Founder's Story: How a 25-Year-Old Built a Real Estate Machine With Just Her Phone | Ep 231 with Fontine Da Luz

In Episode 231 of IBH Media’s Founder’s Story, host A engages in a compelling conversation with Fontine Da Luz, a 25-year-old real estate entrepreneur who has ingeniously leveraged social media and humor to build a formidable real estate business. This detailed summary captures the essence of their discussion, highlighting Fontine’s innovative strategies, challenges, successes, and insights that offer valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs.

1. Innovative Marketing: Blending Humor with Real Estate

A opens the dialogue by praising Fontine’s unique approach to marketing, noting her impressive 11 million views achieved by intertwining comedy with real estate content. Fontine elaborates on this accidental yet strategic pivot:

“We pivoted from doing these basic videos into just something that I really love to put out because I think it's funny. It’s just me being myself.” [00:36]

She emphasizes the importance of making real estate content entertaining and educational through metaphors and analogies, making complex concepts relatable and memorable for her audience.

2. From Traditional Marketing to Authentic Content

Fontine recounts her transition from a conventional marketing team to a more authentic, self-driven content creation strategy. Dissatisfied with the lack of return on investment from traditional methods, she decided to invest her time into content that genuinely resonated with her personality:

“Nobody wants to watch a realtor talk about real estate. You need to make it entertaining for people.” [00:36]

This shift not only reduced her marketing expenditure but also significantly increased her engagement and viewership.

3. Creating the Ling Ling Character for Virality

A pivotal moment in Fontine’s journey was the creation of her comedic character, Ling Ling, inspired by a viral trend. Fontine took a risk by diverging from her marketing team’s advice:

“I did Ling Ling because I’ve been called Ling Ling before. So I thought that was funny and that blew up.” [02:41]

This character became a vehicle for embedding real estate lessons within entertaining content, leading to widespread recognition and engagement.

4. Overcoming Negative Feedback and Embracing Risk

Fontine addresses the common fears associated with taking unconventional paths, particularly the fear of negative feedback. Her approach was resolute:

“I just didn’t care. People are going to hate on you until it works.” [04:32]

Her steadfastness paid off as Ling Ling’s popularity surged, transforming initial skeptics into supporters and proving the efficacy of her authentic approach.

5. Transforming Viewership into Business Leads

The surge in social media popularity translated seamlessly into tangible business growth. Fontine explains how she managed the influx of inquiries:

“I trained my assistant, Divine, to start filtering everybody out... It’s really easy for you to book an appointment.” [05:49]

By automating responses and streamlining appointment bookings, she ensured that her growing viewership directly contributed to an increase in qualified leads and business opportunities.

6. Scaling the Business and Future Aspirations

Fontine shares her ambitious goal of achieving financial independence by the age of 25. To sustain and scale her business, she has already built a team that manages leads from around the globe. Her future plans include:

“Within a couple of years I’m gonna just keep building a team and automate everything so that there are systems in place.” [08:10]

She aims to transition towards larger-scale transactions, including commercial properties and high-end homes, driven by her passion for helping people make money through real estate investments.

7. Strategic Social Media Platform Utilization

Discussing her social media strategy, Fontine advocates for a hyper-focused approach tailored to each platform’s unique algorithms:

“Being hyper-focused on one social media platform and then spreading your content words is the best way to do it.” [10:23]

While Instagram remains her primary platform due to its visual appeal and engagement potential, she effectively repurposes content across Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, each with tailored strategies to maximize reach and impact.

8. Building Long-term Relationships Through Consistent Content

Fontine highlights the importance of consistent, relatable content in fostering long-term relationships with her audience. Her authentic persona ensures that followers feel a personal connection, leading to sustained engagement and loyalty:

“The people that know me when I’ve done real estate when I was 18 see my videos... it leads into a conversation.” [12:42]

This relationship-building approach ensures a steady stream of referrals and repeat business, reinforcing the effectiveness of her content strategy.

9. Advice for Entrepreneurs: Authenticity and Persistence

In response to entrepreneurs seeking to enhance their social media presence, Fontine offers straightforward advice:

“Be yourself, be authentic and just stop caring. So much about what other people think.” [14:43]

She stresses the importance of authenticity over perfection and encourages continuous experimentation, sharing that her most successful content was unscripted and genuine.

10. Connecting with Fontine Da Luz

For listeners inspired by Fontine’s journey and interested in leveraging her strategies for their own ventures, she provides clear channels for connection:

“My Instagram is FontaineFONTEtheRealtor. And you can also get in touch with me through my email which is FontaineDalu@interro.com.” [15:53]

Conclusion

Fontine Da Luz’s story, as presented in this episode of Founder’s Story, is a testament to the power of authenticity, creativity, and resilience in entrepreneurship. By blending humor with valuable real estate insights, she has not only built a substantial online presence but also converted her digital influence into a thriving business. Her journey underscores the importance of being genuine, taking calculated risks, and continuously adapting strategies to align with personal strengths and audience preferences. Aspiring entrepreneurs can draw significant inspiration from Fontine’s approach, applying her principles to cultivate their own success in the digital landscape.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Authentic Content Creation: “Nobody wants to watch a realtor talk about real estate. You need to make it entertaining for people.” [00:36]

• Risk-Taking: “I did Ling Ling because I’ve been called Ling Ling before. So I thought that was funny and that blew up.” [02:41]

• Overcoming Fear: “I just didn’t care. People are going to hate on you until it works.” [04:32]

• Business Scaling: “Within a couple of years I’m gonna just keep building a team and automate everything so that there are systems in place.” [08:10]

• Social Media Strategy: “Being hyper-focused on one social media platform and then spreading your content words is the best way to do it.” [10:23]

• Entrepreneurial Advice: “Be yourself, be authentic and just stop caring. So much about what other people think.” [14:43]

This summary encapsulates the dynamic dialogue between A and Fontine Da Luz, providing valuable insights into modern, authentic marketing strategies and the entrepreneurial spirit required to thrive in today’s digital age.