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Welcome to Action Solves Everything, the show for those who want to stop overthinking and start producing. I'm your host, Alex Montagu, broker, leader and founder of Lockstep Realty. Around here, we believe movement creates momentum. Clarity comes from doing. And the agents who take action are the ones who win. Every episode is built to help you grow your skills, your confidence, and your career. Now let's get to work. Welcome to another episode of Action Solves Everything. I've got a fellow Butler bulldog in the house. Logan Sanford. He jumped in the real estate business. He got licensed when he was a senior at Butler. Been in the business since 2021, and boy, have you gained a lot of ground. Fast closed just over 9 1/2 million dollars in 2025. On pace to do well over $10 million in 2026. Building a monster business alone. Logan. What's up, dude? Go Dogs. Hey, Alex. Yeah, go Dogs, man. It's good seeing you. Yeah, dude, this. I'm. I'm really excited for today's conversation. I mean, you and I haven't had a bunch of time to spend together, but I see you out there winning every day in the marketplace. How's it going? It's good. It's good, man. Yeah, it's one of those. I was actually thinking about this last night when I was preparing for a little bit. I'm like, I think we've only met maybe once in person, but it's like, I know we've ran in, like, been in probably the same room multiple times. And then the mutual connections through real estate, but also through Butler is probably endless. So it's finally good to actually sit down and talk. Yeah, dude. What talk about that? You get licensed when you're a senior in college. What sparked your interest and what steered you down that path? Yeah, no, it's a good question. I am probably a little bit of a unicorn in the sense that I didn't have family or even mentor or family friend in the real estate at all growing up. I grew up in a family of educators. My mom worked in higher ed. My dad was a teacher before he got into a sales position. And then a lot of my family was, you know, more nine to five. So I. My freshman year at Butler, I actually went to Just a Call. I mean, it's one of those. I knew Butler was always my dream school, but I was fortunate to get a scholarship that I could actually go there my senior year. And I knew I wanted to just do something entrepreneurial, but I didn't really have a clue on what, what I wanted to do with it. So went to a call out meeting my freshman year where I was like, hey, interested in starting a real estate club. And it was a senior at the time and she was like, I mean, obviously at the end of her college experience, but she was like a fourth generation realtor from Chicago. Knew she like the day she graduated, she went back already was licensed and like knew she was going to do that for the rest of her life. So it was cool getting to, I mean there was a few guest speakers that we had that I've actually done deals with now. So that was like a cool full circle moment. But we had, you know, commercial brokers, property managers, I mean asset management, all a different, a range of different speakers. So that was where my love for real estate really started. But even at that level, I still didn't really know what I wanted to do until actually got licensed because it was Covid. So I was in my senior house and doing remote classes and I was like, I gotta, I gotta do something and stay busy. And ended up starting that 90 hour course and got licensed February of my senior year. So yeah, I'm just curious, what is Covid like for a college kid trapped in a college house? See, it's, it's. I, I've got that quite a few especially like close. I mean it's been five years now since I graduated. Like that was a huge question. Like around graduation I, I mean it was definitely different, but I really felt bad for the underclassmen, so like the freshmen and sophomores, because all of my friends I had already met and all of my friends that I'd met were freshman sophomore year playing basketball at the HRC or Hinkle and joining real estate club. Like doing all these clubs where once Covid happened, all these underclassmen either got sent home or were locked in their dorm and couldn't do anything. So like, it was definitely different for us. Like, I mean just the more of the social interaction and like hanging out with friends and then obviously the classroom, you know, having to do social distancing or even just doing fully remote or hybrid classes. But I mean I, I definitely felt for like the freshman sophomores and then now going back and doing like mock interviews and stuff. I mean there's some really impressive kids, but there's also a lot that I've noticed that without that, you know, social interaction and you know, not even just being glued to their phone, but just not having the opportunity to do as much even now. And it's, you know, it's been five, six years. Like, I've. I've still saw some of those effects too. It's crazy. So you get licensed, you graduate, and you jump into the real estate world. I got in in 2025 or when I was 25, in 2012. And so I'd be curious what, like, your first six months was like, what your first year was like as an agent especially, you know, in your early 20s trying to make work. Yeah, yeah. No, it was. I mean, I remember. So the first year I. So I graduated, my wife and me actually bought our first home. She's a few years older and I have high school sweethearts. We bought our first home while I was in college. Guy was working a few jobs before I got licensed and then she was already working full time and had moved to Indy. So we done that, did that, graduated, got my license right before. And then we got married all within like three months. Wow. And got the dog. Like, it was definitely the storybook of every single thing. So there was. It was a busy time. And I feel like, I mean, was one of those just like, hit the ground running, get thrown in the fire and learn as you go. At that time, I wasn't with Real, which is who I'm with now. I was actually with Live Indy before, you know, now Live Indies, you know, kind of rebranded and has like the realty side as well. But that was whenever we were really focusing on the property management side and a much smaller company. So that was really my first exposure was more on the property management investment circle. And, you know, had did that from essentially full time, like May of graduation until end of the year 21. And that's when I just. I mean, it was one of those, like, where their business model was going this way and my goals are going this way. And it was no hard feelings. Like, I'm still friends with them today. And it was just more of like my realty side really started picking up towards the end, like that Q3, Q4 of. Of that year. And you know, the property manager, they were really wanting to grow and they were doing, you know, they were real, they were growing it. So, yeah, it was. I mean, those first six months, I think were definitely a lot different than probably most Realtors, Just probably just stage of my life, stage of, you know, my sphere and people that I were focused on and then also really getting starting with the investment versus the retail and owner occupied. I will say, look, we're like five minutes into this conversation, but I started. I was 25 years old and I went broke in my first eight months. For six months, I had to call a friend and get a loan. And I think probably the difference simply between where you were and how you were building something and where I was in my life was just a level of maturity. Like, I could tell right now you were showing up to work a whole hell of a lot different than I was in my first six months. I tell the joke like, I worked for Century 21 and I worked downtown, and I would, like, roll into the office at, like, noon, and I would. I mean, I always forgot my computer. So, like, I would drive 20 minutes to the office. I'd get there, nobody's there. I wouldn't have my computer. And I'd be like, well, I'm going home. And it was like, a rude awakening when I went broke, called for a loan, and was like, I have no prospects, no money, no pipeline, no nothing, no pendings. I'm in trouble. But it was like, it was a real eye opener. So, like, what, for you early on, like, was your aha moment, kick in the butt, like, motivator for you? Because, man, you've grown fast. You're young, you got a great demographic, and you got a great head on your shoulders. You have a ton of knowledge about this stuff. Like, what was it for you that was a real driver and a push for you? Yeah, that's. I mean, it's a good question. I think there's multiple answers, but I think the first thing that just comes to mind is, like, mentorship. I mean, I. And that was something I always. I mean, I've always, like, a lot of my family and friends, I've known for a while, call me an old soul. Like, I'm a very routine person. But also, even my friends, like, in college were, like, you know, called me an old man. So I was. There was definitely stuff on maturity things, and even in college that I think I was doing. But I think part of it was because of the mentors. Like, I, you know, at a young age, even, like, in middle school, whether it's through church or sports or school, like, always just tried to seek people that were, you know, where I wanted to be. And even. I think the thing about mentorship, that a lot of people don't realize, it's like, it doesn't always have to be that retired person with the fancy shiny car and the beach house. Like, it can be somebody sitting next to you in class. Like, ultimately, I mean, that's something. I mentor a lot of younger agents now, and I'm like, you Know, a common thing I hear is, well, you know, everybody that I know is still renting or they're in grad school or they don't, you know, job security is not there, they're not married, like, all of that, and it's. Yeah, that's a thing. But also, who else is in their, you know, sphere of parents or, you know, build that relationship genuinely and it's gonna pay off in the, you know, and even if it's not, maybe in what you consider the short term. So that was something too. Like, I really. The mentorship, like, even with people that were maybe my age or even just a little older. But I think that was. That was definitely something that was a big driver. And then, I mean, my support system. My wife, she's. She works as an academic advisor for nursing programs. So she's definitely got a, you know, completely different field and more of like a 9 to 5 set schedule. But I mean, she's been, you know, this with Maureen and having two little ones, like, if you don't have a supportive system in this industry, like, you can quickly either get burnt out or just not succeed. So I think those are two big things that. That definitely helped. Yeah. I remember early on when I. When Maureen and I met, it was like I was at a season of life where I wasn't looking for that. And it was just like, here's who I am. Here's what's important to me, here's what my work life is right now, and here's why it is that. And she was like, yeah, my dad worked really, really hard. Like, that's admirable. And it was like, oh, like, you're not getting, like, torn away from the things that you're passionate about. And look, I say the biggest decision you. You can make in your life is your spouse. Like, it's. It just is that. And the supportive one that pushes and challenges you and like, picks you up off the mat when you're down and is encour. Like, it makes this all a lot easier. And you know, interestingly enough, like, I have an investment property I've been working on. It's been a. A ton of challenge. And like, it's the first time I've, like, done a deal and actually felt like I've missed. And I don't, like, this is what I do for a living. And. And you do too. So it's like you don't miss often when you're like, playing in the space and like, I'll come home and I'll feel defeated. And I'll be frustrated and share that. And it's like, like, well, it's not that big a deal. Just do what you're supposed to do. Reduce the price, get this moved, get it sold, and move on. And it's like, it's nice to have that person in your corner that's just patting you on the back and encouraging you to keep going, because, like, some days in this industry, it's tough, and you're not being pulled away from doing something that you love. And so, like, even if it's like, client work or, you know, helping other agents in our office, it's like, Maureen supports that instead of being like, hey, what about me? And look, I built a lot of boundaries around, like, the things in my life that are important. So, like, there's time for me to be. To lead our agents. There's times for me to do my investment side, but there's also time built in that is scheduled for me to be a husband and a dad. And I don't negotiate on that stuff. Yeah, I see your. Your mom is. Helps around the office, too, right? So you got that support system, which is really cool. Yeah, my. So my mom and dad moved here in 2020, and my mom had, like, been kicking the tires. She's just a worker bee. She's a hustler. She's a hard worker. She has, like, a sales background. It's, like, in her blood. It's who I get it from. And I had always been like, yeah, we got to find a job for you. We got to find a job for you. And she was a primary caregiver for my dad, and my dad passed away. It'll be three years ago, July 23, and we were sitting there after my brother was there, and we were, like, putting all my dad's stuff away and, like, trying to pick up the pieces on what. What loss will do to you. And. And I was like, mom, I don't know what else to do for you other than to offer you a job right now and just tell you that if you want it, you can come have my community of work that does so much for me, and I think it could do so much for you. And she, like, was like, okay, I. I don't really know what I'll be able to do. And we. I was like, maybe you'll get your license. Maybe. Well, now she runs, like, our event planning, and, like, she ran a meeting today that was, like, 25 minutes long for our whole team about our, you know, our lockstep team party and I'm like, man, like, she's really. It's not like you're just here because you're my mom, but like, you do a really good job and she's really passionate about it. It's fun. It makes work good, you know? Yeah. And your coworkers, I mean, I'm sure she's became family to a lot of them, but you're. I actually was listening to one of your episodes and I can't remember who it was with later or last week. But another thing to talk about that really stuck to whenever I heard and I honestly replayed it and it related to me and I instantly remember the moment that this happened to me is you were talking about with Marine, I think you were at dinner and we're helping one of her friends write the offer. And she was like, can you just give me a few minutes of my attention? Like that. That was one of the eye opening moments in my career. And I vividly remember, like it was a summer day, our first house, our first year we were there. So like probably, I think it was probably 20, 22. And I was just, we were at the dinner table and my wife, she was doing like grad school at the time, getting her master's. So she was busy too, working full time. And, and that was before we had my daughter

Winnie. But I mean, we were both very busy. And it was finally like 8: 13:42

30pm rolls around and we finally are at the dinner table and like have some time where we can just catch up. And it had been a few days since we had had that and I was just on my phone complaining about this. I think it was a client that was relocating from out of state, so different time zone. But I kept, you know, complaining and my, I mean, Izzy, she's really good at like supportive and just giving me like, I. I feel like she's my chat GPT sometime of like asking her, hey, does this text look good or what do you think? Or how approaching this the right way? And she finally just looked up and was like, are you responding to that? Because I was basically complaining, like, why are they still bothering me? And

it's 8: 14:20

30pm they just keep blowing me up. She's like, well, did you respond? And I was like, yeah. She's like, so you're setting the expectation that that's okay. Like that's your boundary, that you, you're not setting the boundary. Even though you think you are in your mind, but you're not. And that was like a first of like, all right, I really need to get intentional with. With boundary setting and, you know, making sure, like you said, there's non negotiables, and a lot of that's revolved around family. Man, I love that you were sharing earlier before we jumped on here. Number two's on the way for you a couple weeks away. Can you talk about some of the boundaries that you have in place today? Because the challenge with the growing business in an abundant mindset is like, you're hungry to help, you're hungry to serve, but also there is some sort of commitment at home, you know, in some design and some, you know, architecture of what that life's supposed to look like. So, like, what does it look like for you? Like, how do you do all that you do, and how do you accomplish everything that you're doing while still, like, holding the line on these things that are so important for you? Yeah, man, there's not a perfect formula. I'm still definitely trying to figure it out, just to be transparent. But I. I think. I mean, a big thing with me is I know you guys have the. One of the themes of, like, grow together. And I. I mean, that's one of my, you know, biggest passions and themes and especially mentoring other agents and just collaborating with other agents, even if it's not mentorship. But I think sometimes people get it wrong about grow together. Like, you have to have boundaries and healthy boundaries to be able to grow together. So I. I'm. There's a very much, you know, like you said, the hungry hunger to serve, and I'm a people pleaser. So, I mean, especially early on and even sometimes still today, I Very much. It's like, all right, I shouldn't answer that call. And I can wait. It's not brain surgery or heart surgery, but it really, like, sometimes I do it and it compromises my family time. But I've really started being more intentional on. Hey, here is the times that I'm not gonna have my phone. I. I'm pretty rare and more of like, I don't work a lot of weekends. I mean, I definitely during the week, it can be early mornings, evenings. But I. I'm pretty pretty strict on not working most Sundays. And if it is, it's more computer work than showings or. I mean, I don't do really open houses or anything like that anymore. And I mean, Sunday just for church, but also just to kind and spend a lot of time with not only Izzy and Lenny, but even some of my other extended family too, or friends. So that's been really good on just Those days of, you know, I mean, you know, this leading a huge team and even if you're not more in the day to day sales as much anymore, but like it can. The burnout can happen really quick and even just happen overnight with maybe it's a deal or maybe another agent or maybe just something that you couldn't foresee. Like there's just so many uncontrollables in our industry. So have having those days that you can to. And it's not, I mean, it's not like I don't. The days I'm busy, I still, I love my job and love what I do, but it's more of just like, all right, you know, more of that work to live, not live to work kind of mindset is, is what I try to live by. Yeah. And look like a servant's heart, like it's a benefit. But if you're constantly pouring other people from your cup to fill theirs, yours eventually becomes empty. So it's like it's human nature to, to run out of gas. Like you can't run the, the Porsche pedal to the floor as hard as it goes forever. At some point you have to stop it, you have to service it, you have to put gas in it. And I figured something out early in my career and it was really good for me. Like, I would run so hard when I was rooted in town. Like, if I was in town, I took every opportunity and it was, it was like a, it was done by design. It was like it met one of my goals of building a recession proof business. And it was like if there was an opportunity to say yes and I was in Indianapolis, I was, it came ahead of every single thing. And that was just a season of life I was in. And I learned that like, if I didn't get on an airplane every 30 to 45 days, I would crash out. And it was like I would all of a sudden be like insanely emotional inside my transactions, like everything was a war. And then I became lazy in my negotiation tactics to the standpoint of like, I was like, I'll just give my client the thousand dollars of commission instead of negotiating it. Or I would give it up over an inspection and my client would be happy and everybody would win, but I would just do that to just move the flywheel to keep it going. And so like, when I started taking breaks, it was like, man, I feel like ready to get back. I feel ready to get back. And now I have a really interesting work calendar. And I was recently talking to a guy who's a powerhouse marketer nationally. And he was like, talk to me about what your days look like. And it was like, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, my alarm goes off at five in the morning. I'm up, I'm out the door to go work out. I get home, I spend the morning getting my kids together, whether we're taking them to school or whether somebody's coming to the house to help. And then I go to the office

and then I go home at 4:30 or 5: 19:20

00'. Clock. And when I get home, like, I rarely bring my computer. Even if there's something I want to do, I don't bring my computer home. And from 5 to 8, when we put our kids to bed, like, I try to be there, I try to play with them or spend, you know, catch up with Maureen. And then they go to bed and like, then that's my time to be a husband. And so I think so much of this is, you know, when I was sharing this with the guy, he looks at me and he was like, so you're up at 5, you start work at 8, and you finish work at 5. And then there's these other hours. And I was like, yeah, don't even think about asking me to work between 5 and 8pm or 5 and 9pm or 5. And like, I'm just not going to do that. I'm not. That's not the season of life I'm in. I'm not interested in that. And that won't do anything for me other than create more mountains that I'm not interested in hiking right now. And I also believe I can accomplish every other thing that I want to in my life while having all of that. And he just looks at me and he goes, I'm not going to ask you to work more. I'm actually going to tell you congratulations for having that clarity. Like, good for you. And it's something I'm really proud of. And look, you're entering seasonal life. With kids, it gets harder and harder because the demand of being a great dad we put on ourselves becomes more and more challenging. But look, I'm appreciative of Maureen. She loves the effort. My kids know I care. Sometimes it's like, hey, dad, did you hear what I just said? I'm like, all right, say that again and I'll do better. But, yeah, look, it's the reason why we do this, man. It's like, there's always more deals, there's always more opportunity, but there is not. I mean, my kids seem like they were born Yesterday they turned four. A couple days ago it's like, what in the world? Yeah. Yeah, you blinked. Yeah, you blinked and that happened. Yeah, no, it's. I, I guess I'm. I mean I probably work more evenings than you do and maybe some other agents, but I, I've really, what I've really enjoyed with just my schedule and some of that flexibility, or maybe not flexibility, but just being intentional on the boundary setting is like. There's some days like Lenny, she's in preschool right now and you know, she normally ends at 1pm, so it's a little odd on like timing and she's still actually taking naps, so. And Izzy, I'm fortunate she works fully remote, which is nice. But you know, that's something like a lot of times in the afternoon or the more like in the mornings before school. Like those are, I mean, my time and during the day, you know, I can really focus on hanging out with her and, and doing a lot of that. So it's. Yeah, I definitely, that what you had mentioned, that's definitely the Jim Wilson mentality of the four. I always remember the first, like one of the first times I met Jim, he was. And it kind of amazed me because at that point I was always taught like, you're gonna work every evening or every night or if you, you know, don't get caught up during the day, like you're on the computer at 10pm or at 6am and he was always like, yeah, I'm. I'm a dad even, you know, and he was in the thick of like sport, like high school sports with his daughter and son and talked about like, he's like, I rarely bring my computer home at after five. It's kind of like I always tell my wife, if you're gonna buy that snack at the grocery and it's gonna be in our pantry, I'm gonna eat it. But if it's not in there, I'm not thinking about it. And it's kind of the same thing with like the laptop or whatever that laptop is for somebody's job. Like you know, a work phone or whatever it is. Like if, if it's not there, a lot of times you're not thinking about it. I think too, to your conversation earlier, like, we have to train our clients to understand what kind of boundaries exist for the people that we are too. When I was a single dude working

from 5: 22:55

30 in the morning till 11 o' clock at night, ripping every phone call possible non stop around the clock, 100 phone calls a day, like that was what the ex, like, that's how I taught my clients how to treat me. And so when I would get stressed and burnt out, like you're saying earlier, it's because I taught them to treat me that way. And now like our agents on our team know, it'll be like, hey, I'll get a text. Hey, Alex, are you free for a call? I know it's bath time, but it's really important. That to me is like fire drill. It's like, yeah, I'll call you as soon as the kids are down. Yeah. So, you know, it's like you get what you tolerate and you need to treat people how to treat you. And I do believe this industry and this business will give you what you want, but you have to work for it. You know, I. We talked to Jim a couple weeks ago and it was incredible how hard he's drawn the line on what kind of dad and husband he is and friend to so many. And it's like it comes with time and it comes with work, but you can have it, that's for sure. Yeah, yeah. No, it's 100% right. I mean, I, I guess I've. And it's not where it's. I'm at the point where I like client wise or business wise, that it's like I'm always looking to grow. Not even just with volume, but like, how can I, you know, grow? Like personal development, professional development. But I mean, one thing that, and I think, I mean, probably a big part of it has been my wife, Izzy and just some other mentors on. It's like if the client doesn't understand that I'm a dad and husband and, you know, I like to hang out with friends or play basketball or do whatever that is. Like, I, I probably don't want to work with them anyways or it's probably not going to work out. It's. It's always one of those too. I, there's so many agen I work with or maybe I've mentored or I've mentored me of like the, I mean, especially whenever I first got into this industry of the phone call, like the inspection phone call that you have to make another agent or to the, hey, the buyer's backing out, the call you have to make the seller. Like, there's always some of those. And I used to build it up. So like, well, all right, I'm going to go through seven options on what my client's going to say or what this agent's going to say and I have to be ready for each. And it was always just like, just kind of. I mean, what you're. What we're, what we've been talking about is like, take action. Like just make the phone call. And 90% of the time their reaction is okay, yeah, like we're good. Or if it's not, we'll figure it out. So it's always just that build up that I think a lot of people fear. And I mean, I'm still guilty of it, but getting over that is important too. There's an old line from the stoicism books. We suffer more in imagination than in reality. How fast can you take action against the problem that you're facing to just get on the other side of it? It, like, if you're making the story about what somebody's going to do, why don't you just do it and let them show you what their response is anyway so then you can actually solve the problem that's going to exist, if there even is one. And I love thinking about that and it helps create perspective around everything too. But. So you jump in hair on fire for a handful of years. Where did you learn to be so gritty? You had talked about some of this small town mentality. I'd love to hit on that a little bit. Like, what makes you, you like talk a little bit about that? Yeah, yeah. I mean, I, I mean, running my business. I think probably by, I mean, I did a little bit of like lead generation those first few years and it's not where I don't do any now, but I've never like bought Zillow leads or done any, you know, that or even like specifically done cold calling Opal. Like it's, I've been fortunate, especially after like year two and a half. We're probably two and a half years in like pretty much all sphere referral, word of mouth. And I think it's just like, I mean I, I feel like probably a lot of people say this but like intentionally and genuinely just building relationships. Like, I'm a pretty simple person. There's also, I mean, I think my systems are fairly good, but I definitely can improve on a lot. But to that, like, I've kind of embraced the part of like sometimes it's just that consistent momentum of, you know, all right, I still, you know, birthday text, anniversary texts, like, like, you know, if they're having kids, like noted, you know, just stuff like that and not even, like, I mean, I even do it for clients. You know, I've had, I've had A few clients reply to me like, hey, you know, we just bought our forever home. Why? Like, you don't have to, like, I mean they, they said in a joking way because we had their relationship. But like, you don't have to check in every few months because, you know, or we're not, we, we will send you referrals, like, but it's never where I've asked that. It's just like I truly care, like, try to just truly care about the person and the business and the good karma will follow and. But yeah, I think the small town, I mean, I grew up in a town of 6,000 people. Liberty, Indiana, like right on the Ohio border, Eastern Indiana. And it's like a two stop light town. Everybody. If you don't know the person, you know their last name or, you know, probably a family member of them, which I think there's a, you know, a lot of good in that community and the accountability and just honestly, sometimes the slower pace, especially in the world we live in today, like, I think a lot of people view it as a bad thing and it's not. But there also is the cons of, you know, if you know everybody. There's part of that, I mean, Valparaiso, I don't know how, I mean, you're a lot bigger than where I grew up, but it's still a relatively small town compared to, you know, some other surrounding areas. And you know, that's, that's part of it, of the, I guess the gritty part of like, all right, focus on what's important for, you know, my family, what's important for myself. And if there's people that don't believe in that or doubting, like, you're always going to have that no matter what you do. So seeing both sides of that coin of the small town mentality I think has helped me where I'm at today. There's, there's a, there's a saying painted on the wall in the back of our office and it says hard work works. And you know, I was a, I walked on to play baseball at Butler. I didn't get a scholarship. And when I got there, I was the worst. I mean I was, I sucked so bad. And we had like, we had an open tryout and I was like, I'm gonna get cut. Like, there's people at an open tryout that are better than me as a preferred walk on who has a roster spot. Like, they're just gonna take. Like, I sucked. And the only way do anything. I was a catcher and so it's like you get this big catcher bag. Nobody likes to catch bullpens or anything. And it was like, well, I suck, so I need to practice. So I caught everyone's bullpen all the time, and I was the first person there to throw batting practice, the last person always to leave. And what was interesting is, like, as I got passed over for opportunities early on, I just kept getting better because I kept practicing all the time. And so it's like, if you. Whatever it is in life that you want to accomplish, you cannot achieve the goals that you set unless you do the work that it takes to achieve those goals. And look, there's some folks in our industry that roll out of bed and they're supremely talented at what they do, or they have an unbelievable network because they grew up here. But for guys like you and I, I didn't. And look, when I dove into the business at 25, I was an idiot. And I thought going to broaderpool was prospecting. And, you know, it was like, it wasn't. It was like, hey, just because you just bought got 20 fireball shots, it does not mean you're getting a referral. Like, you have to care. You have to be a good person. But when I started creating downward momentum and success in our business, I remember in 2013, I put like, $5 million of business under contract in, like, four months. And like, I had gone from broke to that, because being broke will. Will do that. But I remember telling somebody, they're like, man, real estate's tough, isn't it? And I was like, honestly, if you show up every day, if you smile to people and you actually care about them, it is a very, very simple job. And I still believe that. It's like, if you actually develop the relationships with people, they will want to support you. And it's like you said the small things, but it's like, man, forever. I didn't care about social media. What I use social media for was to congratulate somebody in a thread about a post in their family. So, like, lifestyle events. And it was like, those things, like, actually caring about people. And, dude, I love the fact that you talk about, like, small towns slowing down, like it's the next scroll. How, like, TikTok is literally designed to keep you addicted to how fast you can see more bullshit. And so, like, dude, I love that you know that you fall into that. And I think it's been a huge key to your success, man. Congratulations on all that. Yeah, no, I appreciate that. I like the hard work. Hard work. I Mean, that reminds me real like our number one core value is work hard, be kind. And like, I remember whenever I first joined, it's like there's a lot of, of, you know, companies like core values that are pretty simple. But this, it was the first time where it was like, all right, they're actually like seen from C Suite down, like living by it. But also it is just like, right. Some days you can overcomplicate every single thing and it's like, or the distractions, I mean, talking about like the TikToks or that, like there's just so much distraction. But you know, at the end of the day, a lot of times I look back and it's like personal and professional. Like, did I work hard and was I kind? And it's like a lot of times if you're doing both of those, even if it's a day that maybe you didn't get a lot of like the wins that are maybe measurable in terms of like volume or sales or whatever you're measuring, like, but if you actually follow those, it's like, all right, it's, let's control. I always, you know, talk to a lot of times with clients because I mean, you know, this, it can get very emotional at times. And I always tell people I'm like a part time realtor and full time therapist sometimes. But like managing those emotions can be hard. And one of the things I repeat a lot of times is like control the controllables. Like there's, there's, there's certain things that we can't control and that's not an excuse. I think sometimes people say that just because it's excuse or they're lazy. Like there are a lot of things sometimes where it's like, yeah, you can control that, but what can we control? And that's effort and how you treat people. So yeah, I was listening to a Nick Saban thing yesterday and he said it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. And it's like, it's so simple and it's so easy to lose sight of that every day, right? Like when you get into November and December and you set your goals for the following year. Nobody says, I want to be a nicer person. As realtors, we just throw a metric on the board. We set an income goal, a volume goal. I want to help X number of families. And there's intentionality behind all of it, right? Like some sort of lifestyle need. But it's like, how do you live in your own Personal core values every day and stay true to those. And I think that's what makes getting off the mat on the hard days easier, is it's like, I'm true to myself. I'm not trying to be somebody I'm not or I'm not. Like, I'm doing this for the right reasons. Or if I'm feeling frustration, it's because I actually care about my wife and I don't love the uncontrollable that's happening. So I'm doing my best. I think those things matter so much, especially in a job like ours that can be so volatile and can be so challenging. Yeah, I think with. I think with the goal setting, a lot of times what people also miss is like the passion. I mean, obviously whenever you're talking about goals, it should be. You should have it. It's passion. But there's so many times where it's like, I mean, I remember so, you know, Drew Dial, like, he's, you know, been a mentor of mine and, you know, actually, so he was the listing agent whenever I bought my first home. And that's how I met him. It was like a. It was hilarious because it was like, at that time, my boss at the time was representing me and I had just got licensed and just, you know, trusted him and also just wasn't experienced enough. But I remember being so inexperienced that I, like, called Drew because he was, you know, his name was on the listing and it was like, instead of actually reaching out to my agent and doing some of that, but then, you know, we had a 15 minute conversation. And even though he's a Purdue fan, like, I still, I still love him, but I still give him a hard time for that. But the part that he's. One of the things he's told me that really has stuck with me to this day, you know, five years later, is like, if you don't, if you're not passionate about it, you're gonna get burnt out, even if you're doing well. So, like, you know, his thing was, all right, you should all, you know, volunteering. And, you know, he was a foster parent and still is very involved with that. He's like, if you don't, like, if you hate the food pantry, like, don't, don't volunteer at the food pantry because it's going to just be another checklist mentality of, like, going there and doing it and not enjoying it. And maybe if you feel good about yourself for 10 minutes, but you go home, like, you're not passionate about it. So that's always stuck to me of, like, not even just with work, but like, you gotta find stuff that you're. You're passionate about because if you're not. If you're not passionate about it, then it's. You're gonna eventually get bored or, you know, not enjoy it. Dude, I love that. Dude. This has been a killer conversation. Where can folks find you online? Yeah, I mean, social media. I think most of my handles are all just Logan Sanford, Logan Sanford.com. i got my YouTube page, Logan Sanford, and got some good educational videos. But yeah, that's. I mean, those are the main. Those are the main things. Honestly, I've kind of been going through a spur and this is bad to say as a realtor, but like the social media and I think it's just the season of life I'm into of, you know, just putting my nose down and focusing more on the relationship side of things, but haven't been on there or posting nearly as much as I want, but I need to get. Need to get back into it and, you know, have another agent who's. Who's helping me with. With some of that hustle and creativity. But yeah, those are the. Those are the spots you can find me. Awesome, man. I'd love to talk offline about that because I've gone through those seasons as well, and it's like, it's this. We've trained ourselves to believe it's a necessary evil. But look, you just talked about passion. You're not passionate about it. It's hard. It's hard to dive into something like that. But look, this call's incredible. I mean, I could talk to you for two hours about this stuff, but this podcast called Action Solves Everything and it's. I think the reason I reached out to you is because watching how fast you gain ground in your business and how well you've done in your reputation, you can't do that without being an incredible action taker. So. So thank you for being on the show today, but I'd love if you could share for the listeners, what does taking action mean to you? Yeah, yeah, no, I love that and how you end with this. But, I mean, I think I hinted at it a little bit earlier, but, like, one thing that I've really been trying to focus on this year is the small habits. And I think that's part of the reason, like maturity wise and just where I'm at, but more of, like, consistent momentum over perfection. I'm very much a perfectionist. And I mean, my wife would probably Say very much OCD about certain stuff, but the consistent momentum, momentum and building those small habits, I think that's where the action is. You know, it's the quote. I can't remember the person, but, you know, talking about, like, marriage or just relationships of, like, it's not always just the wedding or the celebration. Like, it's how you greet them. Walking through the door. You're, you know, are you eating, you know, their breakfast? The late nights, like, those are the things you're doing every single day. So that's something that I've. I've focused on. And that, I mean, can translate into a lot of different things with how you run your business. But I think that's. That's been something that I've. I've really tried to focus on. And then also, I think taking action also means, like, not compromising my, you know, the things that are important to me as well. So taking action and personal development and with faith and family and exercise, I think is something that is always going to be important to me. And if I'm just taking action on the business side, then I'm probably not being a good husband, father, friend, and family. Well rounded. Yeah. Yeah. Still got a lot of way to go, but trying. Hey, better every day, right? Yeah. Logan, congrats on your success, man. Thanks for all you've shared today. I'm sure the listeners walk away with so many great nuggets. And again, congrats on your success and your best days are ahead, brother. Great work. Thanks for being on the show. Appreciate it. Thanks, Alex. Appreciate it, man. Thanks for listening to Axe. Action solves everything. If today's episode pushed you, challenge you, or help you even take one step forward, send it to someone else who needs that same nudge. We all get better when we grow together. And if you're looking for a partnership that actually believes in coaching, collaboration, accountability, and actually becoming the best version of yourself, shoot me a message online at All Social handles at Alex Montagono. That's a L, E X M O N N T a G a N O. Remember, success rewards the ones who move. Take action and I'll see you on the next episode.