Are you hanging on by a thread but not quite ready to call it quits? This episode is for you.

We keep getting messages from agents who are struggling financially but who are not ready to throw in the towel. We get it. Real estate has a way of pulling you in, making you believe the next deal is right around the corner. But when money is actually tight, hope alone is not a business plan.

We start with a real story about Erica, a Hustle Humbly Community member who moved from California to Texas knowing absolutely no one. Instead of white-knuckling real estate with zero network and zero income, she humbled herself, went back to restaurant management, built her people, learned the market, and saved money. Then she went back into real estate full time and now has a thriving business in Texas. That is not a failure story. That is a strategy. We also share Alissa's own experience from her early days bartending private events and the moment she ran into a high-budget buyer client while working one of those events. She lost the client. It stung. But the lesson has stuck ever since.

This is not the episode where we tell you to quit. This is the one where we give you 15 practical things you can do TODAY to stabilize your business, bring in money, and protect your mindset while you ride out a tough market.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

• Text 5 people you haven't talked to in a while — your next deal is probably hiding in a name you've been scrolling past

• Audit your business expenses and cancel anything that isn't earning its keep

• Consider a "people job" (restaurant, coffee shop, gym) to bring in income while staying connected

• Pick up gig work without shame — Door Dash, Instacart, TaskRabbit, Uber — whatever fits your schedule

• Sort your database by last contact and reach out to anyone you haven't spoken to in 90 days

• Host a free small event in the next 30 days to get yourself in front of people

• Know your real number — write down your actual monthly expenses and make a plan

• Stop hiding behind content creation and have real conversations with real people

• Ask a past client for a referral directly using our ready-to-use script

• Partner with a local business for cross promotion — lenders, inspectors, movers, boutiques

• Go host or attend an open house this weekend

• Revisit Episode 198 on real estate side hustles to find something that keeps you in the game

• Set a 90-day minimum viable goal and work backward from that number

• Find your people — surround yourself with agents who are positive, motivated, and solution-focused

• Remember: surviving a hard market is a credential

Key Quotes & Takeaways:

• "Your next deal is probably hiding in a name you've been scrolling past." Katy

• "Action cures anxiety. Any action will do." James Clear via Katy

• "Being in a funk and surrounding yourself with other people in a funk is not going to help you." Alissa

• "This is a business. You have to think of it like a business, run it like a business, and look at your finances." Alissa

• "Surviving a hard market is a credential." Katy

Products, People & Previous Episodes Mentioned:

• Episode 346: Desperate Agent Behavior (hustlehumblypodcast.com/346)

• Episode 271: Should You Renew Your Real Estate License? (hustlehumblypodcast.com/271)

• Episode 198: Real Estate Side Hustles (hustlehumblypodcast.com/198)

• Episode 40: Bare Necessities (hustlehumblypodcast.com/40)

• Hustle Humbly Community (hustlehumblypodcast.com/membership)

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

Want to toast someone on the show? Send us a voice or video message with your name, who you are toasting, and why! Email it to team@hustlehumblypodcast.com.

Leave us a review at http://ratethispodcast.com/hustlehumbly

Are you a secret agent? No, not the cool James Bond kind. We are talking about the Realtor kind who hides behind postcards, online leads, and busy work instead of actually talking to real people.

We keep getting messages from agents who are spending thousands of dollars on lead generation, farming, and marketing while avoiding the one thing that actually works: being visible. So we are revisiting this topic because clearly, y'all need to hear it again.

We start with a really honest message from a listener who spent $6,500 on a lead generation program that produced zero leads. She has been in the business since 2018, does about $8 million a year, and she is the first to admit that fear made that decision for her. She did not want to put herself out there, so she threw money at a solution that did not require her to talk to real humans. We also share a story about an agent who is incredibly involved at her kids' school but will not tell anyone she is in real estate out of fear of being salesy.

Whether you are an introvert, an extrovert, or somewhere in between, this episode is your permission slip to stop hiding and start showing up. We are breaking down the fears that keep agents invisible, sharing baby steps for shy agents, and giving you the mindset shift that changes everything: you are not being salesy, you are being of service.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

• The real cost of being a "secret agent" in your own real estate business

• A listener's honest story about spending $6,500 on lead gen that produced zero leads

• The four biggest fears keeping agents hidden and how to move past them

• Why introverts can absolutely thrive in real estate

• The difference between going wide and going deep with your database

• Why people in your neighborhood are hiring other agents

• Salesy vs. service: the mindset shift that changes everything

• How to naturally tell people what you do without being "that" agent

• Baby steps for shy agents: update your bio, tell five people what you do, post one thing about real estate

• Why your hobbies, school involvement, and community events are your best lead gen

• A roofing company sponsor story that proves advertising your business is not embarrassing

• The one thing you can do this week to stop being a secret agent

Key Quotes & Takeaways:

• "You can't sell houses without people." Alissa

• "The judgment is usually imaginary. People are not thinking about you as much as you think. They're thinking about themselves." Katy

• "When you tell people what you are, they believe you. So be careful what you say about yourself." Alissa

• "The important mindset shift is going from 'I'm annoying people' to 'I'm available to help.'" Katy

Products, People & Previous Episodes Mentioned:

• Episode 346: Desperate Agents Do's and Don'ts (hustlehumblypodcast.com)

• Hustle Humbly Community (hustlehumblypodcast.com/membership)

Want to toast someone on the show? Send us a voice or video message with your name, who you are toasting, and why! Email it to team@hustlehumblypodcast.com.

Leave us a review at http://ratethispodcast.com/hustlehumbly

Think you know everything about how mortgages work? What about what Realtors actually do all day? Think again!

This is the final installment in our myths and misconceptions series, and we saved some good ones for last. We already tackled buyer myths and seller myths in previous episodes, and now we are wrapping it all up with the myths that surround lenders, loans, and agents.

We are kicking things off with a story about two very different lenders and why the one sending automated text messages is actually winning. (Spoiler: it has nothing to do with buying lunch.) Then we are diving into the mortgage myths that trip up buyers AND agents, from the belief that all lenders offer the same loans to the dangers of trusting online mortgage calculators.

On the agent side? We are busting wide open the idea that we "just open doors," that we are all the same, and that getting your license means you know what you are doing. (Ha!)

Whether you are a buyer trying to understand the process or an agent who needs some backup for the next time someone questions your value, this one is for you.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

• Why not all lenders offer the same loan programs and how to find the right one for your client

• The importance of talking to a lender BEFORE you are ready to buy

• Why the interest rate is not the only thing you should be shopping

• What "par rate" means and why you need to understand fee worksheets

• The truth about pre-approval and rate locks (they do not last forever!)

• Why online mortgage calculators can be wildly inaccurate

• Do not buy furniture, a car, or anything else while waiting to close

• Can you really switch lenders mid-transaction? (Please do not.)

• Whether getting pre-approved actually hurts your credit

• Real estate agents do way more than just open doors

• The seller does not ALWAYS pay the agent's commission anymore

• Agents do not get paid by their broker (no salary, no hourly wage)

• Why getting your license is just the beginning, not the finish line

• Agents are not available 24/7 (and should not be!)

Key Quotes & Takeaways:

• "Be the voice for your people and educate them that there's rates and there's fees." Alissa

• "Anyone who knows the answers to everything immediately, you should be very leery of." Katy

• "We are not coming in to see if you can buy a house. We know you can't. We are coming in to see what three things you can do in the next 12 months to prepare." Alissa

• "However you are doing it, your client needs to understand how you are paid." Alissa

Products, People & Previous Episodes Mentioned:

• Episode 345: Buyer Myths (hustlehumblypodcast.com)

• Episode 348: Seller Myths (hustlehumblypodcast.com)

• Episode 346: Desperate Agent Do's & Don'ts (hustlehumblypodcast.com)

• Seller Net Sheet + Buyer Cost Sheet (hustlehumblypodcast.com/netsheet)

• Hustle Humbly Community

Want to toast someone on the show? Send us a voice or video message with your name, who you are toasting, and why! Email it to team@hustlehumblypodcast.com.

Leave us a review at http://ratethispodcast.com/hustlehumbly