Some dude there is about to be the most popular guy in town. He just ordered a Durtbagz Triathlon shirt. He’ll probably get mobbed at the town diner tomorrow morning. Let him eat his eggs in peace, people.
So, as you have probably noticed, I’ve been rather MIA lately. There’s a reason for that.
Since starting Durtbagz.com, I’ve worked my arse off to get it off the ground. And by off the ground, I mean profitable. After almost two years of ridiculous set backs and working lame amounts of hours, I was completely burnt out. And still not profitable. And not in a happy place. Which is weird, because Durtbagz is all about being silly and fun. Well, working for free, with no profit in sight was not silly and fun.
So, I backed off.
I have a friend who’s a lawyer and real estate agent. We met in a tennis lesson and have been great friends since. We talk shop, while we play tennis, listening to each other and bouncing ideas off one another. It’s a pretty cool thing.
At the beginning of this year, she started complaining about how she couldn’t handle all of the business she was getting. She had quite a few listings and just didn’t have the time or manpower to handle all of the leads she was getting from her listings. She bitched about this problem for the next five months. I got tired of her bitching. And got tired of not having that problem.
In May, I called her and said, “I think I’m going to get my real estate license.” Her reply was, “WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Finally.” So, I did.
I’ve been doing real estate full-time since about late June. Turns out, I love it. I LOVE IT. And, I’m also really good at it.
This week, my friend and I are officially forming our team, iRealty. She is a short sale specialist and things are moving pretty fast towards being off the hook. Which, as the husband informed me, is bigger than off the chain, because as we all know, the chain is just a means to attach the hook. The hook is what you want.
I’m happy and I can already see my hard work paying off. I’ve got a buyer in escrow, as I write. I can see my paycheck, not far away. In two months, I’ve accomplished what I couldn’t in two years with Durtbagz. Am I quitting?
No.
But I’m not doing it full-speed ahead, either.
I learned a lot, in the process of creating Durtbagz.com.
*I learned I do not like working online. I don’t like not seeing/talking to my clients in person. I do not like hiding behind a laptop all day.
*I also realized that I don’t like a lot of social media. I hate Twitter; I think it should be called, “I’ll tell you how awesome I am or some random BS to waste your time.” I use it for entertainment purposes for my real estate side when things happen like, my client saw a dead body while we were out looking at houses, one day. That’s a true story, btw.
*I only like Facebook for two reasons: 1. apparently I like seeing what others are doing, and 2. I definitely like catching up with people I haven’t seen in years. I think it’s cool to have a Durtbagz fanpage, but I still don’t feel like I’ve learned how to use it to communicate with you guys very well.
*This blog…this effing blog. Do you have any idea how much of a time suck this blog is? It takes min of an hour, usually two, for one freaking post. Not to mention the time it takes me to come up with a topic worth writing. Hence, the rare, random posts.
*The people. People associated with online stuff, like social media or online advertising, or SEO or website design/development are a different breed than me. I’m not saying it’s better or worse, but it’s different. I’ve met some great people in this industry, but for the most part, I’m dealing with a lot of folks who are still angry that they were a nerd in high school, even though they are smarter and now more wealthy/successful than the folks that made fun of them. There are a lot of those out there, and frankly, they aren’t my speed.
So what happens, now? I’ll keep doing this on the side until I can afford to hire someone to run it for me. At that point, the only responsibility I want is to come up with new signs, write a blog post or two, and thank our customers.
It feels good to recognize what I like and I don’t; my strengths and my weaknesses.
So, there’s that. I will write more blog posts; I won’t abandon it. I’ll try to make them funny, although I know I don’t always bring it. Durtbagz.com will continue, and someday, it will be a household name. Hopefully, I’ll be splitting my time between being a ski bum and golf, by the time.
You bring it more often than not. And yes, I hear making money, feeling productive and being able to be creative is fun!