The Rested & Rich Real Estate Agent

Interview with Jumpei Kotani: Mindfulness and Real Estate

• Sumina • Season 3 • Episode 2

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Join us in this conversation with Jumpei Kontani, a Realtor in the San Diego market as he shares his journey from a childhood steeped in energy healing to a successful career in real estate, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness, connection, and personal growth. 

He shares with us how, early on in his career, he would knock on 400 doors a week! and how hiring a coach helped him refine his 

He discusses the challenges of balancing ego-driven aspects of the real estate industry with a mindful approach, the significance of morning routines, and the role of coaching in achieving success. Jumpei also reflects on transforming his relationship with money and the gifts that real estate has brought into his life, including meaningful connections and opportunities for personal development.

You can find Jumpei at https://www.instagram.com/mindfulrealtorjumpei, and a link to sign up for his meditation classes at http://bit.ly/4bl50ZI




You can find me on instagram @rested.real.estate.agent, and you can sign up for my newsletter to keep up with upcoming workshops and other offerings on my website www.suminabhatti.com. 

Welcome And Sustainable Agent Life

SPEAKER_00

Hello, and welcome to the Rested and Rich Real Estate Agent. This is a podcast that helps you navigate life as a real estate professional while finding some rest and balance along the way. I'm your host, Sumina, an agent with 19 years of experience in the Austin, Texas area, and I believe there's a better way to do our business, serve our clients, and not get burnt out. Join me as we explore tools and techniques for building a more sustainable business so that you can keep doing what you love and find some rest along the way.

Travel Class And Newsletter Updates

SPEAKER_00

I also wanted to take a couple minutes and share with you something that I am excited to be building out. I am going to be teaching an in-person class here in Austin. The topic is going to be how to take a month-long trip as a realtor and have your business survive. And as I've been putting it together, I think I'm actually going to offer it as a virtual class as well. So if you have interest in this class, you can sign up through my newsletter. I'll have all the links below in the show notes. And so this class is really talking about as an agent, I find sometimes a hard thing to do is to think about going away for a couple weeks. Maybe you have an elder parent you need to care for. Maybe you just want to get out of where you're living for a while. Like I know escaping the Austin, Texas heat in the summer is a high priority of mine. And the idea of being in a cooler climate for a few weeks sounds great. But what do you do with your business? Especially if the summertime is a busy time for you. And I've actually done this before. I spent um three months in New Orleans in 2022. And then I did six weeks in 2023. And I've done pockets of time here and there as well. So I have a pretty good system down for how to be able to travel and work remote as an agent. So join me for that. That's probably gonna be that's probably gonna be a class coming up in May. Um, and you I will have more information on the podcast. The best place to get information about that is gonna be my newsletter, the rested and rich real estate agent. Um, and so all the links will be below. You can sign up for that there. I send out newsletters every I send out newsletters every other Monday. It's a little more consistent than the podcast is and a little more uh recent in terms of what I have offering. Feel free to sign up for the newsletter there.

Guest Introduction And Big Themes

SPEAKER_00

The other offerings that I have on an ongoing basis, my Thursday meditation classes are Thursdays at noon central time. It's 30 minutes, it is free, it's a midweek kind of reset. All kinds of different folks come to my classes. I have realtors, of course, I have people who work at nonprofit as staff members, I have therapists. So if you find that you are needing a midweek, midday break, the link to sign up for the meditation classes will also be in the show notes, and that is every Thursday at noon for 30 minutes. Very approachable, very easy. You don't need to be doing anything different. You can do this from your office, from your home. I've even had people do it in the car while they are parked. No driving, please, for obvious reasons. And just taking 30 minutes to one, connect with connect with people and two to just take a moment, kind of as a week is winding to a close, to just be present and assess where you're at, where your mind's at, where your body's at as we head into the weekend. I teach for myself and I teach for the community. Um, and so if you find that you would like a midweek break, mid to end of week break, uh, the information for the Thursday meditation class will also be in the show notes. So great, let's hop in. I am super excited about today's episode where I get to talk to Jimpe Katani, who is a realtor out of San Diego. He and I became acquainted about a year ago through the Compass Network. He leads a meditation every Monday morning, and we got acquainted that way and then started collaborating on doing events together. I think you will find this conversation to be super interesting. As all of us have stories about our start in real estate, Jim Pay shared that he, when he got started in this business, used to knock on 400 doors a week. Yes, I know. Crazy. And how his background with his grandmother doing energy healing work, growing up alongside her, gave him the right mindset to approach this work with some clarity, some calm. That's very different to how it feels when a lot of us get started in real estate, which is chaos in every direction. Jimpei has been a realtor in the San Diego market for eight years now, and he shares a lot with us around what he does to make sure his mornings get started well, um, and really that his morning routine begins at night. Um, and we talk very candidly about our personal money stories that we had growing up in our homes. So join me in this conversation with Jimpei. I hope you enjoy as much as I do. Please drop me a note to let me know if you have any additional questions. Thank you so much for being here. Jimpei, welcome to the Rested and Rich podcast. Um, and being one of my guests on here, I'm so excited to chat with you. We've had a relatively short relationship. We've gotten to know each other, I'd say, over the past year. Would you say that's about right?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And um, I of course found you through the compass Mindful Realtors and your Monday Meditations, and immediately was like, I need to talk to this guy. I've just often had this thought that in real estate things can be so scattered, and finding a place of calm and rest in our world is so important. And meeting and talking to other people that are amplifying the same message is important in our industry. So thank you again for joining me today on our conversation. Why don't you tell us a little bit about um yourself, how you got started, not just in real estate, but your path toward um just mindful living. I know you have to be imbued into your genetics, I would say.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, sure.

Childhood In Japan And Energy Healing

SPEAKER_01

I started, well, I'm gonna go way back. Yeah, I was born and raised in Japan um till I was 18 or so. And both of my parents they had their own businesses. So my grandmother, my mom's grandmother, was the only one who she was kind of my caregiver uh per se, and she became my mom. And as far as I know, she never had a job. She she just did energy healing um her entire life. So what we did together was basically going to people's houses or senior homes or hospitals or people who need healings, you know. Yeah, that's what I did growing up. Taking trains. My grandma puts all the food in Tupperware and her backpack, and I carry her backpack, and we and it was how old are you in that time frame? You know, I um as soon as I started walking, I was already with her. She said I I was I was only like two or three when I first started going to her sessions.

SPEAKER_00

Mm-hmm. And you did that for until about what age?

SPEAKER_01

You know, I became a teenager and I don't go as often as I used to, but um wow. Um I was 18. Um, she took me to I was trying, and then we had uh about nine months of like course to be certified healer. So I took that course and yeah, I was 18, I got certified in healing. Um, it's quite similar to um a Reiki, but has a lot of more depth um philosophy um and not just about learning about the healings but about the elements of nature, um, how we can relate to each other, all that kind of life principles and philosophy behind it. It was just a beautiful experience.

SPEAKER_00

Do you find um looking back on that time period now as an adult how meaningful it was even then? Or do you look back at that and have a perspective of like, wow, that time was and that container with your grandmother was so special?

SPEAKER_01

I mean, both, right? Like I didn't that's all I knew, you know, growing up. I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. Looking back, what an opportunity uh to not only learn the healing arts uh from these masters, but also what an experience in programming to have. Um because when I'm with her, everybody just welcome us, like, oh my gosh, you're here. Thank you so much. We're gonna be we're gonna have a healing session. So that was my early programming was people are gonna love me no matter where I go.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And people are gonna feel healed after being with my grandma. So without me realizing or without me appreciating uh what I or what I had then, um, it was just incredible. Especially like when I started to consciously working in my self-development or my spirituality or maybe my meditation and yoga practices, I realized how much foundation I already had.

SPEAKER_02

That didn't.

SPEAKER_01

A lot of mindful conversation that was already had, you know. Yeah. Um that wasn't really common for a lot of people that I know. So yeah, looking back, or even then, very, very much privileged to uh to grow up with that kind of modality.

SPEAKER_00

And learning at the knee of your elder, what a gift, right? It's not like you're just learning from somebody you paid a course online to learn from, but someone that's an elder in your own lineage that you have such a close relationship with. Such a gift. Yeah. Is that your grandmother who just passed?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, exactly. November.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, she left you with so many gifts.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my gosh, she's such a such a teacher. She still teaches me. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Because all that wisdom is there, right? It doesn't go away. Yeah.

Mindfulness In An Ego-Driven Industry

SPEAKER_00

Talked about how you ended up in real estate from that whole path of this very mindful, energy healing kind of connectedness. To me, sometimes it feels like real estate's very very opposite of that.

SPEAKER_01

Completely, yeah. I'm a really good mixture of um my mom and my dad. So my mom, um, because she was raised by my grandma, obviously, she's very spiritually oriented, uh, but she did have she did have an entrepreneurial like uh spirit. So she had her business. Uh and my dad, uh, he does, he's been doing real estate in Japan for over, I don't know, almost 40 years.

SPEAKER_00

Is it very does it work very differently in Japan?

SPEAKER_01

Um, you know, it's not that different. It's it's pretty similar. It's uh it's a human, you know. We're dealing with not just numbers and properties, but also human emotions and one law. So he was my biggest mentor when I started real estate.

SPEAKER_00

Real estate in Japan or you started real estate on the in the states.

SPEAKER_01

Well, you know, my dad did a lot of development when he buys a land, you know, we have to clean the the land and you know he have contractor come out and all this stuff. And I was always the guy who's like weeding for like a dollar or two because he gives me friendly labor. Well, yeah, we all big field. I'm like, okay, great, you know. Um, and I bring my friends and I so he was training me at the early stage, but I started doing real estate officially here in the US.

SPEAKER_00

And I know you and I have talked about this at another conversation we've had, but the one of the struggles that I find with real estate is how ego-driven it can be and how how much emphasis there is on self-promotion and always kind of this always-be hustling mindset. How do you balance that with mindfulness, with keeping your balance and steadiness in an industry that is just so loud with the other messaging?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I think there's twofold. And the one of the questions they asked me why I started real estate. One of the reasons is because my my parents separated when I was 10. And around when I was, you know, mid-20s, my grand, my my mom asked me if I can help her financially, and I wasn't financially stable enough to help her. So, okay, I need to get a uh get a job or have an actual like career that can provide. So coming in to real estate, I was already thinking about contribution, and that has always been my core, which is like love, connection, uh, and contribution. It would be so easy if I can say, people are just numbers, who cares?

SPEAKER_02

Sure.

SPEAKER_01

You know, let's make fun.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

That wouldn't be difficult, but what's more, what's more challenging in my opinion, is like how can I stay grounded and be the servant, be at service, you know, no matter what it's happening in my personal life. Um and how can I how can I make my client feel and heard and be loved and felt, you know? And that's I think that's just human connection um that is coming in this all the technologies and AI and everything else uh that it's coming to your world. That's something that cannot be replaced. And so I do I have nothing against those agents that uh have so much to show, you know, like beautiful watches and you know, cars and extravagant suits and dresses and hair and all this stuff. It's also like it's kind of part of the show, you know. It's almost like selling sunset, right?

SPEAKER_00

Also in California, which I feel like is the epitome of that in some ways on San Diego, California side, versus like I'm in Austin, Texas, which is different. It has flavors of that in a different way.

SPEAKER_01

No, no, no. We are definitely huge on aesthetic, and you know, a lot of it's it's a plastic cap surgery cap capital of the US next to Miami, right? So there's a lot of uh significance-driven businesses and also real estate companies out there for sure, but I stay grounded and just I really need to stay grounded and also centered in a way that I won't get distracted by those things because I have then uh those like drive a nice car or wear nice clothes or I mean do that to create credibility and authority so that people can trust me. But outside of that window, when I do too much of it, I just I don't I don't feel aligned of who I am with what I'm doing, and I lose motivation because to me it feels so empty. Yeah, and when I'm contributing, when I'm having a challenging life situation or somewhere that I can really step in and if and it probably solve the problems for them, I I show up entirely. Like I drop everything, I'm the superhero, I'm here for you. How can I serve you? And that's that's when I know that I'm doing my my ikigai, my my you know, my whole thing, my whole being is showing up full full.

SPEAKER_00

And that's what I'm hearing you say is that when you're doing the more performative side, it's when you're that's when you're losing you're losing motivation. But when you find the connection piece is when it feels effortless to show up. It's such a great place to get to, even though sometimes, as you're saying, it can make the business side harder because you you're not just gonna go out there and push out more social media posts to get more business, you have to feel the heart connection with somebody, which takes more empathy and more emotion and more um care than just pumping out posts, you know, like willy-nilly. Yeah. I love that. So you were talking about superpowers, or like what makes you feel like you can step

Presence As A Real Estate Superpower

SPEAKER_00

in in that role. And so that was one of the questions I had is what do you think your superpower in real estate is of all like in all the different kinds of professions you could have chosen? I guess that'll be a second question is if you didn't do real estate, what else could you see yourself doing? But we'll go to the your superpower portion of it first.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, my superpower, I think, really is being the present moment. Um, when I'm at deployment, I know there's some agents use this tactic of like make it look like they're very busy, right? Their phone's buzzing. And like, oh my god, sorry, I don't want to take too much of a time, that kind of environment. I'm complete opposite. Like my phone is totally out. Like it's in my bag where I don't see it, I don't feel it. Because when I feel it, my consciousness will go there. And I want to truly serve this client. So you don't see my phone unless they ask me to, hey, could you show me this or could you show me that? Uh, even then, I'll bring my laptop, you know, so I don't, I'm not texting or I'm not I'm truly here. And I think it's funny enough, that is my superpower. And when I do that, people will know that I'm here. People will know that I'm here to listen, I'm here to serve, I'm here to like meet your needs, Matt. I'm I'm here to solve the problems that you have, and how can I best serve you? I've had many seller clients that ask me to list their house and I declined because they didn't have enough clear goal. And great that you want to sell your house, and I'd love to serve you, but what is the goal that you're trying to achieve? And the goal is not clear enough, and then I'm sorry, but I can't serve you. I do think clarity is power. It's one thing is to sell their houses, but another thing is to make them realize what they don't realize. It's part of coaching, you know? So asking really intentional questions, and I'm curious, tell me more about this. Tell me more about that. Uh, what do you mean by this? And just really dig deeper. And people are like, Oh, I just I didn't realize. I know. And that's why I'm here. I'm here to to have a consultation with you, you know?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. And it's my job to help fill those gaps of the things you don't know because you don't do this every day, and you don't you don't need to know this every day because this is not your industry. But if you're hiring me, then here's what's important for you to know. And it's so individual, right? It's based on their specific needs, their specific situation, and their specific house, right? Every house is different, and so is their house maybe updated. That's a whole different strategy than a house that's completely updated, right? And it's completely different if they have urgency to sell versus they have time.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And so it's like, well, we asked, you know, we we went on the internet and found this answer, and you're like, well, chat GPT only only knows this much about you, yeah, and it can do a good enough job, but that's not what you're looking for when you're talking to a professional.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and I think the question they asked me, what would I do if I wasn't in in real estate?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I think I'll be a teacher for middle school.

SPEAKER_00

Middle school teacher.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Dealing with middle school kids.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you know, I when I was in middle school, I didn't have a lot of guidance.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And the few guidance I had was very powerful. There was so many things I couldn't talk about in at home or with friends, or you know, but I was looking for that kind of leadership or adult figure that can actually guide me through what I'm what I was going through and not feeling like I was alone. It was really powerful for me. And I think teachers are so undervalue, you know, underappreciate it. And I think I'll be the one of those guys that super passionate about like if I do in the school.

SPEAKER_00

So you're doing that, or um like a school guidance counselor or something in that space. Yeah, for sure. It's always so it's fun to think about. Like, if I didn't do this, what would I do?

SPEAKER_01

Because I don't think I want to be therapist, or we already are, basically.

SPEAKER_00

But um Yeah, we already, I mean, we're already also teachers, yeah. And a coach in one in one particular thing. And the other thing I find about our work is that we also don't know how a process is gonna go with a client until we're in there, right? So it's one thing when you take on a buyer or a seller, but then you're also having to cooperate with the other party. And so, and even though you represent your client, you don't represent the other party, it still kind of matters the situation that the other party's in, whether they have a lot of urgency or they are super stressed or whatever, in being able to manage that for our clients and say, well, yes, it's the seller's being unreasonable or whatever it is. Like, I don't think that's a reasonable counter, but how how are we gonna respond back to that?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, 100%. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I'm sure you get that too, where there's sometimes buyers are like, Oh, it'll just be the easiest buyer you ever had. And I was like, How do you know that though? Because you don't we don't know what house we're gonna find or what the situation of the seller is gonna be or the condition of the house is gonna be, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so many variables, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

Mm-hmm.

Morning Routine That Starts At Night

SPEAKER_00

Um, when I sent you the questionnaire earlier, you had uh answered that you have a very intentional way that you start the day every day, that you incorporate your practices into your life so that you can kind of manage that. Talk to me a little bit about your morning routine and what you do to to make sure those morning hours are stable for you for the rest of your day.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. My morning starts in the at night. Um I have a blue light block of uh glasses so that in case I touch my phone or anything, I won't get dis disturbed by the blue light. And I always put my phone in airplane mode, which it could be controversial. What if your family has some emergency? Just you don't want to reach out, but I really don't want the signals around my my pillow, or if any my my phone's really far from my bed. I go to sleep. I have a red red light before I before I go to sleep. I have a red light. Um and and I go sleep. I wake up around five o'clock. I use this alarm clock. It's called hatch. You can buy it in Amazon. It's basically it's not even alarm, it doesn't make any sounds. You could it could make make sound if you wanted to, but it imitates the sunrise. So around five o'clock, around like 4 30, slowly, slowly, you know, it started like having that light. Um, and then by five o'clock, it's already really bright in my room. So I wake up with the light.

SPEAKER_00

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01

And then I get up and I do meditation right away. Um I don't do anything other than maybe sip of water. I do going straight to meditation. I don't fall back into sleep because I'm already sit up. Uh and then, you know, the room is bright.

SPEAKER_00

And I do straight from your bed, or do you have a cushion?

SPEAKER_01

I actually go to my on my bed. Yeah. I meditate on my bed. Yeah. I get up and then uh I meditate for 20 minutes and I write a journal uh of what I'm grateful for. I have this journal called Five Minute Journal. For the past like almost like eight or nine years, I've had so many of them. I write down what I'm grateful for, what I'm excited about today, and my you know, affirmation. Um and I do that in the evening as well before I go to sleep. Um, yeah, and I go work out or I move my body. I have to move my body. Like even if it's like a yoga of 30 minutes, I have to move my body. Something. Yeah. I usually go to the gym of like four or five times a week in the winter, and I usually go surfing like three times a week in in summer, but I move my body a lot. Running or even jumping in the ocean or something to move my body and come home and I eat my breakfast and get ready. So it's a whole morning ritual for me. I learned my base was from Miracle Morning, the book Miracle Morning.

SPEAKER_00

I'll find it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's it's basically that. Uh, and it really sets up uh a powerful morning routine and also like my mood. So I'm already ready to go. By the time I'm done with the ritual, I'm like so full with gratitude and like um like passion and like my goal and have all that. I prime myself throughout the day.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah, yeah, my morning was have you ever had a job in a corporate environment?

SPEAKER_01

I actually have not. Yeah, yeah. No, only W2 job I had was like being a salesperson for a chocolate company, but lasted like a year or so.

SPEAKER_00

For a chocolate company?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

For how long?

SPEAKER_01

I think I did it on and off for like a year and a half or two.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

But it was very flexible. I was in Costa Rica making calls, and they're like, love it, you're making a lot of sales, stay in Costa Rica.

SPEAKER_00

So you're okay, so what, you're selling chocolate in Costa Rica or from selling chocolate here.

SPEAKER_01

The company was based in Beverly Hills in LA, but they didn't care where I worked from as long as I, you know, I worked. Yeah, not a corporate job. Absolutely not.

Boundaries To Prevent Burnout

SPEAKER_00

I think it's interesting when I talk to realtors about different jobs they've had over time. It's it's interesting to see the different types of things people get into because to be in this industry, it takes a particular kind of mindset. We don't we don't have a boss. I mean, we do have like our market managers and things, but there's no, it's not like working corporate where you are reporting directly to a manager who's tracking all your metrics. You might have a coach, but beyond that, it is very self-motivating, which is both good and bad.

SPEAKER_01

Right, right, right. And that's something that I do see a lot of, which is burnout. You know, I think a lot of realtors get burned out very quickly. I'm not an athlete, but I've done Iron Man and different like, you know, races. I see real estate as more like a marathon than a sprint. And I do feel like a lot of people get into this real estate world watching, you know, selling sunset and like, oh, I can be famous and also make money right away. There are many people that do that, but I see it as longevity. I would like to serve myself, I like to help my fill my cup first so that I can completely serve others. And I see uh people getting burnt out and they also exit the industry. Like I like 90% of realtors exit the industry in the first year or two because the industry is so chaotic, and I think they will just do everything that they're taught to do, and yet there's no money coming in, right? So it's a lot of um patience and uh yeah, like you said, it takes certain personality to be successful in this net in this industry. And one of the things that I teach you know, mindful realtors is just pace yourself, you know, pausing is not stopping, pausing is not going backwards, pausing is actually getting clarity of our priority and what is our gift and how we can serve other people. And when this is the biggest thing I see is that um people getting their head when there's no escrow or when there's the market is shifting, uh the interest rates are going up, and um, you know, inventory is increasing, and there's on the market distance, and the sellers are asking what's wrong with you, you know. And I think this is a very much an industry where people blame us for for anything, you know. Uh any inspection that we missed or inspection that they missed, you know, it's all it's our responsibility, it seems like, right? But the biggest thing I always teach myself and you know, my assistant and everybody that I teach meditation to is that um it's that's all noise. I think when we really pause, right, and drop down to our heart space, and how am I being truthful to myself and am I serving for my heart space? And then the answer is yes, and there's no such a thing as a mistake.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You know, if you're coming from the mind of I need to make this much money, I need to look good, I need to it's about you and then getting in uh this noise caught up in the noise in your head, then you get burnt out. I take full responsibility for anything that my clients ask me to or tell me to. However, if it's not completely aligned with my my my heart center, I'm I will politely decline. I will politely say, hey, this is that sounds true, and this is where I'm coming from, you know, sure. Having that that discernment and then boundary uh is crucial, uh, and not being bumpered and and like being blued all over you.

SPEAKER_00

Which is so hard when you're new too because you're hungry.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_00

So it's hard to turn down the business or potential business. And the other um thing that I find that trips up agents a lot is lack of boundaries. And just not having the ability to turn off their phones in the evening or say there's there there really are no real emergencies in real estate, right? We're not firefighters, we're not EMS, and so even if a house is burning down, it's like you need to call the fire department, not me.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And for agents who are like, my phone's always on, I'll answer your call whenever. I'm like, that is a recipe for burnout.

SPEAKER_01

Right away.

SPEAKER_00

What other kinds of tools do you use in our industry to help help yourself not get swept up with other people's urgency?

SPEAKER_01

I mean, my phone goes to do not disturb mode at 8 20 uh p.m. Uh so I don't get calls, I don't get, you know, text uh then. Um and I have I have I get to I get to choose to respond if I if needed. Yeah. Um I just just a principle is I'm not ignoring my clients. I'm respectful of my time. And when I'm respectful, respectful for my time, then they'll respect your time, you know?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Set that expectation at the beginning with them to say, I I know that you take loosely you take Wednesdays off. So is that something you share with your clients ahead of time? Like, here is my day off. It's typically Wednesdays, I'm available. Here are my business hours. How do you how do you manage that?

SPEAKER_01

You know, if they ask, yes. Um, oftentimes people ask me, like, do you take a day off? Or like you seem like you're always on. I'm like, yo, no, no, that's not true. I take Wednesdays off. Wednesdays I don't go into the office. That doesn't mean I don't pick up my calls. I do pick up my calls and I do pick, you know, text message, and also my assistants working in the office from 9 to 5. So if there's an emergency issue, he reaches out to me or email me, responded and say, hey, Jimpei is you know uh out of office today. Um, isn't this urgent or can I get back to you tomorrow? Uh that communication is done. Um, but Wednesdays off was actually uh I learned this from my dad. Um, because growing up, like all my friends had a Sundays off. Uh and they go on the trips and da da da. And my house was always Wednesdays. And why it's Wednesday? Like it's this is weird.

SPEAKER_00

I do find Wednesdays is a good real estate day to take off because Mondays tend to be very difficult because you have all the weekend activity and showings, and Mondays you're getting things turned into title company, etc. So it's a first day back.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_00

Tuesdays we tend to have like team meetings and things, but Wednesday is kind of a nice gap between before the weekend activity picks up.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly. And now Thursday you're getting ready for the weekend, you know. Wednesdays off was actually taught by my dad and also my coach. Uh the first time I hired this coach, he's like, So, Jimpei, when is your day off? And I go, What do you mean? I'm coaching you to have a day off, and you're gonna make one day off a week at least, if not two.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And I think this helped me, and also the reason why I get to take trips and go network and different things is because when I have a day off, or when I have a trip coming up, I automatically calculate, reverse calculate like what needs to be done before I leave. And that actually makes me more productive and more effective and more efficient on the tasks that it's on my plate, rather than, oh, I have all seven days to this this week to work on this task. It's not that's not. I give myself deadline because I'm the boss, I'm the manager. Nobody gives me deadline if I don't, you know. Yeah, I do that and I even tell my assistant, hey, you know I'm going off tomorrow. What tasks do I need to do before I and I won't, you won't see me till Thursday. And I'm not gonna respond to you till Thursday.

SPEAKER_00

So then she's not left hanging.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_00

So you have you're a solo agent with one assistant. Is that your business structure? And does she also do your contract to close, or do you have someone else who does that?

SPEAKER_01

No, uh, transactional coordinator is separate. She does not do any contract. I don't I don't let her touch any contract, even though she's getting licensed.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So she's in your emails, she's handling kind of all of those things. And talk to me about the coaching. You've been in the business eight years. At what point in your career

Coaching And The 400-Door Hustle

SPEAKER_00

did you decide to get a coach and what prompted you to do that?

SPEAKER_01

I had my first coach in the year three. The first year and two, I did whatever I was taught to do, which is like I don't knock 400 doors a week, you know.

SPEAKER_00

400 doors a week?

SPEAKER_01

I just knocked on every single door that existed. Uh and I had what were you doing? Hey, I'm a local real estate agent. Have you thought about buying a house? Like you have any questions about me to say and I was 25 then, I looked like a little kid. And and people were like, no, thanks, you know. And I kept looking on the door like 9 p.m. I'm I'm I'm a single guy, I have nothing to do when I go home. Um I'm on locked door, anyways. And people are like, you know what time it is right now? Like, it is freaking 9 p.m. Stop doing that. And I'm like, oh, sorry.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, yes, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

Um, I did six open houses a week. I just did everything I could do. Uh first year I sold two homes, the second year I think I did like 12 or 14.

SPEAKER_00

Um you quadrupled your business.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, if you don't go on the 400 doors and yeah, something's gonna happen. So we yeah, exactly, something will happen, you know. After second year, I hired my first coach and it completely changed my life.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And how did you find the coach and what were they through coming?

SPEAKER_01

And funny enough, I took a little break. I went to Santa Barbara, and I I saw my friends, but I also I went to the mountain uh in Santa Barbara and I meditated for hours. I was meditating for like probably like eight hours in the mountain. Wow, long I didn't even know the time passed so fast, and then I opened my eyes and it was already sunset. I'm like, oh my gosh, how long I've I've been here. And one of the things that I like during meditation that came up for me was coaching. And I on the way back to home, San Diego, I stopped by my office and it was like 11 o'clock. One of my colleagues were there, and he was like, Oh, have you had a coach before? And I'm like, What? No, I have not. Like, I'm listening though. Tell me more. Yeah, tell me more. And then I he's like, I'm I hired this coach, and you really need to talk to her. She changed my life, and this and this and that. So I had an interview with her, and I didn't have money then. I really didn't have money. I it was all my credit cards are all maxed out. Like I I I was borrowing money, you know, but I didn't have you know extra money to spend.

SPEAKER_00

Sure. Well, and coaching's not cheap, especially when you're starting off, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And she said it was six thousand dollars for like three months or something like that. And I go, excuse me? What is six thousand dollars? Yeah, and and I go, no, I think I need to wait. I need to wait for my right moment, you know?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And she goes, like, okay, you can wait. And can I ask you one thing? And I said, sure. And she goes, um uh followers, they don't make decisions, and when they do make decisions, they change all the time. But leaders, they make decisions quickly, and when they do make decisions, they stick to it. And I want to ask you, which one are you? And I said, I'm a leader. Okay, what's your credit card? And she closed me.

SPEAKER_00

Holy cow, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_01

And I spent six thousand dollars that I didn't have. She was a very powerful woman that really stretched my mind uh in so many levels. I'm still in touch with her. Uh, I was talking to her yesterday. Uh not coaching in any way with friends now, but it was very, very, very helpful to have a coach to just keep me accountable and not only keep me accountable, like, but seeing what I don't see, the potential I don't see myself. Someone like if someone believes in you so much so that you start believing yourself. Wait, hold on. Maybe this is true. Maybe she's right. Maybe what I'm when I had this, you know, self-talk wasn't correct, and she's right. And you start like training the subconscious mind, and you have the mindset shift. And then once you have mindset shift, you're you're ready to go.

SPEAKER_00

But it's the advice I give to new agents, like find a mentor agent if you at the beginning can't afford a coach. Find a couple people who have different strengths in your industry that you admire for different reasons, and take them to coffee once a quarter and just pick their brain on it. But eventually hire a coach because they're gonna see gaps you can't see that you don't even know. You don't even know what's a gap. Right. But for someone to really assess your business and say, okay, show me like literally show me your calendar. What are you doing every day? Where is your mind? You know, and also I don't know for you, but for me, coming from a household which was not a very wealthy household, like the money stories I had in my mind that I didn't know I had, the subconscious stories around that, that I needed someone else to

Money Stories And Rewriting Scarcity

SPEAKER_00

be able to pick apart and say, You have some blocks against or toward wealth.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Either they can help you work on it or or find someone who can, because I'm like, Oh, I do. Doesn't everyone think this way? And they're like, No.

SPEAKER_01

No, I know what you mean. Yeah. Absolutely. I think I'm pretty big on Tony Robbins, and uh, he talks about business is 80% psychology and 20% skill sets. And I think the way and and we don't realize how much of our childhood or programming from our early age is blocking what we do today, even that money story, or you know, story about success, or story about successful people. And especially if you didn't grow up with money, I grew up with a single mom. I was 10 when my parents divorced, and I we were so poor, like it was below, like I don't know, I don't know how we got there. Like we were so poor. And and I didn't appreciate money because money wasn't a thing that was around, and I I didn't feel like money was helping me, you know, and and I changed the mindset and abundance showed up.

SPEAKER_00

So absolutely shout out to all the single moms out there, man. I have a similar similar story in my background too. How did my mom do it? My mom and all the moms in those situations with kids find their ways.

SPEAKER_01

I think when we we have to find a way we will, you know. If you have kids uh that you need to feed, then you will, but that's coming from a survival place and not really abundant place, you know. And I the money sh money story that I had was that money is evil and money is not here to help me. And uh I think I started real estate when I was, you know, like uh 2018, August, and then I had a one closing, which was 300,000, $375,000 home. In January, I was invited to go to this seminar, and I was driving, and I I flipped flipped over my car like four times and I almost died. Oh wow, and that was the biggest asset I had, which was a car, you know, as a real and now I have no money, no car, uh broke, like, and I just didn't know what to do. And that's when I was like really truly like F you money, you know, like F you like you never help me, you always give me trouble, you always, you know, like I was like pissed off. And something in my I think it's this I heard this from like somewhere. Uh the money talked to me, said, I always have been here for you. And I was like, wait, what? You know, and it was like kind of like I was in a meditative state uh because I was so pissed off.

SPEAKER_00

It's almost like a trance, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I was so pissed off that I was in trance, and I heard this voice of like, what do you no? I have always been there for you, and I listened and I realized you're right, money. You always provided me with shelter and food and helped my mom and this and this and that. And I, Sumina, I just broke down in tears. I didn't realize money is just the energy that um need it deserves all the love, all the love and all the appreciation, you know, and I never gave it because I had a story around money that money is um uh money's evil. And I wrote a letter uh to money, I'm like, dear money, um, I am so sorry. I never given you, I even acknowledged you as a help, you know, and please forgive me. Like I never had this awareness. And you we don't have to be best friends yet, but could you really be like, could you forgive me, you know? And that was a huge awakening for me uh around money. And honestly, like ever since the relationship with money, because I I appreciate money and money appreciates me, our relationship is so so clear and so good.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. That's that's amazing. I mean, that it's it is just it's energy, it's resources. Also, to me, and it's like you're doing the healing work of healing that story for yourself.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_00

And reclaiming what it means for you, independent of the story you either picked up from your childhood or however we we acquired these stories, you know.

SPEAKER_02

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00

Especially being kids and feeling like this resource that can. provide an easier life, which is money, is that you don't have you don't have it, or your family doesn't have it, or doesn't have much of it. You know, things are always can be a struggle. Um yeah.

Real Estate Gifts And Closing Notes

SPEAKER_00

Well as we're wrapping up here, talk to me about what you think some of if you're thinking about your real estate business and the gifts you it's been it's given you, what what would you say that is gift that real estate is giving me?

SPEAKER_01

Many things, many gifts here both gift and medicine. I think the gift is really uh connections because real estate is such a big topic for everybody and it's such a um easy way to talk to people about like so many people that I have I've met that I wouldn't have met if it wasn't for real estate. And they are they take such a significant role in my life and not only there's business transactions but like people that are like closest to me showed up through real estate and you know when when money is online or house is online people show their true color and you actually get to see that and you get to walk them through the process when they're really out of whack completely stressed out you know you've experienced what I experienced and you like you just hold them guide them through it because you've been there many times and that trust that creates and also from that friendship like you create so many connections in relationships you never imagined that was even possible. I think realtors take with so many hats you know and that also stretches your mind. I've never thought I would officiate my client's wedding for instance like I've never thought officiate wedding in general you know so many things that many connections and many things that I I've done over the course of the eight years was because of real estate uh that's part and also how you can create wealth and a generational financial freedom through real estate I'm not only a realtor but I also invest in real estate and learning about tax savings and learning about how to either do exchange or do so many ways to help other people secure their financial security but you can use that to yourself and you realize how much that can help you in the long run. I feel very blessed to have that knowledge and and also income uh to be able to do what I've done in a very short period of time and I feel like I'm I just started.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah yeah because you're eight years in now.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah like I I do truly love real estate and also how much I can serve other people and how many different aspects there is to real estate. Like it's just so fascinating. You would never be bored in this industry. Every day is different.

SPEAKER_00

And all the different ways to build your business too which is as unique as each of us are which is very rare for a career profession to give you that flexibility. Certainly well thank you so much for your time it's been lovely to learn so much more about your life and just all the aspects of it. And I for one am grateful that Realstate has given me the opportunity to meet you and have a podcast and be able to get in these deeper conversations with people. Thank you for sharing your gift and your story with the greater realtor community too and um I look forward to continuing continuing it on.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you Smyrna for having me that was beautiful.

SPEAKER_00

You're welcome I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did jump has a wealth of information to share. All of his contact information will be linked in the show notes below and as a reminder if you'd like to sign up for my newsletter the link for that is below. If you'd like to sign up for my upcoming class how to take a month long trip as a realtor and have your business survive I'm starting a wait list for that. That link will be in the show notes as well and um being able to sign up for my Thursday meditation is also available for you there. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of the Rested and rich real estate agent. I hope you found it useful please share it with a friend if you are so inclined this podcast is a baby project of mine so anytime I get to hear back from my listeners I enjoy it. So it doesn't feel like I am just sneaking out into the void and wishing you all a restful rest of your week and till next time take care

Head Shot

Sumina

Host