Video not loading? Click here to watch it on YouTube!
You didn’t become a realtor to work 60 hours a week with no days off, stuck in the hamster wheel of transactional real estate, did you? I didn’t think so.
When the market slows down, most agents panic. They hustle harder. Work more hours. Stress more about where their next commission check is coming from.
But what if I told you a slow market is actually a gift?
A gift of time. A gift of space. A gift from God to finally build the business you’ve been dreaming of—one that funds your life instead of running it.
Let me show you how to use this market to transform from salesperson to CEO and escape the transactional real estate trap for good.
The Hustle Trap: Why Most Agents Are Just Employees Of Their Own Business
Let’s get real about something.
Most agents are just working a job with no leverage. When they got into real estate, they had the mindset of trading time for money.
Every month starts at zero. You’re always in go-mode trying to keep your pipeline full. You’re showing houses on weekends, missing your kid’s recitals, and canceling date nights because a client wants to see a property.
Here’s what that looks like:
- You only make money when deals close
- Your income fluctuates wildly month to month
- You’re constantly hustling for the next lead
- You can’t take a vacation without your business grinding to a halt
I’ve been there. That hustle got me to my first $45k in real estate. But I was really missing my corporate salary after expenses, taxes, and broker fees.
That life isn’t sustainable. And it’s definitely not what you signed up for when you got your license.
The CEO Shift: Why You Are Missing This Crucial Opportunity
Here’s the truth that most coaches won’t tell you: a slow market is the PERFECT time to transform your business.
While other agents are panicking about the lack of transactions, you have been blessed with the gift of time—time to build something that lasts.
Think about it this way. When the market is hot, you’re running from showing to showing, writing offers, and closing deals. There’s no time to step back and build systems. No time to think strategically. No time to transform from salesperson to CEO.
But now? You have space to breathe. To plan. To build.
I was able to go on vacation for eight weeks and still had five or six transactions closing during that time. Not because I was hustling from the beach, but because I had systematized my business to make it passive and scalable.
That’s what being a CEO looks like. And a slow market is your divine opportunity to make that transition.
Data Over Drama: Stop Making Decisions Based On Headlines
If you’re making business decisions based on news headlines and interest rate announcements, I need you to pause.
Take a breath.
And rethink how you’re running your real estate business.
The news isn’t designed to help you succeed. News outlets don’t get paid for accuracy—they get paid for attention. For clicks. For views.
And what gets attention? Fear. Dramatic headlines. Extreme predictions.
When you hear “The market is crashing” or “Interest rates are skyrocketing,” your natural reaction is anxiety. You start doubting yourself. You hesitate to make calls. You change how you talk to clients.
I had a coaching client who was watching the news so religiously that she started telling all her seller clients to “wait until the market gets better.” Meanwhile, homes in her area were selling within days at 3% over asking price. Her perception didn’t match reality because she was getting her information from the wrong source.
As I always tell my students: in a down market, hustlers feel like they gotta hustle more. That’s not how business owners feel. When it’s down, business owners see opportunity to build infrastructure while the market is quiet.
The Blueprint For Transformation: 5 Steps To Build Your CEO Business
So how do you actually make this transformation? Let me break down the exact steps you need to take during this market to build a business that can run with or without you.
1. Create Evergreen Marketing Systems That Work While You Sleep
The first system you need to create is a lead generation system. When you put this on autopilot, you automatically give yourself about a sweet 30-40% of your time back.
Start building lead magnets—free guides, seller checklists, buyer webinars—that draw people into your world 24/7. Run Facebook and Instagram ads to these lead magnets so you’re generating leads even while you’re sleeping.
Will you still need to pick up the phone? Absolutely. Sales is about conversion. But imagine starting your day with five warm leads instead of cold calling strangers.
One of my coaching clients, De’Aunna, was able to book 4 listing appointments and get 2 Listing Agreements signed in less than a month after setting up her first automated marketing system.
2. Your Database Is Your Bank: Treat It Like One
Listen to me closely: Your database is your business.
If you left your brokerage tomorrow, your database is the only thing you’d take with you.
During this slower market, take time to organize, segment, and nurture your database. Segment your contacts into specific categories:
- Past clients
- Sphere of influence
- Met vs. not met
- Buyers vs. sellers vs. investors
Then create consistent, automated nurturing emails, texts, and retargeting ads for each segment.
Real estate is a relationship business. And your CRM (Customer Relationship Manager) is where you systematically build those relationships.
My client China was a seasoned realtor who moved to a new market area. She struggled with organization and time management until we implemented a database system. Now she has solid, duplicatable systems that ensure her growth for years to come—and secured a listing and multiple buyers within weeks.
3. Leverage Is The Secret Sauce: Document Everything
You need help. But you can’t hire help until you know exactly what you need help with.
Use this slower market to document all your processes and create SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).
I have a VA who I’m training to support me. Yesterday I had him on a call and said, “Take notes for everything I’m telling you.” He sent me the notes, we documented them, and now that task will forever be someone else’s job.
A business does not have the sole identity of the business owner. Walmart belongs to Sam Walton—that’s his creative genius—but it doesn’t mirror Sam Walton. It has grown to become something more.
Your first two years as an agent will be spent building your business, but you should simultaneously be developing systems that eventually pull you out of the business.
4. Map Out Your Ideal Week: Time Is Your Most Precious Resource
Start by mapping out what your ideal work week looks like:
- How many hours do you want to work?
- What tasks would you want to do?
- What tasks would you rather have someone else do?
If you could create systems that saved you 10 hours a week, what would they be?
If you’re lead generating three hours a day, five days a week, and you create an automated system that does that for you, you just cut your work week from 40 hours to 25. That’s 15 hours you get back to either grow your business further or spend with your family.
That’s how you begin to build a life you love with a business that funds it.
5. Think Beyond Commission: Build Multiple Revenue Streams
The final step in your transformation is thinking beyond commission checks.
When you close a transaction as a CEO, you don’t just get a commission check—you potentially get a mortgage check, a title check, and a transaction management check through your ancillary businesses.
Use this market to explore opportunities for additional revenue streams. Could you start a property management company? A staging business? A real estate photography service?
My coaching client T made $100,000 two months in a row after implementing multiple revenue streams—and she did it while maintaining her role as a stay-at-home mom.
Why This Matters: Creating A Legacy, Not Just A Living
Let me be very clear about something: six figures is not enough. Especially for agents who look like me.
We need more resources to bring back to our communities and enact real change. $250,000 is not enough.
When you build a business with systems—not just transactions—you create something that can:
- Generate wealth while you sleep
- Be scaled beyond your personal capacity
- Eventually be sold for a significant profit
- Create jobs and opportunities for others
- Fund the mission God has given you
A goal is not enough. Systems are what help you run and win repeatedly.
Your Next Steps
If you’ve been feeling stuck on the hamster wheel of transactional real estate, this slower market is your divine opportunity to transform.
Stop thinking like a hustler who’s anxious about where the next deal is coming from. Start thinking like a CEO who’s strategically building something sustainable.
Here’s what I want you to do right now:
- Take 30 minutes today to write down every repetitive task you do in your business
- Choose just ONE of those tasks to systematize this week
- Start tracking your market data instead of following news headlines
- Map out what your ideal work week would look like if you were truly the CEO
You are not just a realtor. You are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company in the making. And I want you to treat your business like one, run it like one, and build it like one.
I’m giving thanks to God for this market that’s giving you the space to build something truly remarkable. Don’t waste this gift.
The agents who use this time to build systems will be the ones who don’t just make money when the market shifts again—they’ll make millions.
Ready to win? You can also book a 1:1 strategy session with me by clicking here. Our strategy session will help you lay out a strategic plan with proper systematic systems to hit your goals in this slow market. Not sure if this is for you? You can also email me your queries at: cheesette@theceoofrealestate.com. See you in there!
