The scariest thing I ever did was decide to sell real estate for a living. Starting a career as a Realtor® meant giving up a full-time job with benefits working as the Head of Circulation for our local library. But I had enough of long hours, nights and weekends, and missing my kid’s activities. It was time to invest in myself and trust that I could run my own business as a successful real estate agent.

I decided on real estate over other stock multilevel marketing women-owned businesses such as selling skin care products, baking supplies, candles, or vitamins for a couple of reasons. I had been a part of my community for over thirty years, and I felt comfortable speaking about it to potential clients. I had moved more times than I could count and I knew I could bring that experience forward to help others. I also looked at the return on investment of my time and money. I could focus on selling items at an average cost of 25 to 50 dollars that some people might want, or one that costs 250,000 dollars that everyone needs. You do the math, gross profit of 10 dollars or 7,500 dollars?

 

 

I also weighed the difference in startup costs. I have several friends who are immensely successful saleswomen in the skin-care, supplement, and home goods arenas. With the multi-level marketing business model, I wouldn’t need additional education and licensing, but I would need to buy into the plan and purchase stock items and marketing materials in most cases. I had to choose to either spend my initial investment on materials to sell or invest in an educational plan to be awarded a license. You know what they say, an education lasts forever, lipstick fades.

I also observed something else of my successful entrepreneurial friends. They all had one particular thing in common. They were passionate about their products and eager to share their knowledge about their benefits and could speak comprehensively about the industry surrounding it. I felt this kind of spark in my heart when I thought about how I could help people find their dream home or how I could be of service when it was time to sell and make a move to a new home. Selling real estate was going to be my career.

I began my classes by correspondence while I was still working full time. It took me sixty days to complete the coursework and another thirty to go through the testing and licensing processes here in Texas. It could be done in half that time now with online courses. I selected my broker to affiliate with and gave my notice at the library. By January of 2004, I was selling real estate full time. I got busy getting my bona fide education on all things real estate with my broker’s training program, setting up open houses, and learning how to find new clients. By the end of the year, I took home a “Rookie of the Year Award” from my office, and I had made more money than ever before in one year as an employee. I cried when I received my 1099 form and saw those numbers. I had been selling myself short for years.

Where are you in your life? Do you have the lifestyle you dream of yet? Would making a career change help you get there faster? If you aren’t ready to jump into real estate, consider starting with one of the multi-level marketing type businesses. They will give you confidence, and in most cases, you can work these part-time while you keep a full-time job to support your household. Over the years, I’ve helped many women take these businesses and parlay them into a part of a successful real estate career because it gave them a foundation and a contact base to start out.

I do not recommend starting a real estate career on a part-time basis. It is very problematic to be attentive to your client’s needs when you have another boss or company you are accountable to every day to meet your financial obligations.

Do you have a success story starting a business you can share with us? Sent me a note with your adventure or leave a post in the comments section.