Local Talent: The Entrepreneur’s Handbook Podcast - Episode 9
On this week’s episode of Local Talent, Jason talks with North East San Antonio real
estate broker Brandi Cook. Brandi was a stay-at-home mom for years to support
her family while her husband went out to work. When her kids were grown, she
wanted to bring in extra income so she got her real estate license and started
operating in her local community. Today, she’s the owner of a successful
business, with several real estate agents working alongside her.
Jason and Brandi explore some of the downsides of being an entrepreneur, with
the struggles of balancing work and family time and how realtors can bear the
blame from a client when a deal falls through. Brandi also highlights what she
loves about being a realtor and how she thinks her business will grow over the
next few years. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to learn Brandi’s advice to
anyone just starting out in the real estate game and to hear Brandi and Jason
discuss what it’s like to be an entrepreneur in North East San Antonio, where business
relationships still matter and having a solid network of contacts can make all the
difference.
If you liked this episode of Local Talent, make sure to subscribe to the podcast to
hear more of Jason’s interesting interviews with North East San Antonio entrepreneurs, and
leave a review and a rating to let him know that you enjoyed the show!

=Timestamps=
[0:00] Introduction
[0:37] Brandi introduces herself and her real estate business
[1:54] It’s hard to turn down work!
[2:23] Brandi’s life before real estate and what made her take the plunge to start her
own business
[4:04] It’s not great to keep all your eggs in one basket
[5:17] Brandi’s support system when she started out and her motivation to succeed
[6:11] “That’s what makes me good”.
[7:21] Building a team
[9:07] “I’m my own competition”.
[11:24] You can build up your business without engaging with the competition
[12:14] Building up a business from an existing network of contacts
[13:41] The biggest misconceptions about realtors
[15:40] Balancing being a realtor and having a life
[17:35] The real estate market has totally flipped
[19:06] “VA is ok”.
[20:07] Brandi’s real estate education and street smarts
[21:40] The most satisfying part of Brandi’s job
[22:55] …and a really bad experience with difficult clients
[25:40] Choosing to ignore the critics
[27:28] Brandi’s biggest mistakes in real estate
[28:58] The biggest wins in real estate and where Brandi thinks her business will go
[29:51] Did COVID-19 affect Brandi’s business?
[31:27] The freedom of working for yourself and growing your business online
[32:48] Lightning round!!
[35:41] Referrals are Brandi’s marketing network
[37:00] The double-edged sword of working on Facebook
[37:47] There are pitfalls to managing your own business
[39:48] How long does it take to train up a new real estate agent?
[41:14] Leaving town to decompress
[42:24] Managing your own time is harder than you think!
[44:56] Brandi’s advice on how to start out a real estate business
[45:40] Talking down an aggressive client
[47:27] Managing the stress of underwriting
[48:38] Realtors are there to facilitate contracts
[49:30] Building a team of like-minded people
[51:04] In North East San Antonio, you have to invest in your business relationships