Quit Your Day Job with Steve and Jill

Jack Butala:                   “Quit Your Day Job with Steve and Jill.” Jill, I thought you always said “Wait, wait, wait, don’t quit your day job yet.” What do you mean, “Quit your day job”?

Jill DeWit:                            Oh, my goodness, have I gone off the deep end now?

Jack Butala:                   This is what happened. We’re having lunch, and Jill came up with this brain child called “Quit Your Day Job with Steve and Jill.” We decided to do a quick podcast about it, and see what you think.

Jill DeWit:                            OK, so here’s what’s happening. More and more people are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s getting closer and closer. I actually had a person call me today, and the reason he reached out to me today, and it was so great, was because he was in a car accident this morning. It was a fender bender. Everybody’s OK, but he was on his way to the office. It’s an hour commute, both directions, and he’s like, “Something has got to change.”

Jack Butala:                   What’s his first name? I had a conversation with somebody just like this too, but no car accident.

Jill DeWit:                            Ben.

Jack Butala:                   OK. Mine’s Patrick. You go first.

Jill DeWit:                            All right, so my guy Ben, who … We’ve been talking off and on since I want to say June or July. I can’t remember. Anyway, he’s been thinking about making some changes in his life, and he’s HR in Dallas, and works for a big company. Anyway, he’s got this hour commute every day, and literally got in a fender bender. Rear-ended some people, didn’t stand a chance this morning. It was one of those [crosstalk 00:01:28]

Jack Butala:                   Is he a member now?

Jill DeWit:                            He is right now.

Jack Butala:                   OK, good.

Jill DeWit:                            Yeah, he is today. That was it.

Jack Butala:                   My guy is too.

Jill DeWit:                            Yeah. Ben reached out to me today and said, “All right, I got to make some changes. You and I have been talking about this off and on.” Now it’s good, it’s forcing … It’s growing into our own new project, which is setting people up to quit their day job. Our way of doing it just happens to be through land slash however, there are many different ways that you could do this.

Jack Butala:                   What do you think? What else could be a good way? Knitting sweaters?

Jill DeWit:                            You know, yes.

Jack Butala:                   Really?

Jill DeWit:                            Sure, why not? OK, come on. Do you not watch “Shark Tank”?

Jack Butala:                   Oh, yeah. Sure. That’s a great example.

Jill DeWit:                            Hello. Come on. We’ve all seen “Shark Tank.”

Jack Butala:                   I’m going to take notes in my own podcast right now.

Jill DeWit:                            Who would’ve thought the lady that came up with CitiKitty … You know what that is? It’s like a …

Jack Butala:                   What the hell is CitiKitty?

Jill DeWit:                            Oh, my gosh. [Erin 00:02:33] in our office bought this, everyone, this is hilarious. CitiKitty happens to be a “Shark Tank” child that went bananas, and now she’s so popular she’s been showing up on “Shark Tank” with other products. She figured it out. She’s an awesome entrepreneur. This just happens to be the first thing that got her going.

CitiKitty happens to be a potty-training device so you can teach your cat to pee in the toilet and do everything in the toilet. I’m not kidding.

Jack Butala:                   What?

Jill DeWit:                            I’m not kidding. It’s CitiKitty. It’s basically something where it’s like, somehow you put litter in the toilet, and eventually you take it away and the cat knows to pop up on the toilet seat and do its thing on it.

Jack Butala:                   Does that work?

Jill DeWit:                            Hey, you know what? She’s killing it with CitiKitty. I’m not kidding. Erin in our office bought this thing. We don’t live in the city. She doesn’t need it.

Jack Butala:                   That’s what everybody says about Land Academy. “Does that work?”

Jill DeWit:                            I know. Here’s my point. The craziest thing, dream it up, might be a niche for people out there enough that … Gosh, if you have the right mindset, you have the right tools, you have the right support, you can make it into whatever you want and quit your day job. Like I was saying, ours just happens to be through land, but hey, what sings to you? Dream it up.

Jack Butala:                   You know, the first podcast I ever did on this show and the other Land Academy show was called “All My Friends Think I’m a Drug Dealer.” That’s what that show is about, because I did quit my job after buying and selling land after about a year. I was doing great and driving a fast car.

Everybody was worried about me. They had a little intervention. They’re like, “What are you selling? What are you doing on the side that makes you have this lifestyle and you don’t have to go to work?” I told them, and after they didn’t believe me for about a half hour, then all they had was questions. Like, “How do I do it?”

Jill DeWit:                            Right. That’s what I think. I think what you and I have found that … It’s one thing to have all the tools in the tool box, but you still got to show up for work, and you’ve gotta get up and advertise your services. There are so many other things that go around this.

Jack Butala:                   How many hours do you work a day, do you think?

Jill DeWit:                            I don’t know if I’d call it work.

Jack Butala:                   That’s how I feel.

Jill DeWit:                            I love what I do. I don’t know how to answer that question.

Jack Butala:                   Jill, that’s exactly how I feel. Exactly.

Jill DeWit:                            If anybody followed me around, they would probably think that I work 12 or so hours a day or something.

Jack Butala:                   I bet you do.

Jill DeWit:                            I really don’t look at it like work. It’s my life. It follows me. I love it. I’m having a blast. I’m helping people. I am really loving all of our members and seeing their successes. All it does is fuel me to do more, and that’s it.

Jack Butala:                   I have to honestly say that since we released the Land Academy package … It was always on a back burner to write it and get it done and all that. After we pushed ourselves to do it, whatever, six months ago … No, maybe a little more than that. Doesn’t matter.

I had no idea that it would be as successful as it is. I don’t mean financially successful, because it’s mildly financially successful compared to what we do in the other stuff. In the real real estate. I just never realized I would get such a kick out of watching people start their own land companies and start making money and stuff, and getting real excited about it.

Same thing with Success Plant. If we didn’t start Success Plant, we wouldn’t really know about this. All of our members would be doing these deals and we wouldn’t really … We would just have the Thursday call where we all get on there, and that’s how we would hear about it. In Success Plant, you get a play-by-play, which is really cool.

Jill DeWit:                            That’s easier for some types of people, to sit and type and verbalize that way. Yeah.

Jack Butala:                   What are the basic steps to quitting your job? What do you think? This is still a brainstorm, by the way, audience.

Jill DeWit:                            This is a brainstorm. This is coming. We’re going to do this, though. This is coming. There’s going to be a web site. There’s going to be a podcast. There’s going to be some ebooks. There’s going to be all kinds of great things. This goes hand-in-hand with what our people are doing right now. We have pretty much given … All of our members have the resources and they’re doing fantastic, building their own empires.

Then what goes with that as well is the mindset. “How do I deal with the obstacles that come along? How do I know when the time is right and I’m not crazy, because now I’m giving up my health insurance with my company?” Whatever it is. There’s all kinds of little scary things, and so there’s a lot that goes along with it that … Boy, we’ve done that. Been there, done that, again. We can help people.

Jack Butala:                   Make a plan.

Jill DeWit:                            Right.

Jack Butala:                   One of the steps is make a plan. Oh, wait. CitiKitty. We started with that. Number one has to be brainstorm or research. How do you think you’re going to do this?

Jill DeWit:                            I think there’s a couple things. One is what sings to you and what comes naturally to you. That’s one thing.

Jack Butala:                   I heard a guy give a talk. The whole talk was this: “Forget about your passion. If you have a passion about something, you’re never going to make any money in it. Stick to the math.”

Jill DeWit:                            What? Who was that?

Jack Butala:                   I am not exaggerating. I almost fell out of my chair when I was listening to this guy. He was all angry. East coast, angry.

Jill DeWit:                            OK. All right, back up. Having said that, part of that is not crazy. I agree. You got to definitely have a market for what you’re trying to do. There’s got to be something or it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I agree with that slash however, I think there’s more to it. If it comes easy to you, then it won’t be a job. It will be fun, and I think you’ll attract more people.

Jack Butala:                   When you quit your job, was it easy? I mean, did it all come naturally to you? How did it work?

Jill DeWit:                            I apologize. I have a sales call coming in. Sorry. When I quit my day job, it came easy to me.

Jack Butala:                   Tell us the story, please.

Jill DeWit:                            OK. When I quit my day job … I just told this to somebody the other day and I wish I could remember who it was. I quit my day job because I was doing too many things at one time. I was doing my day job 100% of the time, and I was doing my other stuff, this stuff, 100% of the time. You remember, it was hilarious. I had computers side by side, and I would wheel over here and do something and then I’d wheel over here and do something.

Jack Butala:                   Yeah.

Jill DeWit:                            It was a crackup. I could handle that a little bit, but then it got to be just … It was overwhelming. Then I watched “Losing Deals.” I lost deals, I lost money.

Jack Butala:                   It cost you money to have a day job.

Jill DeWit:                            I’m like, “Uh-oh. Now I’m in trouble.” Then I even went along with that for a little while. I would call in sick and use … I burned up all my vacation time from my regular day job to devote it to my new job. Then when all that ran out, I’m like, “All right, now I got to do something.” You build up your side thing to the point where it really doesn’t make any sense now, and then it’s easy.

I had 18 safety things. I had fall-backs. I already had a huge budget. I already know I have health insurance paid for for the next year. These are things that people think about. This is a big deal in the real world, especially if you’re the main breadwinner and you’ve got a wife at home and kids. The thought of leaving your job to be your own boss and have all that responsibility … Heaven forbid you take on employees. That’s scary as well. Now you got their livelihood in your hands. There’s a lot to think about.

Jack Butala:                   I didn’t tell you this, but I already wrote the basic first-draft steps of “How to Quit Your Day Job” down. You’re describing number two. Make a very intelligent, well-thought-out plan, because you don’t want to get caught with no income or any of that. That’s silly. Then it’ll fail for sure.

Jill DeWit:                            You know what’s interesting?

Jack Butala:                   I didn’t mean to interrupt your story.

Jill DeWit:                            No, it’s all good. One thing that was kind of cool is I always had safety nets. I’ve never left a job that wasn’t on fantastic terms. Every job I’ve left is because I wanted to, and I was going to something bigger and better. Everyone always said, “Man. All right, we hate to lose you. Before you go, can you do this for us, that for us, this for us. If anything changes, please call us.”

I never had to worry, because I always knew I had a fall-back. I never needed it, but boy, it made the jump even that much easier, too. It’s like, “If it all goes sideways …” I knew it wouldn’t.

Jack Butala:                   How much money were you making when you told your boss? When you gave your notice?

Jill DeWit:                            Do you want me to say that?

Jack Butala:                   Yeah, I think. Why not? Let’s be all transparent about it.

Jill DeWit:                            It was 65,000.

Jack Butala:                   No, how much money were you making in your new endeavor?

Jill DeWit:                            Oh.

Jack Butala:                   Did you just wake up one day and say, “What the heck? I’m making twice as much money?” What did you say to yourself? What pushed you over the edge? Did you have a great plan like out number two?

Jill DeWit:                            Wait, say that again.

Jack Butala:                   Did you have a fantastic plan and you implemented it, or did you fall butt backwards into the whole thing and you were printing money?

Jill DeWit:                            Fell backwards into it and was printing money.

Jack Butala:                   We can’t teach that.

Jill DeWit:                            I know. I hate to say it.

Jack Butala:                   That’s not how you teach this.

Jill DeWit:                            I’m sorry.

Jack Butala:                   OK.

Jill DeWit:                            Wait. You know what’s great? I got to share this real quick. Someone called us the “Car Talk” of our world.

Jack Butala:                   I know.

Jill DeWit:                            It’s so true. Think that’s what that just sounded like.

Jack Butala:                   Oh, my gosh.

Jill DeWit:                            I’m sorry. You know what, Steven? This is so good. This is how you know this is real and not rehearsed, because A, I’d have a script and I wouldn’t say something wrong …

Jack Butala:                   You didn’t say anything wrong. I just didn’t expect that.

Jill DeWit:                            OK.

Jack Butala:                   Wait, you fell butt backwards. How did you fall butt backwards into this?

Jill DeWit:                            With you, Steven.

Jack Butala:                   It was built in.

Jill DeWit:                            Getting involved with you.

Jack Butala:                   You know what happened, for the record, is we were just chugging along doing great, and then Jill got involved. She took over someone else’s job, actually. Our results were … We doubled our sales in one month.

Jill DeWit:                            Thanks.

Jack Butala:                   That’s when I … I fell butt backwards into it, too.

Jill DeWit:                            Exactly.

Jack Butala:                   It was stale.

Jill DeWit:                            It was stale?

Jack Butala:                   Land Stay was stale until … You breathed some life into it. Got it all back.

Jill DeWit:                            You know why? Because it sung to me. Here’s the big picture for me, if anyone wants to know my story. I’m not new to real estate. It’s always been in the back of my mind, one of my very, very first jobs when I was 20. I think I was 19, even, when I started. Was working for some developers. My dad was always in real estate, buying and selling. He bought and hold a number of properties. Started in southern California, and then he was doing it in Texas while he was a pilot for American.

It was always in the back of my mind, that this is a good thing. Grant that Orange County … I don’t know why. Maybe it’s my family. I don’t know if it’s there, but it’s just like that’s what you’re supposed to do. If you’re smart, you own real estate, period.

Jack Butala:                   Yeah, I think it’s that way everywhere, yes.

Jill DeWit:                            When this opportunity came along and I got to get involved with you and everything you were doing, it was like I came home. Maybe that’s part of what I’m trying to say here about the quit the day job.

Jack Butala:                   This is a good talk, Jill. I never, never knew any of this about you, really.

Jill DeWit:                            Thank you.

Jack Butala:   Every single month we give away a property for free. It’s super simple to qualify. Two simple steps. Leave us your feedback for this podcast on iTunes and number two, get the free ebook at landacademy.com, you don’t have to read it. Now go buy some property.

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