We were lucky to catch up with David Spiewak recently and have shared our conversation below.
David, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
I truly believe that anyone can be successful in any field of work or life that they choose. First and foremost, I think consistency is key to success. Keep doing, do everyday. I see a lot of Realtors/People say that they have tried this and tried that, and I always respond by saying, “stop trying and start doing”. When a person gets in that mindset of doing, you will always be trying, but a lot of the times when a person is just trying, they are not actually doing anything. I know it sounds like those two words can be synonymous, but changing that mindset for me has really worked. Couple that with consistently being consistent plus having schedule for me has been my key for success.
I used to always see myself as an artistic person, who did not need structural or a schedule, but when I did not have a schedule I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants. Once I implemented a daily structured schedule, my business really did take off. Look, real estate is the kind of work where a lot of people get into it because they see this profession as an easier lifestyle. Make your own schedule, work when you would like to, gives you more free time, but in reality that mindset will only lead you to working a lot harder, more hours and maybe even eventually failing and leaving the industry. For me, the first couple years, I tried almost everything and then narrowed that down to a couple things that were working for me and then implanted them into my weekly schedule to earn more business, which equals earning more money. I worked a lot harder back then to build a solid foundation for my business and now I feel like with that solid foundation I can add a floor/story or two weekly and continue to grow and build my business. With my schedule in place, I work a lot smarter not harder or longer (covid did affect that schedule, it took me a bit to pivot and get back on track but here I am 😌)
1) Consistency
2) “DO”
3) Keep a schedule and stick to it!
4) Enjoy
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I moved to San Diego 17 years ago in April of 2005 to work as California outside sales rep. for my family’s uniform and outerwear company. I never really had any desire to work for the family company, but it was my ticket out to California and I felt like it would bring my father and I closer together. Sadly, only 5 months into my stint out in California/San Diego, my father was diagnosed with Leukemia and passed away just 2 years after in October of 2007. I tried to still work for my family company but the dynamic shifted and in August 2009 Spiewak and myself parted ways.
I have always had a passion and love for real estate, homes, developments, etc. (which I inherited from my father). As a kid, I would spend hours, days in the basement building and designing neighborhoods out of my wood blocks. When I left my family company, I received a 6-month severance and thought to myself that this would be the perfect time to study to get my California real estate license and begin my business. In April of 2010, that dream became a reality and I started my real estate journey!
Looking back at it, 2010 was not the most ideal time to get into the real estate business. It was right in the middle of the big recession and people were losing their houses, not buying them, but I figured this is an amazing opportunity to learn the business, get systems in place and be ready for when the market takes off again. It took 2 years of hustling and grinding – open houses, door knocking, networking to build a solid foundation of colleagues and clients to build my portfolio/sphere. Now, 12 years into my profession, I have solid systems in place, a sustainable business, a lot of happy clients, and a ton of pride from building a business from nothing to one of the top selling agents in downtown San Diego! I really do enjoy working with a lot of different personalities, and pride myself on being a great listener (my mom is a therapist), guider, supporter, and celebrator once we hit our goal of homeownership at the finish line! I let my clients know that you should be feeling all the feels; excitement, nerves, happiness, fear, fun, anxiety, but ultimately joy when we close escrow and you get your keys to your new home! It is always quite a ride, but should be fun for the most part!
Since my last interview with you guys, I have continued my success with my business even through the craziness of the last couple years. in 2019, the year before the world shut down I jumped on the video bandwagon! I hired a videographer and a media company and started my own YouTube channel with content geared to the development/construction in downtown San Diego (and surrounding areas). I wanted to sell the San Diego lifestyle, not just what is going on in the SD real estate market. It was a great decision especially when people were on lockdown and couldn’t go out, they turned to their computers for everything including looking online for Real Estate! I pride myself on knowledge of the real estate market (specializing in downtown SD and the Metro/Coastal parts of San Diego) and have always loved the development aspects of the urban core and city planning, so meshing these two for my YouTube channel has been fun and rewarding! You can find my channel here… https://www.youtube.com/davidspiewak. If anyone has any questions or comment real estate related or you just want to say hello 👋🏻, please reach out. Love chatting and meeting new people!
Have you ever had to pivot?
This question is easy…just like a ton of other people, a couple years ago when the world shutdown because of Covid. I had a strict schedule I followed, but then my office was closed, no more broker caravans or open houses, had to wear gloves masks and booties to showings and of course since we live in California, more documents to sign just to go show properties (no more just popping by vacant places) It took me a while to implement a new schedule and start following that (exercise and eating well included). I learned not to beat myself up if I was not pivoting fast enough or in the correct way. I learned to breathe, take a step back, pick myself up, and do it again until I found what worked for me!
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
For me in social media, again just do, do not try – DO! And be consistent. I focus my attention on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Facebook I have a personal page and a business page. Try to separate them but intermingle them when it makes sense for me. Not all business and not all pleasure. Every so often I spend $20-$80 on facebook ads. Just to get in front of more people, get my name out there on the regular.
For Instagram (davidspiewak_realtor), the easiest task I do to build followers and share knowledge is Instagram Stories. Do not let them lapse. Stories only last 24 hours, so if its not a great post/story or I misspelled something, I am ok with it because the story goes away in 24 hours. The more consistency with your story, the more people will see you on the regular! Ive also been getting into the Instagram Reels, lots of people watch them and I have met some new clients because of them!
For me YouTube my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/davidspiewak) has been my biggest return on investment! I have spent the most money on marketing/building my channel, but have met some amazing people and clients through this avenue and have closed a decent amount of properties from the people I have met online! For me, I create content that interests me in a very consistent manner. I act like myself, have a good time while filming and try not to take myself too to seriously…I always feel “your vibe attracts your tribe” and being myself on my YouTube lets people into my personality and they can decide if I am someone that they would like to work with!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://davidspiewak.cbintouch.com
- Instagram: @davidspiewak_realtor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SellSanDiego
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidspiewakrealtor/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidSpiewak
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/davidspiewak
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/david-spiewak-coldwell-banker-residential-brokerage-la-jolla
- Other: David Spiewak, Realtor – On Google
Image Credits
I have permission to use all those photos.