Getting into coaching helped moved Trang away from real estate “jobs.” He also got a better understanding of marketing and sales, the importance of having a buyer’s agent and listing agent as well as how to find sellers. “I also learned about how to find distressed sellers,” he said. “And once I got better at finding distressed sellers, I got into the flipping side of the business versus just being a Realtor. It was around the same time I opened up my own brokerage.” Gaining this knowledge wasn’t enough for Trang, how- ever. He wanted to share what he learned with others so they could thrive, too. His inspiration to coach came from a story he’d heard about Andrew Carnegie, who at one point was the wealthiest person in the United States. Car- negie was once asked why 18 millionaires were working at his company. He replied that they weren’t millionaires until they started working for him. “That made me say, ‘OK, it’s great that I am trying to become independent and chase my dreams and this and that, but I’ve got to help along the way,’” Trang said. “It was always an inspiration. I opened a brokerage in 2013 and one of the mission statements was to create 18 mil - lionaires, to be an Andrew Carnegie.” If you check out Trang’s website, you’ll notice that mil - lionaire target has grown a bit from 18—his legacy is now to create 100 millionaires. His goal changed after he cre - ated the Real Estate Disruptors podcast, where he inter - views some of the most prominent figures in the industry about topics like wholesaling, house flipping, investing, and more. “Since starting the podcast, I figured if we’re going to have a national stage, 18 millionaires is going to be a joke. Let’s make it 100,” Trang said. “Which is why that has always been the mission of this podcast.” The Real Estate Disruptors podcast started as a brand - ing tool. Trang was advised to create a blog, write a book, or start a podcast. After the first two didn’t work out, he hoped the third time would be the charm. Fortunately for Trang it was. The show has gained nearly one million views on YouTube since its premiere. Unlike a lot of podcasts, Real Estate Disruptors found success early on in its run. The initial success happened for a couple of reasons. First, Trang didn’t waste much time launching it. He got the podcast advice on a Satur - day, announced the following Wednesday on Facebook that he was starting a podcast and one week later he was recording his first episode on Facebook Live. “That’s me in a nutshell,” Trang said. “I’m a really fast mover. I won’t have all the answers. What I’ll do is screw things up and then fix them along the way.”
EARLY FORAY INTO THE REAL ESTATEWORLD Trang gave his two-weeks’ notice at his prior job after he earned his real estate license. He quickly learned how difficult a Realtor’s job can be. Trang went from having one boss to several as every buyer and seller, as well as his broker, had essentially become his boss. The Realtor journey led to a lot of credit card debt and even a face-off with foreclosure. “The ‘D’ word was dropped a couple of times because that’s what happens in financial distress when you’re married,” Trang said. Trang avoided divorce as his real estate career saw more success after he began to work with Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Fannie Mae as a listing agent for those banks. As 2010 approached, Trang knew he’d even - tually have to pivot. Not only was the foreclosure era wind - ing down, he also did not find traditional real estate very fulfilling. He had two choices—find a new real estate-relat - ed path or return to a prior employer. THE QUESTTO CREATE 100MILLIONAIRES About three years after Trang entered the real estate world, he decided to re-educate himself. He reached out to some of the top agents and investors in his market and said he needed to get into coaching or do something other than what he was doing. He was referred to Craig Proctor’s Real Estate Coaching and Seminars, which he signed up for and changed the way he saw the industry. “That is when I learned the difference between a busi - ness owner and paid employee, which a Realtor is,” Trang said. “A wholesaler is also a high-paying job.”
Steve Trang on computer.
18 | think realty magazine :: april 2021
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