In this second part of the six-episode special series, Jeffrey Saad continues his conversations with his business coach and mentor Steve Shull. In this episode, Jeffrey delves into his real estate career and the challenges he went through to become a top agent. They discuss how he embraced drive, curiosity, and a nothing-to-lose mindset to fuel the fire of his hard work and determination. Jeffrey and Steve also share insights about showing up in your best self at all times, finding the balance between appreciation and aspiration, and focusing on things within your control instead of those outside your own circle.
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Conversations With My Coach (Part 2 of 6)
This is part two of episode one. In the last episode, we talked about Jeffrey and his personal constitution and went through a lot of that. In this episode, we’re going to get into some more business things. However, before we begin, we have Jeffrey Saad and I’m Steve Shull and this is all about recipes and repetitions for life and business. I just caught a quick glimpse. He did a little Cinco de Mayo thing. Maybe you could start out there, the menu or a recipe.
I wish you could have smell on this episode because I got guajillo and ancho chilies all over me and achuete. It’s Cinco de Mayo, so I posted a couple killer recipes. One is a Mezcal Margarita. It’s a nice beautiful smokey heat but you marinate, a habanero and drop it into the bottle. Let it sit overnight and it gets this beautiful tropical heat to it. That just comes in the back of your throat as your drinking that Margarita.
I got some great Harry’s Berries at the Santa Monica Farmers Market and they’re so naturally sweet. I thought, “Ha.” I poured a little that spicy Mezcal over and let him sit. Now, you have these alcohol-soaked spicy strawberries. Perfect dessert. A little kicker. I have been in the kitchen half the day with my daughter. She’s in town and she loves to cook. It’s like our thing, so we’re making all this food.
Jeffrey’s Real Estate Career
You talked a lot about the restaurant business and that was career one. The second big career is real estate. I just want to walk everybody through where you started and where we are now. Why real estate? What happened?
What’s interesting as a bigger picture thing is what I think I’m so grateful for is. Everyone thinks either they’re supposed to be an X or they can’t be an X and Y. Everything has to be compartmentalized and I’ve had such a joy realizing you can do it all. I started off with restaurants. We talked a little bit last time I was this wimpy little kid. I wish I could have played football. I got thrown around like a ragdoll. My sister could beat me up, so I started cooking. I said, “That’s it. I’m going to open a restaurant.”
When I graduated culinary school. I told you the speaker said, “The only difference in dreams and reality is how bad you want it,” and I just love that because everyone’s like, “You got to go get your experience first.” There’s some truths all that as well but I was like, “No, I’m doing this.” I signed a lease, opened my first restaurant and just had a blast. I had a blast figuring out as I went along, but one of the most rewarding parts of it was when you go in, you don’t even have to call it passion necessarily.
When you go in with drive and curiosity, nothing can stop you because you’re curious. You’re constantly asking questions. You’re constantly wanting to be better. You’re wanting to know what the customer thinks. If you have drive, and they go hand in hand. If you’re curious, it drives you to get better. I opened the first restaurant called Sweet Heat. I was 24 years old in San Francisco. The Marina District was just starting to gentrify.
I was the first one on the block to not be the old Italian deli or the steakhouse. Everyone’s like, “Gourmet Mexican? Healthy food to die for?” We have this cool little Mayan icon and it was just a joy. It was about evolution because first of all, I signed the lease and didn’t even know what I was going to do. I went to Mexico and started learning. I started off with all this gourmet stuff then I kept evolving in a very traditional Mexican stuff because the more I travel, I got more into all the traditional dishes of Mexico.
I was blessed because it was a fun time. If we could all apply this at any phase of our life, one of the things that made it work so well, Steve, is that I just had nothing to lose mentally or financially. I was like, “I’m going to show up. This is what I’m doing. I’m going to do it the best I can do every day and that’s why I sleep well. I’m going to get up and do it again.”
Where did that approach come from? Is that something that developed naturally or thought about it a lot?
That’s a great question. Some of that was natural and then when I switched into real estate and I switched from real estate into the cooking TV show world. I was able to tap back into that and say, “If it’s worth then, why can’t work now? Only because I have kids and I’m 40 or just because I have kids and I’m 50? Only because we have a mortgages and investments?” Let me erase that part and just say, “What made it work?” It wasn’t worry that made it work. It wasn’t the thought of all these other things that could not let it work. It was what made it work.
What made it work was, I’m curious, driven, I’m doing this and I’m going in. That was the transition. Also, the biggest lesson I got, I opened at 24 and opened 3 locations. I was like 28 or 29. We had two kids. At the time, we had one daughter, Isabella. Three restaurants and one daughter. She’s about to turn one and I said to Nadia, “Let’s go to Paris for a couple months. I’ve never been. I want to go and see Paris.” She’s like, “We have three restaurants.” I go, “We have three restaurants.” If you’re not going to do what you want to do, you might as well work for somebody else. That’s the whole point.
It was the ultimate test because I was a control freak like most new business people. I said, “I have trained these people. I believe in these people. I’ve got a culture that works. They can do this.” We rented an apartment. This is way before Airbnb. We went on to some random site and found some professor in Paris that was leasing his apartment and we didn’t know when we got there until we got there that it was a three-story walk-up with a stroller and a one-year-old but we did it.
I said to my general manager who was overseeing all three, “Your job description, when I go to the ATM, please make sure my money comes out.” I don’t think there could be a more joyful rewarding experience. It probably took me a year to pay it off. Isabella and I are this to this day because of that, I swear. We walked the streets of Paris every single day. We brought Nadia’s mom with us. We’re lucky to have her, so we could go out at night and stuff and during the day we could all be together but it was a great lesson because, “You have three restaurants. You can’t leave. What’s going to happen?” Do you know what happened?
Was there an email then?
There was an email. I’ll never forget. I know this. I always remember when the internet started to go because it was 1993 when I opened the first restaurant. It was about halfway through the first year of the restaurant where I said to my GM, “Come upstairs in the office. I got to show you this, www.http://, watch this. It will ask me a question.” I put it in and it will pop. He’s like, “What’s going on? Where’s that?” Behind the computer. It was amazing, so I had just email.
I think I got my first flip cell phone in like ‘94 or something but I didn’t have that in Paris. The lesson was, when you have an opportunity in front of you, think expansion. Not necessarily happiness or rich but expansion. If I choose this, will my life and the people around me expand? That’s what happened. Not only do we expand but while we’re in Paris, this guy is coming into my three restaurants and keeps asking for me.
When you have an opportunity in front of you, consider expansion. Share on XThey’re like, “He’s in Paris.” Come back three weeks later, “He’s in Paris.” He comes back again weeks later. He couldn’t believe these things were running like they were running and I wasn’t even there. We got back and he bought the whole thing from me, all three locations. I had two bottled chutneys, Soul Man green chili chutney and red chili chutney. I was selling those at William-Sonoma and he just bought the whole thing. That’s how we bought our first real estate investment.
Becoming A Top Agent
I remember a couple things from the beginning. One is if someone were to ask you on day one, are you a top agent? Your answer was yes. Speak to that.
In my head, what is the top agent? The definition of a top anything in my opinion, you need to be able to execute, which I knew I could but it’s how you take care of your clients. That’s top. If you take care of your clients, exceed expectations, and make it happen. I applied all those skills from the restaurant to real estate like how do you exceed a customer? Now we call it a client. A customer’s expectation of the restaurant.
How do I work with my crew or my staff to do the same? I was going to do the same in real estate because it is that mindset. The LA joke is fake until you make it but there’s something real in there, which is that if you don’t start seeing this success and believing that’s going to be the outcome. You’re already in trouble. I would already put myself in, they’re not going to be any better hands than with me.
You’re starting in absolute scratch.
At least I had no money.
It sounds like you had a pretty successful first year in real estate.
Thanks to you. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th in our business. It’s silly to quote numbers but the whole thing was, what’s your net and we hit an insane record amount in year 6 or 7 because of you. It was incredible.
It was just door knocking and open house.
Open houses are everything. I loved it. Open houses were like the retail shop of real estate. That’s your retail shop. That was your chance. How many times of them coming to you? That’s the point. We did a lot from door knocking, open houses. Also, we did a ton of business, these condo buildings in West Hollywood our first year. What did I do? The first thing I did was, who’s the most important person in the building? The front desk manager.
I’m going to get to know them. I still remember Francesca from 1230 Horn. I went in there, introduced myself and said, “Do you know what’s going on in the building sales wise?” She goes no. I said, “Would you like to because I can send you a great summer every week?” “How great.” My first email blast. Every Monday I’d send her active, pending, and sold in the building. I started to build a rapport with her. Guess who she would tell the call when somebody always started with the front manager dabbing, “I’m going to sell my place?”
Don’t just do whatever else is doing. I would hear people say, “My client was looking for a house in the street or a unit in that building.” I said, “There’s nothing listed.” Michael said to me, “I love a unit in that building” I said, “Done.” I went in there and introduced myself to Francesco, “Would it be alright if I just walked the hall to get to know the building? I want to talk about this building like a pro.” I wrote down the number of every view unit and then I said, “What am I doing?” I’m going to send a letter to every unit anyway.
I said, “My clients looking for a view unit. I know yours is one of them. This is not a solicitation. I can bring him over.” Nobody with a view unit wanted to sell but somebody else answered the letter and we sold the first unit and then the next one and then the next one. I eventually found him a view unit. It was like I’m not going to stop if it’s not listed. I’m going to go get it. That’s the difference.
How many unique and innovative business development ideas did you come up with, Jeffrey?
Probably none. As I say with everything, even a great chef like it’s all been done before in some version. What I knew was, you need something. I’m the one supposed to provide it. Let’s go do it. It was like beating COVID when everyone in the office was all upset and said, “We’re in this together.” I’m like, “No, we’re not. Our clients have their brother-in-law and sister being together. We’re here to solve real estate problems. I’m going to put on a hazmat suit if I have to.” That’s what we did. We put on a hazmat suit, did inspections and sold the house whenever else was like, “It’s not safe to go out.” I respected the protocols but there’s stuff you got to get done and people need it done.
The Search For The Secret Sauce
I want to fast forward to now. Every day, I hear people struggling. This is a challenge market. It is, and what’s interesting though is people keep thinking that someone else must be doing something that they’re not doing because someone’s always doing business. I don’t care what the market is. That’s what they want from me every day. They want to know what someone else is doing that I’m not telling them on purpose. I’m torturing them and waiting for them to beg for the secret sauce. Do you ever do that to yourself and drive yourself nuts in that way?
I don’t have time for that. Everything in life should be like this, “Do you love your life? Yes, or no?” Yes. Great. Keep doing that. No. Why do you not love your life? What’s missing? My business is down. Why is it down? What can you do about that? I know that if I’m doing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and those things I believe will make business happen then all I have to do is keep focusing on those six. It’s not for me to decide when the business is going to come or not come.
I don’t need to know what you’re doing because that doesn’t affect my six steps. I just need to keep doing these six steps and believe that it’s coming. It’s like my roller coaster analogy. Whether it’s coming or not or when it’s coming or not, I have no control over anyway. I might as well stay focused on the six things I can do every day and keep repeating them until it works out. Don’t get back on the horse if it’s three-legged horse. Fine. You help me identify many of these in the early days. “Those are great eight steps, Jeff. Throw four of them out because that’s stupid and will never work. Keep doing the other four and let’s add these two.”
The Olympics are coming up and there’s a track star. His name is Noah Lyles. He’s in his twenties. I watched an interview with him a couple years back. He was talking and he was the world record holder in the 200 meters at the time. He was talking to his coach about breaking world records. His coach said, “You don’t break a world record when you are ready. You break a world record when the day is ready.” He was pointing out there’s so many things that have to line up. You just have to be ready all the time because you never know when the day is going to be ready. I liken that to real estate. You never know when the buyers and the sellers are going to show. You have to be ready. That’s it.
That’s so perfectly said, Steve.
This whole episode is about showing up as your best self. That’s what this journey that we’re going to go back and forth on because that’s where it all starts.
That’s what makes your life great. That’s the beauty. This applies to everything. You can be half as talented. If you’re your best self and a good version, you’ll do more business than the person that’s twice as talented and miserable. I used to always joke about those days. You got two choices. People couldn’t believe it when I started in real estate and my voicemail every Friday at 4:00 said, “Thank you so much for calling. This is Jeffrey Saad. I look forward to checking messages. Getting back to you on Sunday. Have a great weekend.” “You can’t do that. You’re in real estate.” I can. If I define the parameters, then when I show up my engines are roaring at 100% every time. I’d rather be 100%. Your old line is my favorite life, “Why don’t realtors work?”
Seven days a week because I don’t work five.
I’m sure it applies to many businesses. Probably your original. Wall Street’s got to be that way in a big way like, “If I just do more, I’ll do better.” No, you won’t because you’re showing up at 40%. Your engines are sputtering. Better to define the time you’re going to give work. Show up as your best self in that time and when I show up and I’ve been there for my kids. When I show up, my wife and I have been on vacation and I didn’t care what business I missed. I’m my best version. I have something worth sharing. I’m worth being around because I’m just in my best place with a true desire to take care of you.
Showing Up In Your Best Self
When you look back, what are some simple things that you would leave with the audience in terms of how to show up being their best self? In the end, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about how many homes you sold or how much money you’ve made. Are you being your best self on a daily basis?
To me, the definition of rich is you can wake up every morning and go, “I love my life.” You’re going to have mornings where you’re not feeling that way but the concept and that’s what I do. I love my life. It’s finding that balance between appreciation and aspiration. If you don’t have gratitude, the altitude doesn’t matter because you’re going to be up where you think is some amazing place to be. Without gratitude and appreciation, you’re going to feel empty anyway.
If you show up in your best self, you will do more business than the person who is twice as talented. Share on XAs you said a million times, there will never be enough money. My success with this that I’d like to share with people is start by saying, what is your ideal life look like then work backwards. Not, “I’m going to be a maniac and then when I get there, I’ll figure it out.” No, work backwards. “My ideal life looks like this.” I always say and I’m only barely joking. First, I schedule my French classes then I schedule my workouts. I schedule my family time, my wife time, my vacation and whatever time is left, I work.
That’s how I teach time blocking. Exactly that way.
That’s it. You’ve been telling us this. You have access to this for many years. If you say, “I’m going to make those calls between 10:00 and 11:00, I’m going to knock between 10:00 and 11:00.” If you just do that, it’s done. What most people do is they won’t block it. That is just this endless weight and stress. It all spirals downward instead of upwards. To me, it’s like deciding which one you want your life to look like. I always say like, let’s say you and I start following people with a camera. All week, we’re going to follow them day to night and show them the video.
Will they be proud of what they saw on that video? Was it Peter Drucker who said, “Tell me what’s important to you. I might believe me but I might believe you. Show me your checkbook and your calendar and I’ll tell you what’s important to you.” It’s taking them on up to be honest. Am I doing what will give me the life I want or am I doing stuff for just some random reason that I’m lost?
Plans For The Real Estate Business
Where are you in business? What’s your approach? What are you looking to accomplish? What are you looking to do now in your real estate business?
It served a purpose in the early days and probably still serves a purpose for some. In the early days, it was like, “I’m going to do this many transactions, this many buyer sizes, this many seller sizes and this much volume.” I don’t have any financial goals like that, zero. I say I’m going to do these things at this time each day.
Do not define your life by a moment in time. It is not yours to decide. There is no expiration date on dreams. Share on XThat’s the recipe.
That’s it, and then coincidentally, it keeps seeing me to yield a good life. I keep waking up happy. I keep making it happen. Sure, we’re slow now but again I’m not defining my life by a moment in time. It isn’t for me to decide. There’s no expiration date on dreams. There’s no expiration date on anything. Keep at it. It’s like the old stories of the gold rush in California. All these people sold their shovels, tools, and everything.
The person they sold it to, one more scoop and they hit gold. They just sold the shovel off too soon. Keep shoveling and shoveling with a smile. Take breaks because you can’t shovel forever. Your hands will fall off. Be willing to say, “We didn’t hit the goal, but I’m going to go have a great dinner, see my family, enjoy my kids, come back and start digging again.” If somebody’s digging longer and harder and find something sooner. That’s not my business. What other people think of me is not my business. What other people are doing is none of my business.
What are the few things that you’re trying to get done every day?
Every day, I want to make sure that I’m being my best self personally and professionally, which are becoming the same thing. Every day, I want to make sure that I’ve done what I said I would do, reach out to my contacts, my clients and my database. Take care of the deals that I have going and in that order by the way because as you said to me, “One of your greatest lives ever, you’re going to remember this.” There are no emergencies in real estate. Houses don’t bleed.
Nobody’s dying. Houses don’t bleed.
That was one of the greatest things you’ve ever taught me because ignoring can be the best solution. Instead of calling back when somebody’s at their most heated moment, you wait to call back in a couple hours and it’s already been solved. Escrow figured it out. The person realized they made a mistake or they’ve calmed down at least, so you could have a conversation that will be beneficial.
When the business is flowing in, that’s not the time to go surfing. I always say this, that’s the time to stand on top of the table and say, “Give me more.” When it’s slow, that’s when you go take care of yourself and recharge. I was listening to a show, an author of a book called The Empathy Edge. She was talking about corporations, their marketing strategy and how to be an empathetic business. As part of this, she talked about taking care of the soil so that things can grow. The analogy is, that’s what your database is all about, nurturing that soil. Taking care of it and that’s all you do in real estate. Taking care of people.
One of the biggest shifts for me, which again, you’ve been part of is, like as Sally Forster Jones said, “Clot quickly.” I love how great that term is. In the old days, and when I say old days, even 4 or 5 years ago, I lost some big listing that I had been taking care of that soil for years. This isn’t crazy. Now, it’s like seven seconds like a bad punch. Let it go. It’s okay. I’m going to neutral all the soil. I’m not going to tie my well-being to one bud or to one sprout.
I’m about the whole farm. It’s okay if a couple die off or don’t work out. It’s so peaceful to know if they don’t choose me, I wasn’t the choice. Either in their eyes, I’m not the best choice. That’s not for me to decide. It’s okay, or was there an opportunity? They were in that campaign I was working on, so I didn’t take care of the soil. My bad.
The first thing I do is go, what did they need and what could I have done better? Not, how can they do this to me after all these transactions? It’s silly. It is so peaceful to let go of all that stuff. Again, the circle of control. My favorite tattoo. One little circle. If it’s inside, I’m all over it. Let’s make it happen. If it’s outside, there’s nothing for me to do.
On that note, let’s wrap.
Recipes and repetitions.
The Cook, the coach, the recipe, and the repetition. Jeffrey, a pleasure as always.
Thank you.