It became clear when I started closing loans as a 19 year old college student, that most LOs spend the majority of their lives working on loans - Not bringing them in. I saw what brought in the deals - being with agents and in the community, yet nearly every LO I encountered spent most of their day sitting behind a desk doing admin work...

"Steve, I just do it myself, it only takes a few minutes."

It seemed like LOs didn't want to systemize, delegate or standardize anything. It was almost like they didn't want to close more loans. I couldn't comprehend it.

What was more appalling was how LOs handled their leads. The phone would ring, they'd jot down a name and a few notes... then they'd forget about them and never call them back. Some of the LOs I shadowed had PILES of notebooks on their desks with leads that they never called back.

It seemed like every LO I met was the same: NO SYSTEMS.

Like you, I got into this industry for the promise of time and financial freedom, but the more I looked, the more LOs I found that had neither.

I wasn't willing to spend my life glued to my computer closing loans 24/7... So I hired a coach and became obsessed with CRMs, delegation, and building systems. I learned very quickly that Systems = Freedom. But you must treat it like an actual business. There's zero room for sloppiness in the industry.

I truly believe that this is one of the greatest industry's a young, hungry, go-getter could get into. But without the systems and the discipline to actually use them, this business will chew you up and spit out a burnt-out, exhausted and broke.