Advice and Whiskey with Michelle Lewis

“This is the truth: I have had so much support from the whole community, and I really needed that.”

“I talked to my whole family. They thought it was a great idea. Then I talked to friends outside of real estate. They all said, ‘You have to do it.’"

“When I first started, I was kind of sick to my stomach thinking, ‘This is a big move. What if it doesn’t work out? What if people didn’t want to hire me?’ And then I thought, ‘Well, I’m just going to go for it. I’ve been doing this long enough.’” 

“Do your research. It’s very important to have a really good website and a good logo when you’re starting out.” 

“You’ve got to put in a lot of hours. You’ve got to really want it. I would wake up at 5:30 in the morning and just start.”

“I was sick about starting on my own, but once I started, I didn’t have time to think about how sick I was. I didn’t have time to think about my emotions.” 

“Know what you’re getting into before you start. Know what you have to have legally, business license, shop around for an office, be sure you get on Google Maps—there’s so much to think about.”

“Once you open up your business, everyone thinks you’re rich, and the sales calls start.”

“Making mistakes is part of it. You have to have trial and error along the way as you figure out what works.”

“I can feel like I’m more free now. I can promote my company the way I want to, so that’s huge for me.”

“I don’t think I’d ever go back to working for anyone else.”