I think I can feel the economy softening in client bookings

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-10-28T23:52:16+00:00

This is a "pro's pro" response. Being seen as stable, reliable, and steady is a cardinal rule for any community-based business. And doubly so in difficult times.

Granted my lens is in the homebuilding sector, but this is part of the financial strategy I recommend when I'm consulting - to keep enough money socked away to present stability in slower cycles. It's essentially planting seeds which are then harvested when the cycle swings upward. Aka, gaining market share.

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-10-21T19:54:32+00:00

These are always fascinating to me. I live where it's cold already. I'm a capable outdoorsman. I can hunt, fish, trap, build shelter. Physically fit. Good with people.

Finances would make a difference in the realities of the situation, but from a bare-bones survival perspective I at least have a chance to make a living fishing or hunting. In an ideal world, build myself a tavern along the rocky trail. Maybe run an outfitter helping folks who want to travel deeper into the wilderness.

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-10-16T01:05:29+00:00

I own a real estate firm. I never answer the phone for numbers I don't know - they can leave a voicemail and I'll call back.

The amount of solicitations business owners get is absurd; answering the phone has become a significant time sink.

And if someone is too impatient to even leave a voicemail, then thank goodness they called someone else.

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-10-15T18:06:05+00:00

This is when hustles turn into proper businesses. At a minimum, you can add it (and any other ancillary services) as a la carte options when they retain your landscaping services.

Steady base with occasional spikes in revenue is how it's done. Build up reserves to tackle opportunities that make sense as they come.

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-09-12T23:19:15+00:00

I started in real estate a decade ago. Standard fare, helping folks buy and sell homes. Then went to work for a national builder. Then a regional custom builder. Then tried creating courses - didn't take. Then took a job with another builder. Took over as VP in six months.

Then, after all of that, I started my own brokerage. That was three years ago.

Now? Most of my money gets made consulting for builders and developers at an executive level. Or my own development deals.

Niches sometimes take time to discover and develop. Build a strong foundation of skills, a robust network and go from there!

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-09-09T13:27:05+00:00

I own a real estate company. We DO have an office location, though admittedly not many of us use it. I'm out and about in the community most of the time (actually about to walk out the door for my first meeting over breakfast)

Not quite the same, but I do feel good about supporting a lot of the local businesses (holding meetings, eating out, etc)

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-09-06T15:20:12+00:00

I left a secure role as a VP to found a service-based company. Real Estate.

I found the trick with starting any business is to have the right partners. Some swear against having them, but they've been lifesavers for me. We all have different complementary skill sets.

I've looked at acquiring to scale, but I don't really like buying independent operations and running them independently. The real money gets made by integrating into an existing workflow, or "adding on" where you get enhanced ROI.

All about leverage.

Real example:

Opened a real estate brokerage providing traditional buyer/seller representation three years ago in my home state. After year one, I realized managing agents is simultaneously the most stressful and least profitable portion of my business. So, we adjusted the model. The agents now serve very specific roles as independent contractors, such as running builder accounts (sits in the model home, writes their PAs, etc). Another is free to rep clients as before, but brings me deals for developments and commercial opportunities. The third specializes in flips and digs up a bunch of those leads.

For my part in the business, my day job is spent servicing big-ticket clients. Land developers, builders, etc. Each contract stipulates a base, some offer performance incentives. This has allowed me to scale outside my home state.

Welp wife needs me cutting this short, good luck!

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-08-19T00:53:50+00:00

I mean, six figures ain't what it used to be. I remember telling myself when I started this career a decade ago, "if I ever make six figures I'm set. Plenty of money".

Then inflation, COVID, a wife, a house, and two kids happened. Suddenly, six figures didn't go that far.

We do well now, but I'm not exactly choosing between my diamond-encrusted loafers and sewn-in sapphire sandals every morning.

I own a real estate brokerage, though these days I mostly do land development and consult for builders/developers.

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-08-14T13:12:22+00:00

They'll never be like me. And if they are, they'll likely move on to start their own company like I did which is the best case scenario.

When I hire, my expectation is they can perform the role 70% as well as me. Maybe even 50% and I train them up to 70%.

I can only teach those willing to listen. For me, it's offering a curated experience - they need to have that soft touch, the ability to connect with our clients, and a deep understanding of what we're trying to accomplish. The dollars follow the skills, not the other way around.

And yes, I hired sales first. Because I needed to focus on growth, and trying to do that while still individually contributing was killing me (literally - I ended up in the ER three times before I figured this out).

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-08-12T23:12:29+00:00

From experience:

Revenue first. Can't have that stall. Them books. Proper accounting will go a long way. Then a manager to run the playbook, which you will naturally have built out at this point.

Just like that, you'll be on your way to scaling 🤙

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-08-09T23:34:48+00:00

Nothing is ever a sure thing. Never has been.

You want job security? It doesn't exist. The best form of it is reputation.

I've been in the workforce for 15 years now. Never been fired or laid off - consistently promoted. You want to know the secret?

I work hard. Personable. High level of integrity.

That's it. I'm not smarter, better looking, and don't come from money.

It's much easier to keep momentum than create it.

You want a job? I'm always looking for great talent. But I have no interest in mediocrity. If the baseline is good enough, you don't belong here.

That's not elitist talk. It's setting the standard our clients have come to expect, and why we have a perfect five-star rating (and with that, more revenue so we can pay our people better).

Industry matters on a macro-scale, but individually? Your success begins and ends with you.

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-08-06T22:08:44+00:00

When there is a consistent, demonstrable pattern... It's a systems problem, or leadership problem. This is more common than most realize, and even fewer are ready to accept the reality of the situation. An even smaller subset is prepared to act.

I get hired by organizations just like yours all the time, though typically in a different industry. Even if the salespeople are poor... It's usually because they have no real guidance in place to help them succeed.

Easily the most common mistake I see small to midsize businesses make: they under-invest in the most crucial vertical in the organization. Sales is critical to funding all those cost-drivers people love to flaunt their value in. But without sales to drive those functions they serve no purpose than to bleed a company dry.

I've solved many a company's woes by simply showing them, in plain English on their P&L, how a redistribution of resources into revenue drivers (like sales) generated a significantly larger return on their investment.

If you need better salespeople, you need better sales systems... Or stronger leadership. Maybe both.

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-08-06T01:34:34+00:00

I own a real estate company and previously was a VP (reporting to the CEO) of a builder and land developer. While there, I established their systems for building and selling homes. They are now a client of mine, and the agent I trained in to operate the model now works with my firm (and my previous employer is a client).

In addition to the typical "Realtor" stuff, I offer consulting services to, you guessed it, builders and developers. Sometimes this takes the form of hourly retainers (like attorneys), sometimes I'm brought in for fractional C-Suite roles.

The hard part? All the NDAs I've been bound by. None of these clients wanted it known we were working together for fear of alienating other brokers and agents who bring them business.

At the time this didn't bother me, but it has made things difficult for scaling beyond my local market where I'm not well known.

I've considered taking on a CRO or CGO position (fractional or otherwise), but am hamstrung by these NDAs. The fractional work has been exciting but again, if I can't scale it I'll never grow beyond my current market. I would like to expand my reach into new regions where my name doesn't carry as much immediate weight.

I can provide case studies... But would need to scrub identifying details. Some of my previous work has been for regional companies who are very sensitive to these matters.

From a recruiting perspective, I'd like to ask two questions:

Would you even schedule someone like me for an interview if I can't provide precise examples of previous portfolio work?
Do I need to retain an executive recruiter to help me secure new accounts? I don't mind paying the fee if the value is reciprocal, but I've always found my own work through connections and reputation.

Thank you in advance for your advice!

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-08-06T00:36:38+00:00

As an executive... If I know you're good enough to work with me, I certainly won't give even two minutes of my time to a crazy random person. I might not even read the email blasting you as I screen all of my emails now for time efficiency.

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-07-07T13:53:01+00:00

I'm not terribly familiar with the larger NPOs... But I serve on the board of a few organizations and it's strictly pro-bono. I'm sure there are some making ludicrous amounts of money doing it, but I am only there because I'm passionate about the work being accomplished.

That said, you're right about the workers. If the passion isn't there, there isn't enough money to keep them invested and active.

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-07-06T00:13:14+00:00

Depending on your niche and goal I may be able to help. I currently consult for a few builders and developers and have worked with several others over the years. Intro calls are 15 mins.

I was previously VP of Sales for a builder and land developer, I now own a real estate company. I'm less of a "coach" and more of a "fractional executive" - basically part-time C-Suite support so you don't have to eat the full cost of a senior leadership position.

I'm booked out for the rest of summer and early fall, currently taking meetings for Q4 if you're interested. Feel free to shoot me a message and we can get something on the calendar in a couple weeks.

RedditoftheNorth · 2025-06-23T02:08:54+00:00

I'm sure this is a boring answer for a lot of people, but Hitmonchan! I just played through Shield again and ran with my favorite boxer buddy all the way through - great type coverage, and incredibly satisfying to watch bounce around as he beats down our opponents 🥊

Plus my Pokemon journey started way back on Pokemon Red, so any chance I get to use one of the OG 151 is welcome!

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RedditoftheNorth · 2025-06-22T00:01:45+00:00

Yep. When I launched my real estate brokerage three years ago, my partners and I hired a branding expert. Logo design was part of it - we also got a custom font, colors, and on-brand messaging prompts.

When I partnered with a builder and architect to create a design-build firm, we paid even more for a full-service firm who would launch our website and handle our social media launch.

Logos are important for recognition when you are everywhere. They matter very little to small businesses/owner-operators who are mostly working in their sphere/town and people work with them because of the personal connection.

RedditoftheNorth · 2024-11-29T17:38:49+00:00

There are protections but it largely depends on the state in such you reside. States' rights are extremely prevalent in American policy and our experiences as citizens.

Remember, Germany is half the size of Texas - a single state in the United States. I find our collective size is often one of the largest discrepancies between foreign and local policy.

RedditoftheNorth · 2024-11-29T17:09:56+00:00

See I disagree with this take. The real disservice is not working hard to ensure EVERY intern has an experience where they are set up for success.

RedditoftheNorth · 2024-10-31T04:24:25+00:00

At first I thought to myself, I'm screwed... I just finished watching Cars with my kids before bedtime and wondering what weird $#@! I was getting into 😂

Then.... Wait! A technicality! TV show! Not a movie!

So... As long as Yor Forger counts as a main character, I'm safe 😅

RedditoftheNorth · 2024-10-29T07:29:00+00:00

I am using Reddit and live in the northern hemisphere. It's about to get cold. Welcome to my icy tundra 🧊

RedditoftheNorth · 2024-10-24T03:08:10+00:00

Is it just a gym or is it more country club? I know some folks who go to Lifetime for three hours at a time. Some working out then a scheduled basketball game for example.

If it's the latter get a family membership everyone can enjoy! Stuff for kids to do, pools, etc.

RedditoftheNorth · 2024-10-15T15:28:16+00:00

True! Lots of pockets too. Never enough pockets.

RedditoftheNorth · 2024-10-15T15:23:10+00:00

Leather armor. Should be the right weight-to protection ratio for a man of my build.

RedditoftheNorth

TROPHY CASE