Genuine Hustle Boise 2019 Recap
Genuine Hustle is *really* something special. This “small but mighty” real estate conference was originally started by Stacie Staub, and Genuine Hustle is an event that isn’t really “owned” by anyone—it’s been planned and hosted by a variety of different people and communities over the years. I’m SO grateful to Stacie and everyone else who has carried on the torch to keep this incredible event alive. I’ve talked to several agents who have attended this event over the years, and it’s not uncommon to hear “life-changing” when people describe their experience.
Genuine Hustle in Boise was the second Genuine Hustle that I was able to attend, and BIG thanks to Andrea Pettitt and her team at Group One Sotheby's International Realty for putting together and planning everything this time around! Everything was done so well, and it was clear that a lot of thought and care went into each detail, from the surveys we received before the event, to the networking groups that were organized to make sure no one was left out.
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The main day of the event was packed to the brim in the best way possible. Speakers were chosen from the 150 attendees, and topics were based on what attendees wanted to hear about. The morning started off with a panel titled “How to Build a Parachute on the Fly - Taking a Leap or Being Pushed Off a Cliff” featuring Anne Jones, Stacie Staub, and Marguerite Martin. I admire each one of these women, and it was a treat to hear them talk about their experiences in building each of their businesses.
One thing that stood out to me in their conversation here was the idea of being intentional about who your clients are. Now, this isn’t a new idea for me (the foundation of the Community Marketing Course that I teach with Marguerite is built on identifying your ideal client), but narrowing your business’s scope and trying to focus on an ideal client can be scary for a lot of people, and I appreciate having the benefits of this approach reaffirmed with new, real-life stories every now and then. It’s something I’ve had to learn for myself in my own business (and I am still learning it), and it’s something I encourage my clients to do.
Another moment that stood out for me is when Stacie recommended doing a SWOT Analysis, and while I hadn’t heard of a SWOT Analysis before, when I looked into it more later I realized that I had done this type of analysis in different areas of my life many times. It’s cool to know that it has a name, and I’ve enjoyed reading up on it.
(Sidenote: If you want to read more about what Marguerite’s leap/“push off a cliff” looked like, you can hear all about how the heck she moved to a new city and took a sabbatical as a real estate agent in this podcast episode.)
Anne Jones, Stacie Staub, Marguerite Martin
One of the panels I was most looking forward to was “When You Have to Sell While You Are Sad - Grief + Real Estate” with Amy Curtis and Coral Gundlach. I really appreciate these women getting up in front of everyone and talking about the stuff that you just won’t find at any other real estate conference. Working while you’re grieving/sad/depressed/etc. is HARD (unfortunately I have more experience than I’d like in this area), and while there are no easy answers, I really believe that talking about it and knowing that there are other people out there who might be dealing with similar issues is a pretty good place to start. As for specific tools that can help, Amy recommended meditating (she says it’s a game-changer) and Coral recommended exercising (even though it’s not her favorite thing in the world to do) as just a couple of ways to start to cope with it all. Thank you both for being vulnerable and opening the door to talk about this topic even more.
Greg Fischer
Greg Fischer’s talk was titled “Simplify Your Stack + Buy Back Your Time - Tech Rehab,” and he made several points that seriously resonated with me.
“Tech is in your way—it’s an excuse,” Greg shared. “People are using their inability to use [tech] as an excuse to not do their job.” Greg recommended getting rid of everything except your core tools, and also pointed out how people are always talking about how things will change (tech, the real estate industry, etc.), but what’s NOT going to change in 10 years is 1.) compelling marketing and 2.) transaction management.
YES! Ten cheers for Greg! I’m so glad that all of this was articulated on a conference stage. Of course, I come at this from my own perspective as a content creator and proponent of community-focused marketing. So, with that in mind, a lot of the “new tech” I see being sold to agents is just a distraction from those core tools (and usually a giant waste of money in the end). I get why new tech can be so alluring, but sometimes it feels like everyone is trying to throw random stuff up against a wall to see what sticks in the hopes of not missing out or trying to “hack” the industry.
// Warning… rant ahead:
I’ve seen so many real estate agents and brokerages try to embrace new tech that costs thousands of dollars, and it sure seems like a lot of these systems and tools ultimately disconnect them from their audience/clients. Agents will spend tons of money on fancy websites with “lead generation” tools built in that they don’t end up using, “set it and forget it” social media packages that do more harm than good, email software that they have no real desire to keep up with, embedded bots to “connect” with people, etc.
When it comes to the real estate marketing side of things, a SIMPLE and SUSTAINABLE strategy is what I’ve seen reap the best rewards over time (not to mention it seems to have the best long-term ROI). Get yourself a solid website that YOU own and control, invest some resources in creating content that offers real value + builds trust with people you love to work with, choose a couple of social channels to consistently show up on, and build an email list that you don’t spam with crap. // Whew! Rant over for now. ;)
Keryn Giguere
Next up, Keryn Giguere presented on “Setting Boundaries + Avoiding Burnout = It’s All About Self-Care,” and Keryn is the self-care guru that the real estate industry needs. This wasn’t some presentation on how to make more time to take bubble baths, or how drinking wine is “self care.” Keryn shared a really intriguing list of “Industry Truths vs. My Truths” (shown below). Even though I’m not a real estate agent, I can relate to a lot of the same struggles of feeling the need to always be available to clients (no boundaries), the “you can sleep when you’re dead” mentality (burnout is inevitable), and the seemingly never-ending hustle of trying to grow a business (hello, workaholism). Keryn was a total badass up there dropping truth bombs about the lies we’re told by the real estate industry (which, in the end, is a symptom of capitalism). And she’s still killin’ it in her real estate business while putting her own wellness first. Heck yeah!
Thanks for getting this pic, Marguerite!
TJ Pierce’s talk was titled “The Riches in the Niches - Building a Real Estate Business With a Narrow Focus,” offering another fantastic real-life example of how you CAN build a successful business by honing in on a specific niche (aka your ideal client). I also happen to love mid-century architecture, so I especially enjoyed all of the visuals TJ shared, and if I were an agent, I think I would love to specialize in mid-century homes.
Leslie Heindel
Leslie Heindel took the stage with her talk titled “365 New Orleans - Highlight Your Community to Build Your Business,” and told us all about her 365 New Orleans project. This impressive project is really the epitome of community-focused marketing, and I love that Leslie is providing a platform for SO many awesome businesses in her community. It’s obvious that Leslie is super passionate about everything she’s doing, and it just so happens that investing in her community is also a boon for business. If you want to hear all about Leslie’s content marketing strategy (how she gets it all done, how much $$$ it costs, how it’s transformed her business), you can listen to Marguerite Martin and I interview her in our Community Marketing Podcast here. Leslie tells all!
Anita Johnston presented “Leaning In: Bravery to Narrow Your Focus + Expand Your Heart,” which was all about her journey in reaching out to the LGBTQ community on Whidbey Island. Her story goes much deeper than that, but ultimately she has been working to create a space in real estate (and the community) where people can feel safe to be their true selves no matter how they identify. It was a bit of a full-circle moment to see Anita’s presentation and hear more about the journey she’s been on in her real estate business—Marguerite and I met Anita back in September 2018 when we visited Windermere Whidbey. Kristen Stavros had guided her agents through our Community Marketing Course, and she invited us to collaborate and meet with agents who had taken the course. This is when we first heard about Anita’s desire to do more in the LGBTQ community. Way to make it happen, Anita!
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After lunch, there were longer, more in-depth breakout sessions. I had the honor of presenting “Branding + Messaging FTW - How Agents, Teams + Brokerages Can Communicate Through Collateral” with Madie Linder, and let me tell you, Madie is not only talented, she’s also a delightful person and a joy to collaborate with. Madie is the Creative Director and a real estate agent at West + Main Homes, and she is responsible for their exceptional branding and collateral. (I really recommend checking out their Instagram for just a small look into West + Main’s branding.)
In our presentation, we shared a bit about what drives our approaches to marketing, and then we spent most of the time sharing how real estate agents can (and should) look to other industries for marketing inspiration. We shared LOTS of examples, and I had so much fun putting this presentation together. (Yep, I’m a giant nerd about all of this stuff and this whole process was really energizing for me.) I was nervous to speak in front of a group, but being excited to talk about the topic at hand mostly outweighed my jitters. (On that note, I’ve found myself having a few opportunities to present/teach here and there, and I’ve really enjoyed it. I hope to have more opportunities to practice my presentation and teaching skills in the future!) We also had time for Q&A, and dang, I could talk about this stuff all day.
Madie Linder and Alyssa Christensen (that’s me!). Thanks for snapping this pic, Stacie!
There were a couple more breakout sessions and then it was happy hour, which meant power nap time for me. My brain was fried from absorbing so much goodness all day long, and since I’m also a textbook introvert, I needed a reset. Afterwards, I joined a group for dinner (with lines on my face from my nap, heh) at Modern Hotel & Bar (pics below), which I totally recommend checking out if you’re in Boise… I’m a sucker for anything mid-century, but also the gnocchi was heavenly. (Their Left Hook cocktail was also 10/10.)
So, not only had Andrea Pettitt and her team put together the entire conference, but they also spoiled us even more by planning a really special storytelling event for that evening, and Pete Bellande did a wonderful job of hosting the evening. Some stories were funny, some were scary, some were sad, and most were a little bit of everything. The whole evening really captured the spirit of what Genuine Hustle is all about—people first and foremost, the things that make us laugh and cry, a passionate focus on community, and of course, “real-estating” with a heart. (And before you think it was all rainbows and butterflies, know that Marguerite concluded the event by reminding us that we’re all going to die. I can always count on that lady for some real talk!)
My first visit to Boise was truly a memorable time, and I left feeling inspired and recharged (albeit a bit tired as well). Until next time, Genuine Hustle!
-Alyssa
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