Shownotes
Business Inspiration
Ryan’s entrance into a career in real estate [4:57]Candle Flickering Moments
Advice for working with contractors when you’re building out your new space [18:25]Business Building Insights
Relationships are the name of the game [3:30] The first steps when you begin thinking about a brick and mortar shop [8:54] Working through negotiations with your realtor [12:02] The role of the city in your business location [14:46] Understanding a Letter of Intent [16:44] How to make sure you choose the right realtor for you [20:59] An around good management tip [25:48]Success Trait
The confidence and strength of being yourself [24:47]Productivity/Lifestyle Tool
The power and a success story dealing with handwritten notes [27:38]Valuable Book
Warren Buffett’s Management Secrets: Proven Tools for Personal and Business Success by Mary Buffett and David Clark
Contact Links
Website LinkedInIf you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. That helps us spread the word to more makers just like you. Thanks! Sue
Transcripts
Gift biz unwrapped episode 78.
Speaker:It's just about being,
Speaker:Hi, this is John Lee,
Speaker:Dumas of entrepreneur on fire,
Speaker:and you're listening to the gift of biz unwrapped.
Speaker:And now it's time to Welcome to gift bears,
Speaker:unwrapped your source for industry specific insights and advice to develop
Speaker:and grow your business.
Speaker:And now here's your host,
Speaker:Sue Mona height.
Speaker:Hi there.
Speaker:I'm Sue and welcome to the gift biz unwrapped podcast.
Speaker:Whether you own a brick and mortar shop sell online or
Speaker:are just getting started,
Speaker:you'll discover new insight to gain traction and to grow your
Speaker:business. And today I am thrilled to have joining us.
Speaker:Ryan Newberry.
Speaker:Ryan is originally from a small farming community in Northwest Missouri.
Speaker:He's been in sales now for over 20 years,
Speaker:and it's definitely his career passion first in banking.
Speaker:And now in real estate,
Speaker:I'm not surprised he's so successful.
Speaker:He's got a style that works.
Speaker:He's friendly,
Speaker:helpful, and sincere.
Speaker:Ryan lives on the North shore of Chicago with his husband,
Speaker:Brian, who owns an upscale teeth,
Speaker:eyelash salon in Highland park,
Speaker:which is a,
Speaker:my hometown as well.
Speaker:Currently with Berkshire Hathaway.
Speaker:He's going to share tips on the industry and be particularly
Speaker:beneficial if you're considering a brick and mortar shop for your
Speaker:business. So with that,
Speaker:Ryan, welcome to the show.
Speaker:Hello, Sue.
Speaker:Thanks for having me.
Speaker:I appreciate It.
Speaker:I am thrilled that you're here because with our listeners,
Speaker:all lot of times,
Speaker:we're talking about,
Speaker:well, should I make the leap from an home-based business to
Speaker:a brick and mortar shop,
Speaker:et cetera.
Speaker:And I know you're going to be able to shed some
Speaker:light on that,
Speaker:but before we do that,
Speaker:I want to talk about your motivational candle,
Speaker:which is how I love starting every single one of my
Speaker:podcasts. It gives us the different feel into what you're all
Speaker:about Ryan.
Speaker:Sure. All right.
Speaker:So if you were to describe your perfect motivational candle,
Speaker:what color would it be and what would be the quote
Speaker:on that candle?
Speaker:Well, I think my candle would probably be like a bright
Speaker:color candle of some kind,
Speaker:maybe an orange,
Speaker:a yellow,
Speaker:or a bright red,
Speaker:because because of my personality and bright colors,
Speaker:help to motivate people on,
Speaker:put you in a positive,
Speaker:light and perspective in a way of thinking.
Speaker:And one of my favorite quotes,
Speaker:it's actually by will Smith.
Speaker:It's, don't chase people,
Speaker:be yourself,
Speaker:do your own thing and work hard,
Speaker:the right people,
Speaker:the ones who really belong in your life will come to
Speaker:you and stay Boy.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:if you follow that,
Speaker:there's a lot of stress that goes by the wayside.
Speaker:Yeah. I mean,
Speaker:cause that quote follows along with your sales and cultivating your
Speaker:clients and keeping in touch with them as well as family
Speaker:and your everyday life.
Speaker:So it really just kind of ties into your whole life
Speaker:being. And I think it makes everything clear.
Speaker:Absolutely. And I would imagine specially in sales,
Speaker:I mean I come out of a sales background to the
Speaker:first idea,
Speaker:is that every single person that you talk to you on
Speaker:a cell,
Speaker:like you'd like to have a hundred percent close ratio.
Speaker:Right? Absolutely.
Speaker:That'd be awesome.
Speaker:Yeah. And then reality jumps in and it's like,
Speaker:you're not going to be,
Speaker:in fact the percentages are way lower than that,
Speaker:but you just can't possibly appeal to everybody.
Speaker:So this quote in terms of just being yourself,
Speaker:because the right people are going to be attracted to who
Speaker:you are,
Speaker:if you're yourself.
Speaker:Exactly. And that's a big secret into why you're successful in
Speaker:sales, I'd say Ryan.
Speaker:Yeah. I mean,
Speaker:it helps for sure.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:and you build relationships with people and you get involved in
Speaker:your community and even within your own company,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:getting to know the people in your office and,
Speaker:and helping them,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:do open houses and do other things.
Speaker:Those are great ways to get to know people.
Speaker:And I mean,
Speaker:I've been very fortunate too,
Speaker:because as you know,
Speaker:and thanks to you,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I was on the,
Speaker:on the board of directors for the chamber in Highland park.
Speaker:And that really helped me to get to know people and
Speaker:get to know people in the community.
Speaker:And as well as with the salon,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I've gotten to know a lot of Brian's clients and get
Speaker:to know people.
Speaker:And so I,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I just love it and,
Speaker:and it's great Now,
Speaker:were you always a people loving type person?
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:how did it,
Speaker:how did that whole thing start and how did you decide
Speaker:that sales was going to be the way you were going
Speaker:to go?
Speaker:When I was younger?
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:I was an only child,
Speaker:so I wasn't really around a lot of other people other
Speaker:than grownups.
Speaker:Well, I was always more mature for my age.
Speaker:So I feel like probably,
Speaker:I would say in the last 20 plus years,
Speaker:maybe I've kind of come out of my shell a little
Speaker:bit and gotten into that positive type of vibe and just
Speaker:really trying to live life and live it to the fullest
Speaker:every day.
Speaker:And so you started in banking and I really am going
Speaker:to want to focus because our time gets shorter.
Speaker:I wanted to get onto the real estate thing,
Speaker:but first with banking,
Speaker:but why did you then switch and why did you decide
Speaker:real estate?
Speaker:Cause that can be a really,
Speaker:really tough industry.
Speaker:A couple of reasons.
Speaker:One is,
Speaker:like I said,
Speaker:I'd been in big G for 20 plus years and you
Speaker:know, we had sales goals and different things like that.
Speaker:And I started thinking,
Speaker:why am I working 50 and 60 hours a week for
Speaker:a company that we're,
Speaker:I'm making them money when I could be doing something,
Speaker:running my own business and making myself money.
Speaker:So real estate had always been something that I had always
Speaker:been interested in ever since I was probably like 13 years
Speaker:old. I actually worked in a little real estate office in
Speaker:my hometown.
Speaker:I would mow yards for some of the realtors that have
Speaker:clients that didn't live there anymore.
Speaker:I would answer phones just to take messages,
Speaker:that kind of stuff.
Speaker:Cause obviously I didn't have a license,
Speaker:so I couldn't do anything in that aspect,
Speaker:but I've always liked architecture and I've always liked older homes
Speaker:and you know,
Speaker:new construction and things like that.
Speaker:So I had decided we lived in Glencoe at the time
Speaker:and Brian was just opening up the shop and I was
Speaker:commuting downtown every day and I was getting home at eight,
Speaker:nine o'clock at night.
Speaker:And I just told him,
Speaker:I said,
Speaker:you know what?
Speaker:I just,
Speaker:I do this anymore.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:real estate is just something I really want to do.
Speaker:And so I,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we talked it over and I went and got my real
Speaker:estate license and it's been on ever since.
Speaker:And I love it.
Speaker:So were you afraid to take the leap?
Speaker:You went and got the real estate license?
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:was it just like,
Speaker:okay, one day you have this conversation with Brian,
Speaker:you guys agree.
Speaker:Yes. And the next day you get totally started or did
Speaker:you overlap or how did that work To answer your first
Speaker:question? Yes.
Speaker:I was nervous as can be for sure,
Speaker:without a doubt,
Speaker:very nervous and very scared because yes,
Speaker:it was something new when you first start out.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:obviously your first year or two is really your years that
Speaker:you're going to be building your relationships and getting to know
Speaker:people and doing your open houses and doing these other things
Speaker:to try to help to get your basic book of business
Speaker:so that you can get those referrals coming in and that
Speaker:kind of thing.
Speaker:And so,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:of course the money aspect of it was a little scary
Speaker:because, you know,
Speaker:Brian was just starting his new business as well.
Speaker:So we nothing like just doing it all at once.
Speaker:Exactly. Just jump in and do it because we might as
Speaker:well just go through what we're going to go through now
Speaker:instead of later on.
Speaker:So we did it together.
Speaker:One of the things that I want to highlight that you
Speaker:are mentioning is the investment of time in to build relationships
Speaker:and give biz listeners.
Speaker:I think that's important for all of us to understand,
Speaker:even if you already have a business,
Speaker:but you're venturing into a new department within the business,
Speaker:a new product within the business,
Speaker:it takes some time for people to get acclimated either to
Speaker:you in a new business or other things that you're doing.
Speaker:And I think that's an investment of time that you need
Speaker:to consider anytime you're presenting something new,
Speaker:anything you would add to that,
Speaker:Ryan. Yeah,
Speaker:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:even, you know,
Speaker:the things that I'm talking about,
Speaker:building relationships on the real estate,
Speaker:and that also goes into the retail sector as well.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:that's how Brian has built his business,
Speaker:getting to know people because all of our business,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:whether it be a salon B real estate,
Speaker:whatever, it's all word of mouth.
Speaker:And it's always about the level of service and the professionalism
Speaker:that you project to these people.
Speaker:And that's in turn how you start building your business.
Speaker:So it doesn't matter whether it's real estate,
Speaker:a salon,
Speaker:a restaurant,
Speaker:your business,
Speaker:for example,
Speaker:all of this kind of just goes in hand in hand
Speaker:together. It's just different industries.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So let's dive in now into real estate in particular,
Speaker:let's build a scenario here.
Speaker:We have someone who's been working out of their house for
Speaker:a while.
Speaker:They are,
Speaker:let's just say they make cupcakes.
Speaker:Okay. Okay.
Speaker:And they had a commercial kitchen,
Speaker:but virtually they're conducting all the business out of the house.
Speaker:Now they're thinking,
Speaker:you know what,
Speaker:maybe I want to be in a brick and mortar.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:I want to consider having a bakery for myself,
Speaker:like a real retail shop,
Speaker:not a commercial kitchen.
Speaker:And so now they're going to go and they're going to
Speaker:start looking at locations.
Speaker:What are some steps or what are some suggestions since you're
Speaker:an expert?
Speaker:Like what would you suggest if someone was coming to you
Speaker:with this scenario,
Speaker:there's several different that you want to do When you're starting
Speaker:up a business.
Speaker:And especially if you're looking to either a rent,
Speaker:a space or B build out a new space,
Speaker:first and foremost,
Speaker:you want to have a business plan because you want to
Speaker:know step by step.
Speaker:What am I going to do?
Speaker:What do I need to do?
Speaker:What are the costs going to be?
Speaker:What can I afford that kind of thing.
Speaker:And you need to go back kind of look through your
Speaker:P and L look through your numbers,
Speaker:depending of course,
Speaker:how long the person's been in business.
Speaker:If they're just a brand new startup,
Speaker:obviously you may not want to,
Speaker:to invest a whole bunch of money into a new space.
Speaker:You may want to just do a little pop-up shop,
Speaker:see how it goes,
Speaker:and then go from there.
Speaker:You definitely want to have an idea of what you can
Speaker:afford. What size space uni are you going to have employees?
Speaker:How many employees are you going to have?
Speaker:What are those costs going to be?
Speaker:Those kinds of things,
Speaker:to help you to determine what to look at?
Speaker:What can I afford on another thing that you might want
Speaker:to do too,
Speaker:is kind of do market research,
Speaker:like have a focus group and invite three or four people
Speaker:have them test your products,
Speaker:what works well,
Speaker:what works best,
Speaker:find out different areas,
Speaker:whether it be Highland park,
Speaker:Glencoe, or wherever,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:wherever your listeners live to kind of do that,
Speaker:kind of like a test run kind of thing,
Speaker:to figure out,
Speaker:well, what's going to be the best market for me to
Speaker:sell. And this instance,
Speaker:we're talking about cupcakes.
Speaker:As you know,
Speaker:we have a very successful one here in Highland parks over
Speaker:in the Ravinia district.
Speaker:And they've been there several years now.
Speaker:I'm sure that that's how those gentlemen over there,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:started their business with that.
Speaker:And they're phenomenal.
Speaker:They're awesome.
Speaker:I want to underline again,
Speaker:a couple of the things that you're talking about,
Speaker:not just go out and say,
Speaker:I have this idea and you get a space that you
Speaker:like, you want to have a vision.
Speaker:First of what overall your business is going to look like,
Speaker:and then go and look at spaces once you've determined,
Speaker:what you're trying to do with your business.
Speaker:I think a lot of people do that in reverse.
Speaker:They just like,
Speaker:Oh, I want to know.
Speaker:Let's see what's out there.
Speaker:And then they try to build the business into the space
Speaker:versus the other way around.
Speaker:Right. For sure.
Speaker:And I mean,
Speaker:even if you're at that very,
Speaker:very step one,
Speaker:you do want to decide like what area you want to
Speaker:be in.
Speaker:So for example,
Speaker:when Brian was opening up the salon in Highland park at
Speaker:the time we lived downtown.
Speaker:And so of course,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we didn't know the North store very well.
Speaker:And so what we did was we drove around,
Speaker:we went to all the different suburbs.
Speaker:It's kind of determined where he thought his market niche would
Speaker:be. We probably looked at maybe 10 North shore suburbs.
Speaker:We picked the top three.
Speaker:And then we kind of just did our own market research,
Speaker:like average households.
Speaker:What's the population,
Speaker:what's the average income,
Speaker:those kinds of things too,
Speaker:because that will also help you to determine where you want
Speaker:to be and what your competition is going to be within
Speaker:those certain areas.
Speaker:Okay. And so let's say you've done your research,
Speaker:both research in terms of location,
Speaker:where you want to go and then also product.
Speaker:So you're feeling like you've got the community,
Speaker:the product is going to be received.
Speaker:Well there,
Speaker:what are the steps in working with a realtor to start
Speaker:closing the deal?
Speaker:Like where does the contract come in and how does all
Speaker:that work?
Speaker:So once you've got all that figured out,
Speaker:obviously then you come to me and say,
Speaker:Ryan, I want a motor.
Speaker:And I want to go over and look at a couple
Speaker:of spaces.
Speaker:Let's just use downtown Highland parks since that's where we're at.
Speaker:Okay, great.
Speaker:Well, you know,
Speaker:first thing I'm going to ask you is what is your
Speaker:price range?
Speaker:So there,
Speaker:by that time,
Speaker:hopefully then you've got an idea of how much you're going
Speaker:to be able to afford what size space you're going to
Speaker:need, et cetera.
Speaker:Then we go and we kind of look at two or
Speaker:three different places and walk in,
Speaker:we look at it,
Speaker:we talk about,
Speaker:can you envision yourself working in this space?
Speaker:Like, this is what I'm trying to say.
Speaker:Like, what's the setup of your business going to look like
Speaker:in this space,
Speaker:once you determine what space you like,
Speaker:obviously what's going to work.
Speaker:Then I would then contact the landlord.
Speaker:And then we start kind of negotiating to try to get
Speaker:a price determined from Elise determined,
Speaker:that kind of thing.
Speaker:And there's lots of things that you have to think about
Speaker:too, when you're negotiating on a commercial space.
Speaker:Cause it's obviously it's a lot different than residential versus a
Speaker:little bit more intense because you have to think about,
Speaker:am I going to have to pay insurance?
Speaker:Am I going to have to pay taxes on this space?
Speaker:And then am I going to be able to go into
Speaker:this space because do you know in Highland park,
Speaker:if you're on a first floor space,
Speaker:you have to generate some type of sales tax.
Speaker:So are you going to have something that's going to generate
Speaker:sales tax,
Speaker:obviously in our scenario that we're talking about with cupcakes and
Speaker:things, obviously you're going to generate sales tax.
Speaker:Yeah. And let me stop here and just clarify for some
Speaker:listeners, just in case they don't know,
Speaker:every community is a little bit different.
Speaker:They have different rules and regulations about different types of spaces
Speaker:in our city.
Speaker:Right now it's been designated that if you're going to be
Speaker:on a first level,
Speaker:you have to be in some way collecting sales tax,
Speaker:where the city can benefit.
Speaker:And mostly it's because real estate is,
Speaker:is at a premium.
Speaker:There aren't many spaces left.
Speaker:And so that may or may not apply to you,
Speaker:but it's really important if you're looking at this to go
Speaker:to the city and see what the regulations are.
Speaker:And I guess your realtor would know too Ryan.
Speaker:Right. Right.
Speaker:And so then,
Speaker:okay, so you've talked a little bit about the space in
Speaker:terms of,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:are you going to have to pay for a lease?
Speaker:Also? I think what types of services included like garbage removal,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:all that type of thing as well,
Speaker:right? Yep.
Speaker:Exactly. You have to know,
Speaker:do you pay your own trash on?
Speaker:Who pays for what basically is kind of how I put
Speaker:it, who pays for electricity?
Speaker:Who pays for the gas,
Speaker:the water,
Speaker:the insurance,
Speaker:if there's taxes involved who pays that?
Speaker:Is it the owner or is it the tenant?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:your trash,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:who pays for those?
Speaker:Definitely. Those are all things that have to be considered as
Speaker:well. What about signage?
Speaker:Signage? Absolutely.
Speaker:Signage is a big issue.
Speaker:Signage can be very expensive or it can be little as
Speaker:none. One thing you need to do once you determine where
Speaker:you want to open your shop is to contact the city
Speaker:planning division or someone or the city manager or somebody like
Speaker:that to find out what are your rules and regulations about
Speaker:signage in some suburbs,
Speaker:signage has to be blocked letter.
Speaker:Some of them can be halal lit.
Speaker:Some cannot signs have to be a certain size and they
Speaker:can only be a certain color.
Speaker:That's all part of that research that I was talking about
Speaker:earlier in our conversation.
Speaker:So signage is not determined by the landlord.
Speaker:It's determined by the city.
Speaker:Correct. Okay.
Speaker:Important point really important point Right now and maybe different.
Speaker:I just know that speaking from Highland park,
Speaker:the signage is regulated by the city.
Speaker:And what about such things as air conditioning,
Speaker:heating, maintenance on those types of pieces of equipment?
Speaker:Absolutely. Yeah.
Speaker:So what you want to do too,
Speaker:is obviously the landlord is going to be responsible for those
Speaker:things. Now it can be written into the lease.
Speaker:Some commercial spaces require that the tenant pay for quarterly maintenance
Speaker:of the furnace or of the air conditioning,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:to changing the filters and different things like that.
Speaker:So you need to find out for sure,
Speaker:who's responsible for what,
Speaker:what do I need to do as the tenant in your
Speaker:space? Okay,
Speaker:perfect. And anything different that you know of for a consumable
Speaker:type space where it's a restaurant or a bakery as our
Speaker:earlier example?
Speaker:Not really.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:basically what a,
Speaker:what a,
Speaker:a PR perspective.
Speaker:Let's say landlord,
Speaker:I suppose some of them are going to ask for a
Speaker:business plan.
Speaker:And that's why I said,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you want to make sure that you have that upfront.
Speaker:Some of them may ask,
Speaker:do you have a letter of intent with your current village
Speaker:or city?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:those are things that you have to find out as well
Speaker:when you're getting ready to make an offer on these commercial
Speaker:spaces. And a lot of times,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:if you're not familiar with it,
Speaker:the agent that has the property listed is going to come
Speaker:back to the agent,
Speaker:that's representing the tenant and say,
Speaker:these are the things that we need in order to move
Speaker:forward. Okay.
Speaker:And what do you mean by a letter of intent with
Speaker:the city?
Speaker:So what that means is that you contact,
Speaker:let's say your business development,
Speaker:economic person and say,
Speaker:Hey, look,
Speaker:I want to come to Highland park.
Speaker:I want to open up shop that person.
Speaker:They would contact someone within the city to say,
Speaker:Hey, look,
Speaker:Ryan wants to open up a cupcake shop in port Clinton
Speaker:square here in Highland park.
Speaker:I then have to write a letter to the city of
Speaker:Highland park stating that I want to open up a shop
Speaker:in Highland park.
Speaker:Then it is presented to the city council who meets on
Speaker:the last Thursday of every month to say,
Speaker:Ryan Newbury library wants to open up a ruse cupcake shop
Speaker:in port Clinton.
Speaker:They vote on it.
Speaker:Yes or no.
Speaker:So the city accepts the business that's coming in,
Speaker:I guess is the way to say it is that standard
Speaker:everywhere That I can't say,
Speaker:because I don't know.
Speaker:I'm just,
Speaker:like I said,
Speaker:I'm just familiar with the Highland park area.
Speaker:So as for when it comes to commercial anyway.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So now Ryan,
Speaker:get ready,
Speaker:get nervous for this question.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:I'm sitting on the edge of my seat.
Speaker:Okay. I have a little bit of an unfair advantage because
Speaker:I know you and Brian,
Speaker:you've now gone into a new location.
Speaker:Talk to us a little bit about the build-out in the
Speaker:new location.
Speaker:I know there were some challenges,
Speaker:so that's the reason I bring it up.
Speaker:And I want people to understand,
Speaker:and just from your experience,
Speaker:so if you would tell the story of what happened and
Speaker:then any learnings that you've had from the out of your
Speaker:space that could help some of our listeners.
Speaker:So yes,
Speaker:we did have some,
Speaker:we did have some challenges when we were,
Speaker:we were in one location and we were building out a
Speaker:new space where we're currently at now.
Speaker:And I guess one of the things that you want to
Speaker:make sure with your contractors,
Speaker:make sure that they are licensed and insured,
Speaker:make sure that they are experienced in commercial build outs,
Speaker:the person that we did use.
Speaker:Yes, he was.
Speaker:But what happened was is that one price that we were
Speaker:getting was actually turning out to be almost three times what
Speaker:the price was once they got started.
Speaker:So those are things that you,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you have to make sure that you have a clear understanding
Speaker:obviously, of what those costs are going to be.
Speaker:You want to make sure that you do have a written
Speaker:and formal contract when you're going in working with a contractor
Speaker:and making sure that those costs are actually spelled out line
Speaker:by line and then make sure that everything is agreed upon.
Speaker:And if it,
Speaker:if it's something that is more than what the contract States,
Speaker:then you need to have a clear understanding of,
Speaker:then who's going to come up with that difference because who
Speaker:was the one that got the estimates and those kinds of
Speaker:things. Okay.
Speaker:So I think what you're saying,
Speaker:just in summary is when you're doing a build out,
Speaker:you want to make sure that first of all,
Speaker:the contractors licensed,
Speaker:and then secondly,
Speaker:that everything is really done in specific detail,
Speaker:Cannes probably signed off by both parties.
Speaker:And then any change orders,
Speaker:just like when you're building a house,
Speaker:any change orders actually take place.
Speaker:Correct. So you always know point by point along the way
Speaker:what's happening to your price.
Speaker:Cause there's definitely price creep in anything that has to do
Speaker:with the hammer.
Speaker:Right, exactly.
Speaker:Right, right.
Speaker:Yeah. The minute I locked that door and your space are
Speaker:already charging you hitting the ground running.
Speaker:So we just kind of fell into a situation where the
Speaker:contractor that we use,
Speaker:it was referred to us by somebody that was an influential
Speaker:person and somebody that I trusted and respected.
Speaker:And so we just kind of took word by mouth.
Speaker:So we kind of learned our lesson if,
Speaker:and when we were ever to do something like this,
Speaker:again, we should probably do our homework a little bit more
Speaker:than that than what we did.
Speaker:So that's kind of a situation where it's like shame on
Speaker:me kind of thing.
Speaker:You know?
Speaker:Well, it gets so hard because when there are relationships involved
Speaker:in referrals,
Speaker:you might not have understood each other in terms of where
Speaker:the situation was.
Speaker:So no,
Speaker:one's really at fault.
Speaker:It's just not progressing the way you're thinking.
Speaker:It's progressing one way with the way you're thinking one way,
Speaker:the way another brains they gain and they're two opposite directions.
Speaker:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker:That's right.
Speaker:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Rounding out this a little bit.
Speaker:Are there any tips that you would give somebody in terms
Speaker:of finding a realtor in their location,
Speaker:who would be the right fit for them?
Speaker:Well, a lot of times what people will do,
Speaker:if you are in search of a broker real estate agent
Speaker:is to go to open houses and just kind of see
Speaker:how that broker or realtor interacts with the people coming in.
Speaker:But is he,
Speaker:or she greeting them as they come in?
Speaker:Are they explaining the features of the house?
Speaker:Are they walking them around?
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:what is the interaction?
Speaker:What do they know about the market?
Speaker:Listen, to see,
Speaker:are they talking about what's happening?
Speaker:Let's say,
Speaker:and I'm using Highland park again,
Speaker:of course,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:what's going on in the Highland park market,
Speaker:how many homes are on the market?
Speaker:Well, what's the list of sale advantage,
Speaker:those kinds of things.
Speaker:Do they know the inventory?
Speaker:Do they know if a person is looking for a mid-century
Speaker:modern home,
Speaker:do you know of any others in the Highland park area
Speaker:or wherever they're from another thing you might want to do
Speaker:to, or once you determine a person that you think you
Speaker:might want to work with is to do some research.
Speaker:Google that person that happens to me a lot.
Speaker:I always have people contact me.
Speaker:Well, you know what?
Speaker:I was referred to you by so-and-so.
Speaker:But I also,
Speaker:I looked you up on LinkedIn.
Speaker:I Googled you.
Speaker:And I see that you were involved with the chamber of
Speaker:commerce and I see your family owns lash blue coat tree
Speaker:in Highland park.
Speaker:I see that you were in banking,
Speaker:they see your whole,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:the whole thing.
Speaker:So what you want to do is you just kind of
Speaker:want to see what is their,
Speaker:what is their background as well?
Speaker:What is their focus areas?
Speaker:There are some agents that their expertise is,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:let's just say a new construction.
Speaker:They don't do anything else,
Speaker:but that,
Speaker:so you want to make sure that you're getting the right
Speaker:fit and the right person,
Speaker:because that person then is going to be motivated to help
Speaker:you and either find you a home or sell your home
Speaker:for you.
Speaker:So great fit in terms of personality with the realtor,
Speaker:either residential or commercial.
Speaker:Right? Absolutely.
Speaker:And then,
Speaker:so be so really that you feel in sync with their
Speaker:personality, which really goes full circle to what we were talking
Speaker:about at the beginning of our chat,
Speaker:Ryan. And then also the online is a really good tip
Speaker:too, is just make sure that they're already practicing and serving
Speaker:people who are in the same type of a niche that
Speaker:you're looking at in terms of what you're trying to buy.
Speaker:That's right.
Speaker:Our rent,
Speaker:I should say.
Speaker:Absolutely. Yes,
Speaker:because you're going to know within at least the first,
Speaker:I'd say couple of minutes,
Speaker:maybe up to five minutes,
Speaker:you're going to know whether or not that person standing across
Speaker:from you.
Speaker:You're having this conversation with whether you're going to click or
Speaker:not, or over the phone,
Speaker:even if you're not meeting face to face,
Speaker:you're going to know whether or not that person's going to
Speaker:work for you or be a fit.
Speaker:Right. And I think that's where intuition comes into because someone
Speaker:might have worked really well with someone else.
Speaker:And they're like,
Speaker:Oh, you have to work with this person.
Speaker:This is who I used to.
Speaker:Great start.
Speaker:But if anything inside you is saying,
Speaker:boy, my friend is saying that this person's really working well,
Speaker:but I'm not feeling it a step back and look for
Speaker:somebody else.
Speaker:Cause I would imagine,
Speaker:especially when you're talking about storefronts,
Speaker:your relationship with realtor is really important because they can offer
Speaker:you so much guidance based on all the stuff you've just
Speaker:been talking about Ryan.
Speaker:Exactly. Yep.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So now we're going to move on into our reflection section.
Speaker:So this is a little bit of just some various kind
Speaker:of random things about you,
Speaker:Ryan, just to understand a little bit more about how you've
Speaker:been successful,
Speaker:because honestly,
Speaker:there's a lot of people who will listen to this podcast
Speaker:who are thinking,
Speaker:do I have what it takes or you know,
Speaker:what would I do in this situation?
Speaker:No, to go off on my own and be successful.
Speaker:So sharing with them.
Speaker:Okay. Yeah.
Speaker:Anything I could do to help for sure.
Speaker:That's my main goal.
Speaker:We're all trying to run our own businesses here.
Speaker:And this is why you have this awesome podcast to help
Speaker:people like myself and many others learn some of the challenges
Speaker:and different things that people are having out there in and
Speaker:across the world.
Speaker:And I think it's awesome.
Speaker:Oh, you're so sweet.
Speaker:Now you can see why he's such a good salesperson.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:So Ryan,
Speaker:what is one natural trait that you have that you think
Speaker:has helped you to be successful?
Speaker:I think one of my natural traits in this kind of
Speaker:goes back to the,
Speaker:to the quote that we talked about earlier today.
Speaker:It's just about being yourself.
Speaker:Don't try to be something that you're not because people are
Speaker:going to see right through that.
Speaker:I guess what I'm trying to say is don't make something
Speaker:up. If you don't know what you're talking about and haven't
Speaker:done the research because a lot of times people are going
Speaker:to know,
Speaker:so just be yourself,
Speaker:be genuine,
Speaker:you know?
Speaker:And, and that's,
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:that's kind of how I am.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I come from a small town,
Speaker:Northwest, Missouri farming community,
Speaker:and I guess I kind of have that,
Speaker:what we used to call the good old boy business aspect,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:where everything is done on a handshake kind of thing.
Speaker:So you just want to just be genuine.
Speaker:Right. And you know what,
Speaker:we're all experts in some things,
Speaker:but none of us can be an expert in everything.
Speaker:And even if it has to do with your industry,
Speaker:if you don't know,
Speaker:be honest and confident in your honesty,
Speaker:I think that's also important.
Speaker:But then there's nothing that says,
Speaker:you know what?
Speaker:I don't know,
Speaker:but I wish I did.
Speaker:I will find out and get back to you about Exactly.
Speaker:That's what I was just getting ready to say.
Speaker:It was one of the things that you learn when you're
Speaker:a manager managing one Oh one.
Speaker:If you don't know the answer,
Speaker:just say,
Speaker:Hey, you know what,
Speaker:unfortunately, I don't know the answer to your question,
Speaker:but here's what I'll do.
Speaker:I'll take the steps necessary to find out the correct answer
Speaker:for you,
Speaker:because I want to make sure that I get you precise
Speaker:information. Right.
Speaker:And then the next time it comes up,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:the answer.
Speaker:Exactly. Yep.
Speaker:All right.
Speaker:Moving on.
Speaker:What tool do you use regularly to keep productive and stay
Speaker:on top of your day?
Speaker:I have spreadsheets that I've built for myself,
Speaker:like with addresses of clients or contacts that I've gotten across
Speaker:through my years.
Speaker:And I'll always send out a handwritten note because you know,
Speaker:yeah. Emails are great,
Speaker:but they're a little bit impersonal only because when you sit
Speaker:down and take five minutes to send out,
Speaker:let's just say five note cards a week or whatever,
Speaker:that person then gets that in the mail.
Speaker:And they're like,
Speaker:Oh wow.
Speaker:That person actually sat down and took some time out of
Speaker:their day.
Speaker:Just to send me a note to say,
Speaker:Hey, hello,
Speaker:how are you?
Speaker:Here's a gift card to go have a coffee or whatever,
Speaker:or go have a nice little snack on me.
Speaker:I was just thinking of you today kind of thing.
Speaker:And that goes along Yeah.
Speaker:Breaks through the clutter.
Speaker:Right? Absolutely.
Speaker:And I would say,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:we're getting close to holiday season where lots of people in
Speaker:business reach out and thank their customers.
Speaker:But what you're talking about is doing it at random times
Speaker:throughout the year based on situations,
Speaker:or do you do a couple of week,
Speaker:whatever it is that actually probably costs a little less,
Speaker:depending on the value of those gift cards.
Speaker:But it has a bigger impact because it's not,
Speaker:Oh, it's holiday season.
Speaker:Now I have to send something out.
Speaker:Do you know?
Speaker:It it's that you were thinking about them throughout time when
Speaker:there wouldn't be that big gifting time.
Speaker:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker:And you don't have a good example of that is,
Speaker:or people are thinking,
Speaker:well, you know,
Speaker:I do that,
Speaker:but it doesn't work.
Speaker:I will tell you it does work.
Speaker:And here's,
Speaker:here's why it works.
Speaker:So I had this person that I had been in contact
Speaker:with for probably two years.
Speaker:I met them at an open house and they'd come through
Speaker:and we kind of stayed in touch.
Speaker:They'd listed their house with another agent and they weren't happy
Speaker:with that agent.
Speaker:And so then they had finally contacted me and listed it
Speaker:with me and I sold their home in four days.
Speaker:And had I not stayed in touch with those people either
Speaker:through email or a handwritten card,
Speaker:just following up with them every once in a while,
Speaker:I would have never gotten that business.
Speaker:So, you know,
Speaker:a lot of times when you're doing things like this,
Speaker:it doesn't happen overnight.
Speaker:You have to be patient,
Speaker:but it does happen.
Speaker:That's a great story.
Speaker:Thank you for sharing that with us.
Speaker:Yeah, of course.
Speaker:Or a book that you've read lately that you think our
Speaker:listeners could find value in.
Speaker:So one of the books that I've read that I think
Speaker:is really helpful.
Speaker:It's Warren Buffett's management secrets and what it is,
Speaker:this proven tools for personal and business success.
Speaker:And it talks about how Warren got his company started,
Speaker:got Berkshire Hathaway,
Speaker:started free sample and how he had bought some of the
Speaker:other companies through the years and built the conglomerate of obviously
Speaker:that he is today.
Speaker:And it gives a lot of tips and things from his
Speaker:past experiences that that really helps,
Speaker:I believe in helps you to focus kind of how to
Speaker:run your business and how to be the right person for
Speaker:the business that you're trying to And learning from the best
Speaker:Warren buffet.
Speaker:That's for sure.
Speaker:Exactly. All right.
Speaker:Gift biz listeners,
Speaker:just as you're listening to the podcast today,
Speaker:you can also listen to audio books with ease.
Speaker:I've teamed up with audible for you to be able to
Speaker:get an audio book,
Speaker:just like this one management secrets for free and on me.
Speaker:All you need to do is go to gift biz,
Speaker:book.com and make a selection.
Speaker:Okay, Ryan,
Speaker:our time is winding down and I want to ask you
Speaker:this very important,
Speaker:last question I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.
Speaker:It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.
Speaker:So this is your dream or your,
Speaker:of almost unreachable Heights that you would wish to obtain.
Speaker:Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.
Speaker:What is inside your box?
Speaker:Well, I think what's inside my box is just to become
Speaker:the best that I can be at what I do every
Speaker:day. So the best you that there can be,
Speaker:right? Absolutely.
Speaker:Absolutely Wonderful.
Speaker:Okay. Ryan and give biz listeners,
Speaker:as you know,
Speaker:all of Ryan's contact information is going to be over on
Speaker:the show notes page.
Speaker:So if you are interested in getting in touch with him
Speaker:and seeing his all-important LinkedIn page,
Speaker:because you just shared with us how important it is to
Speaker:have the correct presence,
Speaker:just jump over to the show notes page.
Speaker:I'll have all that information over there for you,
Speaker:Ryan. Thank you so much,
Speaker:really interesting and good information from your perspective,
Speaker:because we're usually talking about getting a new shop and what
Speaker:you need to do from a retailer's perspective.
Speaker:So hearing it from the other side has been really,
Speaker:really hard.
Speaker:Well, great.
Speaker:Well good.
Speaker:Well, I hope so.
Speaker:I hope that this has helped your listeners to give us
Speaker:some ideas and some inside track.
Speaker:Absolutely. Thank you so much for your time and thank you
Speaker:for all the really great information,
Speaker:Ryan and I will be catching you within a day or
Speaker:two I'm sure.
Speaker:Cause we run into each other all the time.
Speaker:Exactly. Exactly.
Speaker:Well, it's been my pleasure and thank you so much,
Speaker:Sue, for reaching out to me,
Speaker:I've really enjoyed it.
Speaker:Fabulous. And may your candle,
Speaker:Ryan always burned bright.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:Same to you.
Speaker:Where are you in your business building journey,
Speaker:whether you're just starting out or already running a business and
Speaker:you want to know your setup for success.
Speaker:Find out by taking the gift biz quiz,
Speaker:access the quiz from your computer at bit dot L Y
Speaker:slash gift biz quiz or from your phone by texting gift
Speaker:biz quiz to four four two,
Speaker:two, two.
Speaker:Thanks for listening and be sure to join us for the
Speaker:next episode.
Speaker:Today's show is sponsored by the ribbon print company,
Speaker:looking for a new income source for your good business.
Speaker:Customization is more popular now than ever brand your products of
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Speaker:for more information after you listen to the show,
Speaker:if you like what you're hearing,
Speaker:make sure to jump over and subscribe to the show on
Speaker:iTunes. That way you'll automatically get the newest episodes when they
Speaker:go live.
Speaker:And thank you to those who have already left a rating
Speaker:and review by subscribing rating and reviewing you helped to increase
Speaker:the visibility of gift biz on round.
Speaker:It's a great way to pay it forward,
