Can you believe being pregnant at your license exam. New to town. Zero connections?
Yet Taley Hunt generates over $1.3M a year in GCI in under 3 years, closing 145 houses.
The craziest part? She's never spent a SINGLE DOLLAR on online leads.
Her secret? No Zillow. No Facebook or YouTube ads. Just building her brand.
So, I wanted to breakdown and share her exact system...
— Andrew
Playbook
Let's be real. Taley Hunt started with ZERO advantages...
A pregnant military spouse with no connections.
Now? She's generating $1.3M in GCI yearly without spending a dollar on leads.
Today, her business has exploded:
145 deals in year three
$1.3M yearly GCI
50K+ Instagram followers
100+ agent referrals annually
Team of buyer agents with husband as DOO
First millionaire in her family (at 28)
The plot twist? She built it all while raising a newborn, with no childcare in her first year, and has never spent a single dollar on online leads.
THE BREAKTHROUGH
Taley's story doesn't start in real estate.
She was a military spouse who moved to Columbia, SC knowing absolutely nobody. Then found out she was pregnant on the day of her real estate exam.
"I remember calling my mom, and she was like, what are you gonna do? You're not making any money right now. And I said, I'm gonna figure it out."
With a newborn and no childcare, Taley built a different kind of business:
Creating a nationwide agent referral network
Treating past clients like gold
Building a social media presence focused on military families
The results?
From 28 deals her rookie year to 145 transactions and $1.3M GCI in year three.
All while showing houses with a baby on her hip and working during naps.
"From the outside looking in, it's fun, but it wasn't easy, and sometimes it was a little miserable."
THE NO-PAID-LEADS STRATEGY
"All of our business is from three places: agent referrals, database, and social media."
Here's exactly how Taley built her lead-gen machine:
1) The Agent Referral Network
Taley hacked the agent referral game to become Columbia's go-to agent:
Facebook Group Mining: Joined real estate groups and watched for anyone mentioning Columbia
Strategic Connection: "I lead generate agents the same way I lead generate clients"
Referral Network Building: Created a Google form for her "Taley's Referral Network"
Consistent Nurturing: Regular Starbucks gift cards to referring agents
Relationship First: "Relationship first. We've never paid for an online lead, sold 450 houses in the last four years."
This approach generates over 100 agent referrals annually — about 30% of her total business.
2) Database Gold Mine
Taley's database strategy is methodical:
DTD2 System: Every person gets at least four meaningful touches yearly
Client Events: 5-6 events annually (often vendor-sponsored)
Pop-Bys: Regular small gifts and in-person visits
Long-Term Mindset: "From one agent referral, I'll probably do six or seven deals"
This generated HALF of her total business last year! From people she already knew.
Unlike most agents, Taley didn't just post listings:
Personal + Professional: Showed both real estate and life as a mom
Military Focus: Specialized content for Fort Jackson families
Neighborhood Expertise: Regular content about specific Columbia areas
Pink Branding: Created a signature look people recognize instantly
Consistency Over Perfection: "I post content every single day"
"Because our leads are driven organically, our conversion rate is a lot higher than if we were having to pitch ourselves every day."
THE WORK-LIFE INTEGRATION
“I sold my first house in February, and I had my daughter in March, and that year I had no childcare."
Most agents would take it slow. Taley went all in:
The First Year Reality:
Carried her baby to showings
Worked exclusively during naps
Had client calls with baby on lap
Wrote contracts during midnight feedings
"I remember doing a zoom call once, and she was sitting on my lap, and the entire time she pulled my hair. I was so frustrated."
The Strategic Leverage:
As her business grew, Taley added key support:
First Hire: Childcare (6 hours daily) "When I got leverage, I didn't use it for luxury. I used it to lean into my business and to lead generate more."
Second Hire: Transaction coordinator
Home Support System:
Person who does laundry and house management
Cleaning company bi-weekly
Yard and pet services
"I have somebody who comes over every single day to my house, and they make the bed and they do the laundry and they clean and they run errands for me."
The Mom Guilt Factor: "I definitely felt guilty about that. You know, shouldn't I want to be home more with my child?"
Her perspective shift: "I'm also teaching my daughter what it looks like to be able to stand on her own two feet, to never have to depend on someone for anything”.
THE HUSBAND PARTNERSHIP
"It is definitely our business. It's not mine. I might be the face, I might be the brand, but it's ours because, without him, I couldn't do any of it."
The game-changer in Taley's business came when her husband Jordan left the Army to join her:
The Transition Challenges:
Going from Army officer to supporting his wife's business
Identity struggles with the new role
First 6 months of friction figuring out responsibilities
The Strategic Solution:
Focusing on his strengths (systems, operations, finance)
Creating clear lanes of responsibility
Getting him his own operations coach
Giving him ownership of wealth-building initiatives
The Results:
Saved $150K+ in taxes through his financial strategies
Built investment portfolio to create wealth
Created systems to support business scale
Allowed Taley to focus solely on sales and team leadership
"He makes the world turn like it doesn't turn without him."
THE TEAM EVOLUTION
Taley built her team in strategic phases:
Year 1 (2021): Solo Agent Survival Mode
28 transactions ($7.2M volume)
No support staff
No systems
No childcare
Year 2 (2022): First Leverage Points
Added childcare
Hired transaction coordinator
Grew to 86 transactions ($23.5M volume)
Started doing more listings (24 total)
Year 3 (2023): Scale Mode
Full-time TC
Virtual Assistant
Showing partner
145 transactions
$1.3M GCI
40 listings
Year 4 (2024): Team Transformation
Husband as Director of Operations
Multiple buyer agents
Focus on listings personally
Projected 160+ transactions
Her Team Philosophy: "I can teach you how to do a deal. I can't teach you loyalty, honesty, character, and culture."
"My organizational chart is currently set up where it's me who is doing the majority of the listings, and then I'm passing buyers off to my agents."
THE MINDSET SHIFT
"I could have never imagined where I would be at today. I just wanted to sell 10 houses, and that felt like a mountain."
Taley's mental approach evolved through distinct phases:
The Survival Mindset: "I just wanted to sell 10 houses that year. I ended up selling 28 houses that year."
The Growth Mindset: "When I sold 28 my first year, my next goal was 40, and that felt like there's no way I can do it."
The Abundance Mindset: "I never thought, ever, that we would make enough money to build wealth. It was just, let's pay off debt, and now it's like, Let's build wealth."
The Legacy Mindset: "I'm also teaching my daughter what it looks like to be able to stand on her own two feet, to never have to depend on someone for anything."
THE FUTURE VISION
"There's a day in my life when I'm done with real estate work by 12 o'clock. That day will be here in the next two years."
Taley is building three specific outcomes:
1) Work-Optional by 40
Building a self-sustaining team
Creating passive income through investments
Developing systems that run without her daily input
2) Wealth Building Beyond Transactions
Strategic tax planning
Real estate investment portfolio
Building generational wealth
Husband leads their investment strategy
3) The 4-Hour Workday
"There will be a day in my life when I'm done with real estate work by 12 o'clock. That day will be here in the next two years."
"It will have taken me years of working 50+ hour weeks to get there."
YOUR PLAYBOOK TAKEAWAYS
"Look forward, not far. Have the vision, but don't look so far that all you can see is the potholes."
1) Start With Relationships, Not Tech
You don't need paid leads to build a multi-million dollar business. Taley built hers through:
Agent referral networks
Past client nurturing
Strategic social media
Community connection
2) Leverage Everything (Including Home Life)
First hire should give you time back
Home support is as important as work support
Childcare isn't a luxury, it's a business necessity
Outsource everything that isn't dollar-productive
3) Focus On What's Working, Not What's New
Double down on your strongest lead sources
Don't chase every shiny new platform
Consistency beats novelty every time
Build systems around your successful activities
4) Build Your Business For The Long Game
Short-term hustle, long-term systems
Create wealth beyond commission checks
Train your replacement before you need one
Think in decades, not quarters
"Do the work and know that the business will come."
THE BOTTOM LINE
Taley Hunt isn't successful because she's special.
She's successful because she refuses to make excuses.
No sphere? She built one through agent referrals. No childcare? She worked during naps. No systems? She created them as she went. No team? She built one person at a time.
"I'm gonna figure it out" wasn't just what she told her mom.
It's the mindset that built her entire business.
If Taley can go from pregnant at her licensing exam to $1.3M GCI in three years without a single paid lead...
What's your excuse? Watch our complete conversation with Taley now.
Meet Will Sawyer, a real estate powerhouse who transformed his business from $26 million to $48 million in volume in just one year, closing over 100 deals in 2024.
Will was on the verge of quitting real estate entirely when he decided to bet on himself for 12 months. That decision led him to YouTube, which now generates an incredible 48% of his business after only 18 months of creating content!
His "one video = one closing" formula that's changing the game
How he targets empty nesters instead of first-time homebuyers
The content strategy that led to his biggest sale ever ($4M)
Why being somewhat introverted is actually his secret weapon on camera
How he built a business that he "enjoys the suck of"
His transition from struggling agent to leading a small, effective team
The Lake Keowee niche that became a goldmine despite knowing little about it initially
Will shares candidly about the personal transformation: "Not only have I grown professionally, but who I am now versus five years ago is two different people."
His story proves that consistent content creation and strategic client targeting can completely transform your real estate business.
Search 'Breaking and Building Leaders Will Sawyer' on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform to listen to the full episode now!
In partnership with ella:
Did you know that for every $1 you spend on email, the return is $36?
Email is the highest ROI marketing channel, and past clients are 63% more likely to refer you if they receive regular emails.
So, why do many agents still treat email as the red-headed stepchild in their marketing strategy?
That’s why Chris Smith and I partnered to launch ella, the only email marketing agent built for agents.
ella builds a hyper-local email newsletter for you:
Research
Write
Design
Send
So, if you want to turn your database into more listing appointments and get a hyper-local email newsletter built for you, then check out ella!
Packaging (Topic + Title + Thumbnails) of the Week
11x - The REAL COST of Investing in Property in {COUNTRY}! $$$ LOSS?!
4.3x - {CITY} vs {CITY}: Which {REGION} City is Better?
2.9x - {REGION}'s Hottest New Developments: What’s Coming in {YEAR}
2.1x - Inside a Super Rich Gated Community in {CITY} (Exclusive Access!)
4.6x - Everything NEW or COMING SOON to {PLACE} in {YEAR}
5.4x - 20 BIG THINGS Coming to {CITY} in {YEAR}!
3.1x - Inside {STATE}'s MOST AFFORDABLE Beach Town: {PLACE}
2.1x - What’s It Like Being a HOMEOWNER in {CITY, STATE}?
2.2x - Is Downtown {CITY, STATE} Right for You? Discover the Best Homes in the Heart of the City!
2.3x - A Major Turn for the Housing Market (Buyers in CONTROL) | {MONTH} {YEAR} Update
6.1x - Do NOT Buy a New Home in {CITY} Right Now (HERE’S WHY!)
3.6x - The Ultimate Relocation Guide When Moving to {CITY} in {YEAR}
I hope these help inspire your next video!
Rapid Fire For Your Consumption:
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Check the boxes home tour idea for IG.
Local email newsletters are starting to takeover even smaller markets ex. Palmetto Parents, Naperville Brief and Scottsdale Scoop.
From zero to $30M/YR ARR on why content & brand are the best lead, client & talent acquisition long term.
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0 to $25B lessons from Hubspot CEO Brian Halligan - business is a perpetual state of constructive dissatisfaction.
44 harsh truths about human nature from Raval Navikant.
Why the small investments of time with loved ones matter immensely.
Which content did you like best this week?
That’s it for this one!
I’m curious if you’re liking the direction of these newsletters!
My goal is to give you all the resources so you don’t need to buy expensive leads, and can generate your own at scale by building a hyper-local brand with content.
Hopefully this helps!
Andrew Bayon
P.S. Want to grow your hyper-local YouTube channel this year? Book Your YouTube Strategy Call Today.
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