Military Structure to Entrepreneur Freedom in Real Estate with Matt Salway

My guest on today’s podcast is Matt — a Navy veteran turned top-producing real estate agent whose journey is anything but ordinary.

Matt’s story starts in upstate New York, but it’s really shaped through his 14-year career in the Navy, where he developed the discipline, structure, and relentless drive that would later fuel his success in real estate. What began as a side hustle while serving full-time quickly evolved into something much bigger — a thriving business built in the margins of military life, raising a family, and navigating constant change.

What makes Matt’s journey so compelling isn’t just the production — going from his first 12 deals to over 100 homes a year — it’s how he did it. In this episode, we dive into how he built systems and processes that allowed him to scale, the role mentorship and team dynamics played in his growth, and how he leveraged relationships — especially within the military community — to create consistent opportunity.

We also unpack the mindset that’s driven his success. From ignoring market noise and focusing on execution, to embracing structure and repetition, Matt shares what it really takes to perform at a high level year after year — even as the market shifts.

But beyond the business, this conversation goes deeper. We talk about the transition out of the military into full-time entrepreneurship, the identity shift that comes with it, and the unexpected challenges of slowing down after years of operating at a high tempo. Matt opens up about family, leadership, and what it looks like to define success not just by production — but by presence.

Connect with Matt Salway:

https://matthewsalway.ironvalleyrealestate.com/

https://www.instagram.com/milrealtor757/

Transcript:

Welcome back to the Real Estate Success Podcast. I'm Leland Gross, certified financial planner and the founder of Peacelink Financial Planning, where we work with realtors to help them manage their finances and grow their businesses. My guest on today's podcast is Matt Salway, a Navy veteran turned top producing real estate agent whose journey is anything but ordinary. Matt's story starts in upstate New York, but it's really shaped through his 14 year career in the Navy where he developed the discipline

structure, and relentless drive that would later fuel his success in real estate. What began as a side hustle while serving full-time quickly evolved into something much bigger, a thriving business built in the margins of military life, raising a family, and navigating constant change. What makes his journey so compelling isn't just the production though. Going from his first 12 deals to over hundred homes in a year, it's how he did it. In this episode,

we dive into how he built systems and processes that allowed him to scale the role of mentorship and team dynamics played in his growth and how he leveraged relationships, especially within the military community, to create consistent opportunity. We also impact the mindset that's driven his success. From ignoring market noise and focusing on execution to embracing structure and repetition.

Matt shares what it really takes to perform at a high level year after year, even as the market shifts. But beyond the business, this conversation goes deeper. We talk about the transition out of the military into full-time entrepreneurship, the identity shift that comes with it, and the unexpected challenges of slowing down after years of operating at a high tempo. Matt opens up about family, leadership, and what it looks like to define success

not just by production, but by presence. And so with that introduction, I hope you enjoy this episode of the Real Estate Success Podcast with Matt Salway.

All right, welcome, Matt, to the Real Estate Success podcast. Thanks for being here. Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it. Of course. To get started, tell the listeners a little bit about who is Matt. Tell me about yourself personally. Sure. Yeah. So I grew up in upstate New York originally. I live in Chesapeake now. I've lived here since 2011. Navy brought me down. I just never left. I set deep roots here. You know, started a family. I've got a wife and two small children. They're both

We're seven and four. We're fast, but we also have our hands full. Yeah, totally. That is the sub 10 years old is just like a blur. You're like, we're just running a million miles a minute. 100%. And you know, between school and sports and this and that, and you know, it's just crazy. So on top of a business that, you know,

There's never a dull moment and you're always late to everything. Hey, you're early for this. Yeah, that's true. I was but like three minutes early. Hey, we'll take it. When you moved to Virginia for the military, how long were you in the military for? I did 14 years in the Navy. I actually just got out in February of 2025. Oh, wow. So I started my real estate business while I was still active duty. So. OK. Yeah. So that's a good transition. When did you get into real estate? And if you were already, you know,

in the Navy, why did you pick up real estate? Like why real estate? Yeah, so I've always been chasing success. So in the military, I really honed in on like, I gotta make rank as fast as possible. I picked up first class in five and a half years, which is really fast. And then once I hit first class, it's like that first moment where you have this long gap before like chief as possible. And my personality just doesn't sit dormant.

And I started looking into investing in stocks and investing in properties and things like that. And at the same time, my wife and I had both made rank at the same time. We were sick of renting. Okay. She was military too. Yeah. Yeah. So we both, we were both active duty. She did 11 years. And we met in the military. We met on a deployment, was fun. Yeah. Those people I feel like are pretty lonely on deployment. Yeah. No, no, no. Always busy, man. Always moving.

And what's really funny is we met on deployment, we didn't actually start dating until a year after we came home. Okay. Yeah, we just happened to be like friends you may know on Facebook and started talking and kind of took things from there and you know, never looked back and now she's my best friend. She's my wife, you know, like she's my support system. She's my everything. That is amazing. And probably very special to even just be able to speak the same language around the military like to.

That feels like such a unique life experience. 100%. And obviously there's military spouses that understand it or are with you in it. But to have someone who's actually in it themselves as well, I'm sure that that is just such a bonding, a piece of the bonding experience. 100%. And anytime you have to go somewhere or do something for the military, like you said, the understanding is there that not a big deal. Been there, done that. It's your turn, my turn. Your turn, my turn. it makes the ebb and flow a lot easier when you're

and you're both dual military. Totally. So did she get out? Did you guys have kids before she got out? Oh, yeah, definitely. So we had my daughter in 2019 and we had my son in 2022. And she didn't get out until 2023. And then I got out in 2025. Man, I can't imagine balancing that, especially if you guys, I don't know if you went deployed in that situation, but like, what do you do if both people get deployed?

Well, military is actually kind of convenient in that aspect where they don't allow that to happen. So they make sure that somebody's on shore and somebody's on sea. So that there's always a parent home for a child for sure. So we took turns. It was her turn, my turn, her turn, my turn, until it was time to be done. So in that window, what year did real estate come on? Because you're in that gap before chief. You're not sitting still. Right.

beginning to look into stocks and properties and things like that. when did the hey, should get my real estate license happen in that window? Yeah. So when I was a second class way before I ever even met Heather, my wife, her name is Heather. Well, before I ever met her, my supervisor in the military, Mike Little, I'm sure you know. Yeah. So he was he was my supervisor and I saw him like selling houses from the smoke pit and things like that. We were both military and he was kind of doing it on the side.

So fast forward to when I met my wife and then, you we were sick of renting and we had both picked up rank. We're like, okay, let's actually purchase a home. Naturally, I called Mike Little. Yeah. So, you know, he helped us buy our first home. We get to the closing table and I had no idea how real estate worked at all. And I see the commission on there was like, it was close to $9,000. So I pulled him aside afterwards like, bro, did you just make nine grand? He was like, you know,

I got to split it with the broker and taxes come out. I mean, yeah, good money. He's like, that's how the job works. How do I do this? I need to do this. That is so especially. mean, Mike is an excellent agent, but also like for me as a consumer, the agent does so much behind the scenes. Yeah, that you really don't know you have no idea. So you're like, as a consumer, I was like, yeah, like nine grand. Right.

You unlocked a front door one time. It's like that's they did a lot more than that. But you're like, yeah, it makes so much sense that you see that. Wow. That that is an attractive dollar amount. Right. 100 percent. And, know, in my head, I was like, you know, still me and my wife were always gung ho Navy. We're going to do 20 years. We're going to retire. We're both like chasing officer, you know, like for the full time career. So at that time, I was just trying to fill the gap of my dormancy between, you know, that and making chief or officer.

And you know pay off some debt I had some student loan debt because I was I was getting my bachelor's degree at ODU at the time So I was like we could pay that off. We could pay off some credit cards, you know, like hammer down on the mortgage you like Maybe go on a nice vacation. It was just meant to be a side gig Yeah, but you know come to find out I have a knack for this really good at it. Yeah naturally, you know, it just kind of ebbed and flowed until we got to this point, which is insane. Yeah, okay, so

That was you said that was even before Heather. So when did what year was that? That was 2016. OK, like I said, I was full. was full time Navy and a full time student getting my bachelor's degree and now a full time. So I took three full time. So I took time off over the summer to get my my real estate license, went to Alpha College, which was what Mike suggested to me, and then pick right back up in the fall back into college. So at that time I was full time Navy.

full-time student and working on my real estate business and my wife was six months pregnant. Sure. Cause if you're going to do one thing, why don't you do like 10? Right. Yeah. And that's kind of how we just live our lives, man. Even to this day, like things are just always like that. I live in the chaos. I thrive in a chaos. Okay. Where do think that comes from? Honestly, I have a pretty high functioning level of ADHD that I've lived with my entire life.

So pivoting from one thing to the next and coming back to something that I didn't finish before is really easy for me to prioritize and then just level it out efficiently. I've always just been that way. if I'm sitting still, I'd get really bored. And I just can't sit still. It is funny. feel like there's obviously so much out there in the world about ADHD and the challenges of that, but also in many ways, it's a superpower. It is. It can be harnessed. Some of the most successful people I know.

I'm like, how do you do so much? You're a family man, you're a business owner, you're doing all these things. Like, I'm exhausted. And they're like, just like, that's how their brain works. It's like, this is literally the brain chemistry of how this works is I just can pivot, I can move, I can, you know, do 10 things at once in it and get it all done. Like, that It just doesn't shut off. Yeah, yeah, wow. Which can be a blessing and a curse, you know? Yeah, totally. Yeah, there's a flat side to everything. But there's also a good side to everything. So like, we gotta keep looking for that. That's right.

Okay, so, you you're having your first child, you're a full time student, full time military, you know, building your real estate practice. What did the early days of building that look like? Because I mean, you have obviously a lot of other things on your plate. And just for anybody jumping into real estate, it's like, where does the first client come from? Right? And like, how do I go get them? And were you on Mike Little? Like was Mike, were you on a team?

Were you kind of learning from a mentor along the way? Yeah, absolutely. around the time that I was getting my real estate license, I think Mike was having some personal things going on. And I think he was leaving a team that he was currently on. He just wasn't in the right space to be a mentor at that time. Luckily, I had a really good friend of mine that was in real estate already that I could latch onto. And he took me on as a mentor. was Randy Shungla. Oh, yeah. OK. He actually, I think, has an office in this building. Yeah, yeah,

And we're still friends to this day, know, but when I first got my license, he brought me over to the XP. And, you know, in those early days, it was a lot of setting up social media. You know, I bought I bought pens with my name and number on it, you know, like real estate. And I would hand them out everywhere. And I was constantly posting on Facebook and Instagram or whatever I could find online, you know, and any, you know.

the real estate years picked up pretty quickly where any conversation that you hear somebody talking about a house or instantly like, know, insert yourself into that conversation. And, know, with me being active duty military, and I had quite a few collateral duties. So I spoke to dozens and dozens of people in the military every single day. So that's where a lot of my first cup, you know, a few clients came from was just, you know, people at work.

that took a chance on me being a new real estate agent and used me. A couple people from social media, EXP at the time, I think it was KVCore. They gave us KVCore was like part of the system there. So I would like boost people's listings and get leads that way. And I closed a few that way. So my first year in real estate, I actually closed 12 deals. That's awesome.

That's a lot in our first year. Yeah, that's what I hear. And that was kind of my motivation at that time. Like, this could be a really good side gig. know, the 12 is a lot, but not enough to quit the military. But you see a lot of people who are full time real estate agents who don't get to 12 in their first year. You know, it's just a grind. Like, no matter what you do, we always say like the first year is just going to suck. There's no way really around that. have to do it. The second year will probably suck.

but it's a familiar suck. it's a little bit better. So you're like, all right, we're making some movement and you're familiar with the suck. So you're like, all right, we're just doing it now. And then it's really like your three and four where you begin to see that hockey stick movement of momentum and you're like, okay, we're now progressing here. And I think I saw a statistic that was like most agents who make it.

in year four will typically make more money than they made in years one, two and three combined. yeah. Because it's just, you know, by the time you have the relationships, your names out there, takes so many touches with someone before they really think of you as their agent. Of course. So, OK, we're it's a good time to get in because then the market's heating up from 16 to 21. It was. Yeah, severely. And at the time I was I was really building a lot of relationships. So I clung to Randy.

I would go over to his house, you know, once or twice a week for an hour or two and just sit there with him and watch what he was doing. And he would give me a little pointers on things to do here or there. And then, you know, I just remember my first client, like I called him and was like, I got a client. What do I do? And he's like, set him up on a drip, you know, like send them properties and to go show stuff. Okay. So I go out and show him houses and we go look at one and he was like, I love this house. And I'm like, okay. So I want it. And I'm like, okay, Brandy.

He likes this house. What do I do? You got to it off for me. You know, he walked me through all the documents and the paperwork and all of that good stuff. And it was just a really exciting time. know, like, you know, that first client is just different. You know, you're like, I'm actually doing this. Yeah. And then it just becomes natural after that. You know, you just get into a rhythm and a flow and it just flowed from there. So like I said, the first year was about 12, 12 clients or so.

I was realizing I was giving about 30 % away to eXp. So, you know, I got to that point where I was like, all right, I think I could do this on my own and started looking for 100 % programs, you know, went over to real 21. I was with real 21 for maybe a few months and I didn't close a single deal. And at that time, Mike Little had teamed up with Eric Edwards and they were constantly on Facebook, like under contract.

closing day, know, at a home inspection. I'm like, what are these dudes doing, man? Like I got nothing, you know? So I called up Eric and I met with him and I was like, listen, man, I'm willing to give up my 100 % program to just come work with you guys, you know? So I became part of the Edwards real estate team where we, we furthered some relationships. know, Randy had introduced me to Wendy Pulliam over at Veterans United and that whole team over there, the local branch here. So at the time was building a

relationships locally with the branch and then with Mike and Eric they were showing me the ropes and that second year I sold 14 after so after a like a three or four month lull of not selling anything Wow went over to Eric's team and they they got me back on track and I was able to finish out the year with 14 so that's just slightly better right but it really is amazing I mean the value of different brokers different teams different mentors

Like you gotta kind of find what works for you. Some people are like, I will give a split forever to be under this team. Others are like, I want to be a hundred percent, but you really don't realize the value of having others around you until you don't. And then you're in a situation where you're like, somehow this, didn't close anything. And now I'm back around other people and sure I'm giving some of my hundred percent up, but I would rather have 80 % of.

a watermelon than 100 % of a grape. Exactly. And so finding a team or a group that's like, hey, the support they give, the training they give, the resources they give just really do set you apart and help in that regard. Definitely. OK, so you were on the Edwards team. Yep. And then how long are you still in the Edwards team? No, no, no. So around the tail end of 2019, there was a lot of things happening. So

Mike and Eric were on the Veterans United Realty Network. you know, they hit me up and they're like, hey, man, you should join this network now that you've done enough of the A loans. Like you qualify to be in this network and get some more leads and things like that. So jumped on the VUR network. And it turns out that I have a real knack for converting leads. Love that. Like a really good knack for it. you know, just turned up the gas. And 2020, I sold 49 homes. So I went from 14 houses to

49. And I know that was a mixture of that was just a 2020 market. at the same time, I mean, I definitely attest to the only reason I was even allowed into the Veterans United Network was because of the connections that I had made with Veterans United already. Yeah. And then I just built on top of that relationship with Mike's and Eric's guidance, you know, like they taught me the whole way along. You know, still make sure you're getting your sphere of influence out and make sure you're doing your social media and make sure you're doing this and that, you know, don't want to be relying on just

one lead source. so building both of those in tandem together, building a really strong relationship with Veterans United and then also building a strong relationship with past clients and sphere of influence was really huge for me that year. That's awesome. And yeah, obviously the 2020-2021 market was probably the hottest market we may ever see in our life. But at the same time, like that's why I say it was nice that you got in before that, because I think there's a lot of agents who got in in the 2020-2021 because it was, you know,

throw a rock, hit someone trying to buy or sell a home. But then 22, 23 hits and they're all really suffering getting out of the market. Whereas I feel like you had time to build your sphere of influence, build the muscle, know how the paperwork works, build the relationships to really capitalize on the hot market and not just rely on it. Because there's so many things where it's like we can get tossed by the circumstance. Like, hey, the circumstance is great. Great.

If I'm living on the hill of the market, I'm gonna die on the hill of the market. And I need to be someone who can survive no matter what the market's doing. And I can provide value to people no matter what the market's doing. I've always had the mentality too that strong markets are good for everybody. The weak markets are the ones that build really strong agents. That's where an agent is really built. Because anybody can sit back and wait for the phone to ring.

But it takes somebody with skill and precision and the actual drive to succeed and further themselves in a down market for sure. Yeah, I feel that. I think that translates to lots of cyclical markets. Like in my own world, you know, there's seasons where you're like anybody could go on Robin Hood and make money because the whole market's doing it right. You can literally throw a rock. Everything's going up. I'm I am the next Warren Buffett. But it's really when the markets are down that I'm like,

teaching advisors like this is when you provide the most value. Like this is when if you anybody can survive in an up market, it's the down market when people are panicking or they're unsure or they're fearful. If you can be that steady force or you can drive a lot of value in that world, like that's the justification for why you're here. And I feel like that's the same thing in real estate. So, okay, fat moving forward a little bit. Hot market, you're.

skyrocketing, you're one of the top producers in the area. I like literally one of like, think it's like the top two or three. And that's true even in the last few years when the market was really hard. So, you know, hot market stalls and that's been a lot of people's story the last few years is like, you know, inventory is low, interest rates are high, people are, you know, hesitant to leave, millennials are stuck in their starter homes, just like all the all the noise around that. Right. How have you navigated that?

I ignore it all. I love it. You know, I just go to work every day and you know, I provide really great service to clients. I provide several options. I am a big fan of Grant Cardone's information assisted selling. So I'm an information overload person. Like I want you to know everything about every step of the way so that you can make the best decision for yourself. And honestly, I just tune everything else out. A lead comes in and I follow through, you know.

And it's just another day for me. And I think that mentality has been a key part for the success because we've never had a year where we didn't sell more houses than the year prior. Wow. I mean, that's amazing. That's a huge testament to you and your hard work. And I do think it's wise to tune it out because we come across tons of agents who, know, whether it's true or not, are

kind of stuck in a victim mindset of like, there's no inventory or, kind of like putting the onus on that. Or like I said, again, like the circumstances of it, it's just hard out there harder than it was before. And you're like, sure. Well, it's easy to use as a crutch as an excuse, you know, like, well it's a down market. So I should be down. It's like, I mean, if you just ignore it, like, I think it's funny because a lot of times people are like, it's a down market. I'm like, really? I had

I'm not looking at it and it's not meant to be like I'm above anybody or anything. I'm legitimately not paying attention. I don't watch the news. I'm not really a big advocate of social media. I have a virtual assistant that does all of my social media. I don't like to absorb negative energy. So I'm just working man. I'm hustling. I don't need anybody bringing me down. that. I think again testament to your success of the fact that

tuning out the negative noise, not getting trapped in a crutch or a victim mindset, and just showing up and going to work every day. There's just something to that in any sort of sales or commission role where you're like, if you just keep coming, it will work. Like activity will breed activity. And so if you're like not, like don't get bogged down in all this other stuff that's not gonna help you. Just go to work. And like a lead comes in and service the lead. like do the reps it takes.

to get there. Like I see people who I think like production goal setting is good. Like I want to sell this many houses. I want to do these things. But some of that isn't like the control you have versus like I want to make this many calls. I want to follow up with this many leads. I want to when a lead comes in, my goal is to respond to them within X period of time this way. Those are goals that you can actually control and achieve and actually drive the bigger goal. And I think the military training really helped with that because

You know, I just set systems and processes for every step along the way. And I'm talking about every minute step. You know, a lead comes in, it's the exact same repetition. Like we do this, we do this, we do this. And, you know, within one day we do this, this, this, you know, within two days we do this, this, this, you know, it's just, you have to have that set process every single time. And even a lot of times I get annoyed by my own process. Like a lead will come in and I'll be doing like five different things. I'm like,

I gotta stop what I'm doing so I can do this, this, this. You what mean? Like you have to do the rep and you gotta keep it the same. Like, especially when you find a rhythm that works. Totally. Don't change the rhythm. Yeah. Don't try and solve a problem that doesn't exist. Right. Um, okay. So then you decide to get out of the military, but you had said earlier, we were career mill. We were going to hit 20. Yeah. Yeah. And clearly you didn't hit 20. So, but I believe knowing you, there was probably a very good decision-making skill there.

So what led to that decision? Sure. Yeah. So in 2019, that was the year I sold 14 homes. And that was also the year that was my nine year mark in the Navy. it was, and I was about to reenlist and my rate doesn't get what's called an SRB very often, which is a reenlistment bonus. So my wife was pregnant with my daughter. I've only sold 12, 14 homes, you know, and then

they're offering $20,000 if I re-enlist for six years. So at that point we were still like, oh, this is just a side gig. We're still a hundred percent career military. So I said, you know, screw it. Let's, let's re-enlist for six. Let's max out the SRV and keep this career moving. Right. And right after that is when the 2020 market hit. And by the time 2021, 2022 came around, you know, the military was really starting to notice my side gig.

taking off. And, you know, I was getting certain treatment for that. And at the same time, I've got four more years left on my service contract, you know, it doesn't expire until 2026. So, you know, I did my best to serve the rest of my time, you know, I put my all into making sure that I completed my job every day, but I was really focusing on building this, this side business so that when it was time for me to separate, I would have this.

this business that I could just roll right into. Which became a complicated relationship with the Navy. That last four years was very complicated. So did you get out, because you said it ended in 2026, did you? 2025. Sorry. OK, I was like, did you get out a year early? So you carried yourself through that re-enlistment period, but it was just brutal based on the fact that they knew you were split focus. OK. Yeah. So everybody knew that that was my sp-

like you said, split focus. And at the time I was C duty. So, you know, they put me in positions to kind of be on a backseat where a lot of other people got some, some further positions in the Navy and things, you know, it was just that, that love hate relationship. Like, yeah, yeah, we know you're doing your job, but we know you're not going to excel at it because of this side thing you got going on. Which is like not, not fair, not, or not, not true.

You know, but you're like, want both, especially like your personality. You're like, I'm willing to be great at all of it. Right. But they weren't willing to accept that I could be great at that part of it for sure. Totally. And you know, there's, there's not really a way out early, you know, and I looked for ways out early for four years. you know, but you know, here we are. It's, all good. We made it through it. We had some complications along the way. Yeah. But we got through it.

So

stepping out of the military into full-time self-employment breeds with it a lot of like you're going from full security like a paycheck every month, benefits, know, health insurance, right to now I have, you know, kids and a family and yes, you've succeeded. So you're like, I kind of know the rhythm but to well now I'm full-time eat what I kill.

Yeah. What was that like for you? Was that an easy transition? Was it a fearful transition? How did that how did that go? I was overly confident for the last two years that I was in the Navy. Okay. Not only that, but my last year that my last full year in the Navy, I sold 107 homes that year. Whoa, 107. 107. Yeah, you did it. Like, you didn't have like a bunch of team that was actually the ones doing it. So if we could we could dive into the system. And it could be you but I'm like,

For the most part though, so... You doing every showing, every listing, I'm like, is just like, that's Yeah, so I don't do a lot of my in-person stuff. Okay. I have two agents that work for me full-time. Awesome. They do most of the in-person stuff. Okay. I mainly meet my buyer clients at closing. Okay. And obviously I took on my listing appointments and stuff, so you gotta be the face of that. Totally. But yeah, so there are... I definitely did not do this alone, for sure. Well, and I'm so for, like, I built a team around me. I'm like, you have to have a team.

It's the only way to be actually efficient and drive a lot of value to the people you're serving. For sure. But in the moment, I was like, you and your VA were doing all of that. I knew you had a high capacity, but that is next level. Yeah. Like I said, I have two agents that show houses. They do the home inspections. They do most of final walkthroughs. They run keys around and stuff that

You know, so it's it's it's definitely a team effort. I could not do it all myself, but I am the one that is following up with leads, converting leads, writing contracts. What is that?

My phone we can edit that out. Let me actually just put a quick marker on that. My phone has advertisements and I can't get them to stop and it just randomly pops up and then you can't close the ad. have to open. Apparently that one was a video. Yeah, no worries. I am. That's why we can have edits. I mean, Sorry, my mic just.

We're currently building out our new podcast space at our new office. We are not in this office anymore. Right. But the equipment here, just because everyone uses it, gets a little cattywompous. So honestly, good timing because the mic just flipped and came back on. So we're just going to edit it all out and it's going to be great. Perfect. Yeah. OK. So you were saying the team. Yeah. So I have two showing agents. Like I said, they do most of the in-person stuff. So there's the showings, the home inspections, final walkthroughs.

And then I still do all of the background stuff. So I'm the one negotiating contracts, picking up leads, converting the leads, having all of the conversations with clients, negotiating PICRAs, all of that stuff. So that's still me. That's a great deal for you and for those agents. mean, and again, it allows you to still be the one driving the value and allows your agents.

to still be in the field, but they're not the ones having to fight to convert leads or clients. And honestly, both of my agents, they love this team effort, right? Because they love being the in-person, the bubbly person from the client. everything in person is always happy. I'm showing you houses. This is the best part. It's my part that's the stressful negotiating, and you deal with emotions and all of that stuff. And they don't like that part. So they get to do the part they love, and I get to do the part I love, and we all win. Yeah, I love that.

So, okay, so you're jumping into full-time, so you sold, you know, 100 plus houses, and you're getting out of the military, and now you're full-time self-employment. Yeah, literally two weeks after I got out of the military, I had 11 releases. Whoa. We had like 15 homes under contract, and 11 of them were released in a one-week period.

in that one week period was while I was in Jamaica for our peak performance trip. The irony. Yeah. So, you know, was just one of those things like, what did I just do? Did I just really mess up? But, you know, we pulled through, you know, most of the time when you have a release that's because of something reasonable, that you just go back on the contract again, and you just pull it right back through and come back out of it on top.

It was just a big shocker moment. Like as soon as I got out, I was like, what is happening? Totally. Yeah. You're like, of course this is how this works. You're like the second you give up stability, crap hits the fan in it. And it feels scary. Like no matter what, there is just a piece to like you had essentially a decade almost of building real estate and getting your feet wet and getting the confidence and getting the reps and getting the systems, which having the stability and the ability to do that along the way.

is just absolutely priceless to really be able to go all in on this and already have kind of the tools, the system, the structure. But there's still just a place when you're like, if I don't do that, this check doesn't come in. Right. But whether a check comes in or not, the mortgage company wants they want their. Yeah. And you're like, yeah, that is just it. It takes a lot of bravery no matter what to jump into that as a family. Yeah. 100 percent. And, you know, we were lucky we pulled through.

And we finished the year, you know, we we sold more houses than the year prior. So it always works out that way for us, or at least it has. I think I have hit pretty close to a capacity, though. You know, I do like to have a fair balance. My kids are young and only going to be this age for so long. So, you know, we we're kind of maintaining where we're at now, which is around the like one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty deals a year. And I really don't want to do much more than that. I don't think you really need to, to be honest.

Which, yeah, I think there's a beautiful piece to that in business where no matter what business you're in, there's always a question of like, what is enough? Right. Right. Where, and it's hard because you're like, oh, I did this much. I could do this a little bit more. We could optimize in this way. And if we did that, we'd get more capacity over here. Like it becomes a fun little game. But you see people who don't realize I don't necessarily need to do more. Right. And if I do more, comes at a cost over here in the background of my family. And so you see people just

drive, drive, drive, drive, drive. And then they turn around and they're like, oh, I don't have a good relationship with my kids. Why is that? And that's ultimately what, I don't think anybody comes into it and is like, I really want to be super successful and then lose my kids. I think the biggest hurdle in the transition that is now just now hitting me from going from military to just full-time business is the slowdown in pace. For many years, I was

selling houses on a flight line, know, like I'm out there troubleshooting and doing these things and, know, always needed and, you know, having a level of knowledge where it's like, we need you to fix this item or do this on the fly or go here and do that. And, you know, you're spending 12 hours a day with the same people. build a family relationship and you go from that high pace network of that to just selling houses. Yeah.

And that huge slowdown, nobody really talks about it. But it hits you in a way that you never expected to. Especially the troubling last two, three years that I had in the military. Going from that where you're always battling somebody and doing this while also trying to do the best at your job. And also trying to make sure you provide for your family and keep the business going. And then going to having none of that.

It was an interesting transition. Yeah, that's so profound. would not. wouldn't have thought about it in that light. But yeah, you're like, I'm doing two full time jobs and Family Man and these jobs rely on me. They're dynamic. They require a lot like ADHD or not. But like you're just a high functioning person. And so like having constant stimulus, constant need. And I've heard it said before, like when you go to work, you get to kind of be the hero.

of the day, like hero of your story, hero, you know. But when that slows down and you're like at home, you're still dad, you're still the hero, but less so than when you're like, we need you to do this. Right. know, you're like, huh, this is a lot slower. I have to like sit with myself more. Right. And I could just fill that like you could just do 200 homes and, you know, we're just going to fill this up, but it's not going to be the same and it's not going to be fulfilling in any way that you actually probably want it to be. Right. Exactly.

Yeah, and that's been a tough transition. It really kind of has hit me over the past few weeks, to be honest. It's been a little bit more intense for you. Like, wow, this is a lot slower than I ever expected. Yeah. And the quiet is uncomfortable for me. Yeah. What are you thinking about doing with that? Or like, how do you sit with that? What's really funny, my dad suggested I pick up an adrenaline rush.

go skydiving or start racing cars or something. And to an extent, I agree with him. Maybe there is something to be had there. But obviously, I'm never going to jump out of a plane. My wife wouldn't allow it, and I'm too scared. But we did used to race cars. When me and my wife were dating, I had a race car. We would go do autocross and stuff. So as my kids get a little older, It's such a random niche, but I love it. Right. Yeah. And my son is super into cars. We go to a car show every week.

So I think that might be a good hobby to get into and kind of get that adrenaline rush back. I think that would be cool. Even just the idea of like, find a hobby you can do with your kids. Right. You know, like that is fueling for both of you. That's not like my kid loves Legos and I hate Lego. But I think that's a great idea. It is uncomfortable. Like, I don't know what it is, but I was reading a book recently that talks about like the frenetic generation.

Like we are kind of used to this like high paced thing. And so when we do hit these moments of slow down, it's just uncomfortable. And I think that's especially true for people in business. yeah. Because there is just like an adrenaline rush and a, you know, kind of a constant energy there that if that begins to slow down, like sitting with yourself is just hard. Right. You're like, I, I have a lot of time to think that. Honestly, the worst part of my day is when I've finished all of my follow-up.

and my phone is not ringing. You know what mean? I've done all of my follow-up, the phone is not ringing, and I'm sitting there and I'm like, it's three o'clock. I could do this or I could do that. You're just like, what do I do? That part is definitely very tough. Especially, like I said, coming from, I've always had something to fill there. So it's just part of life, part of growing, mean, anytime we're uncomfortable, that's the place where growth begins to happen. Absolutely. Right.

This is like your next evolution of, I made this transition. was the right transition. I'm kind of at this place where business is, you know, what it is. We don't need to do more, but I'm, and now I'm learning, I'm feeling uncomfortable and this quiet. What do I do with that? You know, like what's the next level of growth for Matt? And shout out to my wife, man. She has been such a huge supporter. She's, she sees the signs of what I'm going through before I ever do, you know, and you know, she's always there to pick me up.

She'll send me stuff like, hey, this is normal. Or like, hey, you're meant to be uncomfortable to grow. we have those conversations a lot. And I think if I didn't have that, I'd be in a different space. Totally. For sure. And she's been that way my entire career through real estate. She's always been that rock, that person to stand up for me, and the person to coach me through it. And really, she's...

She repeats back my words to me a lot. Like you said this, like, you should listen to yourself type thing. And just having that person that really supports you and pushes you through the hard times. I don't think I would be successful without her for sure. Totally. Shout out to Heather. Shout out to spouses. feel the same way. I would be in a gutter if it wasn't for my wife. Like the amount of times you're just like, thank you for allowing me to put our whole family at risk to start this business. And like we're in a great spot.

Right. But like half the time I'm coming home just like neurotic or, or, you know, processing things. And I mean, we call her like the first lady of peace link, cause I'm like, you're the one holding me up, like sending similarly, like encouraging me, holding my, like holding me through it all. and being really like my lightning rod of like keeping me grounded, keeping me, you know, yeah. I think that's, that's really the secret to success, be honest.

you gotta choose the right partner. And it's really funny, I saw a statistic not too long ago or like maybe a funny meme or something where it was most of the most successful humans in the world didn't become successful until they became married and had children. Interesting. Missing that why. You what mean? Like you just didn't have that drive to really excel until all of that weight was on your shoulders and you felt it. Totally.

You know, it's not the weight of like what I can provide today. It's the weight of like I have to provide for the next, you know, 50, 60 years. You know, I have to be there for these people. I have to that rock and I have to always show up every single day, even when it's hard. Yeah. And I think without that and without the support system, you know, nobody would really make it. What's the point? You know, it is really fascinating. The like our oldest son has special needs and he was born.

three months after I started Peacelink. So it's like, quit my job, started this business, you know, we have no insurance and now our son has, requires multiple open heart surgeries. He's hospitalized for four months. You're just like, what did we just do? But like, it is that moment where you're like, something about the protector provider instinct, I'm convinced we're built with it. We're just like, that just flipped. And you're like, well, sink or swim.

Like, it's again, it's not just a season. like, well, now like I have kids and like a family and we have dreams and visions and we want to be about like we want to be in relationship with people. We want to be in community. We want to be, you know, about things that are bigger than ourselves. And like that's going to require a lot in like your capacity. I just look back to before that season and I'm like, what did I do with all my time? I felt busy, but like, but I really wasn't. What was I doing? And I'm like, now I'm like, yeah, it just kicks in and you're like, all right.

I have to be, it's not even a decision. Failure is just not an option. Yeah, totally. mean? There is no world where failure is a path you can choose. Yeah. It has to be success. You have to push forward. Totally. If you fail in a single situation, I say it stands for first attempt in learning. You're like, all right, well now we're just going to learn from this because long-term failure is not it. Yeah, exactly. This is one time we are going to redo this and succeed the next time.

It's funny, I had a Navy SEAL client one time and he told me that, you know, in combat when things get hard, you have to push. You don't always have to push forward. You can push to the side, you can push to the other side, but you always have to push and keep going. Otherwise you're going to fail. Yeah. And I really took that to heart. So like anytime anything gets hard, I always push. Like that just means I need more action.

Yeah, more, more, more, you know, like if it's difficult, it's because this is the opportunity to grow and this is the opportunity to shine and show people who you really are. That's awesome. Honestly. Navy SEALs are like the coolest. I'm like, that is so intense. The amount of times combat comes up in my daily life is just like actually zero. And I'm like, yeah, when we're in combat and it gets hard, I'm like.

and like retirement planning. what's funny is right back to where you mentioned earlier, like how convenient or how like beneficial it is to have a spouse that was in the military while I was also in military. have this mutual understanding. You speak the same language. That's really another testament to my success. Ninety-nine percent of my clients are veterans or active duty. And I make sure I lead with that because

A lot of times they get on the phone and like just another Joe Schmo, right? And you're like, Hey, I did 14 years in the Navy. Just so you know, you don't have to civilian talk with me. You can tell me what's going on with your military career, what exactly they're putting you through, why you have to move. And I can understand it at your level. And that right there is huge. You know, clients, I hear it every time the wall just falls down. You know, cause everybody's got that wall on that first call.

And every single time we have that conversation, the wall comes down and they actually open up to me and then, yeah, so I'm PCSing at this time and the Navy did this to me. it's like, boom, I got you, man. Like, I understand and I'm here to work with you. We're going to do this, this, this and have these solutions, you know. And that mutual understanding is why that's my clientele. That's my basis. And those are the people that I serve the most. And that's the reason why, we just have that mutual understanding. Yeah, we talk a lot about

the phrase, quote unquote, the riches are in the niches, like to really understand a dynamic. I think in any service field, especially a service based business, whatever you're doing, clients really are coming to you with three subconscious questions, which is, do you know me? Am I going to be okay? And like, what do I need to do? Right. And so if you can answer the like, I know you, like I, I speak the same language. Like you say PCS, I'm sitting here like,

Cool, cool, cool. Yeah, PCS. It's like, you you understand what that means. in the world of the military, it is just like its own civilization. You're like, you guys have acronyms for days. You have totally different benefits. Like you have VA loan. You've got so many things going on that to be able to speak to that and just set that at ease right away and answer that first question of like, get you, I know you. And then you can say like, that's when you can.

lead them into like, you're going to be okay, because I also know this area better than anyone. Like I can help you find the right spot. And here's what we're going to do. And it's like that just sets a client totally at ease to really trust you. All of this is trust based business work. Like it's all just, you know, hey, I'm the person you can lean on when you're making your biggest transaction, one of the biggest transactions in your life. And honestly, I mean, with how much military moves, I mean, they have

that unique situation where they're making this very large investment multiple times and forcibly. totally. It's not their choice. They got orders. They got to go. And they're just like, I have this house. What do I do with it? It's such an expensive house. Talking about quarter to half a million dollars that people are just like, just have this huge debt. What do I do with it? Or I'm moving and they've got all these other stressors. So to be that rock and be like, I got you. Yeah.

and be able to level with them on their playing field and speak their language is definitely a testament to my success as well. It's awesome. Yeah. Like you said, what is it? A foot wide, mile deep, right? You just niche down. Yeah, totally. And I mean, it helps from a business perspective. It also makes your life fun because you're like, I really do know how to serve very deeply. It's not just a transactional relationship. Exactly. you're building deeper relationships. It really makes your life so much better. Yeah.

So for you, what has surprised you the most? I mean, you've been in the field now for nine years, 100 % full time out of the military for a year now. What has surprised you the most about your time in real estate? I would say the lack of expectations for our availability has definitely surprised me. You definitely have to set expectations with clients of when you're available, or you'll run yourself ragged, for sure.

So the amount of text messages and calls that I get at 9, 10, 11, 12 o'clock at night is pretty crazy. So I always set that expectation right up front with my clients. Like, hey, I'm available to you seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. And you can text me anytime, but I'm not going to respond to you unless it's in that window. I mean, we were talking about this in the pre-show, but I just wish more agents did that. Because I think it would create a culture where people then just don't expect that of every agent.

I mean, the seven days a week, because I mean, naturally you have to do nights and weekends to an extent because that's when people can go see homes and get their day jobs. But the idea of like, hey, it's 10 p.m. We're like still mid negotiation. You're like, this doesn't have to happen right now. 100 % right. And no nothing. There is no emergency after 7 p.m. No, especially not in real estate. You know, all law offices are closed.

Yeah. know, lenders are not working outside of those hours. You know, like what are you really accomplishing after 7 p.m.? Totally. You're like, if we get this under contract and we close 30 days from now, whether that 30 days starts at 10 p.m. or 9 a.m., like really is not going to change anybody's quality of life. No, absolutely not. But it is, you know, hard. was saying in the pre-show, like I always tell myself because of just how many of these stories I hear, I'm like, I'm not going to be that guy.

Yeah, knocking that client. And then I'm texting my agent at like 10 p.m. like, hey, I'm really I'm on Zillow right now. I like, why am the way I am? You know, but I think it's really good to just set that expectation. And I don't think it turns people off. I think there's the Chick-fil-A mystery of like less is more. Right. Like somehow they just say like, we're just not going to be open on Sundays. And people just accept it and they go there more. Yeah. Yeah. It's like their revenue increased when they made that decision. Right. like, how did that happen? It's like I do think having

I think it adds a level of professionality. think it creates a lot of freedom for you in the business to be able to balance your life. I think a lot of suffering in business comes from a lack of boundaries. Yeah. And honestly, that 7 p.m. I look forward to 7 p.m. often. When you do business at a high level, you're just constantly going through reps and you know.

people aren't always the most professional at times and you're just dealing with that like a fire hose all day. So by the time 6 37 o'clock comes around, I'm like, I'm ready to shut that phone up. You know what mean? like, you know what, it's time for my kids, for my wife, spend time with them and really focus on being a family man and then, you know, back at it tomorrow. Same thing with even in the mornings, you know, I get hit up at five, six o'clock in the morning, I don't touch my phone.

I'm trying to get my kids ready for school and get them dropped off and all that good stuff. And it's like 8 a.m. I'm strict to those boundaries for sure. That's so good. What was the low point for you? So I would say my my lowest point was probably over the past couple of weeks, you know, where, you know, I mentioned that the slowdown has really caught up to me. When I got out of the military, like I said, we sold one hundred and twenty seven homes last year. So when I got out, it was just go, go, go, go, go, go, go.

And then we always out paced the following year. So there was like an explosion in the market right after Christmas and it was go time on another level. And then, you know, there's a little bit of a slow down. It honestly got to be a little bit too much where I was like, hey, I need to just pace it back a little bit. And then became the uncomfortable quiet. And that was probably the lowest point of my career. It was probably about a three week period where

It was just, you know, sitting with those feelings and sitting with like, what am I doing? like, you know, is my heart really still in this and things like that? you know, my wife pulled me through it. Like I said, you know, that, that rock and, you know, probably last week is when I was like, I'm back. Yeah. I'm back in this. I love my job. I love working with my clients. I love doing what I do and I love providing for my family. And, you know, we're back in a saddle and at it again. So that's awesome. I just appreciate that honesty because I think that it's.

I think everybody goes through those windows. And some people it's like, periodically, like I may go years without it then I have a three week slump. Some people it's like, I start the day excited and by like noon, I'm like, what am I doing? And then by like 5pm, I'm like, that was awesome. We're doing it again. But the ebbs and flows, the head trash that we get of like, it slowed down. Am I a failure? Exactly. Why is that what my head went to sit with those feelings? It's really crazy.

You know what also really pulled me out of it was contrast therapy. you I started doing, you know, you do like 20, 30 minutes in a sauna and then jump right into an ice bath. And that is an adrenaline rush. And it really gets endorphins going, makes you feel good. I have a tracker that keeps track of my fitness and stuff. And it's like every time I do the contrast therapy, it's like the two days later, I have like full recovery. My body's just like, boom, it's game time, you know? Oh man, I could talk about that.

for days. We don't need to spend time, but I love Asana and Cold Plunge. My wife is going to listen to this episode and be like, I'm so impressed you didn't just comment. Spend another 45 minutes on basically do a contrast therapy episode. Okay. And then this is a podcast about success, right? But that word means different things to different people. So for you, how would you define success? So success to me is freedom.

you know, whatever that looks like to you, it looks different to everybody. But the freedom of choice, the freedom to not have to work for somebody, the freedom to, you know, be able to go and do things when you feel like wanting to do them. You know, I did 14 years in the military, there's no freedom there. You have to ask permission to do everything. You have to ask permission to go home and see your parents. You know what mean? Like, so

I think success is really building the ability to have as much freedom and choice as you possibly can. And the more wealth you build, the more choices you have. And with more choices comes more freedom. Yeah, totally. Yeah. And my wife and I talk a lot about choice of like, the more you work that muscle of like, I'm free to make choices in this life. It just gives you a spirit of agency that says, even if things are hard.

I have a choice that I can make, like how do I want to choose to move through this? And like how do I want to choose to use my time? And you can choose your hard. Yeah. You don't have to live in a mansion. Yeah. You don't have to. You know, if your freedom is living on 10 acres and just hanging out and farming or, you know, like living off the land or whatever the case may be, like that could be success to somebody too. You have freedom to go off grid. You do have the freedom to do that. Totally.

I encourage anybody to really figure out what it is they feel makes them free and pursue it and that is success to you. This is success to me and we all just live in the world happily together, you know? Totally. I love it. Well, with that, thank you for spending time with us today. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Yeah, it's been a pleasure. Absolutely. Thanks for having me, man. I really had fun with this one.