• You have to be willing to do the hard work. When you quit at six months because it got tough, you probably quit too soon.
  • Both successes and failures are building blocks for our lives.
  • Stop looking for an easy button. Diets are short-lived and so are agents who don't invest in their business for the long haul.

For years you’ve heard, “Do what you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Fact or fiction?

New York Times best-selling author and speaker Jon Acuff joined us on the podcast today to give the answer.

After spending 15 years in corporate America, Acuff fulfilled his dream of becoming a full-time writer. In his blog post, “A stupid lie I believed when I quit my last job. (And why you shouldn’t believe it),” he recounts this mantra about work and passion that we hear all the time from agents as the reason they aren’t succeeding.

“I’m just not passionate about real estate.”

“I tried it and it wasn’t for me.”

When we hear this, it’s usually from people who flew in and out of the business in under a year and never actually put boots to the ground.

They were sold so-called easy dreams about fast commissions and fancy cars and their faces on billboards. They “love houses” or decorating or have a great smile and someone decided it was all they needed to be a great agent.

But every long-term successful agent has to have skills — skills in people, skills in prospecting, skills in presenting and more.

Acuff tells us the five things every smart small-business owner is doing:

1. They’re always learning. 

2. They express humility in what they are doing and how they do it. (You won’t believe what Jon says about the billion-dollar owner of Chick-fil-A.)

3. They invest time and money where it should go — they are conscious of both.

4. They grow large enough to get help and are wise enough to know when they need it.

5. They read a customer’s needs.

Listen to the rest of todays podcast for a wealth of insights and personal examples from Acuff’s career.


Subscribe to Tim and Julie Harris’ podcast on iTunes
 or follow us online at realestatecoachingradio.com.
Tim and Julie Harris have over 20 years’ experience in real estate. Learn more about their real estate coaching and training programs at timandjulieharris.com, or request more information about their programs at joinharris.com.

Email Tim Harris

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×