You want to build something of your own
You've spent years contributing your talent to other companies. Real estate is the opportunity to point that ability toward an asset and reputation that belong to you.
Irene × First Team
Irene, you already know how to achieve.Now let's build the business around it.
You proved you can sell. You proved you can learn quickly. And you already operate with daily and weekly goals. My job is to make sure you never have to wonder what to do next.
You don't need another brokerage promising you tools and wishing you good luck.
You need training, a plan, direct coaching, real accountability, and someone in your corner while you learn how to turn a real estate license into a business. That's what I'd like to build with you.
— Jacob
Prepared for
Irene Jang
October 2, 2026
What I heard today
Before I tell you what I think, here's what I heard.
Irene, one of the things I appreciated about our conversation is that you're not approaching this casually. You're trying to decide where you can actually build something.
You already know you can sell
Sales was new to you, yet you became a top seller almost immediately and earned more responsibility quickly. That matters to me far more than whether you already know how to write a contract.
Contracts can be taught. Sales skills can be sharpened. Drive is much harder to manufacture.
You're already goal-oriented
You told me you naturally set daily and weekly goals. That's exactly the mindset that works inside the structure I use with new agents.
You want real mentorship
You're not looking for somebody to answer three questions, help with three transactions, and disappear. You want someone you can go to when you don't know what comes next.
That's the part of this I take most seriously.
You're thinking about this responsibly
You want to go full-time, but you're also thinking realistically about cash flow and talking it through with Chris. I respect that.
The goal isn't to pretend the transition is risk-free. It's to build the strongest possible plan around it.
"He listened to me."That's the bar I set for this page.
A note from Jacob
Why I'm excited about working with you
Irene,
I meet a lot of people who are interested in real estate. What stood out about you wasn't that you recently passed the exam. It was the pattern behind everything that happened before it.
- You moved to a new country and built a career.
- You spent years developing a creative eye through graphic design.
- You moved into sales and found you were naturally good at connecting with people.
- You became a top seller quickly. You earned promotions.
- You set daily goals. You set weekly goals.
- And when you decide you want something, your instinct is to go get it.
Those are useful ingredients. I can't promise real estate will be easy, because it won't be.
But I can teach contracts, the MLS, lead generation, buyer consultations, listing presentations, and follow-up. I can help you learn the market, give you systems, and help you course-correct.
What I can't manufacture for someone is the desire to execute. You already seem to have that.
That's why I'm excited about you.
— Jacob
The big idea
You shouldn't have to figure this out alone.
First Team provides the platform
- Respected Southern California brand
- Brokerage infrastructure
- MLS and transaction systems
- Marketing support
- CRM and follow-up technology
- Legal support
- Technology support
- Training library
- Local office community
- Luxury and relocation reach
- Tools to operate professionally
Jacob Lawlor
Jacob provides the execution
- Your launch plan
- Direct coaching
- Power Curve instruction
- Daily course correction
- Business planning
- Lead-generation strategy
- Script and sales-skill development
- Market-knowledge development
- Accountability
- AI and modern tools
- Help deciding what to do next
First Team gives you the platform. My responsibility is to help you actually use it.
Your first 90 days
Your first 90 days shouldn't be random.
The goal isn't to "try real estate." The goal is to start building a real estate business.
Stage 0
Right now, while your license is processing
- Watch the first Power Curve session I promised you
- Get a feel for my teaching style before you decide anything
- Begin learning how the business actually works
- Start thinking through your professional positioning and personal brand
- Prepare so your license arriving is a starting gun, not the start of figuring things out
Watch a Power Curve sessionLicensed activity begins only once your DRE license is active.Stage 1
Days 1–7: Get operational
- Company email
- First Team systems
- MLS access
- ZipForms
- Follow Up Boss
- Professional bio
- Headshot deployment
- Agent profiles
- Website
- Initial database
- Social media positioning
Before we ask consumers to trust you, we make sure you look prepared enough to earn the conversation.
Stage 2
First 3 weeks: Power Curve
Week 1 · On-demand foundations
- Contracts
- Risk management
- MLS
- Technology
- How the business actually works
Week 2 · Live with Jacob: Buyers
- Buyer lead generation
- Lead follow-up
- Buyer consultations
- Showing property
- Writing offers
- Negotiation
- Opening a buyer escrow
Week 3 · Live with Jacob: Sellers
- Seller lead generation
- Seller follow-up
- Listing appointments
- Listing presentations
- Marketing a listing
- Open houses
- Turning one listing into more
Next Power Curve: October 12, 2026. Because I teach Power Curve, I can help you start preparing while your license completes the DRE process, subject to company and licensing requirements.
Stage 3
First 30 days: Get into the field
- Begin real estate conversations
- Activate your sphere
- Work toward open house opportunities
- Learn the local market
- Practice buyer consultations
- Build follow-up habits
- Start creating genuine client opportunities
The goal is progress toward a first client or transaction opportunity. No result or timeline is guaranteed.
Stage 4
Days 31–90: Build the operating system
- Build the 1-3-5 Business Plan
- Establish consistent lead sources
- Develop market expertise
- Build Follow Up Boss discipline
- Practice consultations
- Build contract competence
- Track conversations and follow-up
- Build a real pipeline
- Review progress and adjust
By day 90, the goal isn't to know everything. It's to know exactly what you should be doing.
The three skills we build
Confidence comes from competence.
Modern leverage
Company technology + AI + automation + systems. Learn the principle first, then let technology amplify it.
01
Contract knowledge
- RPA
- Buyer Representation Agreement
- Listing Agreement
- Risk management
- ZipForms
- Transaction fundamentals
When you understand the documents, you stop feeling like you're pretending to be an agent.
02
Market knowledge
- Regional market understanding
- One local market studied deeply
- MLS hot sheets
- Previewing property
- Knowing inventory
- Why homes sell or sit
The fastest way to sound experienced is to actually become informed.
03
Sales skills
- Lead generation
- Lead follow-up
- Buyer consultations
- Listing presentations
- Objection handling
- Negotiation
- Conversion
These aren't personality traits. They're mechanics that improve with repetition.
The daily "What's Next?" call
The most important part may be the simplest.
"Jacob, I did what you asked me to do.
This happened.
What should I do next?"
That's the Daily "What's Next?" call.
You initiate the call. You tell me what you did. You tell me what happened. I help you determine the next move. Then you execute.
Sometimes that happens once in a day. Sometimes you'll call again later because something changed.
Don't lose three days trying to answer a question we could solve in three minutes.
Irene, you told me you wanted someone who would help tell you what to do next. This is exactly what I mean by that.
I'm a non-competing manager. My primary professional focus is helping agents build and operate their businesses, not competing with them for clients.
Your weekly support rhythm
You'll have somewhere to learn almost every day.
Monday
1:00 PM
New Agent Mastermind
Mission Viejo. Implementation, questions, wins, obstacles, and what newer agents should do next.
Tuesday
10:00 AM
Office Meeting
Listings. Buyer needs. Market intelligence. Collaboration. Business opportunities.
Wednesday
9:00 AM
Company-Wide Training
Via Zoom, from First Team managers, agents, team leaders, and specialists. Recorded, with a large archive of prior sessions.
Friday
1:00 PM · select weeks
Skills Workshops
Focused practice and deeper training on a specific skill or strategy.
Daily
"What's Next?" coaching with Jacob
Monthly
Dedicated business review and planning
Your business plan
One goal. Three strategies. Five actions.
1
One objective
Start with the income you want to create, then turn it into transaction math. No vague "I want to do well."
5Five actions
Each strategy gets five clear, recurring actions.
3
Three lead sources
01
Sphere of influence
People you already know and relationships you already have.
02
Open houses
A consistent way into real conversations with people already interested in real estate.
03 · A strategy built around you
Design + branding may become your advantage.
You spent years as a graphic designer. Instead of treating that career as irrelevant, we can explore how your visual instincts become part of your brand and marketing: social media and personal branding, geographic farming, or outbound prospecting.
The plan should fit on one page. The point isn't an impressive business plan. It's one you'll actually execute.
A practical cash-flow conversation
What if you need income while the business is growing?
You mentioned that although you want to pursue real estate seriously, you may need supplemental income in the beginning. That's a legitimate consideration.
Before automatically stepping outside the industry for unrelated part-time work, one strategy we can explore together is leasing and rentals. Rental transactions can have a shorter cycle than a purchase or listing, and let you:
- Practice speaking with real consumers
- Learn contracts
- Learn communities
- Build a database
- Develop follow-up habits
- Generate potential income
- Stay inside the real estate ecosystem
Rental income isn't guaranteed or immediate. If supplemental income becomes necessary, the goal is to make the transition intelligently rather than pretend the financial reality doesn't exist.
Your mentorship structure
No assigned stranger. No mandatory extra mentor split.
Different offices and managers can structure new-agent mentorship differently. In my Mission Viejo and San Clemente offices, I'd serve as your primary mentor and point of contact.
If you naturally connect with another experienced agent and want to build a mentorship or partnership, I support that. You just won't be forced into an arbitrary mentor relationship because you're new.
The goal isn't to assign you a mentor. It's to make sure you always have mentorship.
Why 70% for Irene?
I'm not starting you at 70% because you're already an experienced Realtor. I'm starting you at 70% because you're not starting from zero.
The standard new-agent structure is designed for someone entering the business without meaningful professional or sales experience. That's not how I see you.
You're new to real estate. You're not new to:
- Working professionally
- Communicating with people
- Building a visual brand
- Selling
- Performing under goals
- Learning quickly
- Taking ownership
- Pushing yourself
This isn't a discount. It's me giving you credit for the experience and potential you bring before your first real estate closing.
Irene's proposed starting office split
70%
No mandatory additional mentor split with Jacob
Final compensation terms are subject to First Team written agreements, company policy, and any required approval.
Financial transparency
Let's make the numbers easy to understand.
Standard annual First Team fees
- Errors & Omissions Insurance$1,500
- Legal$195
- Technology$295
Total$1,990/yr
Your first-year structure
$150
Today
$549
After 90 days, if you stay
$699
First-year total for an eligible new agent
Separate: Board of REALTORS
Not a First Team brokerage fee
~$724.50
Orange County REALTORS, joining in October through end of 2026
~$1,500
Estimated annual renewal in January
Board/MLS costs and exact amounts are set by the association and may change.
I'd rather let you experience the training, support, tools, and coaching than ask you to trust a recruiting presentation. Start with $150. Use the first 90 days to experience the environment. If you decide to continue, the remaining $549 brings the first-year total to $699, subject to program eligibility and written agreements.
Irene's commission path
What could the split path look like as you produce?
Let's turn percentages into actual numbers.
$32,500
GCI per closing
$20,800
Est. earnings, first closing
70%
Jacob's proposed starting split for Irene
64%
Est. net effective split
The split ladder
70%
Your start
75%
> $55,000
80%
> $75,000
85%
> $100,000
90%*
Upon approval
75% milestone · $55,000$233,600 beyond the 75% milestone
80% milestone · $75,000$213,600 beyond the 80% milestone
85% milestone · $100,000$188,600 beyond the 85% milestone
90%* discussion benchmark · $250,000$38,600 beyond the 90% milestone
Potential 90% discussion milestone reached.
Approximately $250,000+ associate earnings. 90% remains subject to approval and current company policy.
Transaction by transaction
Closing 170% split
Est. earnings$20,800Cumulative$20,800
Closing 270% split
Est. earnings$20,800Cumulative$41,600
Closing 370% split
Est. earnings$20,800Cumulative$62,400
Unlocked: 75% office split beginning with the next transaction
Closing 475% split
Est. earnings$22,425Cumulative$84,825
Unlocked: 80% office split beginning with the next transaction
Closing 580% split
Est. earnings$24,050Cumulative$108,875
Unlocked: 85% office split beginning with the next transaction
Closing 685% split
Est. earnings$25,675Cumulative$134,550
Closing 785% split
Est. earnings$25,675Cumulative$160,225
Closing 885% split
Est. earnings$25,675Cumulative$185,900
Closing 985% split
Est. earnings$25,675Cumulative$211,575
Closing 1085% split
Est. earnings$25,675Cumulative$237,250
Closing 1185% split
Est. earnings$25,675Cumulative$262,925
Closing 1285% split
Est. earnings$25,675Cumulative$288,600
Total sales volume
$15,600,000
12 homes × $1,300,000
Total GCI
$390,000
Est. cumulative agent earnings
$288,600
Based on split progression, before taxes and other applicable expenses.
Your higher starting point matters
Standard 50% start (44% net)
$14,300
Your proposed 70% start (64% net)
$20,800
Difference on one example closing
+$6,500
Illustration at $1,300,000 and 2.5%. Not guaranteed income.
Illustration only. Actual commissions, commission rates, transaction terms, splits, administrative fees, fee programs, split-level progression, approvals, Board/MLS costs, and company policies are governed by current written agreements and First Team policy. Estimated agent earnings are shown before taxes and other applicable expenses, and are not a promise or guarantee of income. The simplified model subtracts the 6% administrative fee as percentage points from the office split.
Proof from other new agents
You wouldn't be the first new agent I've helped build from the beginning.
Direction + implementation
19 homes
sold her first year
"I love the business. I love the money. I love staying busy. You told me what to do and I just did it."
Celeste Haybittle
Support during the transition
$12M
in volume her first year
"You made my transition into real estate smoother than I could have imagined. You were there every step of the way."
Sarah Martin
Long-term development
$50M+
in volume within her first three years
Brand new to more than $50 million through relationships, strategy, and consistency.
Valerie Bourg
These are individual examples, not promises. Real estate results depend on effort, skill development, execution, market conditions, relationships, consistency, and many other factors. Individual results vary.
About Jacob
The person you'd be calling every day
Jacob Lawlor
Regional Branch Manager · First Team Real Estate · Mission Viejo + San Clemente
My role isn't to compete with you for business. It's to help you build yours.
I've spent my career learning the business from the field, from mentors, from thousands of agent conversations, and from helping agents work through the exact problems you're about to encounter.
You don't need me to know everything. You need me to either know the answer or know exactly where to take you to get it.
- Licensed since 2011
- 15+ years in real estate
- 5+ years in management
- First Team company trainer
- Lead instructor of Power Curve
- One-on-one agent coach
- Non-competing manager
- Multiple First Team Hall of Fame recipient
For you and Chris
The decision in plain English.
01
Financial entry
- $150 to begin
- $549 after 90 days if continuing
- $699 first-year total
- Subject to program eligibility and written agreements
02
Starting compensation
- Proposed 70% office split
- 6% administrative fee
- No mandatory additional mentor split with Jacob
- Split grows with production
03
Training + coaching
- Power Curve
- Weekly training
- Daily "What's Next?" coaching
- Monthly planning
- Direct access to Jacob
04
The expectation
- Irene has to execute.
- Jacob can't make the calls, have the conversations, or create discipline on her behalf.
- His promise: direction, structure, honesty, coaching, accountability, and a next step.
"If you meet me halfway with effort and implementation, I'll meet you with structure, coaching, accountability, and a clear next step."
The honest part
I can't promise you that real estate will work.
No manager can. No brokerage can. No training program can.
What I can promise is that I won't hand you a login, point you toward a training calendar, and expect you to magically build a business.
- You'll have a plan.
- You'll know what skills we're building.
- You'll know what actions we're tracking.
- You'll have someone to call when the situation changes.
- And I'll tell you the truth, including when it's not what you want to hear.
You bring the effort. I'll bring everything I know about pointing it in the right direction.
Next step
Irene, if this feels like the right place to start, I'd love to build it with you.
Talk it through with Chris.
Watch the Power Curve session.
Run the numbers.
Ask me every question you have.
Then trust yourself to make the decision that feels right for the business you want to build. If that decision is to do it together, I'm ready.
— Jacob
Text Jacob directly at 949-201-0899