Moving to NYC and Hitting $18,000 in a Single Month Through Remote Closing

What's up, you guys? We got Jake out of New York here. Jake's a going on about 2-year community member and came from a sales background, doing really well. That's why we're here recording. And I just want to have him on, have him share his experience, you know, going from managing a call center to remote closing, making really solid money, the money that anyone who's watching this probably wants to make. So Jake, thank you for coming on, man.

Yeah, man. Happy to be here with the golden boy of high ticket sales. Yeah. Cool.

Well, yeah, man, I guess like if you wouldn't mind giving some context, maybe you're connected with some of these guys that are already in the community that might know who you are, but for those that don't know who you are, what were you doing before you even discovered that high ticket was a thing? And like, what did that look like?

Yeah, man. I mean, my journey was pretty typical, I would say, to a lot of guys that are looking at coming into this or are already in it. Variances here or there, but I originally started getting into sales through property management. I had started, I lived in St. Louis, that's where I was born and raised, and I worked with a property management group and I was overseeing a group of 5 to 6 luxury apartment buildings in St. Louis. I was like 20 years old. I had no idea what I was doing. So I was like managing the building and then also leasing apartments on top of that. And it was just horrible. I mean, you know, I didn't like what I was doing. The apartments were like falling apart. You know, I always like, I like to believe in what I'm selling. So I did that for a couple months and then Eventually I transitioned into my first like official corporate sales role and was working with a marketing agency, uh, very, very large. I mean, we had a team of like 250 SDRs on the sales side and got into that. Um, started doing the sales development role. For anyone who knows about the SDR roles, they are grueling. Like it takes a certain type of person to stay in those for a long time, you know, have very, very high call volume. So I did it for a month, saw a decent amount of success, and then pretty much got moved up into like a performance pipeline manager role. So I was overseeing a team of typically like 10 to 12 SDRs. Did that for 6 months or so, and, you know, it wore me down. Like, I needed something where I had more control over my schedule. I wanted more earning capability. I mean, I was making 5, 6 grand a month, which was a ton of money for me at the time. I mean, that was the first point in my life where I'd seen that kind of cash coming in at a consistent basis. But yeah, I mean, it just, after a while it got kind of heavy and then started doing some research. And, you know, I'm one of those people, like when I see an opportunity, I'm going to spend like 72 hours just researching it nonstop. So that's kind of how, you know, stumbled across iTicket.

Yeah. What was it about high ticket versus any other sales industry like software, insurance? I mean, I was gonna say real estate, but you were kind of already in that. Like what drew you to high ticket versus the other options?

Yeah, I mean, I think the big thing for me with high ticket is that I am just personally in the way that I work, I put a very strong emphasis on self-management. Like I feel like whenever I can have some space to be creative and Flexible with like how I go about my process. That's definitely where I excel the most. And you know, within these traditional corporate roles, you know, you've got your manager, they have a manager, they have a director, they're overseeing a division, and it's just so many different like hoops that you have to jump through and eyes on you at all time. And it's not necessarily a question of like accountability or having someone overseeing your work, but it's it's the ability to kind of like grow past your work. And that was the big thing. I wanted something that I. could get into at the ground level, you know, sell my ass off for, you know, lack of a better term, and then find other ways that I can improve the other offer, the offer around me. And high ticket seemed like the clearest option for something that would kind of allow me to get to that point.

Yeah. Yeah. That's the thing with a lot of these corporate structures is like a lot of, like you said, eyeballs, but like there's a lot of pressure. to perform better than you are, even if you're performing as they asked you to.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, which to someone who's, I feel like you kind of aligned with this similar to me and maybe some people watching, um, just kind of more like independent, uh, don't need someone to, to micromanage. And the thought of being micromanaged, it's like, I mean, I could operate in that environment, but I would choose not to, you know, cuz like Yeah, it's a certain type of person for sure. And I think that type of person, if they find high ticket and they can find quality opportunities, I mean, again, the reason why you're here is like, it can work pretty well. But it's, I think there's also a downside to that cuz some people like, they need that dude. Like they need someone to tell them like, no, don't do this. Yes, do this. Spend time here. But for someone who's kind of like, I mean, it's Really the one of the closest things to entrepreneurship. Like if you're kind of leaning in that direction already and you want like to get paid to learn how these businesses work and get better at your skill, like this is a really solid option.

Yeah. And I think too, you know, there's also a point to be said that specifically looking into high ticket, you know, if you're someone that, that needs more structure as well, I mean, you can find that in this space. You know, there are very comprehensive teams that have been built out where you've got 10, 15, 20, 25 reps. 1 or 2 managers on a team. So if processes and structure like are a necessary prerequisite to getting into an offer, you can 100% find that. I think it's just something that as you're in the space, you'll definitely kind of grow into that self-management angle a bit more. Yeah. You know, as you're selling.

Yeah. What was like the transition from the last kind of corporate role to high ticket? Did you, I'm trying to remember, but did you end up like working both simultaneously? Did you have like a clean break between the two? How did that go for you?

Yeah, I mean, I was doing simultaneously, I think I was doing 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM high ticket and then I went into my full-time offer or my full-time, you know, job that I was working at the time. And so yeah, I was just doing super early mornings, which was good because I mean, the people that I was talking to, and this is something, I mean, that's pretty much unanimous across all offers. The earlier you're getting on calls, like generally the more qualified people you're talking to. It's really like the morning people I've noticed that, you know, are there to show up and have capital ready. Um, so that really like set me off for a good standing because I mean, that first month I was getting good numbers through, you know, I was, I think I made more that first month with working 2 hours a day in a high-ticket role than I did with my full-time job doing 40 hours a week. So. I did that for a while and then I was just like, God, like this, it makes no sense for me to, to not do this full-time. Um, so I made the switch from there.

Yeah. I mean, I think it's pretty standard in everybody's, most people's journeys, unless you just find that dream offer from the jump, that there is a little bit of variability in the earning and even the employment for that matter. Right. How have you, how have you been able to navigate that? We were talking about this before we recorded, but you're like, New York rent prices are no joke. Like, how are you managing that variability with, you know, your financial responsibility and, you know, you wanna live your life obviously. So how do you do that?

Yeah, I mean, the big thing going into this space that, that took me a while to learn is that, you know, you are a contractor, you are your own business, and you have to look out for yourself. You have to have protection going into each role that you have. So for me, that was, there were a lot of different ways that I had to figure that out. I mean, the big thing was, was employment contracts. I found that was where I had the most backing. Um, a lot of the roles that I initially got into, there was no formal agreement walking into it. So in each instance in which I'm looking at a new offer, and if they don't have an employment agreement, I'm bringing one to them and saying, okay, I need this signed. We can negotiate, we can get both terms in place that are comfortable. But having something like that is very important just because, you know, 3 months into an offer, if everything shuts down and then your last paycheck is just out in the air, you know, you have to have something to fall back on there. And then also, you know, just having— I mean, for me, like, high ticket was a transformation of wealth. I mean, it changed my entire life and being able to set aside some of that capital from the get-go for Yes, a nest egg, having some cushion to fall back on, but also to divert into another stream of income so that you have an even larger cushion behind you. That's always been the biggest protection for me because my viewpoint on it is that if I'm on an offer and I don't like it, I might be making money, but if I don't like management or it isn't clear or I'm not liking the offer that I'm selling, Then I need to have 3, 4, 5 months of income that I can have behind me before I'm going to leave that offer. So, you know, really being able to diversify your streams once you've got a little bit of money saved up, and then also just having as much legal backing. You were talking about 1099 insurance. That's something that I have as well for coverage on instances when, you know, you're getting into disputes with ownership.

Yes.

So yeah, I mean, looking out for yourself is definitely the, the, the biggest thing. If you wanna live in New York like me, which I've always wanted to do, but I never could, you know, you have to have some sort of protection behind you.

Yeah, that's one thing I try to tell people too, man. And it seems like you are really getting it, even going and getting insurance, which is something we've been, I've been talking about lately. But you gotta, you gotta like take the emotion out of it. I think a lot of guys are used to the W-2 space or they're used to like, Someone, or like, I guess the perception that someone has their best interest in mind, whether it's like their manager or something. But in the contracting space, I mean, that can be true, but like, you are a 1099 contractor. You should have an LLC or something set up like an entity. It's like you're a business. You gotta do what's in the best interest of the business. And sometimes that doesn't really align with your emotional state or what your heart tells you. Not to say you should be doing bad stuff and working people over, like you shouldn't be doing that, but it's like, dude, if you're on with the coolest business owner ever, but they can't drive you leads and you have bills to pay, it's like, what would the business do? You know?

Exactly.

What, so you mentioned that you had always wanted to move to New York. Was it after you started like hitting some consistent months where you finally like pulled the trigger on that? Or what gave you like, The, I guess the comfort to make that decision when you did?

Yeah, I mean, it, it was 100% high ticket. You know, whenever I was still in St. Louis, I had been working high ticket for about a year. I started getting to that point where I was hitting, you know, $9K, $10K, $11K months on a consistent basis. And so, you know, living in St. Louis, like, you know, it's, it's a decent sized city, but like cost of living is still decently low comparative to the rest of the country. So I'm living in a, You know, nice apartment downtown. I'm living it up. Like, I'm buying a new car. I feel like I'm the man. Um, and, you know, I did that for a while and, you know, I just, I, I, I knew I always wanted more. Um, so that's when the plan kind of like rolled into action. And so I started setting a bit more aside than I already was for that cushion.

Mm-hmm.

Um, you know, trying to prep. I like the car that I had bought. I realized it was, I didn't need it. It wasn't a necessity. I'm moving to New York. Public transportation's a thing and it's efficient. Um, so sold the car, like got all these pieces in play. And then, um, you know, right before I was about to move, I had an issue with the offer owner that I was on. And so like everything pretty much fell apart. Um, super nice guy, loved him, but like the support that was there, the, the management structure was just ruining, you know, the day-to-day. And so a month before my move, you know, I, I ended up like deciding that I needed to, to switch offers. But it, it was completely okay because I was prepped for that moment. Because like, if you're using the income that's being, you know, directed your way, which if you're 21, 22, 23, like you're in the top 1% of earners if you're making $9,000, $10,000, $11,000, $11,000 a month. Um, so using that efficiently, like it didn't even make me question for a second, you know, can I still make this move?

Mm-hmm.

Can I make these jumps? Um, so I was able to, you know, still make it work.

How have you used, because you, we, I think this was before the recording, but once you like get that proof of concept, man, it's, you kind of get this, this swagger behind you. You're like, dude, if this, if this falls through, I'll just go find something else and I'll make the money I need to make. Like, I am the guy who's capable of doing that. But how has, what's been your experience leveraging some of the people that you meet in those connections and potentially meeting like other high-level closers and managers, like how has that helped you kind of create this like insurance policy? Or if it, if it hasn't, then it hasn't, but I'm just curious your side of it.

Yeah, I mean, it's single-handedly the reason that I'm still here, like in this space right now. You know, getting into serial sales, that has pretty much brought me almost every, every offer that I've worked on in this space. Getting connected with guys, you know, being able to Just turn and shoot a Facebook message or like a school message to, to a guy I talked to 3 months ago, be like, hey, is that offer still open? How's it going? Do you guys need any extra help? Um, it's completely changed everything because, you know, when I first got into this, I was doing the Facebook groups with the shady postings and, you know, rolling the dice and hoping I would get paid like 3 grand a month or whatever. Um, but yeah, I mean, it's at the point right now where The offer that I'm on currently, things are, it's looking like I'm towards the tail end of it and I've been allocating for that. But I know within my head, like if I jump off of it, I'll have a new offer within the week. And it's not just because like, I'm good at sales, it's what I do, but that's not the reason that I have that security. Like it's because of the opportunities that I've been able to build out through networking within the community and just really just being in it. Like if you don't even need to talk to A ton of guys in this community, like, to be able to work it. I mean, the opportunity is still there.

Yeah, that's the thing, dude. I know some of the best salespeople I know, they don't figure it out because they, they think that because they're so good that naturally it will figure itself out. But the way that this space operates, man, it's just, it's not really like that. I mean, you can, don't get me wrong, man. I know guys that went in Facebook groups, landed roles, and they make $20K per month on those.

Yeah.

But that's probably 1 in every 100 opportunities that's shared, right? And then the competition on those is fierce. I'm curious though with you now. So obviously you have this skillset, you have this community or like this network that helps you. Let's say that the business you're closing for, you wake up tomorrow and they said, hey Jake, we're shutting it down. Best of luck to you moving forward. What are the first like 3 or 4 things that you would do that day to basically get yourself on track to be back in business and have work in front of you?

Yeah, so right from the get-go, I mean, the first thing that I'm doing is reaching out to my network. I would say off the top of my head, I've got 10 guys that I would send a message to, and from that I would pretty much have an offer ready to go. But Hypothetically, if I didn't, turning to the hiring channel, I mean, the backtrack, I mean, you know, you're the one posting them. I mean, there is just so much potential opportunity within those. And so just mass firing through some of them. I'm making sure I've got a Loom video ready to go, a generalized one so that I can, even if they don't ask for it in the app, I'm sending it out with all of it. And then. From there, I mean, coordinating my exit with, with the ownership that's in place right now, you know, making sure we have agreed terms, that we have everything in writing on the last paycheck, everything from there. Because, you know, that protection, as much as it can be like proactive in finding your new offer, it has to be, you know, also allocated towards closing the current offer, you know, efficiently. And like, that's the difference between Getting into an offer and doing $18K, $19K a month, which I've done on my best months. And, you know, having everything coordinated and clear as opposed to getting into the same offer and only doing $13K, $14K, $12K a month because you don't have all your pieces in play.

Yeah. And then if you do all of that and you have the results and you have the skill, you do that for a week even. I mean, if you do it for a week, like you'll probably have way more than you need in front of you.

Yeah.

You know? But like you said, like I could also do something similar where it's like reach out to 10 people that I know that are crushing it, been crushing it, know who I am and what I'm about, who can make intros to their management team or the business owner they work with. 'Cause like good Good people, talented people want to be connected with other talented people, and talented people end up on teams that are growing, that are, that are always hiring. And so just leaning into those connections is, I mean, I've said it a million and one times in interviews and YouTube videos, but it's, it's so true. And from the outside looking in, I, if I was watching this, maybe you've heard me enough say it enough times to where you're like, oh, maybe it is true. But it's hard to like really comprehend what that means until you're in the space and you go through an offer shutting down or call volume being cut in a quarter overnight. So I think what you, those 3, 4 things that you mentioned are spot on. I know we're pushing up on time here. We were talking about this before. We don't have anything published yet, but The meetup that we're having hopefully in September. Hopefully Jake's gonna be there. We've had 2 before. This one should be bigger and better. So if you guys are watching this and you wanna meet Jake or guys like that, just stick around. Probably announce something towards the end of December, probably in Austin. Get a bunch of high-level guys together and get connected. So Jake, I appreciate you coming on. I guess any, any last words for someone who's watching this that's on the fence? And think about yourself like even 2 years ago, like what, what do you tell that person, uh, when it comes to like the opportunity that exists in this industry?

Yeah. If you want to make it in the high-ticket space, I think there's 2 things that you need to do. One, you need to join this community. I joined in very early and then I left, and that was the largest mistake that I made. If I was in it the whole time, the volatility, there wouldn't have been nearly any of it. I mean, not to say on an offer-by-offer basis, but it would've been way more consistent. And then the other thing really is that, you know, if you're on the line and you're questioning life and you're like, what is gonna be my next move? What do I need to do to be successful? And you don't have a clear answer for it. This is the answer. 'Cause I had 1,000 ideas of what I could do, but this was the one that I was like, I can see myself doing. I can learn a skillset. I wasn't the best salesperson at the time. Um, but You commit, you know, $10K, $15K, $20K months, it is 100% feasible and you can do whatever you want from there with it.

That's pretty, pretty encouraging, I'd say. Well, I appreciate you coming on. We can wrap it up there. If you, if you want me to link any socials, I'll do it below. If you guys wanna connect with Jake, go below if he says yes. Otherwise, Get in the community and talk to 'em. Yeah, we'll take it from there, man. I appreciate you recording this.

Absolutely, man. See you, fellas.