Ivan Estrada interview - be the show and not the ad
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So how do you promote your business and build a personal brand that gets the attention of major television networks? Well, my guest today says that you have to change your approach. You need to be the show and not the ad. I'm talking to Los Angeles real estate wunderkind and media personality Ivan Estrada about the strategy and perseverance it takes to stand out in one of the most competitive market places in America.
You can find Ivan Estrada at:
https://www.ivanestrada.com
https://www.youtube.com/c/IvanEstradaProperties
https://solo.to/ivanestrada
You can find David Avrin at
www.davidavrin.com
www.linkedin.com/in/davidavrin
www.twitter.com/DavidAvrin
www.facebook.com/therealdavidavrin
www.instagram.com/therealdavidavrin
Audio transcript:
David Avrin: It's David with the customer experience advantage podcast thanks for taking the time and joining us today, if you want to watch the video version, of course, it is always on my website at David ever COM, or you can.
David Avrin: tune into my YouTube channel today it's kind of a cool show, because this is a guy I don't think he even knows that I've seen him before, because my wife and I are are nuts, for all of these.
David Avrin: home improvement shows, and the staging shows, and then of course we aspire to being able to acquire some point, you know seven $8 million la listings not really but it's really.
David Avrin: it's really entertaining isn't it watch it like million dollar listings and things like that.
David Avrin: But when you think about some really tough marketplaces to compete, I mean you think what you do is tough, can you imagine the competitive marketplace.
David Avrin: In the greater Los Angeles area Hollywood and others as well and trying to not just sell real estate, but to attract the attention of those who are looking to buy and sell our guest today.
David Avrin: Is a young guy who is just killing it out there, I have an astrologist with us, I ever before you say anything, let me uh.
David Avrin: i'll do a quick introduction for you as well he's an inspirational business leader, a top real estate producer in the Los Angeles metro area.
David Avrin: produces a large portfolio of video content, including this popular YouTube series real estate minute he's got a podcast he's been featured on NBC is open house hgtv house hunters hgtv house hunters bravo.
David Avrin: The million dollar listing as well as la times forbes Hollywood reporter, and he has a brand new book out called brand with purpose Ivan welcome to the show.
Ivan: Thank you, David thanks for having me.
David Avrin: You know there's a lot of people when they're they're young in the business that they they've got the mentors and others who tell them listen you've got a lot of potential you've been killing it early on.
David Avrin: Tell me a little bit tell all of us about your journey that got you to where you are, and then I want to really delve into some of the tools that you use.
David Avrin: To to amplify your message to the intentionality behind the brand that you're building, because it really does require that to attract the attention of the right kind of buyers and sellers and clients so tell us a little bit about where you came from.
Ivan: yeah absolutely so.
Ivan: I was born raised in Los Angeles my mom and dad are from Mexico immigrants dad janitor mom seamstress I grew up in Iraq.
Ivan: For those people who know pasadena glendale burbank it's in that area.
Ivan: After high school, actually, let me, let me track back, I was in the entertainment industry for a while, as a kid as a teenager in the Latin world I was signed, to a record contract, and so I had a lot of experience there of you know, the work ethic and being a brand you know, a music.
Ivan: singer as a singer yes.
Ivan: singer songwriter yeah.
Ivan: And after that Phase I ended up going to usc Marshall school of business leventhal school of accounting graduated went on to work at a public big public accounting firm in downtown got my CPA license.
Ivan: Did that for like close to three and a half years it definitely wasn't what I thought it would be at least for me, but I think the the amount of knowledge and expertise and, just like the work ethic that I got from working 80 to 100 hours a week was invaluable for for me in real estate.
David Avrin: And now it is a CPA it's.
Ivan: A numbers oh yeah crunching numbers, but the thing about being a CPA in the audit world was.
Ivan: I could see what these multi million billion dollar companies were doing to be successful and how they got there right because my job is an auditor was to be able to find the holes.
Ivan: In their systems and processes, so I had to go from inception, all the way to where they now and where do they want to go so.
Ivan: That knowledge that I acquired of of how to build a business and how to maintain and grow a business.
Ivan: was what helped me in the real estate world and all honesty and so now i've been in the business 13 years here in Los Angeles like David said, you know my first book brand with purpose out Barnes and noble target walmart hudson's I mean it's all everywhere, and you know it's just.
Ivan: it's got it's a very special time in my life, right now, just because I feel that all the dreams and all that hard work that I think you know.
Ivan: 810 years ago I saw myself, and I was struggling working as a waiter at night for three years for my first three years in real estate, or maybe four, I think.
Ivan: This is what I saw in my dreams, this is what I saw in my vision, and this is what I saw happening as long as I worked my butt off every single day and just paid my dues.
David Avrin: Sure, but it wasn't beyond the work ethic anywhere anytime you get a book and i'm fortunate to have pinned several of them at this point, it is the culmination.
David Avrin: Of what you've learned people who write books at 1819 years old, what the hell, do you know right, I mean they've got a lot of you know ambition, or maybe a lesson or the writing something on the environment or some.
David Avrin: This is, this is a reflection of what you've learned through those years, and through a lot of trial and error there's a lot of people get into real estate.
David Avrin: who are waiting tables and continue to wait tables, or they go and they leave but you've been able to do it, but you've done it in a really unique way in terms of tapping a lot of the current.
David Avrin: vehicles and venues video and otherwise tell us a little bit about what you learned what didn't work and where the Aha moment came.
Ivan: So it was a lot of trial and error, when I got in the business, it was all about the cold calling it was all about the scripts it was about the door knocking.
Ivan: It was about the flyers it was about what people understood worked at that time and I did it, you know I I.
Ivan: went down and I actually started, I would say, warm calling all the alumni at usc because I thought way we went to the same school there's a lot of doctors, lawyers.
Ivan: People in finance, let me build a relationship with everyone there, and so I did all of that, I door knocked for years I just realized that that wasn't the.
Ivan: The process that I wanted for myself that I enjoyed right because, in order to be successful at anything you need to enjoy the journey and you need to enjoy the process.
Ivan: And I just wasn't and I thought there has to be other ways on how I can get to where I need to go using the gifts that I already have.
Ivan: And the things that I like to do, and for me, it was the biggest thing was video you know coming from the entertainment industry as a kid.
Ivan: Being in front of a camera I it always allowed me to really open up, I would say my soul and to really show who I was like the vulnerability of who Ivan was and how passionate I was about.
Ivan: Design about real estate about furniture about the environment, about technology, and so, when I found an opportunity on YouTube and and, at the time, there was only you know, a handful of agents who were putting out video content, but there was just talking about the real estate.
David Avrin: Market when when we talk about.
David Avrin: You first delving.
Ivan: Ah 12 years ago.
David Avrin: Okay well.
Ivan: yeah 12 years ago yeah there.
Ivan: Were there was no instagram there was the face, there was Facebook and YouTube, and so I thought.
Ivan: there's an opportunity for me to go on YouTube and create my own show I at that time I believe season one or season, two of million dollar listing was out now they're like.
Ivan: 11 or 12 or 13 seasons, and so I thought i'm just going to I popped up my own camera.
Ivan: I went on YouTube figured out how to use the MIC how to use I movie so that I can edit my own videos so I just I created my own scripts.
Ivan: I knew how to be in front of a camera I knew how to transfer information to people in the most authentic way and honestly video was what made me.
Ivan: I would say, a real estate star in my community, because no one else was doing it, and so it took a while for people to catch up.
Ivan: But after you know once people actually started doing it my clients my Community my mentors other agents around the country already knew Ivan from the real estate market or Ivan the guy who does the videos.
Ivan: that's what was what helped me stand out and the more and more I did these videos.
Ivan: Obviously, like the more comfortable and confident, I became because I realized, I found something that I was passionate about, and that was working.
Ivan: And also, it was something that was becoming like the the I guess the kryptonite of real estate, of being able to get to that next level and be able to.
Ivan: Really grow and expand your reach without you know, putting in so much time on that one on one which is still important, but it was like, how can I duplicate myself right.
Ivan: Like, how can I split myself and expand myself.
Ivan: And the only way to do that was through video.
David Avrin: I think you make a really good point I think it's a lot of things that.
David Avrin: Entrepreneurs ultimately come to recognize, you know so much we grow up in business with the old adage of it's not it's not who you know it's it's who knows or it's it's all about who you know right it's all about who you know.
David Avrin: But how do you scale those individuals that's what drove my first, as I point to the right one, my first book, which was it's not who you know it's who knows you you walk.
David Avrin: And you knock on doors you're talking to people, one on one that's great for connection it's great for building a relationship and how do you scale that you have finite hours in the day.
David Avrin: Right and so being able to create content that reaches thousands or potentially millions, is how we scale individuals right human resources.
David Avrin: But today let's look at today, I mean there's a lot of people who everybody's creating their own channels, they have.
David Avrin: You know tick tock instagram stars, which of course will be fleeting when they grow up or whatever, that is, but how has your content grown and how have you continued to grow that and compete and be effective in building your business with the videos that you create.
Ivan: So the content has grown it's pretty much it's happened on its own, in an organic way.
Ivan: For example, the real estate minute is something that we do weekly we we do them once every three months, we like to back them up together, because I think when, especially in real estate you get so busy, and things are thrown at you left and right.
Ivan: That every every quarter, we would figure out okay what what are some hot topics that people really want to know about.
Ivan: that we think are going to be relevant in the next three months, and so we would shoot the real estate minute we throw them out there, once a week on all platforms and that's instagram Facebook linkedin YouTube my.
Ivan: blog my website, and then we have the vertical version for tech talk and rails and then we also have another pair content like I do the Community videos.
Ivan: Which are you know overproduced but they really show the heart and soul of all the cities that I work in, and then we did something called the top questions asked where.
Ivan: You know I got the top 30 the top 20 questions for sellers buyers renters and investors and answer those.
Ivan: And now we're doing to take it to the next level for next year because reels and tick tock like vertical video is such a prominent thing was.
Ivan: You know i'm very proud of being Mexican and my roots and.
Ivan: You know gotta see Thor coffee, is something that is such a relevant term in the Latin world anytime you talk about business or family or something personal people say let's talk about it over a.
Ivan: seat, though, so what we're going to be doing is there's ivan's real estate office depot which we start.
Ivan: filming in two weeks it goes out in January and we're literally going out into the streets we're going out to Hollywood and Highland we're going to the third street promenade in Santa Monica we're going to downtown.
Ivan: And we're asking people questions or having people ask me questions in the studio real time live, while I answer their questions and these we're going to be feeding into like I said tick tock the reels.
Ivan: And it's you know something different, I don't I anytime I do any video content I look at what others are doing.
Ivan: And I go in the opposite direction, because I don't want to do what everyone else is doing, because then that's it doesn't make me or my content or what i'm putting out there as a brand special.
David Avrin: Right right there's been hopping.
David Avrin: Let me ask your question because because a little nuts, a little contrary right there is from an seo perspective, you want to make sure that you're you're talking about things that are being searched.
David Avrin: Right some common subjects.
David Avrin: We know that the social media platforms will elevate discussion items and content that is in line with other things that are being discussed how do you walk the line between content that is current and relevant and timely and something that's so unique that it may not seo very well.
Ivan: You know I, I have to be honest, I sometimes don't even think of that I think of.
Ivan: I go with my gut I go with my gut like we do go online and because I have to be smart about what i'm putting out there, because obviously I want as many eyeballs.
Ivan: On my content as possible and sometimes we do go with that and we go online.
Ivan: I know that my assistant who's not here today, but she's incredible there's a site that we use where we actually see what people are searching online that's not.
Ivan: available, and so, then we fill in those holes ourselves, but then there's other pieces of content that that are part of what I enjoy and part of.
Ivan: My brand or and those are things that I do so it's like it's serving my client right, but at the same time it's it's reinforcing what the Ivan Estrada brand is.
Ivan: And that also brings in a different audience right, so it brings in different audiences from different areas, and I think it just kind of all culminates together without me being so strategic about it because.
Ivan: Right, I used to be super strategic about the numbers and this and that, and when I wasn't getting the results that I wanted, based on the science or the data.
Ivan: i'd become very upset and I thought this was all for nothing, this was awful we should have gotten this cow I should have got clients from this.
Ivan: I should have got more views I should have got this I should have got that and then you go into this ego state about me me me me me and then it kind of it, then it kind of destroys what you're actually why you're actually doing what you're doing.
David Avrin: Right what, but I think you also bring up an even more important point is that, as you're building a personal brand it's got to be you it's got to be your content your belief system.
David Avrin: The things that you want to espouse and so often when you're working with outside firms that have great respect for the science behind it.
David Avrin: But if you end up extracting you to fit.
David Avrin: A particular model, I mean if you want to write a best seller just you know you can make up a title and write about something current it doesn't mean that you have passion behind it doesn't mean you have credibility to talk about that.
David Avrin: And so we really is a magic formula, but part of it is it's your individual persona and your voice and not everybody has it, I mean I in reflecting maybe some of the thoughts of some of our listeners and viewers right now.
David Avrin: How do you find the time in a very successful business because that's the complaint I get a lot well yeah I mean, how do you find the time you have to make, I mean this is your business isn't it.
Ivan: Absolutely you, you have to you have to put out the intention that you want to make the time because.
Ivan: In any business I know we're all so busy you know family, friends kids some of us are working two jobs three jobs, you know, especially as entrepreneurs.
Ivan: you've got your hands and everything but as long as you put out the intention and you have the team and the accountability, like, for example.
Ivan: i've been very lucky to have an incredible mentor and coach who make sure that when I say something that I do it right like that I actually do it, and so the videos.
Ivan: We batch them up so every quarter there's no excuse on the third Thursday of every quarter at the end of the quarter.
Ivan: We are going to do all the video content, so that way I work my calendar around that date, my whole team is ready for it, I know i'm mentally ready.
Ivan: Knowing that no matter what unless there's an emergency that's the day we're going to produce content and then it gets out sent out to an editor.
Ivan: And then it gets bashed up it looks beautiful and now we have content for the next three months so there's no excuse saying.
Ivan: Oh, I got busy with this oh I got busy with that it didn't matter you haven't you're ready to go four times a year to create content and just have it for an entire 12 months I mean I think that's that's it's.
David Avrin: Right, but it also comes down to treating yourself like a client doesn't it, you know there's a lot of people.
David Avrin: You know you've got your new book out and i've written some as well, and people talk to me say how do you so you got to treat yourself like a client that time that you put on the calendar has to be sacrosanct.
David Avrin: Absolutely, I do it with my team as well and it's a great message for our audience as well is it's it's the intentionality but it's also making it happen.
David Avrin: You know, and being able to do the things that people other people are willing to do my colleague rory Baden a great friend from way back in the day.
David Avrin: wrote a book called take the stairs and there's from the old adage that there is no elevator to success you got to take the stairs and success in business, as he puts it.
David Avrin: is about being willing to do the things that other people aren't willing to do anybody can do the video doesn't mean everybody's going to be good or everybody has the patience to.
David Avrin: to become good at it, but you talked about slogging away for years, whether you're knocking on doors are waiting tables.
David Avrin: It takes intentionality but also takes treating yourself like a client you got to put it on the calendar until your team it's like you have a meeting with a client.
David Avrin: I got a meeting with a client i'm here doing.
David Avrin: The podcast right now in my my text messages are going off left or right i'm not looking at my phone.
David Avrin: Now, on the calendar, this is important stuff.
Ivan: And, and I love what you said it's about treating yourself as a client, because you are your most important client, because if you don't have your health right.
Ivan: Then we really have nothing so if you don't take care of yourself.
Ivan: Take care of you know your business, the way that you wanted you want to you know treat it then nothing else is going to flow, the way that you want it to flow, so I mean I just love what you said treat yourself like your best client like I am actually going to write that down and.
David Avrin: Then part of it is, and I advise because I lead CEO groups, as well as because you got to put that on the calendar, make sure your your team knows.
David Avrin: That you're meeting with a client and nothing else can happen, and you may be that client same thing about writing a book when you've got a deadline I.
David Avrin: With my second book, I think I took Friday software three months because I had a deadline and I locked myself away and I wrote and I wrote and I wrote.
David Avrin: I want to talk a little bit about intentionality as it pertains to your personal brand not just the activities that drive it, not just the discipline for the tasks that you have to do.
David Avrin: But what is your vision for who you want it to be in the marketplace, what are the pieces that you realize you needed to put in place and continue to nurture to be who you want to be to those who, who need to buy what you offer.
Ivan: that's a great question so growing up, I you know my my dad being a janitor my my uncle's a janitor I had another uncle, who was a mechanic.
Ivan: I grew up not really having mentors if people that I wanted to aspire to be like like I love, my father my uncle and I respect them so much because of their work ethic, and the discipline.
Ivan: And the the the the poise that they do the work that they do right but growing up, I there wasn't someone that I could look up to saying.
Ivan: wow Mr Martinez that entrepreneur who so successful, I want to be like Mr Martinez, there was no Mr Martinez.
Ivan: And so, as I was going through life, and I was especially as I was writing this book, you know this book is a business book and inspiration and motivation, on how to create.
Ivan: A profound authentic brand but at the same time, I was thinking wow, this is the book I wish I had when I was a kid.
Ivan: I think my life would have looked a lot different in high school in college and junior high, and so my whole intention with the Ivan Estrada brand was.
Ivan: You know I want to be that mentor and that that figure to a Latino kid in compton who you know who's being raised by a single mom.
Ivan: Who wants to be successful, but can't really see that in his Community or can't see that within his peers and hopefully one day he'll see my instagram and say wow.
Ivan: Ivan who came from a family, just like I did with with with low economic means worked his ass off to get himself through college.
Ivan: You know right to to get to fight for his dreams in real estate like leaving my accounting and CPA all of that, behind was that was the biggest risk I ever took I thought.
Ivan: You know i'm leaving everything behind going after my dream and and for me was you know I I admire people like Jay shetty and oprah and Tony robbins and David Meltzer and all these incredible to me I don't want to say gurus but mentors because they were my.
Ivan: mentors on YouTube.
Ivan: When I was feeling down when I had no one to talk to I go on YouTube and I talked to oprah or Lisa Nichols or J shetty and I want to be that to some kid out there, because I.
Ivan: who's who from any walk of life, but I feel that in my Latino Community or communities of color there's not that much.
Ivan: Of mentors and people that that can inspire youth, and I want to be that and so that's why I wrote the book that's why I have the courses.
Ivan: that's why I have the podcast and that's why i'm going to continue writing the next book and the next book and the next course and the next course.
Ivan: and continuing to hopefully inspire youth that it is possible, as long as you have a good work ethic, as long as you believe in yourself, and as long as you fight for what you believe in.
David Avrin: Once again, the book is called brand with purpose by Ivan Estrada Ivan if people wanted to get in touch with you and learn more about you and your business, how do they get in touch with you.
Ivan: Absolutely, so the best way is probably my website it's WW dot Ivan estrada.com on instagram it's at Ivan Estrada properties and the brand with.
Ivan: ecosystem, which is the book the courses, the podcast and we're going to have other services coming soon it's at.
Ivan: The real bandwidth.
David Avrin: perfect one last thing before we're done here talk a little bit about the importance and you're still a young man.
David Avrin: About importance of perseverance, I mean let's get beyond the the motivational aspect of it, but the nuts and bolts of what it takes to create.
David Avrin: To envision and create and foster a sustainable personal brand you can have a vision, a lot of people have ideas for it, they set up a blog they do it twice they never come back it's hard it's.
David Avrin: hard on yourself to it, because you have a lot of other competing things in your life.
David Avrin: But you got to have a long view and you don't want to be a flash in the pan, you want to be a bigger deal every year and, most people are not talk to me about perseverance.
Ivan: So that's such a good question because that's that's still a struggle right, I think, for all of us as human, especially as a as a you know wanting to be a high performer at all times, it really drills down to the people that I surround myself with.
Ivan: The mentors that I have I you know every year I have so many great acquaintances but for me it's you know we and we've heard this many times it's like you become the top five people that you hang out with and so.
Ivan: You know I just joined this great group it's called Eo and I just met them for the first time, yesterday, and I, for the first time I felt wow.
Ivan: i'm in a table of my people of my tribe of people who understand what i'm dealing with on a daily basis, and who are going to be there.
Ivan: To help me when i'm down to help to keep me accountable on the things that I say, I want to do right, because I think with so much.
Ivan: So many options out there right, especially with social media we get distracted by family and friends and vacations and whatnot.
Ivan: You know, I think, having a set group of people who are there for you, who understand you and who understand.
Ivan: The legacy that you want to leave behind that could keep you accountable to to hold your hand when you're scared right we all get scared or to push you when you're close to the finish line and you feel like you can't make it.
Ivan: But then there's then there's your people right your your your clan your tribe who's there to say Ivan you can do it right, David, you can do it it's just you're.
Ivan: right there you just got to push a little bit more right, so I think it all comes down to the people that you surround yourself with.
Ivan: The mediums and media that you allow to get into your mindset right you got to keep that COMP that mindset of.
Ivan: of clarity and with so much stuff out there as well, it's like you gotta stand guard at your own mind right, and so I think those two things is what's really what continues to help me and the things that I go back to when I feel like things are shaky.
David Avrin: Congratulations on all your success looking forward to seeing you on the TV shows that you have now the ones that you've got coming in the future, I think the future is is bright.
David Avrin: And I love connecting with with fellow entrepreneurs and people who have.
David Avrin: who have that that something where they've been able to tap into whether it's the new vehicles and venues.
David Avrin: And mindset and I think it's good lessons for all of us Ivan Australia thanks for being with us here today hang on because we're going to talk really quickly on the other side of this as well.
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