The $1.1 Million Mistake Every New Team Leader Makes with Courtney Levert

RPP Courtney Levert

[00:00:00] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: he said he went from making, I think it was 1.3 million to 185,000 his first year of his team. Okay, that makes sense.

[00:00:08] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: [00:00:10] Let me show I have a guest on. No, you can say hi. Come here. Hi. [00:00:20] She has a outfit on. She's excited. Yes. Yes. It's to. Okay. [00:00:30] Okay.

[00:00:36] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Hey everybody. Hey everyone. Welcome back to the Reside [00:00:40] Platform podcast. I'm your host, Sunita Agrawal, and today I've got someone who's not just playing the real estate game. She's re rewriting the damn rules. Courtney's been a realtor for 13 [00:00:50] years, but let's be real, that's not the headline. She's a mom, a team leader, a serial learner.

[00:00:55] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: I can't wait to talk about that. And a local community powerhouse, that's pretty [00:01:00] cool. Um, something interesting about her as wild. Eight months pregnant. For those of you that don't know, that's quite a bit pregnant. She left her company [00:01:10] of a decade, started her own team, and it changed everything. So now she's running a team, raising a family, and giving back to the Sarnia [00:01:20] and District, district Humane Society, which I can't wait to talk about.

[00:01:24] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: So if you think you're busy, buckle up. Courtney, thanks for joining me. Let's get into it.

[00:01:29] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: [00:01:30] Awesome. Everything's great. Thanks for having me.

[00:01:33] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: So

[00:01:37] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: let's talk about the Humane Society 'cause [00:01:40] I'm super curious. Tell me how that works.

[00:01:42] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Uh, so actually, I don't know if you know Jesse, she started the Positive Properties Campaign years ago, and I [00:01:50] joined with that campaign. So for every home I sell, I donate a hundred dollars to the Humane Society here as well. I do a lot of fundraisers with them. It's, I'm all about supporting [00:02:00] them, so.

[00:02:01] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: How did he get into that? Is that, is this a woman that you said, Jesse, is she a realtor

[00:02:07] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: is also a realtor. Yep. She's out in New [00:02:10] Brunswick. She's actually who brought me over to exp as well. So, uh, her and I were some big, big names at our old company and we all jumped ship fairly quickly together. So.[00:02:20]

[00:02:20] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: And what you jumped when you were, is that.

[00:02:24] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I was, I was eight months pregnant and uh, my old boss thought I was just hormonal. [00:02:30] And you know what, maybe I was, but here.

[00:02:37] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: So yeah, what was going through your head?

[00:02:39] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Um, it was [00:02:40] actually one of our other team members that pointed out the numbers to me, and I am not a numbers person. Surprisingly. I've run tons of businesses and I have people that really run those [00:02:50] numbers for me, but I know how to make money. I know how to run the business. I know how to do that side of things.

[00:02:54] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: But when she pointed out the amount of money we were giving to that company, it didn't make sense for us to [00:03:00] stay. So we saw. The benefit of changing and then it was just a snowball and we were called the Grand Exit when we left our [00:03:10] last company, there was a large group of us that left together and I became the team lead.

[00:03:14] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I purchased a building that we outgrew in six months. So it was, yeah, it was a [00:03:20] snowball effect. And you know, everyone jokes here that I was even writing an offer when I was in labor, so

[00:03:26] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: were you?

[00:03:27] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: was, I. [00:03:30] Yeah, I was a little bit crazy, but you know what, I, I am a go-getter there. It's, there's no shutoff on me for sure.

[00:03:38] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Good for you, [00:03:40] man. Like, I remember trying to work while my wife was giving labor, and that was even hard. I, I, I can't imagine actually being in the, being in the hospital trying to get it

[00:03:48] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: yep, yep. And during [00:03:50] COVID, so you can imagine how that was.

[00:03:53] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Oh, it was during COVID at the same time. Did those clients, were they super grateful when you got [00:04:00] in the house or.

[00:04:00] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Uh, yes, most, I actually, during COVID I lost only one client, um, because I was actually one of the ones against getting the vaccine. [00:04:10] So, and that's okay. So it was a huge dynamic change, but giving birth through it all was a whole new world in the hospital for sure.[00:04:20]

[00:04:22] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: I think my second kid, my second kid was born during COVID to 2021. Was it [00:04:30] 2021? Yeah. Uh, okay. Am I 20? 20? Okay. Anyways, anyways, before I try to spend the next 10 minutes, trying to figure out [00:04:40] what year it is. 2021. Um, so you guys were at some other brokerage and. Got excited [00:04:50] byb, which I think is super cool, and you guys just all bounce and you started the team

[00:04:55] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: That's right. Yep.

[00:04:57] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: and the agents who came with [00:05:00] you, you just became the team leader.

[00:05:01] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Yeah, it just, it made sense. At the time. I was the one that was in the longest and I kind of knew the systems and I was already training them at the last company. [00:05:10] Uh, so it just worked out. And then we grew from there. But we came during spring market. While I was eight months pregnant, it was just a whirlwind of events.

[00:05:19] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: [00:05:20] But you know what? We hit the ground running and we just kept going. And some things we just had to go backwards in the fall when we slowed down to figure out, and that was fine. It all worked out.

[00:05:28] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah. How did [00:05:30] you decide like who to bring on first or like the structure of the team? Like were there any disasters or did you nail it?

[00:05:38] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Uh, we did, [00:05:40] it was interesting actually. We decided to do one at a time to structure, you know, what listings we had, what buyers we were working with, and what contracts we had on the go. However, [00:05:50] uh, when we got to the tail end of our group, most of them were very upset with. The dynamic change at our last company and some of the responses to [00:06:00] us leaving, uh, there was a lot of unprofessional situations that we were surprised about, so they jumped ship a lot quicker and we were just like, you know what?

[00:06:09] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Whatever, just, [00:06:10] just come. Right? No one wants to be in a toxic environment. So when that started happening, it was just everyone jumped.

[00:06:16] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Wow. Yo, we, when I opened up my [00:06:20] first brokerage, we were somewhere else and I was really upfront for months. I was, I was gonna open and then, um. I was in San Diego at a [00:06:30] conference, shocker. Um, those were the heavier conference days. Um, they, they just dropped my license [00:06:40] and then, so then we all, and I had like 40, 40 escrows or something, bunch of listings.

[00:06:46] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: So then we opened up the brokerage, like really quickly [00:06:50] from the conference, right. Yeah, and then, but then the other firm [00:07:00] wouldn't transfer all the deals, so one of my dudes had to go back over there and close 'em all out a conference. [00:07:10] San Diego.

[00:07:10] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: You know, I always say like, never leave on a bad note, but I never expected the broker to push it on a bad note, right? Because [00:07:20] I could have jumped ship and then changed my mind two seconds after and been like, what am I doing? But

[00:07:25] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah, I mean like my approach, [00:07:30] because I've owned real estate companies for a very long time is my approach is go through the front door, always [00:07:40] right? Always go through the front door. Every place I left, it was a sit down conversation every single time.[00:07:50]

[00:07:50] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Yep.

[00:07:51] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Right. A sit down conversation. Um, but some people don't see it that way.

[00:07:56] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: And then, and that's okay. Anyhow, so you [00:08:00] started a team and were a new mom, and it was during COVID. What was that like?

[00:08:04] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: It was a lot. Um, I did a lot of therapy before I had my child, so I [00:08:10] was prepared for most of it. Um, I was very fortunate that my husband was able to take Pat leave, so that was very helpful during that time. Yeah. [00:08:20] Yeah, so he took some time off during that and was very helpful with the baby and his family came down to help a little bit as well.

[00:08:26] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Um, but it was really cool because the dynamic of my [00:08:30] team is everyone else had already had kids. So I'm a little bit older having my first kid and it was, I was learning from them how to be a mom and they're learning from me how to be a realtor. [00:08:40] So it was a really cool dynamic shift. Yeah.

[00:08:43] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah. But yeah, tell, but, but So you would bring him to work and the other ladies there would help out

[00:08:49] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Sure. [00:08:50] Yeah, like I still do, like he's got a little toy room in the office over there and stuff, so

[00:08:55] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Oh, that's awesome. So he was raised up in the

[00:08:57] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: That's right. And he is, oh gosh, [00:09:00] he's so much like me. It's crazy. It's scary actually. But.

[00:09:03] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Two of you guys watch out.

[00:09:05] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Like he is so stubborn and he, you know, he's a go-getter and he's just all, [00:09:10] he's a little crazy boy. But it was working during that time, was cool and awesome all at the same time.

[00:09:16] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: But I also wanted to be with him and that was something I had [00:09:20] to learn that was okay to not be around him all the time, but also okay to want to be around him all the time. So,

[00:09:29] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: If, look, if [00:09:30] you're a business, I think that's super cool. I'm. My wife's a stay at home mom. Right. So that she was always able to be with, [00:09:40] with the kids, especially Right. When they're little like that. And that's important as hell. Yeah. Um, and it's cool that you had the support group at the office.

[00:09:49] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: [00:09:50] yeah. They still support me. I'm still learning.

[00:09:52] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: they were watching like during a quick showing like, Hey, I gotta go show this house.

[00:09:55] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Oh yeah. Yep. They were all there for me. It was awesome.

[00:09:59] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Awesome. [00:10:00] Yeah, that is awesome. Um, walk me through like a typical day for you now. Like what's your, what's your daily

[00:10:07] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Uh, well, Bo just started school, so I am [00:10:10] learning a little bit different of a day now, but normally, and it's always a joke that I come to the office super early before anyone and I walk down the street and I have coffee with a group [00:10:20] of old men. And I've been doing that for like. 10 years, right? Like that's just my thing and I get to know people in the community and you know, what's going on in their life.

[00:10:29] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: And [00:10:30] now that's adapted to, they all know I'm a realtor. They all know we have this team right down the street. So it's a good way for me to learn to have that calm before the storm [00:10:40] in the morning and it'll.

[00:10:41] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: I love it.

[00:10:41] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: right. Like everyone needs something before you hit the ground running for work. So, um, I sit there for a good hour, usually in the [00:10:50] morning with everyone.

[00:10:50] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: One of them is like a counselor on in our, our mayor down here. So it's great to speak to her and see what's going on, what's coming up in the community, so we stay [00:11:00] connected. We're a very small community here, so I love doing that. Then I go to the office, I get ready, I make sure I have all the things that I need to do first.

[00:11:07] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I am very strict on my calendar. My [00:11:10] calendar tells me what I'm doing each day. So we have meetings, we have trainings. I teach the team. I do, um, the agent development program with our team. So that's five days a week. [00:11:20] And then of course, I still have my clients, right? So I'm doing all that in a day. Usually, as we all know, we hunt in the morning and eat in the afternoon for our appointments.[00:11:30]

[00:11:30] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Today I was meeting with new agents, joining the team, which is fantastic as well. And then I always make sure that I'm ready to pick up my kid when school's done, so.

[00:11:39] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah. I [00:11:40] like that thing you said about the local coffee, and I think it's worth mentioning because you guys are in a smaller city, right? [00:11:50] How, how many people live there again? Yeah. 73,000 and there's a downtown ish area and you have a building in that area. [00:12:00] And there's cool shit around there, right? So you having your office there is

[00:12:05] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Yeah, so like we have the whole like modern office that has the old [00:12:10] brickwork, but it's modernized. It's really cool space. And we have the garage door that just opens.

[00:12:14] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: You got the garage door. Yeah. So, and then you walk down the street to a local cool coffee [00:12:20] shop. So you're the local realtor and everyone

[00:12:22] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: That's right.

[00:12:24] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: dude. I love that. How, how many deals have you gotten from that coffee shop?

[00:12:28] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I don't even know over the [00:12:30] years, I have no idea. I get, actually, I get a lot more deals with the Humane Society being known as the dog lady or the girl that gives back to the Humane Society. So, and I'm okay with that one. 'cause [00:12:40] people love animals more than they love people at the end of the day.

[00:12:43] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah. You know, um, there's someone in town that does that with the Humane Society too, and I think, yeah, I [00:12:50] mean, there's feel. I think she may be one of the bigger luxury agents and she'll like pay for all adoptions for like a [00:13:00] month. So, um, and she always gets on the news from doing that on every channel.

[00:13:06] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: And I said, get nice game. Good job. It's, and, and, and, [00:13:10] and it's, and it's far a good cause. Um, so tell me about like your rental property situation. 'cause [00:13:20] I know you're hustling over there too.

[00:13:21] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Yeah, I've done rental property since I was 18. Um, I started, yeah. [00:13:30] I have a very unique story actually. I, I left home at 16. Um, but I had every intention when I was going off to university, [00:13:40] I was going to buy a home and rent out the rooms to people that were going to the university as well, right? Because I had to figure out a way that, how can I do this with my living being [00:13:50] paid for?

[00:13:50] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Because I know I can get scholarships here and I know I can get ASAP here, right? So I had to always figure out ways to make it work. Um. So, yeah, so that's what I did. I had a [00:14:00] small amount of money when I was like 11. I, I received five grand from when I, my, uh, stepfather passed away. So I had that saved in an investment.

[00:14:08] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: And then over time I used that as the down [00:14:10] payment. So I learned very young, you have to figure out how to make money work for you. And so I purchased that home. I rented the rooms though for 475 each. I [00:14:20] remember it to this day. And then, um, that home obviously built equity while I was at school. It paid for my living.

[00:14:27] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I graduated university and then when I came back to [00:14:30] my town, I sold that property and started buying up here. Um, so now I have multiple units. We have two commercial buildings with residential units in them as well. So. Um, [00:14:40] that's my, that's kind of my baby, but the landlord tenant act is not that great these days, so it's really changed my dynamic in searching more for the commercial side.

[00:14:49] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Like I would love to [00:14:50] do a full apartment building next, but, um, I also just built my dream home, so I have to step back for a year to get back into the financial side to do that again.[00:15:00]

[00:15:00] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah, so you're buying all local stuff, mostly. So be a local, local, uh, property Baron. [00:15:10] Is, is that the goal?

[00:15:12] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Uh, well, I've been doing it for so long, right? Like that's over 20 years now that I've owned these properties and they've never been vacant. I've done a great job with [00:15:20] them, and my tenants refer me people, they even refer me business all the time. So it's, it's been great. Yeah.

[00:15:25] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah. I love that like. [00:15:30] Real realtor vibe shit that you're doing, man. Like, it's not all about like chasing leads or sys or like some tech and it's like real realtor stuff. I really like that. [00:15:40] Um, and getting it into everything. Um, like the coffee shop and the rental properties. That's very cool. What's something [00:15:50] fun or different you do with your team that keeps everyone from wanting to strangle each other?

[00:15:56] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Um, we do strangle each other. We do act like frozen [00:16:00] sisters in here. So, um, we actually, we kind of joke about that because there are days where we keep each other like way too accountable sometimes. Um, but we always, you [00:16:10] know, we celebrate each other too, right? So like. Tomorrow we'll be going out for lunch because it was Kirsten's birthday last week while we were gone.

[00:16:17] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: So we always celebrate birthdays by going out for lunch. [00:16:20] We always hang out. We even have in our calendar when certain movies come out that all the girls go to. Um, but we are, we're a team. Even. We've gone away together like Portugal, we just all went away [00:16:30] together. So it's,

[00:16:31] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: No, they came too.

[00:16:32] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: uh, half of our team went. Yeah, so.

[00:16:35] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: And it was for Rick Rick's on our team. He, uh, turned 40 and he's Portuguese and he'd never been [00:16:40] to Portugal. So we had been planning this for like a year.

[00:16:43] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Oh, it was a team trip. I thought it was you and some friends. Okay,

[00:16:47] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: of our team. Yeah,

[00:16:48] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: So, uh, [00:16:50] something fun or different is you go to Fri Portugal.

[00:16:52] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: yeah,

[00:16:53] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: I have never heard anyone going to, uh, Nazi

[00:16:57] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: yeah.

[00:16:59] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: How long of a [00:17:00] flight does that for you, though? Close or

[00:17:01] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: that was, I think it was seven hours there and eight hours back.

[00:17:06] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: So far enough.

[00:17:08] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Yeah, flights don't bother me. We did [00:17:10] Maldives last year and that was like 20 something hours by the time I got there. So,

[00:17:15] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Um, what was the biggest like, oh, crap moment you've had since you started your [00:17:20] team?

[00:17:21] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: oh, I would say realizing that most people think when you start a team is so you can make more and work less. [00:17:30] Right. You don't realize that, oh shit, I'm actually starting a whole new business from scratch and you're making way less and you're giving up all your money to make it run [00:17:40] until you hit that five year mark again.

[00:17:42] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Right? It's, you're straight up starting a new business. I wish someone warned me that, and I wish someone told me I was gonna go [00:17:50] from, you know, making as much money as I was to coming right down to make this work and, you know, trying to find that balance so.

[00:17:58] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah, [00:18:00] so what did, what did he do about it?

[00:18:04] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Uh, I'm kind of in that shit storm right now, so [00:18:10] I'm learning from it and, and rolling with it. 'cause I roll with everything and it all works out for me usually. So, um, but I just, I think Abraham hit me when he told [00:18:20] me, you know, I went from, he said he went from making, I think it was 1.3 million to 185,000 his first year of his team. Okay, that makes sense. Right. [00:18:30] So where, I mean, thankfully I'm not going that big of a strict shift, but I am doing that ebb and flow trying to get this rolling. And as we all [00:18:40] know, KFR, once we get that new blood in here, it always works out better. So I am, I'm, I'm in that valley despair right now, but I think we're coming up and I think next year's gonna be [00:18:50] great.

[00:18:50] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: So.

[00:18:51] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah. I mean, that's the thing, right? Is. It's a myth, it's a untrue myth. It's a wis [00:19:00] tale that starting a team makes stuff easier for most. Right? It totally is. Um, so, [00:19:10] and you just really made me think about that value despair. I almost went into my coaching hat. KFR. Um, so what's [00:19:20] something between us. People who run a successful team don't talk about, but should know

[00:19:28] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: The money side.[00:19:30]

[00:19:30] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: the money

[00:19:31] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: of despair for sure. I wish someone talked about that more. 'cause even being a business owner, I've been multiple business owners, like it's just, it's [00:19:40] something you don't think about until you're in it like. You know, my, my assistant the other day, she's like, okay, our team cost us 95 grand this year.[00:19:50]

[00:19:50] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I'm like, oh, okay.

[00:19:53] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah. So, so are you taking, are, are you taking listings? I hope.

[00:19:58] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Uh, I do still work [00:20:00] with my return referrals only, and everything new gets given to the team.

[00:20:04] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Okay, good. Um, lets you find time because like if you think about it, like even, [00:20:10] like what's the most profitable business to start? Can you answer that?

[00:20:16] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Real estate.

[00:20:18] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah. Real estate, right? [00:20:20] Like has anything else? What am I gonna do? Open like a franchise restaurant.

[00:20:24] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Yeah. I would never.

[00:20:26] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Or like, uh, I almost opened up a Subway once and I'm glad I didn't. [00:20:30] I had a lot of family that opened up subway restaurants and I heard that their business got correct when that dude got got, um, arrested for [00:20:40] whatever he did.

[00:20:40] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Right. Um, Jared. Yeah. Do you know, do you know what, what a subway is?

[00:20:47] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Yeah. Yeah. We have subways here.

[00:20:49] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah, [00:20:50] so the guy, Jared, the big overweight guy who lost a bunch of weight, he got arrested for like something bad to do with kids.

[00:20:58] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Oh, I did not know [00:21:00] that. Okay.

[00:21:00] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah. Well that's why, yeah. So taking, yeah, changing topics. Um,

[00:21:06] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I mean, I've also, like, I owned a tanning salon and spa [00:21:10] through for 10 years as well, so those types of businesses, you're basically keeping them open for people that have jobs. Right. Like at the end of the day, you're not making a killing off them. [00:21:20] So, um, that I also closed that down when I gave birth as well.

[00:21:24] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: 'cause it, I had to make that decision. Something's gotta give here so.

[00:21:28] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Oh, really? You, you had a, you had [00:21:30] a, so tanning salon and spa. What kind of spa is this?

[00:21:35] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Um, so I, yeah, like I had the tanning, I had hair, I had the [00:21:40] aesthetics, all of the, all of the things. And I had that business for 10 years. I opened it basically when I started real estate as well, and closed it during COVID. Yep.[00:21:50]

[00:21:50] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Oh wow. Do you ever want to get, get back into that?

[00:21:53] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Nope.

[00:21:55] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: What about, so here's the question. Okay, so you're in Canada. What, what province [00:22:00] are, are you in Ontario? What's a big city that's in Ontario, in

[00:22:05] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Toronto Toronto's three hours for me.

[00:22:08] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Okay, so there you go. [00:22:10] Just, just so everybody gets it. She's outside of Toronto, which is a big, very cool metropolitan city.

[00:22:17] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Like very cool. One of the coolest cities I've ever been to [00:22:20] by far. Um, would, would you agree that it's a cool city?

[00:22:24] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: It's too busy for me, but yes.

[00:22:27] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: I mean, like textbook cool city, right? [00:22:30] Right. Um, so in. On in Ontario province are a lot of people getting into home service businesses, [00:22:40] because that's a big thing here in the US right

[00:22:41] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: So we can't do a lot of the things that you guys are doing, right?

[00:22:48] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Tell me like you guys can't [00:22:50] do pest service or roofing.

[00:22:53] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I think we have like one pest service person in our area. Um, the people that got into roofing, there's a lot of [00:23:00] people that created bad names there, so that's starting to be a little more regulated. It's uh, it's interesting. So,

[00:23:08] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: A big thing here to where my [00:23:10] friends are actively trying to buy these home service companies.

[00:23:13] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Okay. Well maybe they should come here and do so too.

[00:23:15] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yeah. Right. There's only one guy doing pest

[00:23:19] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: [00:23:20] Yeah.

[00:23:21] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: I have a new kid knocking on my door three days a week trying to sell me pett service.

[00:23:25] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Interesting. Okay. Yeah. Nope, that's not here.

[00:23:29] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yes, [00:23:30] there you go. Talking about business, I dunno, maybe there's

[00:23:32] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Alright.

[00:23:34] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Um, so you're a self-described serial learner, is that

[00:23:39] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I am a [00:23:40] huge nerd. Yes. Yep. Yep.

[00:23:42] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Nerd? Like a self-development nerd.

[00:23:45] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Uh, I actually have nine university and college degrees, [00:23:50] so I am, yeah, I'm just a huge nerd. I love school and I would've been a professional student if it made me money somehow, so. Yep.

[00:23:59] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: My parents [00:24:00] are professors with multiple degrees and I grew up on a college campus, so I definitely get it. Uh, what are some of the things you like to nerd out on the most?

[00:24:09] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: well, I [00:24:10] actually originally went to university to be a criminal defense lawyer, so I'm really big into like the crime side of things, oddly enough, um, and like the psychology [00:24:20] and sociology side to like really get to know people, which has really helped in this business anyways. Right.

[00:24:26] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Uh, that's so, so what's, what book are you reading right now?[00:24:30]

[00:24:30] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I'm actually reading three different books and one of them I just picked up in Portugal. Oh God, I shouldn't even admit this. How to kill men and get away with it. [00:24:40] um, I used to read a lot of like self-learning books for work and through therapy I've taught myself that I [00:24:50] actually shouldn't be reading workbooks. I need to read stuff to get my mind off of work. Um,

[00:24:55] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yes.

[00:24:55] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I dive into a lot of other things now. Yeah,

[00:24:58] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: So not a bunch of [00:25:00] self-development books all the time. Right. I think that's really good 'cause it's an infinite comparison loop of the same shit that the other book said,

[00:25:08] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: It's for sure.[00:25:10]

[00:25:11] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: and it just leaves you feeling like you're not good

[00:25:13] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: right. Yep.

[00:25:15] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Yep. Uh, I just read a great book and it was the [00:25:20] story of Genus Khan and I with the best book I read in a long time, so I highly recommend it.

[00:25:24] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: yep. It's, it's good to get your head outta work sometimes, right? We gotta shut it down sometimes.

[00:25:29] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: it's my [00:25:30] first like long history like epic. It's like the book is like, I have it and I listen to it. I think it's like 900 pages or something. It's crazy. [00:25:40] Um, yeah. Okay. So what advice do you have for realtors out there listening to this episode?[00:25:50]

[00:25:50] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Um, I really like to help people grow, so, you know, if there's ever any questions, I'm always happy to help. Uh, I find. Even my [00:26:00] post today is like, don't worry about the leads, worry about nurturing your leads. Learn, learn about converting your leads. Really dive into how to have those relationships and [00:26:10] never worry about the paycheck.

[00:26:11] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Worry about the relationship

[00:26:14] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Mm. So how do you get better at that?

[00:26:18] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: nurturing, right? Like [00:26:20] becoming people's. I don't wanna say friend, but basically a friend, right? If you are a really good agent, people, and you are truthful and honest, and you really help them [00:26:30] and guide them the right way, it's going to come back to you tenfold. They're going to refer you, they're going to bring their family to you.

[00:26:37] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: But if you're in there popping commission, [00:26:40] breath all over them, and you're worried with check, right? People see right through that. They see right through it.

[00:26:47] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: So how do you not worry about the commission? Check for the person [00:26:50] that needs it so bad?

[00:26:51] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I've never thought about the check. Um, if you need it that bad, then you'll want to nurture it [00:27:00] properly, right?

[00:27:01] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Ooh.

[00:27:02] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: If you need it that bad and you just go for that check, that's gonna be the only check you're gonna get.[00:27:10]

[00:27:12] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: You should write that into a post right away. That's really good.

[00:27:16] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I'll tomorrow.

[00:27:17] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: That's really good schedule. [00:27:20] Uh, okay. If somebody wants to learn more about you or send you a referral, how do they do

[00:27:29] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Uh, Courtney [00:27:30] levert.ca and you can reach out to me on Instagram at court hall realtor that is my married name that I just haven't bothered changing yet. So, um. [00:27:40] It's only been two and a half years, I'll get there, but I, uh, yeah, I'm on Instagram, Facebook, and yeah, courtney levert.ca. You can always book a call with me.

[00:27:48] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: I do [00:27:50] also do coaching and I have your, your free first call. So, yeah.

[00:27:54] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Good. What are some things you do in your coaching program?

[00:27:57] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Um, I really, I am all about helping new [00:28:00] agents grow, especially those agents that are just doing the basic, you know, five, six deals a year and I wanna get them up to 20, whatever their goals are, I can adapt that coaching to them. So, yeah.[00:28:10]

[00:28:10] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Host: Oh, cool. Awesome. So you guys go reach out to Courtney. We'll drop her links in the show notes. Thank you Courtney for hanging out with me today and [00:28:20] um, everybody else, I really hope you got something outta this episode. If you did, make sure to like, subscribe and share with a friend and we'll see you in the next episode of [00:28:30] the Reside Platform podcast.

[00:28:32] RPP Ep.130 - Courtney Levert - Guest: Thank you.