Simple Daily Routine Leads to Millions in Real Estate

Venus Morris Griffin has cracked the seven figure income in a short amount of time as a real estate agent following a simple daily routine. To comprehend how she did it, you must first dive into the tragedies that shaped her as a person to understand what motivates her.

Challenging Childhood

Navigating a challenging childhood where she lived on the verge of homelessness as she watched her mother go in and out of rehabilitation for alcoholism, Griffin never had a father she could turn to. Her mother also battled a mental illness that limited her capacity to love her children, although she tried. Venus watched her brother get sentenced to a maximum security prison, and her sister was institutionalized for mental health disorders and a drug addiction. Griffin was alone and on her own by age 14. Changing high schools 6 times, she found herself mesmerized by what she perceived to be perfect families. She studied them, dreaming one day that could be her with her future family.

She earned her way into college and worked 2 jobs waitressing until she was awarded with her degree. She met and fell in love with a man she was convinced would help her build the perfect family she dreamed about. She married her college sweetheart, and she began building her dream life. She gave birth to six children. They attended Mass together as a family. Then, with the ringing of the phone in the middle of the night, the perfect world she built, came tumbling down.

Perfection Shattered

On the other end of the line was a young prostitute. Griffin’s husband was away on a business trip, and the woman was calling to tell Griffin that she along with many other women had all been with her husband.

“He’s been cheating on you for years. We’ve taken everything from you, all of your money, and I’m here to tell you what an awful man you’re married to.”

Griffin immediately jumped out of bed and asked to meet the woman in person. The woman reluctantly agreed. Griffin ran down the dark hallway of her quiet home and awakened her teenage son asking him to watch his siblings while she left for the meeting.

A young, hard looking woman who couldn’t have been more than 18 years old answered the door. During the time she spoke with Griffin, she confirmed that her family’s bank account had been depleted. She showed pictures to Griffin of her husband with other women. While she was struggling to make sense out of what she was hearing, the young woman held up her ringing phone to show Griffin her husband’s name listed prominently across the young woman’s caller I.D. Griffin asked to speak with him. He was angry and distraught confirming her worst fears. Her world was spiraling fast, and Griffin could hardly breathe. She didn’t have any money, and she had 6 young kids to feed.

Her husband’s parents sent him to rehab for sex addiction. During the course of the treatment, Griffin learned of horrible things he had done. Things she felt were too awful to allow their marriage to continue. She filed for divorce. The authorities got involved, and her husband, for crimes she will not elaborate on, was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

When Failure Isn’t an Option

Griffin didn’t have family she could turn to for financial help. She had just started her career as a real estate agent. The year was 2008, a time when many agents were jumping ship as the financial collapse in America led to a significant slow down in the housing market across the nation.

Her divorce attorney told her she needed a real job, real estate wasn’t going to support her family.

Griffin refused to give up. She refused to fail. The stakes were way too high. She had been down and out before, she knew how to be scrappy and work hard to get herself into a better position in life. During this extremely difficult time, she decided she would stay consistent in three things: working out, going to Mass, and having dinner every night as a family.

She didn’t have anything to sell for quick cash. She lived in a two bedroom, two bathroom cottage, and her bank account showed a balance of $0. It was in this moment she resolved to not leave anything to chance and stay consistent in the routine she set for herself. She wakes up every morning at 5 am. She runs 5 miles while she listens to Tony Robbins, getting the endorphins she needs to get through her difficult day. Griffin would then return home, make breakfast, and get her kids ready for school. Then at 7 a.m. when most people are rising, she and her children were sitting in Mass everyday before their classes began. Dropping them off at school, she would head to her office in Augusta, Georgia to begin her day in real estate.

Rising from the Ashes to become a Top Producer

“I committed to working as hard as I had to to support my children, and then I committed to having dinner every night with my 6 children.”

She would spend the dinner hour hearing from each of her children about what their high point of the day was and then have them contrast it with their low point. She says this routine gave her children the consistency they needed to stay on track and feel secure.

She stayed committed to her daily schedule. She was coached by her broker to start doing open houses. This is how she started her real estate career in 2008. She didn’t make much her first year, but she stayed consistent through the grind of building her name and reputation. The following year, her story began to change…dramatically.

“How I became so successful is not brain science, it’s consistency. What sets me apart, is I stay consistently working through the grind. Ten years ago, I did 3 open houses every single Sunday. Today, I still do 2 to 3 open houses every single Sunday. I keep the same schedule every day.”

“I still call every FSBO I see.” Griffin knows it’s her strong work ethic that put her on top, and to this day she refuses to let any opportunity pass her by. She does her homework, and she’s always prepared.

“When I go to meet someone for a listing appointment. I go with a thick packet of information. I show them everything that is listed in their area. Everything on the market for the last 6 months from low to high pricing. This gives them the info they need to price their home accordingly. It also shows them how prepared I am, and how hard I’ll work to sell their home.”

“99% of my listings sell because I do not take over-priced listings. If someone wants to list their home above what it should be listed at, I tell them to keep me in mind down the road, but I’m not the agent for them at that price point for their home.” Griffin says this kind of blunt honesty builds the rapport necessary with the customer that helps them see the integrity she instills in her business.

Griffin reminds herself, life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react.

How She Did It

She tells fellow agents. There isn’t anything she is doing, they can’t be doing, to be successful. She reiterates, it all comes down to consistency. That is the secret to her success. She keeps to a routine, and works hard everyday to get to the nearly $2 million dollars she grosses annually.

Keeping herself too busy and focused during her toughest days, refusing to let the doubt and worry continue to suffocate her, she persevered, and today, she’s proof that hard work, tenacity and never giving up, pays off. She is remarried to a good and loving husband, the mother of 7 beautiful children, and the grandmother of two.

Griffin wants to inspire all real estate agents to dream big. Take 10 minutes right now and write down your goals. Then create a routine that will help you meet those goals and stick to it.
Learn more about Venus Griffin