I wrote down before we even started the podcast was can you see it and do you believe in it?
Speaker 3:And I think going back and forth tells me I'm not really sure if you do.
Speaker 5:So, and can I see it without a doubt, because there is an open market for that. The agents that are currently in that space are, you know, they're in the latter end of their careers, most of them are female. Nothing against the females in any way, shape or form, but most of them are female. It is a female dominated industry. There are no males on the luxury side of things, and one of the things that is very big in the region that I'm in is both water and golf, and those are especially with golf for myself is something that I thoroughly enjoy and is being very true to myself and see the opportunity there, because no one has cornered that market at all in our region, do I believe?
Speaker 3:that? How come you haven't done it?
Speaker 5:That's why we're talking.
Speaker 4:What's the cost? So every all growth comes with a cost and nobody calcs it. What cost is it going to cost you? So nextcs it? What cost is it going to cost you so next six months? How much is it going to cost you Next year? How much is it going to cost you and how many months is it going to take to build this? And what is it going to cost you to get to that point where you're actually credible, selling to these people? They trust you. Essentially, you're going to become their assistant right, more than you're just going to sell them a house.
Speaker 5:I have foundational issues with the word being their assistant. I would put it more as being an advisor, because that's the way I run my business. I'm not an assistant to anybody, I'm an advisor to all and advising you to make sure that you are educated, empowered to make the best decision that you can for you and your family with your money. So when it comes to the money, I would say on a, once again, the viability of me being trusted in that space. I'm already in the top 2% of performers in my greater geographic area as a high producing agent, but that doesn't matter, it's a whole.
Speaker 4:that's like me selling um uh, I don't know a cheap car versus an expensive car, right, like I can go sell a whatever and then I get over here to sell BMWs. It's a whole different world, right.
Speaker 5:I would I don't really so hang on.
Speaker 1:You brought up. You brought up the idea of a different network. As I was listening to you talk, that's one of the things that you brought up that was different, that you're going to have to build into, than what you have today, and so can we play off that for a second. I think, along with what Brett's asking is what are you going to have to give up for yourself over the next? When you say cost, I'm not sure it's even money.
Speaker 4:Well, he's not going to sell near, he's not going to to me. He's going to have a bigger sell at the same percentage.
Speaker 4:But he may sell five houses a year instead of 25 houses a year Right, Correct. Houses a year, right, Correct. So if he sells five houses a year versus 20, let's say 12 houses he sells one a month, Then he goes back to two same revenue. Now he has lost all of that income for six months. But when he does get a check it's going to be a big freaking check, right? So can you sustain through that growth? Same thing for me in the commercial. I can go work residential and get paid weekly. I can go work commercial and get paid every 120 days. How do I carry myself and my business in between that time to make a bigger profit margin at the end, right?
Speaker 4:And nobody calculates that growth?
Speaker 3:In respect to cost. You're asking the cashflow question.
Speaker 4:Well, I mean, yeah, yeah, a cost to grow in that business in that market. Right, there's a momentary cost that he's gonna I feel like, from what he's saying, he's gonna have until he starts selling these he's gonna give up revenue for some period of time.
Speaker 2:And what is that estimated period of time and can can you sustain that, not put your family in jeopardy until you built the brand and built a new network?
Speaker 5:Well I mean. So this is where I kind of push back on you guys on this is because once again it comes back to in this business you can still go in if you're only let's pick the price point of $5 million. You're doing a $5 million property, but you're also not doing, you know, an $800,000 property. When you go and sit at somebody's kitchen table, they're going to wonder why you're just doing X number of deals per year versus, hey, you know what. You might not be in my exact price point at $5 million, but you're still doing $700 and $800. That goes to credibility.
Speaker 3:Possibly, but I think this is maybe too deep for today's show. But I think one of your shifts is going from letting people hire you for your knowledge and not being a commodity. Even real estate agents are a commodity. They sell a commodity which has a price point. Your price point maybe doesn't change, but your take-home does. And if you want to be an advisor to someone, I'm your advisor. I'm not just your agent doing the five things that an agent does or the 35 things an agent does, I'm your advisor.
Speaker 3:You can charge a lot more and we're not necessarily talking about changing the percentage on a sale change here, but the concept is the same, like if I'm writing you a $150,000 check versus a $15,000 check. To your point. It's kind of like what I do If I have somebody and I tell them I'm a therapist and they come and see me for therapy. There is a commodity price on that. Our client is the same. The client you're going after is the same client I have already. It's the same client.
Speaker 3:It's a high-end performer. They're paying me for my expertise. I want to pay you for your expertise as an executive of the high-performing whatever you call it real estate agent. And that's where I think the change has to happen. Yeah, can you sell the lower-end stuff? Sure. Can I see a lower-end client? Sure. But the delusion, delusion, disillusion, the deluding of I'll get the right word out there the deluding of who you are, especially if the word we started today with the word confidence, especially if the word is confidence Like, even more so if the word is confidence, I think you have to do more of cutting it out and saying, no, this is who I am.
Speaker 2:I think there's two models that we're talking about here, because I didn't take that he was going to be a consultant advisor to the elite in charge of fee but he's still going to be making a commission on the sale.
Speaker 5:No, it's the and I mean this is and I agree with what you're saying Anthony is. But you've got to also understand that the percentage and once again it's in the business that I'm in I can't go in. If a standard rate is 3% of selling a house, I can't go in and charge 7%, Like it's not going to happen.
Speaker 3:But if you don't sell houses at my number, I'm not even going to look at you.
Speaker 5:Yes, oh, that's what I completely agree with.
Speaker 3:That's where I'm getting at. That's what I completely agree with. That's what I completely agree with. That's where I'm getting at.
Speaker 5:That's what I completely agree with and I've sold houses at that number and I want to get more into that and keep moving that up to increase my profit margin Not to increase, but increase my cash flow when it comes to that, because the headaches are the same whether you're doing it, you know, for 5 000 or 25 000, they're the same headaches. It's just you want to get paid more and but with my and I think, with what big a is saying in terms of the confidence. The confidence is not. The lack of confidence has nothing to do with the ability to sit in front of somebody and talk to them. That is not in question. The lack of confidence is the ability to execute on a plan. It's because I've had plans go bad before.
Speaker 2:Trevor, let me say this from a consumer standpoint, not even knowing you as an individual. If I didn't, hypothetically, if I'm doing research and I'm going to buy Robin a $5 million house and I see the vast majority of the houses that you sell are $200,000 to $600,000 and there's a competitor in the neighborhood that specializes in $2 million to $10 million houses, odds are I'm going to choose that realtor with that experience to deal with that product. If I see the majority of what you're selling is the lower tier, I'm probably not going to select you, because it's an anomaly, it's not the normal course of business that you do. I think that is what we were saying initially. I don't think you can straddle the fence and do both. I think the branding is different, your expertise is different, the presentations are different.
Speaker 2:What you write about, talk about, the models that you show are extremely different than the lower tier product. For the lack of a better word, the confidence that I believe that I'm seeing the lack of is you and yourself in making the transition. It's like well, this sounds like something I would like to do, but I don't have the confidence to pull the trigger and completely rebrand myself. That's the way it feels in the things that I read, the conversations that we've had. Is that accurate or inaccurate? Is that accurate?
Speaker 5:or inaccurate. I don't know if that's accurate or inaccurate, I mean because the way it's not something that I had thought about was pulling the plug on one whole thing. So honestly, I don't know if I can give you an accurate answer on that.
Speaker 3:I think it would be more along the lines of yeah, I don't know if I can give you an accurate answer. Do you want us to tell?
Speaker 5:you what to do. I'd love to hear your insight.
Speaker 3:We're not going to tell you what to do. We will give you our insight.
Speaker 1:though Let me throw a question out there about cost and risk. So, regardless of what you do, the choice that you make, going forward, like you, you've got to. You said it. I'm going to come back to the network thing, uh, because I'm I'm in agreement from my understanding about that, that, uh, level of selling houses, that it's going to be a different type of networking, relationship building, than what you're doing today, in the same way, right, so, yeah, so, because of that, my question would be what does that mean that you're going to, even if you did that simultaneously, let's say, you're able to start building some relationships, get network, get a few houses, build up some authority because you've sold some, and make that transition, whether it's whether it's your, your migrating to it or whether you're cutting and doing it doesn't matter when you start doing it.
Speaker 1:My point is this. My question for you is this what are you afraid of? Like what are you going to have to give up to go this route versus what you have today in terms of your lifestyle, the choices you get to make every day, the time you get home, the amount of energy and effort you get to put into your wife and your daughters? Like what is going to be different?
Speaker 1:Because to me it seems like yeah, it seems to me like when you say network and you say heighten down with individuals, what I hear is like they've got to have your time. So one of the things they will require more of you, I would think, is your attention.
Speaker 4:I'm 100%. That's when I say the cost and you're going to become their assistant. I disagree with you that you're going to be their whatever you said, because I work for both and I have worked for both. Both and the middle class, as you said, appreciate the value we offer because they need us to help them with their solution. Whereas what you would say the high net worth, they want a good deal and they want somebody to do everything for them. So I'm 100% with Kevin and there is going to be a cost to that and I think you're going to become whatever they need when they need it, and if you don't do it, they'll go get somebody else that will do it for them.
Speaker 5:I think and I'll come back to you on this, brett, here in a minute once I handle Kevin's question I think that when I talk about network and things like that, it gets more into I don't think there's going to be a big change in the cost of what my time is right now. And to transfer that over to you, brett, that's the same thing on any price point, that's. I can't tell you how many calls I've taken on a $250,000 house at 10 o'clock at night. So if I'm going to take that time away from my family, which I will, I'm already doing it. So it's already going away. I'd rather do it for more money. So I disagree with you on that one, 100%. So is this a?
Speaker 4:money decision Is that all this is is money. You just want more money.
Speaker 5:Well, if you let me get back to Kevin's question, is with Kevin's question.
Speaker 1:Now I know why he got fired, like how many times. I love it. I love the challenge, it's good, keep going, keep going.
Speaker 5:So, getting back to Kevin's question is and this is what big a was talking about at the beginning of the connection and the network is my bigger concern with breaking into those things is I don't have that network. I'm not currently involved in you know, high donor events.
Speaker 5:I'm not currently involved in country clubs where a lot of that stuff happens. I'm not running in those circles. So I think the biggest cost in terms of time and money is getting involved in those areas, which I've never done. That I don't necessarily. Once I get to those places, that will be fine. But to answer your question, kevin, what does that look like for the family and the wife and the girls? There's no answer to that.
Speaker 1:Well, there's an answer. You just don't feel like you know it today, correct?
Speaker 4:do you want to be in the country clubs?
Speaker 5:yes, that's the lifestyle you want it's the lifestyle that I would want. Yes, and I think some of that comes back to the question that Big A was asking at the beginning of you know what was my background? What was all those things? Once again, we have a great life right now. We really do. We are completely debt free. We live well, below our means. No house payment, no car payments, payments we get. I mean, if we want something, we go get it, but it's wanting to go to that next level that I've always wanted to be at and get into those circles just next level.
Speaker 2:What does that mean, next level?
Speaker 1:uh, the next level of a lifestyle that I would like to live described that true, or you just bored with what you're doing, like if you feel like you've achieved it and now you want to go accomplish something else. Correct.
Speaker 5:So we're sitting here five years from today?
Speaker 4:What is your life ideally in an ideal situation? What does it look like In a perfect world? You made the decision. You have no confidence issue. Your wife loves what you're doing.
Speaker 5:Your daughters are so excited about who dad is. What does that look like? For me personally, that would be. I would. There's a neighborhood we would like to live in, and this is just on that side of things. There's a neighborhood we would like to live in that would have boat access for some personal reasons for one of our family members which would truly enjoy that boat access, and it's not what you think it would be, but the boat access I would like to, and this was Big A one of my 15-year goals on our last Come as you Will Be, I would personally like to write a $500,000 check to charity and have that impact. Whether that be a church or a local, whatever it is, I would like to have that impact, to be able to give that amount of money away and then continually serving at the church in our community, etc. Etc.
Speaker 1:Are you doing that today? Are you giving away?
Speaker 2:some portion that you feel led to.
Speaker 1:And are you serving effectively today? Are you doing those two things today?
Speaker 5:We're giving effectively. Yes, the serving is a bigger issue because of some family member things.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 4:So what I hear is a lifestyle business. Essentially, you want to do this to create a different lifestyle. Right? You want to make more money to fund a lifestyle that you would like to live for you and your family.
Speaker 5:I don't know if I would classify it as a lifestyle business, but I see where you're going with that statement.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, because I think there's, there's, there's building a business To feed my lifestyle versus building a business that is worth so much money in the end, which means I don't get to live that lifestyle.
Speaker 5:Well, and the difficulty with that, brett, when you look at, you can, and I've built team members and things like that through this business before, but the multiple for selling is basically non-existent for trying to build it. Now, when it comes to assistants and agents and stuff like that, I have those. It's no big deal. That's kind of how it goes of trying to step back more and more from you know, taking 10 pm phone calls. But in the long-term goal of hey, I want to build this business and sell it off, that doesn't happen in real estate.
Speaker 2:Is there ways to replicate yourself and what you're currently doing, becoming the broker, hiring agents, making more money at the place?
Speaker 5:you're at now. All of those things are already in place.
Speaker 2:Do you have a friend or someone that is a mentor, that is an elite realtor catering to these people? No, so you don't really know what their lifestyle is. You don't really know the behind the scenes, what they go through, the requirements of the elite buyer.
Speaker 5:You don't really know those things I have a pretty good idea because I've worked with them and I've got a high end listing right now which is considered luxury in our market, and I've had three or four of them this year and so I know their lifestyle, I know what they're looking for. But it's really a pivot to working more on that full time because I enjoy the people more.
Speaker 1:Is God calling?
Speaker 5:you to this. I couldn't say yes or no. I haven't heard anything from god on that response yet.
Speaker 4:I just feel like there's there's more to this. I don't know what it is, but there's. It's like like there's a rational lie that you're telling yourself to get what you want, and the root of it. I don't know if you feel bad about it, I don't know what it is, but it just seems like there's more underlying this decision.
Speaker 2:Is there a deeper motivation? That's what you're asking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, are you worried about becoming something you don't want to become? There's something there. I get it. I think we all feel it. Are you trying to prove something.
Speaker 2:Is there some underlying motivation? I Are you trying to prove something?
Speaker 5:Is there some underlying motivation? Well, I'm always trying to prove something to myself.
Speaker 4:Because you've argued every situation against it, so I don't know why you haven't done it. You sold it to yourself.
Speaker 5:Why do you think we're here?
Speaker 2:The confidence in pulling the trigger. That's what's missing.
Speaker 5:Yeah, that's what we talked about.
Speaker 2:Where's?
Speaker 1:your wife.
Speaker 2:Where's your wife at with this?
Speaker 5:My wife is okay with me, kind of moving more into this. She's more concerned. If it's going to change me in, she's more concerned. Is this a? How would you put it? Am I trying to become those?
Speaker 1:people.
Speaker 5:Are you?
Speaker 2:Am I trying to?
Speaker 5:become those people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, are you?
Speaker 5:I don't know if I'm trying to become those people. Would I like to have some of their lifestyle, of course.
Speaker 4:Like what.
Speaker 5:I think I would like to have the access to some of those country club things. I think I would like to be involved in some more of the local nonprofit and charity type organizations, sit on a board here and there. I think I would enjoy all those things.
Speaker 4:I sit on a board and have for nine years and I'm not a member of a country club. Boards love to have people. So if a country club, if, if the board is going to require you to be a part of a country club, I would, I would question that board, Anthony what are you thinking here?
Speaker 3:I don't think the logistics of the business have anything to do with where you're at currently with this potential change or shift. I think it has 100% to do with you, which is partially where we started. 100% to do with you, which is partially where we started. One of my notes I've kind of been taking some notes as I've been thinking, as everybody's been talking is there seems to be a confidence issue we use that word already here with and I'm not sure if it's all of these things or one of these things but with what you want, what you believe, what you think you can do with who you are. Even. I think that's where the competence piece is potentially.
Speaker 3:You told us your story earlier I'm transitioning a little bit. You told us your story earlier and you said several times God did this thing or this thing happened, and so I wrote down the question. Like the first question I actually wrote down before I wrote down my two that I had before we started was what is God doing here? God was all over your story and I don't hear any of it right now. Not that you need to be dropping the God name every time you say and God did you know, but like I don't. I don't feel or hear it or see it right now in this transition or this potential move or transition, and so I would kind of go to that Is is it a conflict of? I wrote down what you said you're good at, you know. You said you're good at teaching and helping people understand.
Speaker 3:I don't want an answer to this. Is that possible with this change? Maybe you don't even believe that's possible and that's what that belief structure, confidence issue is. Or maybe you believe those quote-unquote people are not the type of people you want to be and you're worried about potentially becoming those people, which would be who you would become. But I would just kind of come back to it, more so than probably any forge we've done so far.
Speaker 3:I'd come back to the God question for you, which is not necessarily God telling you to do this, but like where is God in this? Which is not necessarily is God telling you to do this, but like where is God in this, and maybe that go back to my original question, which is can you see it and do you believe it? Maybe, if I add another word in there, can you see God in this and not like right now, today, in this decision process. But like over there, way down there, I'll make it personal for a second and say I work with high performance because I can see God there. I'll make it personal for a second and say I work with high performance because I can see God there. Yeah, I'm not going to lie, they pay me a lot more than the person that sits on my couch, but there's a ton more opportunity for me. The God part is huge for me, just massive, because I'm a know, like and trust and I can say hey, I think you're missing the God thing. I'm just wondering that for you because you said that and then another. I'm just now, I'm just rambling.
Speaker 3:But another thing you said earlier was isolation. You didn't use the word isolation, but I wrote down. The question is part of the issue now. Now you're here with us, so maybe this is as moot. But are you doing or making this decision in isolation? Because you said earlier that that's one of the things you did when you made your mistakes. So to say all that, there's a lot of things. It was like 17 questions or comments in one, but that's kind of what I've been. It. It has to do with you, I don't. I don't think that, although I think we I think Brett has got great points, I think we've had good points on the business transition and the personal switch, I don't think I was anything to do with it personally right now, from what I'm hearing- Okay.
Speaker 2:Trevor, just a couple of things. I want to encourage you. We're going to go around with final comments related to your confidence in the luxury lifestyle that you're opting to pursue. I think it would be healthy for you to get a mentor in this space. That could, that you could even pay and say, hey, I'd like to be in this space.
Speaker 2:This is one of the lessons learned from the last experience that you had. You didn't have a mentor, you didn't have someone that walked that journey with you, and you made horrific mistakes and cost you a lot of money. We don't want to see you repeat that again. So I think you need to start interviewing, treating to dinner, paying a fee to some mentor in this space, so that you really understand what it is that you're getting into. Really count the cost.
Speaker 2:I think you're going to be surprised at the demands that's going to be placed on you by some of these people. You may or may not want to do that, maybe, maybe not. I think the demand is going to be greater because people of that caliber is used to getting what they want and there's no shortage of demands on our time, and we've built high-end residence when I own a construction company and I've dealt with that customer for almost 10 years and I know exactly the demands that were placed on us to accomplish the things that they wanted. So I would just be mindful of that. So my closing comments to you is going to be to get a mentor in that space that can walk you on that journey, anthony.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I think my kind of final comments would be you said earlier hey, it's confidence in believing that you can successfully do the plan. I think I'm with big A on part of this and say give accountability on that, Like on that, here's the plan, here's what I'm doing, and I think a mentor in the space would be great to help figure out what that is and then find somebody maybe it's the same person. That is specific. I'm going to use the word accountability, that is, are you doing the plan? Are you executing the plan? Are we doing the plan? It's akin to hiring your own boss to help you make sure you're getting it done. Okay.
Speaker 4:Rhett, I love your plan. I love to hear where you want to be in five years. I still think there's way more to unpack in this. I will say, in my experience working for both customers, the higher end customer has come at a much bigger cost of my time, and we can even talk on this afterwards. But even writing checks back, because there's this obligation that the core group of people they hang out with is that they go and tell them how great it is to work with our business, right? So I'm always trying to protect that.
Speaker 4:Um, I think on the other side of things, uh, uh, I don't know if there's guilt, I don't know what it is about living that lifestyle, but, um, there's been times where I felt guilty about a certain lifestyle. And as long as it doesn't change who I am and as long as I continue to build God's kingdom and not Brett's kingdom, I think it's okay to want those things. I think it's okay to go live that lifestyle. And so many times there's people around us that kind of beat us up for living that life and and as you grow and as you go, you get more alone as you continue to build and become successful.
Speaker 4:So I would just like I would encourage you whatever that is, um, if you want those things and you can afford it and maintain the lifestyle you've created, a a great personal lifestyle for yourself and where you're at financially, I think think that's incredible. If you can maintain that and you want it, go for it. Like, go live that right. If you want to be a part of that country club, that's okay. Some people will disagree with you, but that's just part of it. So, yeah, yeah, that's my thoughts. That's good.
Speaker 1:Wally, yeah, I'm going to go back to you. You know what's god's calling on your life in this and you can't answer that today, obviously. Uh, you, you didn't have an answer. So I think, searching more through that, um, I love what. I love what anthony said about like, where is god in this? Might not be right here or maybe out here, but where is he? If he's not anywhere, then that'd be a red flag. I don't want to figure that out. I wrote down a note even while Big A was talking of getting some type of a mentor or some type of someone you can invest some time with to understand more about what would be required of you. I do think you're looking for a new challenge. I know you a little bit, we're good friends off air, full disclosure and I know you're looking for a new challenge and not that you're bored with what you're doing, but, but I definitely think that that there's a new challenge you're looking for. You know, given the softer market and some other things you've done well, how can you continue to do well? I don't think that's a bad thing. I just think it's something to be completely forward about for yourself and with your wife. Don't become somebody that you aren't, and I think, identifying.
Speaker 1:I just watched this. It wasn't a very, very I mean it was an okay documentary on casting crowns and the Christian music group. I've listened to their stuff over the years. I just never like paid attention deeply who they are. I just watched this documentary and the documentary is literally called Home by Sunday. I don't know if you know much about them. I'd go check it out but they made the commitment as a they're probably a top. You know much about them. I'd go check it out, but they made the commitment as a they're probably a top, you know, over the years they were a top group. They made a commitment to be home by Sunday so that they could leave worship at their church when they did concerts and they're a big, freaking deal right in their heyday so they set some boundaries that they weren't willing to cross and I think, as you work through this, it's something you need to do as well.
Speaker 2:Trevor, what's a level of commitment to this group that we can check back and hold you accountable? What do you see after this conversation? Some next right steps maybe for you right steps may be for you.
Speaker 5:So I think a couple steps is. I think Anthony's right in that you have to kind of get deeper down and hear what God's trying to say in this situation. I think that's definitely the first step and then, as everybody else has said kind of on here, is find somebody who knows more about it than I do.
Speaker 2:That's good, very excited that you were here today. I want to encourage the listeners today to really think about the importance of addressing any confidence barriers that you may have and understand what your true motivations are in accomplishing this. I want you to also think and reflect on your own ambitions and what confidence-building actions that you might take to achieve your next goal, so that you, too, can have that view from the top.
Speaker 1:Thank you, guys for listening in today. Remember to go to isibrotherhoodcom, where you can learn more and get connected in the ISI Brotherhood. You get to meet people like Trevor and get to hang out with guys like Big A and Brett and Anthony. We'd love to see you in there. That's isibrotherhoodcom. If we don't see you in there, we will see you in there. That's isibrotherhoodcom. If we don't see you in there, we will see you next week.