Ep.85/ Owning My Voice: How Top 1% Real Estate Agent Jess Burton Is Leveraging Video To Bring in Clients
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Jess Burton, a Top 1% real estate agent in Houston and graduate of Video Boot Camp joins us to talk about how video strategy has brought on 2 big new clients, owning and finding her voice online, and building a successful business with two little kids. Plus a playdate gone wrong!
You will learn:
Tips to stay positive when business is volatile in the real estate industry
Entrepreneurship Advice: How she delegates & time blocks
Work-Life balance: How she shows up for her kids as a working mom
How Jess leveled up her on-camera skills while giving up on the idea of social media ‘perfection’ and lured in clients with her upgraded social media strategy
Plus my podcast editor, Jillian Grover shares her favorite thing about editing podcasts.
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How can setting ambitious goals transform your life? How can you dream big and unleash your true potential?
Jess Burton a Top 1% real estate agent in Houston and graduate of Video Boot Camp joins us to talk about how video strategy has brought on 2 big new clients, owning and finding her voice online, and building a successful business with two little kids. Plus the time her kid bit her during a playdate!
In this episode you will learn:
Tips to stay positive when business is volatile.
How she delegates & time blocks.
How she shows up for her kids as a working mom.
Quotes from our guest:
"Working moms out there, you're doing a great job; we're all a work in progress."
“Delegating has been the best decision because I can really focus on my people and then in turn go home, and not feel guilty because I didn't give it my all that day.”
“Guard your mind; I try to make sure that I am in a good mindset.”
Follow host Kim Rittberg on Instagram
Subscribe to Kim's YouTube Channel to Make Better Videos that Convert
FREE DOWNLOAD: 10 Tips to Take Your Videos from Mediocre to Magnetic to Grow Your Revenue click here
Follow host Kim Rittberg on Instagram & Subscribe to Kim's YouTube Channel to Make Better Videos that Convert
JESS’S LINKS:
Follow Jess on Instagram
Kim (00:02):
You are going to meet Jess Burton, a top 1% real estate agent in Houston, and she's going to join us to talk about how video strategy brought her two huge new clients, owning and finding her voice online and balancing a big business with two little kids.
(00:17):
Welcome to the Exit interview with Kim Rittberg. Do you work for yourself and want to supercharge your business while still having fun? Well, this is your go-to podcast part MBA Part Cheer Squad. Every week I'll be joined by top business owners who share the secrets to their success. After I found myself working during childbirth true story, I quit my executive media job to bet on myself fighting the fear and imposter syndrome to eventually earn six awards, an in-demand speaking career and features in Fast Company and Business Insider. Now I'm here to celebrate all you rock stars betting on yourself, and I want to help you win Tune in every Wednesday to hear from Remarkable founders and don't miss our Solo Friday episodes, a treasure trove of video and podcasting mini masterclasses with me. Exit the Grind, enter success on your own terms. Don't forget to subscribe today and grab my free video tips at my website, kimrittberg.com.
(01:19):
It has been a busy month for me. I am launching Video Bootcamp, my seven week coaching program, and I'm also heading to Orlando to speak at podcast to teach people how to grow their brand online through podcasts and videos, all to grow your business, to get leads and clients be more visible speaking engagements and podcast appearances. So it is a really fun and busy month for me. And Video Bootcamp is a program that our guest, Jess, a top 1% agent in Houston has come through. And Video Bootcamp is a seven week coaching program that takes you from overwhelmed to in charge. And by that I mean getting leads, getting clients, getting visibility through video and social media. And so it's everything from how to have your setup looking, great lighting, all of that, how to brainstorm, how to write awesome scripts, and then the implementation of all of that.
(02:08):
How do you actually make the videos and how do you stay on top of it? So it is so fun, it's a really fun and supportive environment. And what I love about Jess is that she took video bootcamp and she's crushing it. She got two incredible huge clients directly from social video. She is really showing up authentically and she's just a great person. She's building an awesome business as a mom of two. So I'm going to bring in Jess, you're going to hear from her. And if you're interested in video bootcamp, it launches on January 31st. And make sure to connect with me on Instagram at Kim Rittenberg and I'll send you all the information. Now let's talk to Jess. I am really excited to bring in Jess Burton. Jessica Burton is a top 1% real estate agent based in Houston. As a Houston native just brings an insider's expertise and genuine passion for local real estate to every transaction recognized for elite sales skills, impeccable client service and adept deal navigation.
(03:02):
She excels in various real estate realms, catering to first time buyers, new construction, resales and investments, while preserving the highest integrity, particularly when working with clients, valuing confidentiality and professionalism with a strong presence in the Houston real estate market and a knack for collaboration. Jessica stands as a consistent top producer and award-winning realtor renowned for her dedication. Clients appreciate her tireless work ethic, swift responsiveness, and unwavering commitment to their needs. Jess is at University of Houston, graduate with a bachelor's degree in corporate communications, and she takes pride by continuously supporting the Houston community. Her contributions extend to organizations like the Junior League of Houston and the Houston Livestock Show and rodeo. Jess, I just begged my microphone. Jess, I'm so excited to have you here.
Jess (03:45):
I'm so excited to be here, Kim. Thank you.
Kim (03:47):
I love Jess. So Jess and I hopped on the phone this past summer and she decided to join video bootcamp, but when I talked to her immediately I could tell Jess was such a quality person, a kind person, and very professional, and I was like, this is someone I need to work with. So I'm super excited. Jess has remained. We've remained working with each other for six months, nine months, whatever the time flies. So Jess, I am really excited for our listeners to learn more about you and your path to real estate.
Jess (04:14):
Yeah, I'm so happy to share. So yes, I was so happy that I found you last summer. I'll jump into that, but a little bit of background about just meeting Kim. She had a video bootcamp, and when I say that I did not want anything to do with video, it was something that I just dreaded and in my industry and real estate, it's really important to build those relationships and your brand, your phase behind the brand. So I knew it was something that was happening and I really just needed to get ahead of it and I'm so glad I did. So I took Kim's video bootcamp and now I won't stop. I'm on stories more often and just trying to video as much content as I can to reach my audience. So that's been really beneficial and I'm just so glad that I found you,
Kim (05:01):
But you've had such amazing wins. Can you share with your audience, I do feel like sometimes people hear the idea of video can work and idea of social can work, but in practice, can you share some of your amazing wins from social media and video? Yes,
Jess (05:15):
Sure. Okay. So last year I think marketing, there's a lot of different marketing strategies that are not so tangible and with social media, I was really working to just be mindful about showing up. So the first instance was when I started really putting more video content out there and just showing up with educational a little bit more of my personal life too, which I was so against because I just, I'm a little bit more of a private person, not until I get to know you. I had little babies and I didn't necessarily want to share too much. I was like, who wants to hear about this? So really in the beginning phases of putting myself out there more, I had someone I met at a bachelorette party like eight years prior reach out to me and she said, Hey, I've been following you. I think that you would be a great fit for me and my husband as our realtor.
(06:10):
So I helped them close on a lot. Last year after there's been a little bit of a lull in the real estate market, as a lot of people know. I mean, it was something like 35% of realtors had transactions last year. I mean the entire year there's just been a lot of velocity in the market. So I was really putting a lot of effort into social media and I knew I was building my audience, but I didn't have anything tangible. So the new year hit and within a couple of weeks I had not one but two people who had previously worked with a realtor and said that they wanted me to help them purchase a new property. They just said that they felt that I was educated, knowledgeable and would be a good fit to work with them. And these are people I've probably interacted with a handful of times and really in social settings and really didn't have an opportunity to talk with them much about real estate. So I can really, I think just assume that they really felt comfortable working with me from what they saw on social media. So yeah, I mean this is just the beginning and it's really great because this platform has also helped me really think about my email marketing and just the different ways that I'm interacting and engaging with potential clients and clients.
Kim (07:34):
And I love your wins. First of all, I love you always came invested and ready to learn and you were such a good participant in video bootcamp and I love that. I like to tell people, I'm like, when the client comes in, I don't know if it's week three of video bootcamp or four months later, but once you commit to showing up consistently on video, people who you met years ago who are following you, you wouldn't even think of them. You probably, these people were not even on your radar. And they switched, by the way, such an amazing thing. They switched from one agent to you, which is a huge voter confidence. So I think that what you were talking about earlier is I loved the merging of showing up both as the expert. They see you're as knowledgeable, but they're following you also because they like you and you're showing up authentically. Sharing a little bit about being a mom, and I love that through our work together, I'm always like, yes, bring some of your personal life. And when people say how much I'm like, that's up to you. But bring some of your personal life to social and also balance it with that expertise. And I feel like you've hit the sweet spot of that and that's why those clients are coming in and that's what you're really seeing those wins,
Jess (08:39):
Right? 100%. And it's also, I assume that I had to be really put together, but that is not real life, especially as a mother. So I've really done a lot of shots without makeup on and just really in my cluttered house, and it honestly feels good. I get the most feedback when I do that and that I did not expect.
Kim (09:01):
It's funny, you and I had something, I feel like we had that shared thread when I left corporate and started showing up on video, I always felt like I needed a full face of makeup, wear a proper outfit. And I realized when I show up as me, I'm not any less professional because I'm wearing a sweater and jeans. I'm still smart, I'm still professional. I can still help you, but you don't have to be pantsuit person. I always thought that I had to show up into a pantsuit person. I didn't have to do that. And I think that that corporate was stuck in my head. And I remember you and I talking about this at the beginning of video bootcamp. I'm like, I struggled with that too. We don't need to be pants sued person on social media.
Jess (09:38):
No, no. And it's great. It's freeing.
Kim (09:40):
Yeah, I love it. And so what just is the top two or three game changers from our work together that's been a big shift for you?
Jess (09:47):
I think confidence is number one, consistency. Those things going to kind of work together because the more that you practice something, the more natural it's going to come to you, and that in turn is going to make you more confident and then you're going to show up more authentically. I mean, it's just like, it's a cycle. So those two things for sure. And then I think just really getting creative. I mean, that's something that I didn't realize or I just didn't give enough credit to myself for. And then also just I love, you have so many good ideas just with your background in marketing, and I just think that I was so afraid of being that icky salesperson or coming off that way. So I have a very different approach. Yes, I want you to understand that I know my data points and I'm knowledgeable, but I also want you to know that or my clients to know or anyone to know I'm here just to be in your corner and help you navigate whatever needs to happen in my capacity in real estate to get you to your goal and where you want to go.
(10:57):
Even someone suggested that I'd be, I tag myself as the realtor with heart because genuinely I just would like to see people succeed in their goals and just be in their corner. I can't tell you how many things I just want to do for people because it genuinely makes me feel good. So I think that that just really confidence, consistency, and then the creativity. So I guess three C's.
Kim (11:22):
Oh, I love that. And I agree so much. I do think you're a person with a lot of heart, and I really heard that on our first call. And I do think to you bringing that in, it's not just about, okay, the market is here, but rather just as a person who cares about her clients and really infusing that into everything you do is important because real estate is a real relationship business. So really people have to a think you're knowledgeable and professional and experienced. They have to like you and feel like they can trust you. I love the realtor with heart because it really is. And so I think so much of it is what's unique about you versus the real estate super competitive? What's unique about you versus the a hundred other people in your area? What do you bring every single time and how much are people going to see of that? And bringing that to the forefront, I feel like you do such a great job of it, so yay, Jess. Thank you.
Jess (12:11):
Well, you helped me. I think you really helped me find my voice. I mean, I think a lot of people don't talk about it, but after I had children, so my son Miles just turned one, and my daughter Ivy is two and a half. And I went through something I didn't expect, and I don't know if it was related to postpartum, but I was in an identity crisis where I was like, I'm a working mother. I really love my job, I love my job. I can't say it enough, but I also have this new role as mom and parent. And I remember after Ivy was born and Randall and I and Ivy are sitting around the kitchen table and I look over at Randall and I'm just thinking to myself, I'm like, who is in charge?
(12:55):
I mean, I'm 37, so I've been in my career for 17 years. So it was just something that I really struggled with. I would love to be mom and mother to these two babies, but also it was really important for me to keep my identity as working mom or someone with hobbies. And so I struggled a little bit with that, but honestly, I feel like working with you, it helped me kind of work through that as well because I had to really look at myself and figure out who am I? What am I trying to accomplish here and help people with.
Kim (13:31):
Oh, I love that. And I want to shift into a little bit about the real estate business. And I'm going to start with you have two little kids and you're growing a really successful real estate business. What has been the biggest struggle in terms of both your kids are under three and that's the time just it's nonstop. It's literally nonstop. My kids are eight and six now, so I remember the period with two little kids balancing growing this big business. How do you balance it? What's the biggest struggle?
Jess (13:59):
Honestly, it's time figuring out what is a priority because that changes day to day. My kids and my family are my number one priority. I mean, I have that written down. One of my goals is to make sure my family feels loved every single day. It takes a lot of patience. So something that I do every day is I make sure that I wake them up and we have at least an hour together in the morning. And then when I get home from work usually is around five 30 or 6:00 PM and then we have until about eight bedtime. But I really try to stay off of my phone unless there's something really serious going on. A lot of people are off those hours, so I'm making a lot of calls in my car heading home to make sure people are taken care of. And of course if anything comes up, I'm taking care of it.
(14:45):
But I really do just try to focus on them. And I mean, that's the hardest part. I think just making sure that I'm just prioritizing everything and getting my day-to-day tasks done. So something that I started doing last year was time blocking. And that has been a game changer. I mean, I'm talking like every single hour of my day and I see what works for me. I basically go back and I try to reflect on the week, but did I spend too much time doing this, which social media can be a real time sucker? And I found myself in December, my social media manager was out and I was having to post and I found myself an hour gone by and I was down a rabbit hole and I was like, this is not going to work. So I put a little timer on my phone that cuts me off at a certain time, and that's been really helpful.
(15:35):
But really it's just being really intentional. And something else that's been really helpful is delegation. In order to get everything done in the day, I really do my best to try to delegate out the things that I don't necessarily need to be concentrating on. I have an assistant, I'd like to get another assistant this year, and then I have a social media manager and a transaction coordinator, and then we have a nanny. So that is also something else. We were at a point in our lives where we were going to send the kids to school and daycare, and I am the default parent, I guess you would say. So my husband's job is just not as flexible. He's got to be in the office. He's got just a really not time consuming job, but he's just got to be really focused in his office. So I made a decision when we were about to send the kids to school that they would be, instead they're going to stay home with a nanny. And that's been really great because if they get sick, she can still be with them. And I think that that's one of the main reasons, just having that help and delegating out things like that. And honestly, a lot of people say to me, you look like you have it all together, but I cannot take credit for it because I have a lot of people helping me. What it's done too has actually given me more time to concentrate on focusing on my clients to in term be more productive and more successful too.
Kim (17:01):
And I also love the honesty when people are like, oh, you seem like it's great, but I'm like, my mom lives near me. She's very supportive. We have a babysitter to pretend like I am. You are this super mom doing everything ourselves. There's no shame in saying, I delegate and I have help and that's how I do this thing. So I think that it's helpful for people to realize when you bring in help instead of us pretending like, oh yeah, I do every single thing myself. And so I think it is important. And I love what you were saying about delegating and bringing on, talk to me about delegating. Are all your people on your team or some of them,
Jess (17:38):
They're contracted out? So my assistant right now is a virtual assistant. So we work together. She's in the Philippines, she's amazing. But I have realized that I do want an in-person assistant. There's a lot of need for that for me. And then my social media manager, she helps me just with a few posts a week. I actually am kind of picky with the way that I want my posts because it is my brand, and so I'm taking on a little bit more responsibility with that.
Kim (18:07):
I love what you were saying about bringing on a social media person. I also think people think that if you hire a social media person, they have to, they're in charge of your brand. No, no, no. You're always the chief marketing officer. You're always the CMO of your brand, but there's no shame in bringing someone on to help you. I even have people helping me with my social media posts, but I'm in charge of what goes into it. If I'm on camera, it's my words. I write the script, but why wouldn't I have someone help me edit a video? Of course, it's a real time saver for me. So I think when people think about how they can do social media, it's like you can do half and half. So some places hire out the whole thing, social media company or an agency or a person does everything for you and you don't think about it.
(18:48):
Or you can do half and half where you're guiding them that they do a lot of the footwork, but you still have to be filming and videoing yourself because you need to be in it. And you can tell the people who are showing up on social and everything is done by an outside person or by AI or chat GPT, they're not seeing as big a growth because it's not personal. So I think I how you think of it as you're delegating, she's writing some of the posts, but you're always tweaking it. You're guiding her on what you want for the video, you're filming it you, but she's putting it together. Maybe that's not a great use of your time. And I have other clients who hate video editing or hate technology. I'm like, great, all you need to do is film, do a voice note and send it to your assistant.
(19:26):
Yes, I'm a big advocate of growing your business requires bringing on people. I have a virtual assistant, I have an editor for my podcast. I have someone who edits videos at various times, just depends on what I'm doing. If I have a batch of videos I need done, I get five, I get a person and I give them instructions. It takes me one hour and they all come back. That would take me eight hours of work. Yes, same. Not a good use of my time. So it's about figuring out the right person, figuring out the right budget, but it's better to do it. Delegation is super important if you're trying to grow your business or even not trying to grow your business, let's say you're not even trying to grow your business, but you're trying to not spend time doing the things that you're not good at or you hate delegate.
(20:03):
So especially as a parent, I always think I'm like, okay, my time is really limited. My kids today, to your point, they were like, can you pick me up from school? And I was like, I'm really right now, very busy. I'm in a launch of another bootcamp. I'm just busy. But I look at my calendar, I'm like, you know what? I can pick you up from school today and I will. And just being clear about this is a priority for me, for them to feel loved and for when they ask me for something, I show up and do that. And without the support of having an assistant of having a podcast editor, I couldn't do that. So it's a mix of growing my business but also wanting to show up for my kids.
Jess (20:39):
Exactly. And I mean, I'm reading a lot of books about just child development and we're in the terrible two tantrums. Everything says that these children, they just want your time and your attention.
Kim (20:52):
Totally. I was laughing what you were saying about time. I was just telling my husband, me playing with my son for 15 or 20 minutes doing Legos, feels like a day for him. That's what he needs. He doesn't need me for four hours. He needs specific directed, focused time without the phone.
Jess (21:07):
And it's easier said than done. I mean, because we're being pulled in so many directions, but I mean if you really are just mindful about it, it's easy. It's an easy decision. But yes, the delegating, I mean at real estate, it's really about me getting that FaceTime with clients and there's a lot of compliance and contracts and I mean marketing, advertising. I mean just running a business, the tax side of it, finances, budgeting. So I have tried to delegate all of that out. I mean even dropping off signs and all of these things, and it's been the best decision because I can really focus on my people and then in turn, go home, not feel guilty because I didn't give it all that day. Or some days it's not great or it's not easy to give your all every single day. But I try to do my best, but I don't feel as guilty because I've got the help. And it's a team. And I think honestly with clients, they like that. They like to know that there are going to be a couple people in their corner there to help them. And it's a team effort. And that's the first thing I tell my clients when I meet them. It's not just me. You're going to be working with in addition to inspectors, title company, lenders, et cetera, et cetera.
Kim (22:24):
Yeah, a hundred percent. I want to ask you, I feel like real estate agents always have really interesting backgrounds. What are some other jobs you've had or things that you've done besides real estate?
Jess (22:34):
Yeah, so I'm so glad you asked me this because I think of my story a lot when I hear yours because you mentioned that you made a decision. You had a pivotal moment when you were in the delivery room and doing work, and you were like, this is it. I'm going to go work for myself. And I'm so glad you did because you have a lot to give. Before I got into real estate about 10, 11 years ago, I was working in the legal field in marketing. So my clients were litigation attorneys, and it was honestly, my role was business development and sales, some property management. And I really think that that was a great foundation. I really did enjoy the job. I enjoyed the relationships I was building with these attorneys. It taught me a lot about professionalism and just the nuances around just the legal contracts and everything that goes into it.
(23:28):
I didn't realize how many people were suing one another. Honestly, I did realize quickly that there was not going to be any upward growth for me. And I had always been interested in real estate. I was that person who was like, oh, there's an open house. We should go in and check it out. I love architecture, I love design. But my sister was a realtor. She's a little bit older than me. She's in Austin. She's a broker now. I was like, that's Megan's thing. And she was always so encouraging. But I decided, she's like, she kept encouraging me to get my license and I said, okay, well, I've always been curious. Maybe I can just do it. You can't do real estate.
(24:07):
So basically I got my license. I started marketing myself and really started to just help clients out and actually got a bunch of my attorney clients on as my real estate clients because we worked together. We were close, we had that good relationship and trust, and I was doing open houses every week. I was really just trying to make my name in real estate and realize how much I loved it. So I kept both jobs going for about seven years. I mean a long time. And honestly, it was with the way real estate is, it's up and down. So not every month is going to be the last. And I liked having the security of a paycheck coming in and health insurance. But then I got pregnant with my daughter and I was at a moment where I was like, I want to go all in with real estate.
(25:02):
I mean, I think my time has come. I've gotten everything I could out of this position. It's time to just take that leap of faith. So I ended up going full-time in April, 2021, and my daughter was born in June. And I remember working in the delivery room, but it wasn't something that was daunting. I looked at it as like, oh my gosh, I get to do this job and to help these people and it's mine. I am getting out what I put into it. So I did work in the delivery room and those clients got their house and everyone was happy and had a good delivery. I haven't looked back ever since. Oh goodness. Hold on. I love that the light goes off after a while.
Kim (25:47):
I love it. Everyone's getting the real look at what happens in a podcast. So basically Jessica and I are talking, and it was a censored light. And so in the middle of the interview, the light, the room went to blue. Now Jessica's back, I'm going to leave this in the podcast because I like to leave the good, bad and the ugly of production. And so what's funny, Jess, about working through childbirth, what I think is interesting is so many people have different experiences in our takeaways or different things. So for me, working in the delivery room, it's like I loved my job. It was all that, but I'm like, oh, is this going to be like that forever? I'm working for a company. It feels like I shouldn't have to be doing that. So I do think when you're running your own business, I don't, it'll work more now, but I do.
(26:28):
I'm very committed. My commitments, my old follow through with them, but it's mine. Everything I build is mine. And so I think something for yourself, I felt, you know what? I was, I felt resentful. I had worked my ass off for 15 years and I really kind of made it in media. I was like, I'm running a 17 person team at a huge media outlet. And then it got bought and a lot of people quit. Other people were laid off. I wasn't laid off. I had to basically rehire a whole bunch of people when my child was being born. And I was like, this is success. It felt so ugh. I just was so resentful and I just realized whatever I do, I want to use the skills that I have. I love what I do. Truly getting to be creative for a living is the best, but there's got to be some other way to do this.
(27:18):
And I felt resentful that it was for the man. It was for some other being. It's for some nameless corporation. And I was like, if I'm going to work this hard, it's going to be for me. I'm going to have more impact. I'm going to help people. So I like that we've had that same experience, and I do think everyone has their own pay from those moments. I also want to shift too. Real estate agents have, I feel like such a hard up and down. So real estate is so up and down, is so volatile. How do you stay positive throughout?
Jess (27:44):
That's a great question because I am actually, as I mentioned last year in real estate was really, it was a tough year. Interest rates went up. I thankfully had a record year, but my last quarter in 2023 was the lowest I've had in about five years. I was kind of joking around like, oh gosh, do I need to reinvent myself? What do I need to do? And really it was for me, of course, my dad always told me, he's like, okay, if you're going to be bummed out, be bummed out for 15 minutes and then get over it and get to work. I've always had that mentality and it's really just helped me open my eyes to my systems and how I work altogether. What is my brand? It's helped me double down on a few things that I just really need to focus on around branding and strategy, and it's help me get creative.
(28:39):
I make sure that I am taking care of myself, meaning in addition to taking care of my family and spending time with them, I make sure that I am working out and putting good things into my mind. Because the moment you turn on the news or you talk to someone that's negative, I mean, that can really get you down. So I feel like I am always guarding my mind and the kind of input I'm receiving. And I know that sounds silly, but it works for me. So I think that that's really important. I'm that person who, if I have a day where I'm feeling down, I will listen to an inspirational speaker like Ed Violet or someone, or I'm a words of affirmation love language. So I'll read past cards from clients and see the appreciation that's given, remind myself why I'm doing it. And it may not be that I'm producing at the same volume that I have prior or at this moment I'm not producing. But am I helping people? What is the real why? And that's really what I think the hard times help you realize. So I have a difficult time just like anyone else, but I just try to stay positive by being good to myself and putting good things in my mind and trying to be good to others.
Kim (29:56):
Do you have a box of those cards near you? How do you keep them accessible? I love that tip. By the way, listeners, I always say to people to get yourself feeling confident, read your resume, read things that people your best career moments. I like the idea of looking at those cards, keeping those feedback, but do you have a little box near your desk that you keep?
Jess (30:16):
I have 'em pinned up next to my desk on a little board, and then I have, if you go to our Houston Association of Realtors page, you can read reviews from clients. So also, this is terrible, but I have not been, this is something that I just realized because I was trying to double down on marketing, but I have not been utilizing Google Reviews. So I'm going to be reaching out to clients and ask them to add reviews there.
Kim (30:41):
I feel like everybody, I get those requests from people I've worked with every once in a while. It's like a new rotation. It's like, can you do this? Can you do that? And then my last question, I was like, what was my last question? You? You're really getting the good, bad and the ugly on this video. I'm just kidding. And what's the best advice you would give somebody or the best advice you've gotten?
Jess (30:57):
Well, I'd probably say just try to guard your mind. I mean, really it comes down to mindset. Like I said, I mean that's something that I don't take lightly and I just try to make sure that I am in a good mindset. But what all goes into that? That's what we feed ourselves. That's the books we read, how much social media. I mean, I'm just trying to always stay mindful of that. The way that I can stay ahead of that is by the time blocking. So I know I'm going to do meditations or I'm going to work out at this hour as far as the best advice I can give, that's probably
Kim (31:38):
That. And then I'm going to reach out to you. I want some of your affirmation stuff. I feel like I'm naturally a positive person, but I definitely get those swings. Something bad happens. I'll hold on to this one weird bad thing, despite the fact that everything else is going great. I'll be like, oh, that one thing. It's so funny. I just realized recently I have weird baggage from corporate, even though I was successful and things were good. Whenever someone wants to hop on the phone, I think I'm getting yelled at, which makes no sense. Every time a client wants to hop on the phone, they're like, Hey, I have this thing next week. Can we brainstorm about it? Or, oh, I wanted to tell you this thing that happened, but I have these things or I'm not a sensitive person, but turns out I am one piece of negative feedback. I'm like, I'll sit on it even though I'm a growth mindset person. And so it's balancing that. It's being like, yes, I am doing well here, but we're always looking to get better. And so I have to remember that when I'm in that negative thing, it's like, let's get real step back. Everything's going awesome in a lot of different areas. I am really happy I'm not letting a little thing swing my whole mood some other direction. So I probably need some of your affirmation sent to me.
Jess (32:42):
Yeah, I was going to add to this. So I'm a big goal setter, and I saw someone else that was in, that's in our coaching group today, she posted about how she writes a letter to herself and then she reads it at the end of the year. Yes. So I used to do that, but I took it a step further this year and I actually, I recently saw Steve Harvey. So Steve Harvey, he has such a great story. He had a dream of just getting into acting. I think maybe he was a comedian at some point, but he has had ups and downs where he lived in his car and he was homeless and now he's got his own show and has just done so well for himself. So I do goal setting every year, and I look at it, I try to look at it quarterly, that's what I used to do, but he said, go and write down 300 of your wildest dreams. And he's like, anything that you want to do? I have funny stuff on there. I love Peloton. So I'm like, I want to go on a run with go work out with Robin and Matt and all these just random things or finance goals, relationship goals, spiritual. So you're supposed to write down 300 of those, and it's really hard, actually.
Kim (33:52):
I couldn't
Jess (33:53):
Challenge you to do it, but you look back at them every day and it helps you, which is also difficult. It's amazing the progress you'll make because it keeps you focused, the things that you'll learn about yourself through this growth or about things that you thought you wanted to do but may not be as important to you anymore. So I'll do that, and it's fun to dream. And I think that that's been really just fun and exciting too, because I remember just from where I came from growing up, I actually did a vision board when I was 21, and this is, I don't know what I was destined for at that time, but I wasn't sure where it was going to go. I looked back at that vision board and every single thing on it had come true. I mean, it was about education. What degree did I want to graduate with? Where did I want to travel or what are some important lessons I wanted to learn. Just everything on there had come true, and I was like, okay, this is teaching me. I need to set bigger goals Anyways, that's something kind of silly, maybe quirky that I do and focus on, and it's just been fun.
Kim (35:05):
I don't think that's silly or quirky. I think it's awesome. And I think to your point, I'm the same way in that sometimes I have a couple of friends who are really big thinkers and I'll meet with them and tell them what's going on. They're like, great, what about this? And I'm like, I hadn't even thought about that because they think bigger. They bigger, bigger than the list than you could achieve in this year. What's the reach goal? If this thing happened in three years, five years or 10 years, you'd be like, holy cow, I'm amazing. That's the sort of thing you need to have that reach. And so I like your idea of that. It's like what would be, this would never happen, but would be amazing. Write that down and see if we can make it happen. It's funny, one of the things this past year, I've been doing a lot of speaking engagements and I had on my vision board, goals, resolutions, whatever, that I wanted to speak that I wanted to just be on bigger stages.
(35:57):
I felt ready for it, but I was like, I don't know how to make that happen. And then I actually just built a strategy to put myself out there more, and it actually happened. And that's been the piece of the coaching program that I run that Jess is now in called Thought Leadership through Content. And so it is amazing you put out the next level because where I'm from in media, a lot of people, what we do is maybe you have a production company. It's not really what I wanted to do. That's not really what I want to do. I like to teach and I like to help other people have unlocks in their creativity that drives me. It does not drive me to go to a shoot every single week. That's just doesn't drive me. I thought it's really interesting. It took me a while to say it out loud a little bit's like, oh, is it narcissistic to say I want to be on stages?
(36:40):
Is that obnoxious? And then it's part of me being like, can I get there? And then once I sort of said it out loud, I probably said it to my brother, he's like my safe person. I probably say, tell my brother the things first. And then I'm like, oh, I just allowed myself to say that out loud. Okay, I'm going to say it to another person. I'm going to make myself accountable. And then once I really realized this is actually something I want, I'm not going to be afraid of wanting it and I'm not going to be too shy to want it, then I went for it. And then I think it's that realization. I think people like you and me and goal setters and goal achievers, you have to shoot higher. You're going to work, do the work. So your success is only as limited by your beliefs. And so I realized I just need to think bigger. I need to grow bigger. And it doesn't necessarily mean more money. It doesn't mean more money, it doesn't mean more stuff. It just means where do you want to be and what do you want to do and what do you want to put out into this world?
Jess (37:32):
It's about the growth. And I think that that was the point with the 300 list because it's like what kind of person, who is the person that's doing this? Who is the person that's achieving this? And that's a reminder daily you can achieve this, but act as if. But usually one dream prompts another and another and another. And
Kim (37:53):
I just wrote down, I was taking notes how to hit goals beyond your dreams. And then one thing I sort of gave myself permission to do was a couple years into my own business. So I started, I was in media, so my natural transition would be like, okay, big production projects or consult with bigger companies. So I was a consultant for People Magazine, helping them rebrand all their videos, come up with new creative ideas, but then over time, and I really loved working with them, loved their team is amazing. But one thing I did realize after being in media for 15 or 17 years and always my job was to get in someone else's voice and write and create within that voice was I wanted to create things with my own voice. And my new goal was I want to work on things that I have ownership or impact, and that was my goal.
(38:37):
I think it was 2022 and 2021. I think those were my resolution years, my words of that year. And I really said, this year I only want to work on ownership and impact. And what ended up happening, I worked on this huge project for a nonprofit called It Gets Better, this Insane project I thought I would never get selected for. They picked me to do it, and we ended up winning all of these awards and I was like, it's incredible. Oh my God, not only did I do something nice for society, I was like, oh, this is a nice project I'm putting out there. I ended up getting all these awards around it and then ownership, I launched the exit interview and it's my voice and it was a big deal to be like, this is Kim Rittenberg and this is what she wants to say, and this is who I am and not, oh, this is my persona, or this is my personal brand.
(39:23):
It's like, no, this is me and this is me in your ears, and this is me on video to what you were saying about having those, setting the goals and really just being strategic, not strategic about it, just mindful and intentional. Because I think to your point, if you put in the work and you time block and you delegate and you focus and you stay focused, it is going to happen. And so you have to dream bigger because it is going to happen. You can make it happen. Just you have to say, I can make this happen. This is a thing that is possible.
Jess (39:53):
I'm deciding to do this. Yeah,
Kim (39:55):
I'm deciding to do this, and I'm deciding it is possible and achievable.
Jess (39:59):
Exactly.
Kim (40:00):
I love this. What a positive ending. Okay, Jess, is there anything else you'd like to share with us before we wrap up? Our wonderful interview?
Jess (40:07):
Working moms out there. You're doing a great job. We're all a work in progress, and as long as our kids know we love them, we're doing great.
Kim (40:14):
Somehow they're all going to end up great somehow. Yeah, look at us. I'm like, look at us. We thriving, surviving and thriving.
Jess (40:20):
Yeah. I was going to tell you a funny story. I was like, we were at a play date last week with Ivy. I was talking to the parents who are also clients of mine, and we were in, I can't remember what it was, but it was a serious conversation and I wasn't paying attention to her. And she comes up behind me and she bites me in the tushy as hard as she could, and I screamed. I think it scared everyone in the room. And I was like, oh, okay. Here's my reminder. No, mom. Yeah, you didn't come to anyways. But that's what I'm dealing with on a daily basis. I mean, that's why I'm like, I am trying to just read as many books to help me out. There's no manual for these kids, but I'm trying to find one.
Kim (41:03):
I love that my son will be like, he'll say something, but if someone else is talking, we're finishing our conversation maybe with my daughter, and he'll be like, I'm not going to tell you you weren't listening to me. And I'm like, you're right. I was in the middle of a conversation with your sister. I couldn't hear you, but I was like, tell me. And then he is like, Nope, I'm not going to tell you. And then I was like, okay, I was having another conversation. I'm absolutely listening now what you say matters, but also I'm not going to beg you to talk to me. And also that's the real world. No one's going to beg you to say something if some other conversation is happening. That's how it goes. And I'm nice about it, but I'm also like, no one listened to me for seven years of my life. I was the youngest of three. No one's
Jess (41:40):
Paying attention. I'm the youngest of three also. Yeah.
Kim (41:43):
So I don't know. I don't have, not to be mean to kids, but I don't have a ton of sympathy for, you're not listening to me. It's like sometimes other things are happening in this world, and it's okay. Yeah, it's okay. Maybe that's my lesson. I'm like, it's fine. Okay. Everyone in Houston should connect with Jess. Everyone in other cities should send people to Jess. Jess, how can people find you? Where could they follow you online?
Jess (42:05):
So a majority of the time, I'm on Instagram, and you can find me at Jess k Burton. I think that's best. Or actually email jessica@indiequest.net.
Kim (42:18):
And everybody, Jess is the best, so just connect with her and send her those Houston people looking for homes.
Jess (42:23):
Hey, thanks Kim.
Kim (42:25):
Thank you.
(42:30):
Thank you for joining us. Don't forget to exit the grind and enter success on your own terms. This is the exit interview with Kim Rittberg. Don't forget to grab my free download, how to Grow Your Business with Amazing video at kimrittberg.com and linked out in the show notes. I love to hear your feedback. Make sure to submit to me what you learned from the show and how you are crushing it on your own terms. Connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn at Kim Rittberg, R-I-T-T-B-E-R-G. And this show is edited by Jillian Grover and produced by Henry Street Media. I'm your host and executive producer, Kim Rittberg.