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Shawn French
This episode is brought to you by Lifelock.
Julian Rivera
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Shawn French
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Julian Rivera
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Shawn French
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L.J. Hunt
I can listen to podcasts all day or read books or listen to public speaking and all. None of that shit matters.
Shawn French
None. You have to change internally. For any real external change to happen, there has to be a growth pattern. Like where I am right now is not going to cut it for the next level.
Julian Rivera
Cool.
Shawn French
I'm done now.
Julian Rivera
We made it. We made it. We're good.
Shawn French
Like this is freaking Disneyland.
Julian Rivera
Yeah.
Shawn French
No, no, no, no, no. It's a constant push to get better.
L.J. Hunt
Sharp French.
Julian Rivera
What up? This one.
L.J. Hunt
Luck. I let the pain inspire me. I put my all in everything I'm doing up until it's done. I mean for the entirety. I put it in be working. Just know I'mma go for mine cause I earned it. They watch and I know it's time I confirmed it the whole society Determined.
Julian Rivera
Determin.
Shawn French
What'S up everybody? Welcome back to another episode of the Determined Society. I am your host, Shawn French. Thanks for watching. Before I introduce my two amazing guests this morning, I want to ask you if this is the first time you are listening or watching this episode. Please subscribe on Spotify, YouTube and Apple. Podcasts leave an amazing review and hey, share the episode with someone that you know love and trust. Today I have a great, great treat for you guys. I got two individuals here that are absolute badasses here in Norfolk, Virginia. I have L.J. hunt and Julian Rivera. They work out of Iron Valley in Norfolk and they have an amazing culture. We're here to talk about their journey today and their company. So, boys, welcome to the show.
Julian Rivera
Thanks for having us up, Sean.
Shawn French
Dude, chilling, man. Those, those push ups are fun.
Julian Rivera
I guess the blood flowing gets you like right in the headspace. Even if you had a workout this morning, it's just like, yeah, just love it.
Shawn French
Do you know what's crazy this morning, guys? So, you know, I get up and my team was telling me, hey, don't get up till 5, you need to sleep. My eyes, my eyes opened at like 2:30 in the morning. Finally went back to sleep and then I was like, I just got up at 4, like normal. Go, go up, go down the gym or up to the gym for like an hour and 15 minutes. Man, I had that place to myself.
L.J. Hunt
So nice.
Shawn French
This. It was cool, man. Yeah, it was cool. I'm like thinking the whole time, I'm like, man, I remember, you know, when going on the road, I would bring my workout stuff and I would never go, right? And now he's like, today was a non negotiable for me, right? And I was there and, and that kind of discipline really, you know, helps throughout the whole day. Yeah, you make that first tough decision, guys. It's, you know, it always helps. So anyway, tell me about, let's start with lj. Lj, tell me a little. Tell the audience about yourself a little bit briefly. Kind of give the background how you came to Iron Valley, you know, maybe your past and you know, we'll do the same thing with our boy Julian here and then, then we'll get down and, you know, down and dirty.
L.J. Hunt
Well, I'm a local here in the area, in heroes area. My family kind of got pieced together, so. My mother's from Boston, my dad's from here. Grandparents from Akron, Ohio. Came because of the military. Then, you know, talking about myself is not the best thing that I do, man. I'm sorry, I'm not gonna tell you. So, I mean, long story short, man, I was around. I was in the hospitality business for two decades. So my most recent job, if you will, before I went into real estate was with yard house. So I was at the truffle fries, the best. I got the recipe, if you want it?
Shawn French
Oh, yeah, yes.
L.J. Hunt
Yeah, I have, I have a lot of those recipes.
Shawn French
Oh, there we go.
L.J. Hunt
But you know, covert hit. So Covet was a real challenging time for everybody. Obviously you had essential employees doing just basically the essentials. Right. So we laid off everybody except for the management team. So managers were opening the building, running the kitchen, cleaning up like the whole nine to goes like just trying to keep the business together. Then we opened back up social distancing and just kind of everything that was going on. And I mean, long story short, man, I just, I had enough of it. Right. Change. I had been working 12 hour days, seven days a week for an eternity, it felt like. And the old principal broker of the Hanford Roads and Iron Valley used to come in, you know, obviously before everything shut down. And he's trying to get me into real estate all the time. You got the personality for, you can do it like you're a local. You got all these connections, like you would love it. So when things started kind of happening, it was like, all right, well maybe I'll make this move, maybe I'll make this move. And then obviously I got to my breaking point and I said, all right, I'm going to do it. So I went all in, man. Seriously, all in. I drained my 401k, I quit my job, I took the test in November of 2020, didn't get technically licensed until January of 2021. 15 is a couple days ago is my four year anniversary.
Shawn French
Congratulations.
L.J. Hunt
And then just, just took off. Yeah.
Shawn French
What was some of the things that held you back or that, you know, when you start talking about it. Right. Because there's a level of fear, right. I would say probably of, okay, I'm in the hospitality business for 20 years and now this gentleman is saying that I would be great in real estate. Well, that in between when you were hesitating or not even hesitating before you pull the trigger, was there some sort of fear or kind of a mindset thing that you were battling with for you?
L.J. Hunt
Absolutely.
Shawn French
What was that?
L.J. Hunt
I think it's with anybody that's got the old job, really it's the first thing is really believe in yourself. You know, I didn't realize it, but investing in yourself just in general is something that we don't do.
Julian Rivera
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
You know, you live in paycheck to paycheck or just getting paid by somebody else. You don't have that self confidence that you would normally have, especially if you're an entrepreneur or a business person. So I've realized, you know, I Was always taking care of other people. Other people. Other people. Whether, of course, my family, the team members, you know, the people in the kitchen, the guests that were coming in. I wasn't really taking care of myself.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
And probably didn't even realize that until maybe a year or so in. And you were just talking, you know, about how you woke up and went to the gym and all those sort of things. Like, I do the same thing, but then my gyms in my house, you know, and I literally just have a bench and some dumbbells and it's my alone time.
Shawn French
And he just talked to my wife.
L.J. Hunt
Okay.
Shawn French
I really want a home gym.
L.J. Hunt
Yeah. I mean, it's. It's amazing because it's about time as well. Like, I don't have to drive to the gym. I don't have to get dressed. I don't do anything. Like, I literally wake up, have my coffee, have my water, do a little meditation, relax on some iron, and I'm done for the day.
Shawn French
Then I can help you operate through your day.
L.J. Hunt
Clarity.
Shawn French
You know, the thing, it's the first man.
L.J. Hunt
Like, you are tired when you wake up.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
But just a little bit of water, a little hydration, relaxed.
Shawn French
I feel like that. That point right there, like when your alarm goes off and you don't want to get up and go do the hard, right. If we give into that, you know, inner voice that says, don't do it. And, you know, our brain is wired to keep us safe from anything. Right. And it doesn't want to take that risk. It wants to feel comfortable. But when we decide to take that move, no matter what we feel emotionally, and go do the workout right. Have the water, have the coffee, and then no matter how bad we feel at that moment right there, we. We just start moving our body.
Julian Rivera
Yeah.
Shawn French
And then after 10 minutes, like, you forget that you didn't even want to be there. And now your next decision that's supposed to be hard becomes easy because you've already set the tone for the fucking discipline. It's so important. Everybody thinks, like, waking up in the morning, you know, at 4:00am and going to the gym is a flex for social media. That's bullshit. What it is for me, I have three children and a wife. I don't want to take time away from them. I want to knock it out, and I want to be able to get to my house by, you know, 6, 6, 15, help the kids get out the door, make their breakfast and their lunches and their snacks and all that kind of stuff. Big my wife's coffee, make sure that the car's packed so she can, you know, take them to school. Right. Knowing that I've completed more than most people are going to complete their whole fucking day.
L.J. Hunt
You're just in a good mood.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
Like, when I do it, I'm just. I'm just happy. All right. This is awesome.
Julian Rivera
Crazy.
Shawn French
Yeah, it's true, my man. L.
Julian Rivera
It's because I'm a dj. That's dj. No, it is.
Shawn French
That's why. It is.
Julian Rivera
Why.
Shawn French
Talk about yourself, man. You, you know, you haven't. You have another, like, interesting part of you that. That I want to highlight too, man. You do a lot of cool.
Julian Rivera
I do some cool stuff. I will say I'm very blessed. I like to say that. But LJ always jokes me because I say I'm from here, born and raised. But I wasn't really from New York, but. But I came here, I was three and I never left. So I from here, so I go to New York. I don't know the subway system. I get lost. So I feel you're not a local unless you know how to get to XYZ Freedom Map, right? Just ride one of the rats. He always dogs me. But it's all. It's all. It's always for the better of me. It is confusing. Or they take a taxi, but it's $20 for a block. But anyways, so yeah, I'm a DJ and a realtor, so I call myself the DJ realtor here. So been here since literally forever. Been DJing since high school, back when there was, you know, the old thing called vinyls. Remember that? Yeah, yeah, I remember vinyls all day. So I was a young guy hanging out with the older guys in the club. Not because I want to go to the club. I wanted to see them work. I wanted to. It's an instrument to me. It's like someone playing guitar. Turntableism is an interesting to me. So I was the young guy hanging out with the older guys where the OGs now are out of the game, right? So I had the old school flair with the new school vibe. That's what I like to say. So now I've been doing that for a while and that's always been my passion. Music's been my love. And I had one main goal that I wanted to accomplish in this market. It was to be on the radio station that I grew up living to. And I did it for 10 years. So with s my radio show having on there. I was there on all four stations. I called myself The Chameleon dj. Because it doesn't matter if it was a Caucasian room, an African American room, Hispanic room, a combination room. I can vibe with everybody. So I was able to be on all the stations, which helped me out, but it allowed me, and I say this a lot, to get in the room. Yep, that was my main thing. That was my understood. That was my one like ticket in there. Whether I felt like I was qualified or not. I knew somebody needed entertainment, somebody needed to have something to keep the vibe going. And I used to not like being on the mic. I used to be really. No, I don't like this. I just want to DJ. Because back in the day it was a DJ and an emcee. Yeah, the MCs out there doing as well. The DJs working on this. But it's because they had to worry about the vinyls, the doubles, the tracking being able to flow. Now you can do both. You just add more hats because technology helped out. So when that 0809 technology boom happened for the DJ world, that just made me more of an open format dj. Okay, so now I can go from the Jay Z to the Katy Perry to the Calvin Harris to the Migos and back and make it sound like the endless soundtrack is supposed to be. Did that for a long time. One of my, my late mentors to Mayer, I met him at the radio station. In radio and tv, you have three main departments. You have your programming, which is your talent. Everyone is on the radio doing it. You have your marketing, everyone running the marketing, the concerts, the events, the radio remotes, and you have your sales. Sales is what drives the entire ship. Without sales, you don't have the other two departments. That's just what it is. They kept trying to get me to come to sales. I'm like, no, dude, I'm good. Like, I'm having fun over here. I'm running the marketing department. I called myself the entreploy for a long time because I had my other business running on the side while doing this. And it was great for a long time. But he kept pushing me in a very polite way. At the time I didn't realize this, but he is very. He was really good at making somebody stronger what they're already good at. He never tried to focus on your weaknesses, at least out the gate. And he was always the number one sales manager every quarter just because he related with people better. So, long story short, I ended up moving over to sales side, AKA the dark side. Yeah. But it was a really big reason I was Making good money, doing what I was doing. But I was writing it all off. So what couldn't I get by doing that?
Shawn French
House.
Julian Rivera
And I need to get a house because it's fun. Fact. I have five kids. You do. I know, I look good. It's crazy. It's true. I know. It's like I don't look like you had one. Exactly. That's the goal here. That's why we got to stay in.
Shawn French
Shape, why we do push ups before the show.
Julian Rivera
My oldest just turned 21 on Wednesday.
Shawn French
Wow.
Julian Rivera
Yeah. So 21 and then 19, 16, and then I have eight and three. Talk about age gap.
Shawn French
Whoa.
Julian Rivera
Right? So when you're talking about being determined.
Shawn French
Yes.
Julian Rivera
That's my. That's my why. That's why I do what I do in my. In my way. I have an amazing wife, Myra, of being together for almost 14 years. We're finally having our wedding in a week and a half too, by the way. So we. But the whole thing behind that is that we wanted to get a house. Right. We were always. We were renting. We were growing up, whatever the case may be. So I jumped over there, get documented income. I slayed it over there better than I thought I was going to do, but that was me. Not like you were saying, the confidence. It wasn't to that level I thought I had, but it was there.
L.J. Hunt
Yeah.
Julian Rivera
I just needed somebody to get me, get it out of me. Which boom happened. Killed it every year, breaking goals. This when digital marketing started becoming huge. That's what was my forte. Yeah. So I really went heavy into that in the social media realm. Fast forward a few years. I opened a few more businesses while still working here. But I was like, you know what? One thing I realized by talking to all these business owners, bro, the only thing that differentiated them between me and them, they believed in themselves. They went for it.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Julian Rivera
They went all in.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Julian Rivera
On a few of your episodes, I always talk. Hear you talking about going all in, being laser focused or just doing that, regardless of what guest or whoever that you have. So I decided I'm going to go all in. So I developed a plan to retire from corporate America in January of 2020. That was my plan. But I made that plan 2019. And I've met with individual, one of my clients at a time that turned out to be one of my best friends to this day and still one of my business partners that we just developed a plan. I knew this, that I wanted to get out that way. Boom. Did it. Got out January 30th January 31st, 2020. What happened the next month?
Shawn French
The world caught on by.
Julian Rivera
You see what I'm saying? Like, yes. Talk about holy dude. Right. But the plan was I was a co owner of at the time, a pizza restaurant that I just had to help with marketing and I wasn't getting my license and I was going to go all in on real estate because I started realizing that's something I know I could do.
Shawn French
Right.
Julian Rivera
But I didn't know the world was going to effing in. Right. But we also didn't know what was going to happen with real estate. Nobody could have forecasted what was going to happen in a positive realm. Real estate. Right.
Shawn French
Sure.
Julian Rivera
So luckily lj, it took him like two months to get the license. Took me six to seven months to get my license because everything was shut down.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Julian Rivera
I mean I had to drive to D.C. or Northern Virginia. Excuse me. To get my. To take a test that I failed by one question, by the way. And then I had to retake it again. And it just, it was a lot of waiting. Hurry up and wait.
Shawn French
There's a lot of like the adversity. Right. There was a lot of starts and stops from what I'm hearing and what's funny too. And I want to, I want you to go back.
Julian Rivera
Yeah, yeah.
Shawn French
But I want to address the audience really quickly. So you know, we're talking about the whole journey, right. Of going into entrepreneurship and leaving corporate America. I think so many people right around the height of COVID did that because it was that reset. Like it was so unfortunate what happened to so many different, so many people, man, lives were lost.
Julian Rivera
Yes.
Shawn French
You know, no matter what subdefense you sit on, it still really freaking sucked. No matter how you look at it, it was just a bad time, you know. But also it was a time for everybody to kind of reevaluate what they wanted out of their lives. And the one thing I have for you guys watching and listening is simply this. The biggest difference between entrepreneurs and what Julian was asking was the fact that they had a high level belief in themselves. So whatever you're going through right now, you need to dig down deep and ask yourself, do you truly believe in yourself? Because if you do not believe in yourself, it doesn't matter what I say on the air or my unbelievable guests are saying, you are going to be stuck unless you can seriously get that believability in you and not just say it, but feel it in your soul. Right. That is the cheat code. And from then, you know, in the Sales training. That's basically what my whole thing is on. And then know your key performance indicators, know what you have to do daily in order to move the football down the, you know, the field a little bit. Right. But always execute. But start with the belief, man. And that's what you guys have done. That's what you did. That's what you did. And it's just. I'm loving the. The brand story, but of Iron Valley in general, because I started in Covid.
Julian Rivera
Right. Four years ago, Right?
Shawn French
Yeah, dude, it was wild. It was wild. So anyway, I'm sorry, dude. I just felt appropriate to highlight what you were saying to the audience. They could really dig down and, you know, feel that self reflection of like, okay, do I really believe I can do this?
Julian Rivera
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
I really think that when you talk about motivation, just in general, you've got extra motivations, you've got intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic. Really doesn't matter unless it builds up your intrinsic motivational. So being able to believe in yourself is. Is where it's at. So I can listen to podcasts all day or read books, or listen to public speaking and all. None of that matters.
Shawn French
None.
L.J. Hunt
Unless it changes you somehow inside so that you wake up every morning, you start believing yourself, you start taking those things and making them your own. And that's what. That's where the switch gets flipped.
Shawn French
That. That you hit the nail on the head, LJ is like, you know, you have to change internally for any real external change to happen. Right. So if we're, you know, building our bodies back up. Right. Getting in good shape. Right. If we're trying to build a business or we're W2 in a sales organization, you are never going to sell and you're never going to excel if you don't change internally. There has to be a growth pattern, because if not, you're just the same cat.
Julian Rivera
Yeah.
Shawn French
And the same cat ain't gonna get it done.
Julian Rivera
No.
Shawn French
Like, where I am right now is not going to cut it for the next level. I have to grow, and so do you guys. It's. It's. It's not a never ending thing.
Julian Rivera
Okay, cool.
Shawn French
I'm done now.
Julian Rivera
We made it. We made it. We're good.
Shawn French
Like, this is freaking Disneyland.
Julian Rivera
Yeah.
Shawn French
No, no, no, no, no. It's a constant push to get better.
Julian Rivera
Yep. And I mean, like lj, he. He had a tipping point. You know, during ironic, during Coven. You know, my tipping point, I was pre planning and then Covid happened, but it was the same time frame. You know, we all Got smacked in the face during that time and we just decided to go all in on this fun game we call real estate.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Julian Rivera
So prior to that, you know, I was kind of already in real estate, buying some houses and like renting them. Nothing crazy, but I understood the game a little bit. Not from a. More so helping clients fulfill the ultimate American dream. Because that's still the dream of homeownership. I don't care what anyone says. So at the end of the day now we're at a place. Fast forward from 2020 to 2025. It's crazy to say it's 2025 still. We. We've just gotten to a place now. We really had to grow. So what's the next level? So we did a bunch of years. I could speak for LJ on this one. LJ just kicks ass, by the way. Let me just stop real quick. He hates talking about himself.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Julian Rivera
Because he's so effing good. And I say that and not in a. In a cocky way. I respect this man so much in what he does, but he's the silent ninja. Or I'm the boisterous. Let's. Let's go. Like, I'm. I'll talk and I'll keep it going because I enjoy the storytelling of it. But his story is so unique because he was kicking ass in an industry that was already having a lot of controlled chaos and running an environment with a system related goal. At the end of the day, he just took that and placed it in real estate and slays it. Like, seriously. He does the exact same thing he was doing there, just in a way that helps him control a lot more his family's futures and more importantly, his family's future.
Shawn French
I like this. And the one thing that I'll say that I love is the fact that you are lifting your boy up right now.
Julian Rivera
It's true.
Shawn French
Men don't do that. Men don't do that. You know, not. I'm sorry, that's a. That's a generalization. Most men aren't doing that.
Julian Rivera
Right.
Shawn French
They see that as a threat. Where I like to be exactly where you're at, Julian, is like, I want to edify my people. I want to say this dude or this girl, she's. They are badasses and they are amazing. I want to ask you a question, though. What? Yeah. What do you think's the key? What do you think the key determinant is? Like, you know, you're the silent ninja. Great. You kick ass. But why? Like, what is it about you. That. That can do that. Because I have my own idea, but.
L.J. Hunt
I want to hear what is it about, like, me.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
Like my own. It's my care for people flat out. It's just because, like, that's where I really started to make the shift was out of that, out of the hospitality. You got to the general manager position. And it's about the numbers and it's about the business, how many books you've got in seats and what your food cost is and labor and P and L and all raise all. I mean, raise your fingers, Mark. Just everything. So, yeah, you talk razor thick.
Shawn French
Yeah, absolutely.
L.J. Hunt
Even in our labor market. And it just really, you know, we used to say it's about the people. It's about the people, but you can't really touch 500 people that come into.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
You know, the restaurant at a given time. You can try and teach your people in order to do that. And I just felt like that I lost the connection between actually changing people's lives. Right. You go, hey, happy birthday. Here's a brownie, whatever.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
Now I literally get to, here's your brownie, here's your birthday song. Like, whatever. But now when I get a phone call from a past client or, you know, a lead from the Internet or whatever, it is, like, I'm getting ready to help them purchase a home. Proverbial, you know, American dream. There's a easy way to do it, and that's with knowledge and comfort and low stress. And then there is a very challenging way to do it. You know, realtors just in general have a bad rap in the industry because of how much money we make or whatever it is. But if you're doing it the right way, it's. It's just. It's so gratifying for the people and for me itself. So I've grown from being able to do that with my clients to still doing it with my clients, but also now teaching agents how to do it properly and teaching others how to focus on their business so they can do it so they can teach more people. So I'm getting to the point now where it's like I'm spider webbing everything that I can do for more people and actually touching more lives and helping more people. And I think that's where. Where it burns from. Yeah. More than anything after that, my answer.
Shawn French
Was going to be service.
L.J. Hunt
Right.
Shawn French
You're serving the people. And it's the same answer. Right. And that's why I kind of smiled when you said, you're here for people like I find that most successful entrepreneurs actually give a shit about human beings. Like if you just chase the number. We've all done it at one point, right. Like, I'm guilty as. Like, you know, I gotta sell this amount. Here's my quota. We gotta get it, we gotta get it, we gotta get it. But what I've found now is that when I operate at a place of love and respect and the care for others, and I'm just here to. To give and give and give. It's funny how things boomerang back around and a lot of times it's not that specific situation with that person. But you're. But you're like infinitely blessed in another area that comes into that circle. Right. And then, yes, you do capitalize. You do end up making a lot of money. But it's not because you're out there grinding and you know, like Wolf of Wall street boiler room.
Julian Rivera
Yeah.
Shawn French
Stuff like you're showing the people who you really are and who we really are. As you know, you know, service driven men. That's what we're here on this earth. We're here to serve.
L.J. Hunt
Yeah. The. You Talked about the KPIs and people focus on the volume in the real estate industry. And volume to me is just noise. That's all it is. It's about how many families we help.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
Period. Like, we're a transaction based company. And I think that that's one of the reasons Iron Valley has grown so fast is it's like, I don't care about the $10 million home or whatever it is.
Julian Rivera
Yeah, great.
L.J. Hunt
If I get one of those. Awesome. But I care about how many families I can help, how many agents I can teach to teach how many families to do it the right way. Because that's what ultimately matters. Because again, taking care of the people. So that's where I kind of came up with that. That volume is just noise. Because if my KPI is $30 million in sales volume, like nobody. How many people do you have to help? How many families you have to help? How many houses do you have to sell?
Shawn French
Yeah, lj, it's a great point. I think it's so important to focus on just the people. Like you're. If we look at the number, it's like looking up at Mount Everest. Like, there's no shot. I'm getting way up there. Yeah. But if you just take that step and start moving a little bit. Like, my goal is to help families. And the more families you can touch and help, then the number's going to Take care of itself. And I always say that that's like staying in your process. Right. And again, at sales training, that's what I'm gonna talk about, is like, staying within the process. You in sales, you have to have your KPIs. Do you know your KPIs? If you don't understand how long it takes you or how many calls or how many times you canvass to get an actual real lead to get a listing or a buyer, then how the hell are you ever going to know what you need to do to hit those goals and those numbers that you need to. But it's also important to understand that you cannot live and die on that. It has to be, how can I impact people? Like, if we make it just about us, we will never get to where we want to get.
L.J. Hunt
Those are those lead measures that lead to the lag measures that lead to the KPIs. Like, you can't put a number on how many phone calls do I have to make in order to sell this many homes? You don't know. It could be a thousand, it could be three.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
So those lead measures, that everyday process of making those phone calls, selling those, you know, the home, sending the emails, sending the text messages, posting on social media, having those conversations, like, you can't figure out the ROI on that, you have to say, all right, well, my lag measure, if I want to sell 12 homes this year, you know, the first quarter, I want to sell three. Yeah. Because that would be where I'm at. So I might not sell any in January and February, but I might sell three in March. I might sell eight in April, and then none in, you know, the next couple of months. So you have to take it as it comes, but make sure that you're continually being consistent, being disciplined.
Shawn French
Yeah, I agree, man. And, you know, the big thing, guys, I want to ask you is, you know, like. Or to say is if they. If we just. And if people just focus on thought activity and let that be the. The journey or the reward, those. Those results are gonna come quicker. Because when you focus on this isn't working or like a quid pro quo. Right. Well, if I make this many calls this week, then I'm gonna. I'm gonna get X in return. No. Bad move. Bad move, man. What are your thoughts about that, Joanne?
Julian Rivera
Well, a lot of the time, it's. I've been saying this for a while. It's. If the client wins, you win by default. I don't care what that win looks like. But understanding that if you're doing right by the people, in theory, karma pays you back tenfold. But the more you do it, the more you might get good karma.
Shawn French
Yeah.
Julian Rivera
And that could be health, wealth, or a mix of everything in between. In theory, in real estate, we're talking about this. Obviously, if you sell, you get paid. But again, like LJ saying, it's about who you're serving. Because the biggest compliment, in my opinion is a referral. It's been like that since day one. When it comes down to DJing, real estate, or any other businesses I run and I operate my entire DJ business by referral. And we still operate to this day. And last year I did 112 gigs myself and booked over 200 for my company. That's just the DJ world. That's not even including real estate.
L.J. Hunt
So off to the side by side.
Julian Rivera
This is when I say we do this. Like we do this. But it's not a flex, it's more of a thank you. Because they allow us to help create the those memories.
L.J. Hunt
Because 20 in units in the Hampton Roads area, that guy over there, just so you know, amazing.
Julian Rivera
That's just real estate. So it's it. But. But like LJ has taken his systems and processes and just what he's learned and put it in real estate is the same thing I've done from the entertainment world. So weddings, real estate. I'll use this a lot. There's three very important memories people have. Usually when you get married, when you buy or sell a house and you have a baby. And I can help with two of those three things because I'm not going to help people deliver babies. I tell that all the time. But with that, you.
Shawn French
I can't be there for that.
Julian Rivera
Yeah, I'm not gonna do that. I'm not getting my doctrine. Sorry, ladies, but with those two things, it coincides because it's a memory. They're gonna remember you. Either you suck or you slayed it. There's really no middle ground. So as long as I know we can deliver and they win by default. We win. And what's that win look like outside of just getting compensated? Probably another referral. Probably a good review online. Probably them just talking good about yourself or like. No, I know him too. Yeah, the good guy. That goes further than anything to me. Because your reputation is specifically, I'm pretty sure in any market. But in this market, since it's the biggest, smallest market in the country, as we call it here, and it's a very transient market. Yeah, we lose and gain. What 300 people. 300000 people every year because of the military, give or take. So yeah, coming in and out of the market and if we're affecting lives that are now traveling all over the place in some way, shape or form, I can't tell you how many times somebody in San Diego or Arkansas or whatever the hell is refer someone to me because I helped them while they were here. Whether I helped them with a house, an event, or I was just nice to them.
Shawn French
Love it, man. It's, it's so funny too. And like, I want to get your guys's feedback on it. I always look at it like this. And my manager, who's one of my best friends now, my old manager at Paychecks is my district sales manager. He brought me in there, he took a chance on me, you know, took me from, you know, coaching baseball and teaching and making like maybe 40 grand a year. And I turn, I turned into one of the top salespeople in the country at Paychecks. And there's like 2,000.
Julian Rivera
Nice.
Shawn French
In that division. Right? It was a small, small to mid sized business division, we call it SMB. And he taught me at an early point in my career there. And he goes, no one gives a shit how much you know until they know how much you care. And then I, I looked at that, I'm like, that's a great quote. And I, and I can see that. But I want to take it a step further and I want to add. And I always, I always thought this, like, how are these business owners gonna walk away feeling after every interaction with me? How do I make them feel? Yeah. And if you can make someone feel special and not because you have an agenda, but genuinely, like, cast such an amazing light and amazing conversation and care towards them that when they walk away from you, they're like, I really like that, dude. I feel comfortable and I trust them. Yep.
L.J. Hunt
Jim Galu.
Shawn French
That's it. It's it.
L.J. Hunt
That's, that's, that's the formula is trust and value. That's what a referral is. A referral is somebody that trusted and valued what you did for them enough to say, hey, here's my buddy Julian, right? He's going to take care of you buying a house.
Shawn French
Yes.
L.J. Hunt
I trust and value everything that he does. So if you can get somebody to trust and value. Right, that's how you continue on.
Shawn French
Yeah, man. It's interesting to me. I just find a lot of people, you know, they forget that side of it. You know, they forget that, you know, we're not entitled to success. We're not entitled to the sale, we're not entitled to grow. We, we are entitled the, the right to choose. That's it. And if we choose the right path daily, right, in growing that trust and value with people, man, you know, the, the world, so to speak, is our oyster, you know, and I, the one thing that drives me crazy is when people want it. Right now doesn't happen like that. You know, I am close, guys. It's like, you know, you don't know when it's gonna happen. There's been some dark ass times in this show, you know, and your, your listeners. So you probably heard me talk about them. Yeah, like there's a point like after three years, I'm like, I think this show is this. Analytics are telling me the opposite. Do I tuck my tail between my legs, pack my shit up and go home or do I elevate? So I decided I have to take more risks. And I remember talking to my wife. This show started with an iPhone in a car. Now we're in the den and I'm doing it virtually and having someone edit it, right? And I can't control any of the factors. I can't control someone else's camera, can't control their sound. But if I'm going to take this to the next level, then I got to get the hell out of the house. And I need some live, I want, I need some one on one. I need some in person. And from that point, you know, we, I did that, you know, in June of this year. And then my show went through some growing pains. And then right around September, we hit that stride. We hit that stride where. Oh my God, like, we're on now. We're on. It's like more people are paying attention, more people are sharing, more people that are coming into the sphere. I'm like, how can I listen to this? Like what? Like I'm seeing the clips. Like, this is great. But it was done because it took a risk. But I think that's another great point, right? We, we, we talk about, you know, karma, we talk about the process, we talk about everything. But I think the most, one of the most important factors are, is taking that calculated risk. I went from, you know, paying. You heard this on the, the, the solo show? Yeah, my show used to, I used to pay $1 an episode to, to edit. Now, you know, I'm paying, you know, four figures every single month for all of it. And until I made that decision, I didn't have that revenue. The moment I decided to make that move. Then the show started generating some damn money.
Julian Rivera
Well, you had to start monetizing, like you were saying, monetizing the show. You know, it takes not, not everybody. Some faster, some longer, but the average on a business is getting to a point. Three years of sucking, like, better, you know. Oh, just sucking in general. Of sucking it and making it make sense to get to that point of I finally made it, you know what I'm saying? And they're not necessarily sucking in that way. It's more so eating, learning, failing, moving forward, failing first attempt in learning, learn again, learn again, learn again. And then now you're finally here, but you had to monetize to get there. And then you say you're not going to hear ad. You can hear some premium ads. Because we finally had this place where we need to get this, this show to the next level. Really, because the audience is asking for it. If the analytics are there and is stating that you're going to be growing, then this is what we need to do to grow. It's so wild, man. That's literally what it is.
Shawn French
Yeah, it's really, it's literally what it is. And you know, I know the listeners, like, some people, like, they really hate ads. Like, I just want to listen to the show, right? Well, listen, guys, I just want to be honest is when, when, when, when we have a show like this and the production value and the scale that we want to be, like, we need revenue to do this and to make it better for you, right? And so, yeah, we have some ads and we have, like, what I've heard Amazon prime on there. I've heard, you know, Lululemon on there. I've, I've heard Walmart.
Julian Rivera
Right.
Shawn French
I've heard McDonald's. And I don't like that we got to fix that. But you know, that, that, that's big for the show.
Julian Rivera
Yeah.
Shawn French
You know, and I think that, you know, I always say, new level, new devil, right? And soon there's going to be host red ads and you're going to be hearing my voice. Read them off. But we're, we, you know, I have a guy that's out there hunting those for me. And so we've figured out a system. And this is the next point that I want you guys to speak on is I've elevated my systems to a point where I'm doing so many different things. I could be sitting there sleeping and I'm making money on my show. I could be sleeping in my teams editing a show. Right. I could Be sitting there on a phone call with one of you guys at 10am and my post goes out because my team does that for me. I interact. Okay. I'm the one, you know, typing and replying and everything like that. But. But I. And now while I'm doing all that stuff or when I'm hanging out with my kids, my team, my other part of my team is selling ad spots. We don't rise to the level of. Level of our goals. We fall to the levels of our system. So how important are systems for you guys as. As realtors and then everybody else in this office?
Julian Rivera
Well, I'll say this and I'm going to throw the ball to you, lj. So LJ is a system shock guy. Sucker.
Shawn French
He's deflecting again, like be gone.
Julian Rivera
We're. We're a really good yin and yang. And this kind of also evolves to like where Iron Valley Norfolk came from because the guys developed a really strong, let's just call it, system here in the area that has grown, I think faster than anybody did. But again, this was birthed during COVID Right? It's either he. There was really no middle ground. It's either you were here or here in oven. Right. So I. The guys grew way faster than they thought they were going to do. Shout out to Mike, Eric, Edwin and Edgar, but. And Jama as well. But now growth was looking as opening up another location that where they can stay and focus on their primary locations but still have growth. And that's where this, their first franchise of the other franchise, Iron Valley Nor, AKA our place opened up. But LJ was already in the building here. That's the thing. He's already shown that his systems, his processes and everything works because he knows what the hell he's doing. Me, I was the outsider coming in looking for another place. But they knew who I was. They knew that I'm already killing it outside doing what I'm doing. So then when they wanted to marry the two systems together, I think LJ was probably all game for. I was like, who the hell is this guy? I was like, I don't know you. I know of you. I know you do great, but I just don't know you. But one thing I also learned is I don't bring friends into business. I make friends in business and I learned that a long time ago and I love all my friends, but I also respect the relationships that I want to keep it to where it's at. That's a system in its own the learning. Learning when to Say no and learning when to say yes. So after a few weeks and months of talking, we decided to pull the trigger. Trigger to start working together. And like you said, it doesn't happen overnight. Took months to a lot. Lot of disclosures, a lot of back and forth and boom. Halfway through last year of 24, that's where the physical location actually opened. But it was months and months in the making. However, because we're able to take over in a positive route with kind of like just a lot of momentum already behind us. The systems that LJ really has created is night and day from what I've seen and what I was used to and I learned from this guy every day. He said he has to buckle me down a lot of the times to really focus on what he's doing, but it all makes sense. But he stays up with the trends and what he's doing, but systematically. It's been ingrained in his brain for so long. It's like riding a bike to him, where me, I have to take my tricycles off and do it, but once I know it, I slay. Don't get me wrong. But the system that he's. He's developed and put in place and marrying it with the other system that's already been created with Iron Valley. It's. I mean, there's. If we fail, it's on us, not because of the systems. I really would say that.
Shawn French
I love that.
Julian Rivera
And I mean, talk about what you've done. And in place of that, because your systems, again, giving you credit because you have to give yourself some credit. Yeah, you kill it on that.
L.J. Hunt
Well, I think it's integration, really. I mean, everything that we do is. I mean, and we. We manage things. Right. So I manage whether it's my calendar or Monday.com or, you know, my CRM or whatever it is, and then we leave people. So probably the most challenging thing just in general for falling back down into the system, is having the right people running said systems, you know, and being able to pour into them so that they run the system. And we had a team leadership council yesterday for, you know, for kind of the first time with all of the entities in the area and everything. And it was like, hey, what's your system? What are you guys doing? This CRM, that CRM, all these different things. It's like, okay, what people are you struggling with? And how do you get them to manage and do the things that you want them to do? Yeah. So it's the best system, is the one that works.
Shawn French
Sure.
L.J. Hunt
Most of the time. It's the one that you put in your time in order to do so.
Julian Rivera
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
You can pull. I mean, there's a billion different calendars out there. Right. Which calendar are you using? Yeah, right. It's the one that you use. It's the one that you, you know, like and trust.
Shawn French
Yep.
L.J. Hunt
So I, before I even got here today, before I even started driving, I'd done everything for the brokers. It probably needs to be done for the entire day today.
Shawn French
Wow.
L.J. Hunt
Because I had all the back end systems, I talked to my virtual assistant. I got my calendar going. I put a couple of tasks in place for not only my team members, but also some of the owners and leadership and people within the brokerage. Like, this is what needs to be done. I'm going to be MIA for the next hour. Yeah, Here you go. Scratch out of here. I'm gonna go to a listing consultation.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
For a past client. I'm gonna talk to them. Then I'm gonna come back and hear you and coach Michael Burt talk.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
So, you know, knowing that my calendar is laid out that way. Okay. What do I have to do to make sure that everything is working?
Shawn French
Installation man.
L.J. Hunt
Yeah. What they were talking about, I think it was integration. Do you have creators, you have integrators, you have executors? Like it's just is driving your business because you need capital. We already talked about that. You need a product, you need a place to do it and you need people. That's all you need for a business. That's it.
Shawn French
Love it, man.
L.J. Hunt
The most difficult part for me, for any business, is the people. You have to have the right people. You have to have the ones that are motivated with that intrinsic motivation to believe in you.
Shawn French
Yeah.
L.J. Hunt
They believe in you, not in the system. Nobody gives a about what system you're using. They care about who is running the system. Why is it working? Yeah. What is going on? What is making them success?
Shawn French
And are you executing it?
L.J. Hunt
Yeah.
Shawn French
Yeah. You have to execute the system. Guys, this has been an amazing conversation. I wish we had like another hour to talk. I feel like this could be a longer episode. But I have one more question and I would love for each of you to answer this. And we'll start with Julian. The show is called the Determined Society. Right. And I built this show and built this brand on the heels of just the sheer wish that I could wake up every day in a society that was determined enough to go chase their dreams no matter how they felt emotionally. And that's what I stick to that's what we are falling into, that discipline and we're executing that daily now. But what does determination mean to you?
Julian Rivera
Grit. Never giving up, putting your best foot forward, not making excuses. We talked about our, our paying attention journey that we're on now before the show and over the past 13, 14 months, whatever it's been being down 40, almost £50 and being on that game understands that, you know, health is wealth. We've heard that our whole life. Cliche statement but it really is, dude. So I'm determined to stay in a physical state that will keep me at the level that I've built outside of my physical being. So that determination is going to be strictly based on showing up, doing what I say I'm gonna do. Don't over promise, make sure you over deliver and stay consistent.
Shawn French
I love it.
Julian Rivera
That's my main definition on that.
Shawn French
Love a D. Very good one. What about you?
L.J. Hunt
That you say that real funny you said that because just thinking about the word determined kicks me into what my 2025 word for the year is and it's forward.
Shawn French
Nice.
L.J. Hunt
It's just, it's forward. We're gonna keep going forward and odds are we're going to get kicked back. You know, I mean that's just what happens when you, when you're trying to succeed, you fail. You were talking about it earlier. But if you keep going forward and you are determined as you are going forward, you're never going to fail because when you fail, you quit.
Shawn French
Yep.
L.J. Hunt
That's when you, that's when you actually fail is when you quit.
Shawn French
Exactly.
L.J. Hunt
So keep going forward means that you have to be determined in order to do so.
Shawn French
I love it, period. It's very good. Well guys, listen, you know, I've had an amazing time with you guys and I'm so excited for the, the sales training that me and coach Michael Berg are going to do. I'm excited for the event tonight. I'm excited for the big event tomorrow. This has been such an amazing experience for me and we're only. I got here just yesterday. I'm truly starting to really understand what Michael and Tim Lewis have been talking about this whole time with, with just this community. Everybody, everybody is top notch. Everybody is focused on people and everybody is disciplined. And to me determination is about grit but mostly it's about determination. I mean discipline, right? Like what can I do every single day to keep going? And it doesn't have to be flashy, sexy or just mean. Like, oh, I'm determined. I'm, you know, David Goggins Let David Goggins and Andy Frisella and all them jocko be them. But you guys out there be you. And what does determination mean to you? I want you to think of that right now. Because determination to you right now could mean you're in a. In a depressed state. And you just getting out and walking 10, 15 minutes is. Is determination. And I want you to give yourself that grace. And then as you get better and you put more habits in place, then the determination level switches. But the. But the determination factor is just the amount of guts to keep moving forward. When nobody's paying attention, when nobody is clapping, when you just feel like breaking down and crying, those are the moments you move forward. So again, I just want to thank you guys for coming on this show and giving the audience a massive amount of value and becoming new friends of mine. It means a lot. And man, I just. I just appreciate it. I really do. High fives.
L.J. Hunt
Thank you for your time.
Shawn French
You got it, man. Thank you. Until next time, guys, I want you to do one thing. I want you to share this episode with someone you feel needs to hear it. Don't forget to leave some comments on Spotify so I can go in there and reply back to you. And I would love to hear what you guys want me to talk about next. But until then, stay determined.
L.J. Hunt
Sean French.
Julian Rivera
What up?
L.J. Hunt
This one Luck I let the pain inspire me I put my all in Everything I'm doing up until it's done I'm me for the entirety I put in no baton I'll be working Just know I'ma go for mine cause I earned it they watch and I know it's time I confirmed it. The whole society determined.
Shawn French
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Podcast Summary: "The Cheat Code to Success: Believe in Yourself & Execute Daily"
Podcast Information:
Introduction
In the April 18, 2025 episode of The Determined Society with Shawn French, host Shawn French delves deep into the foundational elements of personal and professional success. The episode, titled "The Cheat Code to Success: Believe in Yourself & Execute Daily," features insightful conversations with two distinguished guests, L.J. Hunt and Julian Rivera, both integral members of Iron Valley in Norfolk, Virginia. Their journey from different professional backgrounds to thriving in the real estate industry serves as a compelling testament to the power of self-belief and disciplined execution.
Belief in Yourself: The Ultimate Cheat Code
Shawn French opens the episode with a powerful message about the importance of self-belief. At [00:43], he asserts:
"You need to dig down deep and ask yourself, do you truly believe in yourself? Because if you do not believe in yourself, it doesn't matter what I say on the air, you are going to be fucking stuck. And not just say it, but feel it in your soul. That is the cheat code."
This foundational belief sets the stage for the entire discussion, emphasizing that external advice and strategies are ineffective without internal conviction.
Internal Transformation for External Success
Louis Hunt complements Shawn's perspective by highlighting the necessity of internal change. At [07:02], Hunt emphasizes:
"You have to change internally. For any real external change to happen, there has to be a growth pattern."
Julian Rivera echoes this sentiment, stressing that mere consumption of motivational content like podcasts or books is insufficient. Instead, genuine internal transformation is paramount for tangible success.
Discipline and Daily Execution
A recurring theme throughout the episode is the significance of daily discipline. Shawn shares his personal routine, waking up early to work out, which he believes instills the necessary discipline to tackle the day's challenges effectively. At [08:45], he explains:
"Have the water, have the coffee, and then no matter how bad we feel at that moment right there, we just start moving our body."
Julian adds that this disciplined approach not only fosters personal growth but also positively impacts their professional endeavors.
Guest Journeys: Transitioning to Real Estate
Both guests, L.J. Hunt and Julian Rivera, share their transformative journeys into the real estate sector. Hunt recounts his shift from a two-decade-long career in hospitality to real estate during the tumultuous times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key highlights include:
Facing Adversity: Hunt discusses the immense challenges faced during the pandemic, leading him to reevaluate his career path.
Taking the Leap: At [06:20], he mentions, "I drained my 401k, I quit my job, I took the test in November of 2020, didn't get technically licensed until January of 2021." This bold move underscores the episode's central theme of believing in oneself and taking decisive action.
Julian Rivera shares his parallel journey, transitioning from DJing to real estate. He emphasizes the importance of referrals and building trust in establishing a successful real estate career. At [27:40], Julian states:
"If the client wins, you win by default. I don't care what that win looks like."
Overcoming Fear and Embracing Change
A significant portion of the conversation revolves around overcoming fears and embracing change. Hunt reflects on the initial fears associated with leaving a stable career in hospitality but counters them with the necessity of self-investment and confidence. At [06:48], he shares:
"I didn't realize it, but investing in yourself just in general is something that we don't do."
The Power of Systems and Processes
Both guests highlight the crucial role of systems and processes in business success. Shawn discusses the evolution of his podcast, emphasizing how integrating robust systems can lead to exponential growth. He states at [37:21]:
"But we don't rise to the level of our goals. We fall to the levels of our system."
Julian elaborates on this by explaining how Iron Valley leverages systems to manage operations efficiently, ensuring consistent growth and scalability.
Serving People: Building Trust and Referrals
A cornerstone of their success lies in their commitment to serving people. Both guests agree that genuine care and service lead to meaningful relationships and, consequently, referrals. At [24:15], Johnny Rivera notes:
"The biggest compliment, in my opinion, is a referral. It's been like that since day one."
L.J. Hunt reinforces this by focusing on the number of families helped rather than mere sales volume, emphasizing the intrinsic satisfaction derived from assisting others.
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation
The discussion delves into the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Hunt underscores that intrinsic motivation drives sustained success, while extrinsic rewards alone are insufficient. At [17:42], Hunt mentions:
"Unless it builds up your intrinsic motivation, extrinsic doesn't matter."
Resilience and Determination
As the episode draws to a close, both guests share their personal definitions of determination. Julian describes it as:
"Grit. Never giving up, putting your best foot forward, not making excuses." [43:07]
L.J. adds:
"It's about moving forward, even when faced with setbacks. If you keep going forward, you're never going to fail because when you fail, you quit." [44:03]
Conclusions and Key Takeaways
The episode masterfully intertwines personal anecdotes with actionable insights, reinforcing the episode's core message: Belief in oneself coupled with disciplined daily execution is the ultimate cheat code to success. Key takeaways include:
Notable Quotes
Shawn French [00:43]:
"You need to dig down deep and ask yourself, do you truly believe in yourself? Because if you do not believe in yourself, it doesn't matter what I say on the air, you are going to be fucking stuck. And not just say it, but feel it in your soul. That is the cheat code."
L.J. Hunt [07:02]:
"You have to change internally. For any real external change to happen, there has to be a growth pattern."
Julian Rivera [27:40]:
"If the client wins, you win by default. I don't care what that win looks like."
L.J. Hunt [17:42]:
"Unless it builds up your intrinsic motivation, extrinsic doesn't matter."
Julian Rivera [43:07]:
"Grit. Never giving up, putting your best foot forward, not making excuses."
L.J. Hunt [44:03]:
"It's about moving forward, even when faced with setbacks. If you keep going forward, you're never going to fail because when you fail, you quit."
Closing Thoughts
This episode of The Determined Society serves as an inspirational blueprint for aspiring entrepreneurs and individuals seeking personal growth. By intertwining real-life experiences with profound insights, Shawn French, alongside his guests, underscores the indispensable role of self-belief and disciplined action in achieving lasting success. Whether you're venturing into a new career or striving to elevate your current endeavors, the lessons shared in this episode offer both motivation and practical strategies to navigate the path to success.