Today we’d like to introduce you to James Bowerman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Baltimore and raised in Pasadena, Maryland. When I was a kid, I loved to draw. My dream job was to be an animator for Disney. However, my approach to drawing was very slow and technical. So, in high school I took a drafting class, thinking I would become an architect instead. Soon I realized that this was too technical, and there were too many rules which I didn’t want to follow. Feeling frustrated, I decided to combine the two things I loved, design and technology, and took some local community college classes before starting my first career as a graphic designer.
What I like about the graphic design, is that it’s not art. It’s meant to serve a purpose. To solve a problem. It was also a field that brought me into the marketing department. My strategic thinking and analytical nature allowed me to thrive in this environment. Along the way, it also drove me to attempt a few different entrepreneurial ventures, including a holiday lighting business, and sports apparel business.
Flash forward about a decade, and I had climbed the ranks to become the Creative Director for a digital marketing agency. Over the course of about five years, I had helped grow the company, developed many systems and fine-tuned our processes. It was at this point where I started to get the entrepreneurial itch again. This time, I turned to real estate. I decided I was going to be a real estate investor and flip houses.
In my typical analytical fashion, I wanted to create a plan. So, I signed up for coaching, in hopes to learn as much as I could and mitigate my risk. Eventually, I did find a property, purchase it, managed the renovations, list it for sale, and sold it for a profit. However, the profits were marginal, essentially paying for my education, but I learned a lot in the process. Two big takeaways were that I needed to find new ways to raise capital and reduce my expenses. Therefore, I decided to get my real estate license in order to access properties faster and save on paying commissions.
After taking the required 60-hour pre-licensing course, I was able to pass the final exam and then the MD state licensing test on the first try at the end of 2016. I made the decision to hang my license with Douglas Realty, because they were close to home, had low fees, offered 100% commission, and I liked the broker, Doug Smith. At this time my wife and I just had our second child and had moved into my in-laws after selling our townhouse in Glen Burnie. The first contract I wrote was on our personal residence in Pasadena.
My first year in real estate was part-time. It was 2017 and I was still working my full-time job while helping friends and family buy and sell real estate on weekends and evenings. It was a busy year, and I closed 8 transactions, grossing me more than my full-time salary. With some encouragement from my wife, I decided to take the leap into being a real estate agent full time, and leave the comforts of a steady paycheck.
In hindsight, diving headfirst as a full-time agent during the month of October, when things begin to cool and slow down, may have not been the best decision. I really struggled for a couple of months to get any traction, so I quickly pivoted and joined a team, so that I could get some help. 2018 is when I consider the beginning of my second career as full-time a real estate agent. It was February until I finally closed my first transaction and received a paycheck. Things didn’t really pick up from there. I began to second guess my decision and arguments over spending money became the norm as we watched our savings trickle away. I ended the year with just 8 closed transactions and made much less money due to lower volume and commission split with the team. So, at the end of 2018, I was left with a decision, to either give up or double down.
As you may have guessed I doubled down. I said goodbye to the team and nervously signed up for Tom Ferry coaching with my credit card. I was all in! Either I was going to make it as a real estate agent, or go out in a ball of flames and debt.
When working with my coach, the first step was to fix my mindset. Although I had been doing a lot of personal development, my mind had entered a dark and negative place full of limiting beliefs. We worked to confront these and focus on the things I could control. I developed a powerful morning routine and started to shift my focus to more positive things. But the real magic happened when my coach helped me create a plan. And it was a very simple plan. We set a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) income goal of $200,000 and figured out based on my average sales price and commission that I would need to close 27 transactions to achieve it. In order to close transactions, you have to set appointments. And in order to set appointments, you have to have conversations. We did some more math and determined that my daily goal should be to have 10 conversations per day, 5 days a week, and set 5 appointments per week, or once per day. That’s it. That’s what I focused on and that’s what I tracked.
I tried a lot of different strategies, but it all came down to conversations and appointments. Whether it is was talking to my sphere, messaging friends on Facebook, cold calling expired listings, FSBO, door knocking, or hosting open houses. You name it, I tried it. I hated most of it, but I didn’t have a choice. Ultimately, I found the things that I didn’t hate and focused on those.
Simultaneously, I was building my brand. As someone who enjoyed design, marketing, and technology, that’s what I gravitated towards. I came up with my own personal brand, the “Creative Agent,” based on the idea that I was a creative designer, creative director, and now creative real estate agent. Leveraging my skills, I started to create content and distribute it across my social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Being more introverted, I didn’t enjoy being on camera but knew it was something I had to do. And that it was a far more effective way to reach people and stay top of mind.
Things did start to get better as I focused on my simple daily goals and the positive things in my life. Call it the law of attraction, but the business and money began to follow. At the end of 2019, I had successfully closed 26 transactions, which was just one shy of my goal. Looking back, since I tracked everything, I was able to measure my success, which meant I could scale it. In 2020, the year of COVID and a global pandemic, I used my momentum to carry me through and finished the year closing 51 transactions as an individual agent.
This brings us to today. I’ve started to mentor new agents at Douglas Realty, teaching them about marketing and what I’ve learned through my own journey. And I also rebranded as the Real Creative Group, so that I can start to build my team of tech-focused agents while operating as a marketing agency for real estate.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There were many struggles, both personal and with business. Jumping into a new career during the slow months was a challenge. Not having any clients, and not knowing how to get clients was a challenge. Watching our savings disappear, and constantly arguing about spending or not spending money was a challenge. Dealing with self-doubt and limiting beliefs was a challenge. Being disciplined and sticking to a routine was and remains to be a challenge. Living up to expectations and trying to grow a business is a challenge. Trying to do all this while raising a family, a marriage, and maintain personal health is a challenge.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about the Real Creative Group of Douglas Realty?
The vision of the Real Creative Group is to provide superior customer service and outstanding results when buying or selling real estate. Our goal is to WOW clients throughout the transaction; to develop “clients for life” and to exceed expectations in order to create “raving fans” who will refer all of their friends and family. We are a tech-focused real estate team that operates like a marketing agency. Our comprehensive approach to selling real estate is proven to deliver amazing results. We will never compromise our brand by doing it cheaper or cutting corners because it’s easier. We are raising the bar when it comes to real estate marketing, especially when it comes to video production.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
My family is the most important thing to me. I’ve been married to my wife Hayley for almost 10 years now, and we have three beautiful children; Brecken (8), Jackson (5), and Haven (1). We have chickens that we raise as pets, but also enjoy eating their fresh eggs. I’m very competitive and I love to play golf, although the rounds are fewer and further between these days.
Contact Info:
- Email: james@creative-agent.com
- Website: TheRealCreativeGroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealcreativegroup
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealcreativegroup
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/realcreativegroup
Image Credits:
Matthew Burgess Media
Erin Duffy Photography
