I’m a Real Estate Agent Whose Side Hustle Is Running a Coffee Shop

This as-told-to essay relies on a dialog with Jordan Hooten, 34, a Florida actual property agent who franchised a espresso store in St. Petersburg, Florida, to diversify his earnings. The next has been edited for size and readability.

Actual property has been good to me. I obtained my actual property license about 11 years in the past, once I was 23, however I have been working towards full-time for seven years.

Single-family residential has all the time been my bread and butter; serving to individuals find their first house, serving to anyone sell their first house, and serving to them discover their second home.

During the last 4 years, I’ve began doing a variety of multifamily and industrial properties as properly.

I’ve seen a few completely different cycles of the market — my mother and father have been flipping homes again within the early 2000s, so I have been following actual property since I used to be a young person.

Once I first got here in round 2018, it was a secure market, not too dissimilar to the market that we’re in proper now, however stock would sit for a short time.

Then and now, we went by means of the two.5% rate of interest market, which was a variety of enjoyable. Again then, in case you signed a list settlement, you may already rely the cash. You may just about say, “I am getting that cash within the subsequent 45 days.”

Now, it is like you’ll be able to have eight listings price of a complete of $5 million in quantity and say, “I actually do not know the way that is going to go. I believe I am going to get most of this, but it surely’s not as much of a sure thing.”

The drastic change was very powerful on lots of people in my trade when it went from the 2022 charges to the 2023 charges in a single day.

I used to work out of this espresso store, so I made a decision to put money into it myself

When the market was going properly, beforehand I would diversify by buying Airbnbs.

I’ve had an element in 4 Airbnbs at one time or one other. Generally you promote them as a result of it is only a good time, however that enterprise, it is such as you put up $70,000 in your financial savings, and also you’re comfortable to be getting a return of perhaps $800 a month.

Once in a while, there’s an issue the place you must provide you with $2,000 to $5,000 out of pocket. I believed this was a fairly good thought for funding in case you’re 55 years outdated — simply preserve stacking these and say, “All proper, properly that one can pay for my medical health insurance, and that one can pay for my automotive insurance coverage, and that is nice.”

However I used to be like, I am 30 years outdated, why do not I take a stab at investing in one thing that would make me the identical quantity as actual property does? And as soon as it is stabilized, it is not going to take up all my time?

I may make investments $70,000 and make $800 a month, however what if I may make investments double that and probably make $12,000 or $13,000 a month?

It is a good time in life for me to take that probability.

I used to be doing so properly in actual property that I used to be assured sufficient to speculate over six figures in a espresso enterprise. However it wasn’t simply espresso; it was particularly Southern Grounds.

Once I did not have an workplace, I used to go as much as Southern Grounds in Jacksonville on a regular basis. It was a spot the place I could sit on my laptop and order espresso, and did not really feel pressured to order meals till I used to be able to order meals. If I needed to remain and work on my laptop computer and make cellphone requires 4 hours, I may.

I reached out to the founder on Fb and stated, “Man, I need to franchise your retailer. It is my favourite place on this planet to go,” and that is how all this began.

I began this course of in 2022. We have been engaged on constructing this retailer for 3 and a half years from after we signed the Franchise Disclosure Doc to after we truly opened our retailer in August 2025.

There isn’t any manner we may have afforded to purchase our constructing — it truly would not even pencil in case you take a look at it as an actual property deal. Our hire of $13,500 might be half of what the mortgage could be if we purchased it. Downtown St. Petersburg may be very overpriced.

I needed to construct the complete restaurant from wanting like a storage right into a restaurant. The development alone was about $800,000. That is simply to construct out the inside of the constructing that we’re renting — I imply, silverware for a restaurant is $25,000.

I believe that in the actual property trade, your first 12 months is just not normally a great indicator of how you are going to do financially, similar to the restaurant enterprise. Throughout my first 12 months in actual property, I did not do this properly. So I’d say I am happier with the 12 months one restaurant success than 12 months one actual property success, for positive.

I am glad I took a threat and diversified my earnings

I bartended in school, so I’ve all the time been on the hospitality aspect of enterprise, and I suppose you may say actual property is hospitality: It is being a individuals particular person, having fun with speaking to individuals, having fun with listening to their tales and the place completely different individuals are from and what they’re doing and what they have happening the remainder of the weekend — simply caring.

My transaction quantity remains to be the identical since earlier than I purchased the espresso store. My actual property enterprise has taken a slight hit as a result of it hasn’t continued to develop in the best way that I believe it might have grown had I not taken on every other endeavors. However finally, I am not shedding shoppers.

Shopping for the espresso store actually has not modified my day-to-day; it has simply required extra time administration and multitasking. I get up earlier and work later. I am working my ass off.

I believe it is a good suggestion for actual property brokers to diversify their earnings. It actually simply relies on every particular person’s monetary state of affairs.

Generally I ponder, “Did I make the best choice?”

I believe I did as a result of I take pleasure in this.