Fresh out of undergrad and without the prospect of a career job on the horizon, I took the plunge and moved from beautiful Reno/Tahoe to Knoxville, TN with the woman that I was dating at the time (now wife). She had been accepted into graduate school where she would study to become a Physician Assistant and we were both in need of new scenery. Leaving Reno meant leaving behind family, friends, and a decent college job as a physical therapy technician. The first couple months in a new city were tough and I struggled to find work. I was trying to put my Health Sciences and Business Administration degree to use by getting into medical device sales; however, the excuse I kept hearing from potential employers was that I didn't have the sales experience needed. Hearing this coincided with an opportunity to gain sales experience by selling commercial fitness equipment to gyms and apartments. The job only paid $150 every two weeks, but there were commission opportunities and I needed sales experience. People thought I was crazy for working so many hours, for such low pay. Pro Tip: Don't waste your money on Bowflex. Matrix, Life Fitness, and Precor are the brands worth splurging on. Anyway, the first few months were a struggle, but what it instilled in me was a sense of hustle and I learned to enjoy knowing that I would be rewarded as a direct result of how hard I worked. More hustle = more sales = more money in my pocket.
Fast forward 1 ½ years and it was another night of working late and coming home to find my fiancée sitting at the kitchen table studying for her next exam with yet another one of Christina and Tarek's success stories flashing across the TV. HGTV had become a source of inspiration for us and confirmed that we wanted to get into real estate, but we didn't know how and didn't have enough cash saved up to do a flip. My fiancée would be graduating at the end of the year with a mountain of student loans and we knew that we would soon be relocating from Tennessee... but where to?
This is about the time fate took hold and I reconnected with a childhood friend and fellow Reno transplant. We decided to drive north to visit him and his family in Indianapolis for Easter and hopefully catch some of the March Madness festivities and games taking place. He was having lot of success with real estate and it felt like walking through a set of HGTV as we toured the flip projects and homes he had purchased in Fountain Square. Towards the end of the trip, my fiancée chimed in and asked "So, if Rob wanted to get involved in real estate how would he do that with you?" He stated I could come up and tag along and see if it was something worth looking into. Although initially thinking it was crazy, her question planted a seed in me. At this point, I had grown to become the top producer for our company in Tennessee, beating out colleagues in more populous areas of the state such as Memphis and Nashville, so it seemed insane that I would leave my job for uncertainty and potentially no pay. However, even with the success I had achieved, I knew that real estate was worth pursuing and I was getting pulled to it. So, I visited a month later and stayed in Indianapolis for two weeks learning the ropes. I didn't know what my role would be or how I would necessarily make money, but I knew that real estate represented an opportunity for a better future for our little family. Again, people thought I was crazy for leaving my job for the unknown.
Looking back, I often tell my friends that if I had landed a great job out of school and been offered a good/stable salary with health care and retirement options I probably wouldn't have felt comfortable making the plunge into real estate. I am so thankful I didn't score a great job...
Moral of the story... bet on yourself and put yourself in situations that take you out of your comfort zone and force you to grow. Thank you for reading and thank you for making this community a resource for all. If you would like to connect please feel free to comment or PM me.
-Rob
