Do it when they're sphere like do it anyway because guess well on the other s...
space everybody has their different niche and their specialty and they're guiding and walking
“everybody has their own walk so let people walk the walk that they want to walk and if it doesn't”
work out then you can pivot but you can always learn something from it. Amber Cruz is a resilient
award-winning and visionary real estate entrepreneur the CEO of Amber Cruz Realty Group and one of New Jersey's top luxury real estate professionals she built her success through resilience determination and a passion for helping people achieve their real estate goals. I was going through a breakup and I hated going home, I hated going to work and I started literally at my mom's couch. I just had this fierce belief like I'm going somewhere and it's not
going to be where I am. I'm going to change the trajectory of my life like I'm in control of this. I'm going to just give this my all and that's when I started real estate and that's nine years ago
and since then I was blessed to do about a hundred million in career sales.
But what was it about real estate that drew you in? So the main thing with real estate was the living your legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy. Oh, that is sensational. Open. Check out the list of the latest info in the podcast. Welcome back everybody to another episode of the Living Your Legacy Podcast. Again, I'm your host, Jason Tyler, and today I am joined by Ms. Amber Cruz. Amber, welcome to the show. Thank you. How are you feeling?
Excellent. So you just finished filming your episode of Legacy Makers. First of all, how do you feel
“now on the other side? Great relax. Yeah. The nerves are done. That's what I got to get that out.”
I got to get the jitters out. Yes. What would you say is like the number one thing you want people to be able to learn from your story? The number one thing I want people to learn from my story is that don't allow other people's fears to be projected on you, right? Don't allow somebody to put a ceiling on you, and that you can have the audacity to be as bold as you want to move through whatever ceilings that they think exists. And people will then be proud and be yourself because
that's what I'm doing in my life. And if it's one thing people usually have it's the audacity. Let's do the audacity. Yes, have it. Have it. So don't be a little bit about, you know, Amber's story. How do we get to the Amber that we see in front of us today? So I used to be an adoption worker, and that was a depressing job, and I was just... I could imagine. Yeah, I was going
“through a lab. I was going through a breakup, and I hated going home. I hated going to work, and”
I started literally at my mom's couch. I did a whole life shift, and I'm a mom. So at the time, I have a three-year-old moving back with my mom, and I'm like, I just want to start over. I want to go into real estate. I don't want to be adoption worker anymore. It's too depressing, and I want to help people, but at a different way. And it's different way. So my mom supported me,
and she always did, and I had the audacity to start a business. And nobody else in my family
ran a company or a business. Like, I had no game plan or roadmap. I just had this fierce belief, like, I'm going somewhere, and it's not going to be where I am. I'm going to change the trajectory of my life. Like, I'm in control of this. Like, we're so many things. We're out of my control, and we're going less. I was like, no, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to try this. I'm going to just give this my all. And that's when I started real estate. And that's nine years ago. And since then,
I was blessed to do about a hundred million in career sales. I hope you guys in the audience heard that number, because that's a lot of digits. But what was it about real estate that drew in so the main thing with real estate was I was helping people as an adoption worker, right? And that was a lot of people who were going through vulnerable times. If you could imagine being a child and foster care or being a parent having a child taken away and going through an adoption process,
like, all of that's heavy, all of that isn't like a lot. And I knew that I loved to help people, but I wanted to do it in a different way. I went to real estate school. I'm a dreamer, and I'm really into like storytelling and helping people. So it all kind of came full circle. I got my real estate license and epiphany went off, or it's like, oh, these are the same people. These are the same clients. You're just helping them in another way. Instead of banging the gavel, where the judge says,
you know, like your parental rights are terminated, we can have a key and give it a clothing bag.
It'd be like a positive experience, like more memorable and a positive way.
help people to have a positive impact, not be the person taking nobody's kids away. And I mean, yeah, you don't want to be on that side of the thing. No, I didn't. I can only, I can really only imagine because I don't have the stomach to be able to be the decision maker in that arena, right? Like, if if somebody was sending me out to go do that, I'd be like, you know, I have to send somebody out. It's not going to be too much.
But real estate, the great thing about real estate is that you're helping people with arguably the most important purchase in their lifetime, right? It's a big thing. It's a big event for a lot of people. What sets you apart as a real estate agent?
I always make it about my client, right? So when I first meet with them,
it's all about you, right? And I let them sit with that because a lot of times, real estate, they're, it is so easy to get your real estate license. That's the problem. There are thousands of realtors. I'm in the process of getting mine. See? I joke, I joke, I joke, I joke. You could. You can take it. You can get your license in two weeks. Like, and it's a low entry cost. So while it's so easy to get your real estate license,
“and this is people's most important investment, I think I'm relationship driven, right?”
So when I mean, like, it's about you as my client, it is not about me. It's not about anything else. And like, how can I meet you where you are? Because it's not always like, woohoo. We're buying a home. Sometimes it's like grandma passed away. And I don't know what to do with her house, right? Or I'm going through a divorce and it's toxic. Get me, get me out of this situation. Sometimes it's people exercising. Sometimes it's people downsizing. They can't afford their house anymore.
So meeting people where they are and not just making it about me, like it's all about you. Like, where are you? How can I come as a humble servant and help guide you through one of your most
important life transactions? And, you know, for me, when I got into film, when I started my first
production company, I was just doing film for social media, I was filming on a little BCAM, and my first client was a mortgage loan officer. Okay. And so I got like, and I worked with him for three years. I took him from 600 followers on Instagram to over 100,000. It took a really long time. But what I got in that regard was I got to get a real sneak peek into the real estate industry. And one thing that I observed during that time was that to your point, people from all different walks of
life, they, everybody need to stab a roof over their head. Right. This is a service that applies to everybody at some point in their life. It's going to be a race for some people. It's going to be on the back nine for some people. It's going to be in the first couple of holes on the golf course. But you have to be able to appeal to a lot of different situations. How do you manage being able to go from one client that, oh my god, this is the best purchase of my life to another
client that's like, you know, like you said, I'm going through a divorce and get me, get me the heck out of this house. What's that dichotomy like? Yeah, it's a lot. It's a lot of
“transition. I think one thing in real estate is that you have to be a chameleon, some somewhat,”
and you have to have empathy. You have to have empathy and not the empathy that I had as an adoption worker where I wanted to take the kids home and it made me cry and, you know, you've been a mother 17. Yeah, you have to empower your own clients to be the hero of their own story. Right. I'm not the hero. I'm a character in their story about getting them to where they need to to go, right, whether it's telling a home or buying something exciting or whatever that might be. So if you're the hero and I'm
here to help guide you through that finish line, that's what makes it all about them. And that's
how we're able to kind of maneuver what we're going through. Like, I always check my emotions because
like, if you're going through a hard time and you're crying and not crying, like, I need to help you. Right. Somebody needs to do the adoption of your work. That's true. Oh, someone needs to get together, which is I kind of think about it sometimes like a lawyer or a doctor. Like, if you go to the doctor and you have this scary diagnosis, you don't need the doctor falling apart or the nurse is crying. Like, you need somebody to believe the way and say, don't worry, I got you.
I've done this before. Right. I've helped clients like you before. So when someone's going through a divorce and they're overwhelmed or whatever, I tell them, like, I know this is unique for you and this is stressful. I specialize in that. I specialize in that. So knowing that I've done that before and I'm here for you and I'm the professional who's going to guide you, that's when the the trust bill and then once you get them to the finish line and it's their own success story
and they're the hero of that chapter of their life. They're going to refer you business and they're
“going to be grateful and they're going to remember that you helped them through a really pivotal moment”
in their lives, whether it's a positive moment or it's a negative moment like you were there. So that's why I feel like impact is super important anytime I've sent an email, make a phone call,
In its ex message, myself and my team, I train everybody to say, like, what i...
what you're doing? You have one time to make a good first impression and that experience can either
be a good one or it could be really rough, like moving a stressful already. So my role is to always
make it as much as possible for my client. However, that might be, it looks a lot of different ways. If I got to call the husband on one phone and keep you separate because you don't get along, I'll do that, right? If I have to talk to the the estate planner, I'll do that. Some of my clients are celebrities in professional athletes. If I have to talk to the financial advisor, because you're busy, I'll do that. Like wherever I need to go, I got my clients covered and I
think they appreciate that. Of course. Now one thing again that I did notice through my time kind of working, orbiting the real estate industry was there's a lot of how do I want to phrase this, there's a lot of ancillary services that go around being real estate agent, you got to have an underwriter, you have, you know, if you have somebody that wants to do a new construction, you might want to partner with a construction company. If someone does not really bad credit,
you might tell them hey, you're not ready for a house. Here's a credit repair service that I can refer you to. How do you from an organizational structure standpoint, how do you help people
“in different avenues get to the point A of being able to get to the closing table?”
I'm in a point in my career where I'm obsessed with getting my team right. And anybody that I refer, they're got, they've got to be like, "Mine, go get her like me. They have to come from a place to service otherwise. I'm not going to refer." So I spend a lot of time meeting those people who, even a painter, like you want, you need a painter, I'll send you somebody, but he's like me, he's going to show up on time, be professional, get either top quality service, not, you know,
something that you'll regret later, lawyers, like sometimes he believed a real estate attorney, mortgage companies, title companies, everybody that I surround myself with are like me. And if they're not, they've gotta go. So as a CEO, that's a decision that I make often of who gets to stay, and who gets to our referrals, and who does not quite measure up to the level that we are at. Because like I said, some people put real estate agents in this same category as like a used
car salesman where there's that lack of trust. Because there are some people who are just in it
for the money. And that'll always show, right? When you're in it for the money, that'll always show
and people can see through that. And sometimes like, you know, it's good that you bring up being people that are in it for the money. Because in my next question was going to be, have you ever had to fire a referral partner, right? But I had an experience where I had to fire a referral partner. But then when I got it more context for the why, because it ended up happening that I had referred someone to go do video for a wedding, right? And when I got additional
context for why the client didn't like the job that they did, I actually brought them back on. Because some people are in it for the money. And some people are in it for the money for one particular job. Like this one particular job might be the thing that keeps a roof over my head, or I can forgive in those circumstances. Like it's very circumstantial. You got to be able to
“keep an eye on certain things. But to your credit, I think it's a great job to know that like,”
hey, all my referral partners, they're like me. They're going to be on time. They're going to be professional. They're experts. And positioning the entire group, because real estate is one of as a unique business in that you have so many other businesses that orbit around the same, around this one big purchase, right? There's 14 different business owners that have a hand in this purchase one sale. But yeah, I have you ever had that experience of having to like fire a referral partner?
Oh yeah, I've had to fire people from my team. That just helps me grow as a leader and helps me identify like when I say that I want to offer white glove service, I mean that. So if someone is not on that caliber, you've got to go. And I don't regret anybody that I've had to let go,
because one, God always guides my steps. So I'd probably only think that I do. And if somebody's
not a good fit to be in my circle or to be a part of my business, literally, like it's not a, I don't regret it, but it's a lesson. And it taught me something. Okay, so this is a red flag when XYZ happens, right? And I'll make sure that I ask better questions for the next person or interview somebody a little bit deeper or whatever happens when something is like rejection, I'll see it as God protected me. So rejection is protection and we move through it and we learn
“a lesson from it and move on. That's what I'm talking about. Now for you guys out there,”
if you're still tuned in at this point, I want to make sure that you check out Amber's episode of Legacy Makers coming out shortly after this podcast episode drops. If you could give a message to, you know, our audience is super entrepreneurial, their business minded, their go-getters. If you could give one message to an entrepreneur out there who might be struggling or might be just starting something, what message would you give them? I'm a message that I would share is
Do it scared.
it starts anything new. But do it anyway, because guess well, on the other side of fear is faith. And when I took a leap of faith, like God just has carried me so far. So don't let or no let other people's fears, like don't let other people project their fears on you, because I've had that where people are like, are you sure you want to be a real estate agent? Do you realize it's just commission? Do you know you don't have that state salary anymore? Like you have a kid?
How are you going to feel? Like all the things? Like, don't you think I realized that? Like, when I got-- I crunched the numbers, trust me, I'll be down. I know the pressure, but I also know the potential. And that's your projection. You can't do that. Jay-Z said that, too. He said one of his feeling members said that he could install a million about a million times or something.
“That's what you can do, right? But everybody has their different niche and their specialcy.”
And they're legacy that they're guiding and walking. Everybody has their own walk. So let people walk the walk that they want to walk. And if it doesn't work out, then you can pivot, but you can
always learn something from it. And it could be something amazing. I know that's right. Yes.
To your point, like, just to kind of add on to the point of do it scared, right? Not only should you do it scared, you should embody that. You should-- you should start to tell yourself, I'm the person that does it scared. I'm the person that does it when I'm tired. I'm the kind of person that does it when I don't feel like it. That's right. When you start to embody that and start to identify with it, that's when change comes rapidly. That's when God starts showing up in a real,
real way. Yeah. For the people out there that are still tuned in at this point,
“where can people find you on social media, your website? Where are you located on the World Wide Web?”
Yeah. So you can find me on Instagram at Amber Cruise Real Estate. My website is Amber Cruise Realty Group.com. And it's CRUSE, not CRUSE. I know people will put it up here.
I'm somewhere on the screen. I'll point in a direct and hope that the editors are always
supportive. Yes. And we're also on Facebook and TikTok and LinkedIn. So if anybody has real estate needs or questions or mentorship or I don't know where to start. I want to have a team or like anything. I'm definitely open to connect and collaborate. It's like, I don't-- I want to like open it. Like doors were open for me, so I want to continue to keep that door open. Last that door open, all that it closed. Like yes, you can be a successful black woman, you could be a successful
young woman, you can be a successful woman or a young person or fill in the blank. Like, don't let anybody tell you that you can. So it's like the kindergarten lesson, believing yourself,
“but times a million when you're an adult. It's like, oh, that's why they kept saying that.”
Because you have to, because you have to. Because nobody else will. Nobody else. You don't do it here. So why would I hire you? If you can't even believe that you're the right one for the job. So that's why I said do it scared and say affirmations. Build your confidence up by positive affirmations. Like talk to yourself in the mirror. Talk to yourself in the shower. In the car, wherever you need to, build yourself up to
get ready to conquer the day. Because again, the world has a lot going on, but you have to feed and fill yourself up with that positive energy. Be careful with the talk to yourself, thing. Somebody might-- somebody might walk in on you in the bathroom and you talking to yourself in the mirror, and now you're crazy. My husband hears me talk to myself. I'm not for positive affirmations, but if I catch-- if I catch my girl in the bathroom,
doing some-- she's looking in a mirror like this. She's going up together. She's about to change the world. Mind you, you guys can't see this, but her husband is in the room with us. We're all having
a time, but guys, this has been another amazing episode. Amber, thank you so much for coming
on this show. It's an pleasure getting to know you. And I'm really excited to see how your episode turns out. Thank you. Again, this has been another episode of the Living Your Legacy Podcast. I'm your host Jason Tyler, so I will catch you guys on the next one.
