Episode 48 - The New Way to Market Real Estate (That Actually Works) with Michael Hudson
Ever wondered why your “just listed” post isn’t hitting like it used to, and what actually makes content connect in today’s real estate game? In this episode, Stephen sits down with Michael Hudson, founder of Praise Media and the creative mind behind countless real estate content strategies that actually convert. From building video habits like reps at the gym, to tackling imposter syndrome, to the surprising power of an ice bucket and a 10-second story—this convo goes beyond surface-level advice and into the mindset, rhythm, and creativity it takes to stand out in a saturated space.
Stephen and Michael talked about:
00:00 Introduction
09:15 – How Content & Real Estate Intersect
10:50 – The New Business Card: Your Social Media
12:30 – Helping Clients Get Comfortable on Camera
15:00 – The Trap of Viral Content & Views
20:20 – Real Estate Content that Tells a Story
26:00 – Should You Niche Down or Keep It Real?
38:00 – What It’s Like to Work with Praise Media
42:00 – Small Videos, Big Deals
59:00 – Three Things Before You Start Creating Content
TRANSCRIPT
∎ Teaser / Highlighted Clip
[Stephen Husted] (0:00 - 0:07)
Some of my videos have done, you know, 100, 200, 300 views have landed me three million dollar listings.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (0:07 - 0:10)
Exactly. That's why...
[Stephen Husted] (0:10 - 0:10)
Seriously.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (0:10 - 0:36)
Yeah, I know the other day I met a client. We just started posting YouTube longs. I mean, they didn't even pass a hundred.
Well, the first one passed a hundred views, but the other one was probably like 50 or 60 views and she picked up a 1.5 million investment commitment from someone just cold just because he watched the video. That's why views don't, it doesn't matter, man. You just never know.
The right views. That's what matters.
[Stephen Husted] (0:36 - 2:23)
The right views. And you just, in the moment where it's just in somebody's lap and they got a thought process going and it connects with them. And then that, you know, they reach out.
∎ Podcast Intro:
Brace yourself for a wild ride into the unexpected. This ain't your typical success show. I'm here talking to real folks who've been through it all.
Skipping the fancy business talk for authentic stories. We're diving into childhood dreams, teenage escapades, and everything in between. No scripts, just the stories that truly mold success.
Each episode takes you on a journey through those breakthrough moments that paved their way. No fluff, just genuine stories. So whether you're chasing dreams or just love a good story, buckle up for wisdom, laughs, and the unexpected.
This is the Breakthrough Podcast, where success is a journey, not just some fancy destination. Don't miss out. Hit the subscribe button now and join our Breakthrough Crew.
I got some incredible stories to share and you won't want to miss a single one.
∎ Guest Introduction:
All right, guys, today's guest is someone who came in hot, like literally ready to roll the second we hit record. No nervous jitters, no need for mic checks, just all in from the jump.
And that's kind of how he operates in life too. Michael Hudson is the founder of Praise Media, helping entrepreneurs and real estate investors get clear on their message and how to show up consistently with killer content. We talked about the reps it takes to show up on camera, how imposter syndrome creeps in even after success, and how something just dunking your face in a bucket of ice can inspire more people than you realize.
So if you're out there trying to figure out your content game, or maybe you're just trying to find your rhythm again, this one's going to hit home.
∎ Podcast Proper:
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (2:24 - 2:26)
All right, let's rock and roll, dude.
[Stephen Husted] (2:26 - 2:48)
Let's do it. It was funny, what I was just saying before we jumped on, usually we're checking volumes and lights and all this stuff, and most people are kind of stressed out, especially if they've never been on a podcast. It's like that beginning nervous, and I'm like, just, it's good.
You don't have to worry about anything and make a mistake or stuff. We just edit it out. It's all good.
But then I would jump on with you and you're just like, do, do, do. Yeah.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (2:49 - 2:58)
I haven't done too many podcasts, but you just kind of learn from the past and you're just ready to go, man.
[Stephen Husted] (2:58 - 3:02)
Yeah. So you're bringing up about running?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (3:02 - 3:25)
Yeah. Yeah. Dude, you inspire me, bro, because your stories, you're either biking, you're either running, or you're doing something physical, and I'm just like, dude, I need to...
I try to work out every day with weights and stuff, but my cardio game is bad. So I just bought running shoes and I'm going to start running. So that's how I was asking, what's like a good mileage to do per week, you believe?
[Stephen Husted] (3:25 - 3:47)
Per week? Oh, that's a good question. I think that I wouldn't worry about how many miles you got to do per week.
I would just start to get in the habit of running, whether, you know what I mean? Like you're going to the gym in the morning and you're working out, then just jump on the treadmill and run for 20 minutes, very slow, and just get in the habit of doing it, and then build from there.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (3:47 - 3:52)
Okay. So you're saying not even look at the mileage, it's just more just so time, focus on the time, and then...
[Stephen Husted] (3:52 - 3:57)
Yeah. I think just getting in the habit of running, because you have to create that new habit, you know?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (3:57 - 4:12)
Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
Because I mean, I did track in high school and stuff, but from high school till now, it's like, I don't really run much anymore. So it's kind of like, yeah, I just want to get back into it. And yeah, one of my resolutions was to sign up for like a 10K, which I did.
[Stephen Husted] (4:12 - 4:12)
Cool.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (4:13 - 4:47)
High rocks. So that's going to be like later in the year though. So excited for that.
What's that? They call it like a hybrid endurance. So it's like you run 8K total, and there's eight stations.
So you start out with a 1K, you do ski erg, then you run another 1K, and then you do like farmer's carries, you do another 1K, you do the sled, the push. Oh, cool. So it's like 1K between like eight stations.
And it's just, yeah, it's a pretty new sport, but yeah, it's starting to get really popular. I'll send you a link and stuff, but yeah, my friend and I are going to do it in December or so.
[Stephen Husted] (4:47 - 4:49)
And so how are you training for that?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (4:49 - 5:15)
You know, I haven't started training yet, dude. You want to suffer. Dude, because it's what, like eight or nine months away.
So they're saying like, as long as you start building a base, like five months, like month one is like from five months away from the race, you should be good. So, but I want to start building the running habit now, because I know that's like a big part of the race. So I want to start building that base, like getting the habit of like, at least running long distance.
Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (5:15 - 6:30)
So here's what I've learned. So the way that running kind of came into my life was, you know, I've been a cyclist, I've raced, you know, mountain bikes all around the world and long races, but with that comes long time in the saddle, a lot of training. I mean, hours, like 15 hours a week, you know, on the bike.
And, you know, then I started kind of getting a little bit more, once I got into doing shooting content and media and this whole thing, I started taking this more serious and said, okay, I need to cut back. I've been there and done that and trained and done all this. I need something I can work out that's really quick, where I can just go out my front door, not really think too much about it.
Not all this for cycling, you have to do a lot of prepping, you know, you got to fill your bottles, you got to, you know, take care of the bike and you plan a route. And there's a lot to it. Whereas running, I just put shoes on and I'm out the front door, you know, do a 5k and I come back home and it's great.
But it is more so now turned into a selfish obsession. I don't care about the cardio part of it. I care about how it makes my brain feel.
It's a drug.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (6:31 - 6:40)
Oh yeah. Yeah. It's a drug.
Yeah. I have the same feeling. Just doing like weightlifting and stuff.
And yeah, it's just kind of like gape almost. And it's just, yeah, it's huge dopamine.
[Stephen Husted] (6:40 - 6:56)
It is. And it's kind of what I need to get the day going. Oh yeah.
And if I don't, if I don't, I get in a real shitty mood. Oh dude. I go, dude, I go dark.
It's kind of crazy. And it's almost, oh damn, I'm addicted to this now. And I've been addicted to everything.
So I know.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (6:56 - 7:01)
Oh yeah. Yeah. You get, you get like a little irritable and stuff and you're just like, dude, I need my fix, man.
I do.
[Stephen Husted] (7:01 - 7:20)
Yeah. I just get me out there. And it's funny
So today, today's Wednesday. I don't do the podcast on Wednesday. I do it on Tuesdays.
But you couldn't do Tuesdays. So we booked on Wednesday. So I'm out there on a run.
I'm like three miles in and my phone goes, oh, you got a podcast in an hour with Michael.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (7:21 - 7:24)
Bro, don't get, don't get mad, dude. I don't want you turning the hook on me.
[Stephen Husted] (7:25 - 7:35)
So I'm like, oh shit. I'm like turning around. I'm running home.
And I'm like, just I'm running faster to get home. Like eat real quick, take a shower. And I made it here 10 minutes before.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (7:36 - 7:41)
Yeah. I know we're both busy, busy guys. So I had to kind of reschedule, but.
[Stephen Husted] (7:41 - 7:47)
All good. So, you know, I was thinking about our podcast because you're not my typical guest.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (7:48 - 7:48)
Sure.
[Stephen Husted] (7:48 - 8:26)
But what I was thinking that I think you're a big benefit to people that actually listen to the podcast that are trying to be entrepreneurs or get into real estate investing, whatever the case may be, because content and investing really go hand in hand on, you know, just how to educate the public on the real life things you're going through within your business. Right. And I think that's where you come right in.
So I think it's a good episode to kind of focus on what you do for your clientele, you know? Well, what's the, what are the benefits of it too, to shooting content for any business?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (8:27 - 8:55)
Oh, huge. Yeah. It's a must now.
Like I know probably 20, 30 years ago is more so like, oh, you need to have a nice business card or like a nice website. I mean, cause that's the first thing people see. But now dude, when, especially if you're meeting someone like for the first time, first thing I'm going to do is Google you.
Either Google you, look you up on Instagram, look you up on YouTube or whatever. That's the new like business card, I would say. So it's super important for businesses to be on social media.
No question.
[Stephen Husted] (8:55 - 9:06)
Yeah. So how do you approach clients that are coming to you that maybe have just, they haven't even started yet. They're scared.
Like how do you coach them into getting going? I'm sure it's hard in the beginning, man.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (9:07 - 10:33)
It's so hard. It's super hard because especially it's just like building a new habit, right? So you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable for a while.
So like, whether it be, you know, and it works both ways, even if you're shooting content yourself or you're working with a media team, it's really important to just put the reps in and just be like, screw it. You know, you have to think about the person you want to touch. Right.
And I think that's the biggest struggle a lot of content creators face. And that's the very first thing we work on with brand new clients is that we need to know exactly who we're talking to, because you see a lot of people that give up after like two or three months is because they have no clarity with their content. They're just focusing on, dude, I want to get like a hundred thousand views on a video.
They're focusing on all these things that they can't really control. And I think the biggest thing that you can control is the type of content you're creating for that specific person you want to touch. So we put in like a lot of research and work into like defining that person.
But at the same time, you have to be like, dude, if you're not comfortable in front of the camera, I mean, with me, what's kind of separates me from other media companies, I used to be an actor in Hollywood. So I kind of know like some hacks and things like that to get comfortable. But if you're doing things like by yourself, it's just about being like, you know what?
It's just like going to the gym. You want to get better at pushups, focus on day one, doing two pushups, next day, four pushups or whatever, just gradually get better. And so with, yeah, with content, you know, just want to be able to do something every day.
[Stephen Husted] (10:34 - 10:35)
And it doesn't all turn out good.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (10:36 - 10:54)
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And another thing, you have to be comfortable with that too.
You're going to get a bunch of L's in the beginning, man. It's not going to be easy. You're not going to get like views and traction right away.
But like I tell everybody, once you do get traction and the momentum goes, you're going to get paid back and then some. So it's like, it's definitely worth it.
[Stephen Husted] (10:55 - 11:17)
Yeah. It's such a, especially because I follow a lot of people that help others, you know, coach them to create content or you name it. I got all these people.
So you're, on a daily basis, you're getting bombarded on, do it this way, do this, this is the way, you know, like this is how we should do that. You know, just a few years ago, it was more business heavy, less of your personal. Right.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (11:17 - 11:18)
Yeah, absolutely.
[Stephen Husted] (11:18 - 11:48)
I just went, I had a webinar with Neil and Gary V beginning of the year and Gary's like 50, 50, 50, 50, put more out. He's like my highest performing video of last year was him talking about blueberries, how he likes, how he likes eating blueberries. So it blew up and then he made more content based on that.
So he was just telling this random story, you know, of just some, they were just filled, you know, cause they just film everything. And so it was just a clip, put it out, but it performed well.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (11:48 - 11:49)
Right.
[Stephen Husted] (11:49 - 11:58)
But it also is more of a connection point. I think the more you share what you do on a daily basis and what you're into, you have more connection points.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (11:59 - 11:59)
Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (11:59 - 12:14)
Then it turns out that it's not really about, you know, can I hire you for a real estate transaction or become an investor? Or it's, oh no, he's into this kind of music or he's into this, you know what I mean? And then you resonate with that person on that app, on that level.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (12:14 - 12:35)
Yeah, exactly. I mean, I could even speak personally, like for me, like just watching your stories, like the music that you choose, I just love the music that you choose, like all your clips and stuff. And that's why I messaged you.
I'm like, dude, what song is that? What song is that? Like, yeah, you're totally right about like the, just finding the commonalities with people and just sharing that.
So yeah, totally get it, man.
[Stephen Husted] (12:35 - 13:32)
And it also, God, it's such a, you know, it's such a really cool thing, you know, content and like just social media, but then it's such a toxic thing at the same time. It's so bad right now, you know, and I had to look, it's funny. It was going through this moment.
I'm like, Oh, I don't want to have like having this like anxiety over bad comments. And then, you know what I mean? But then I see all these people that have huge followers, followings, and they put out a ton of content.
And it's a lot of content that maybe it's just not going to, it's going to rub some people the wrong way. And they're okay with that. And they're okay with that engagement, because at least it's putting out there, you have to get past that point too, where it's like, you might get a bad comment, but you know, look, trolls have other problems in itself.
In itself, they have more problems than you do in a lot of ways. And it's just their way to kind of channel things throughout because, you know, they can hide behind the comment. Most of them are private accounts.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (13:33 - 14:03)
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. That's the way I see it too, is like, I feel like whenever you get like a hate comment, it's more about them than you, because as long as you're comfortable with knowing what your mission is and what you represent, I mean, comments are just, or bad comments are just rule off of you.
Like it's nothing, right? Because I mean, there's people that just, I don't know if they get turned on by it, but they just love seeing people just like get mad and angry and stuff like that. So it's like, you just have people out there that just are not happy with themselves, which is why they're putting those comments out.
[Stephen Husted] (14:03 - 15:32)
Yeah. And it's a hard, I started noticing, you know, I used to really like Twitter or X, you know, Twitter back in the days, you know, it's a little bit, you know, on threads, but it felt like everything started becoming the same layout from people, like how they put out, you know, some type of piece of content. It's like a setup for some, it's like a rage bait setup of something.
It's like, it never felt very organic. And it's almost like everybody followed the lead on how they put it out too. It's like, God, this doesn't make sense.
This is not even good. And it was interesting. I even went through it with myself.
Let's just say running. Like, I don't want to put out a video in the morning running and have to always throw like some type of inspirational thing because at the end of the day, that's not being very true to the whole scenario. So then I started thinking, I'm like, well, what did I really think about during that run?
What was that one little thing that I thought about, you know, that's very random. So I started posting that just with a black screen with white writing and just put it on there. And that's what got the engagement was that because they're looking at it and like, oh shit, he's thinking about those things, you know?
And, and then it's being really true. And it's like, and it goes to the audience that is either going to resonate with them, they're going to respond back in a DM and stories. Then you got that real true connection instead of like, let me jump in here and try to, you know, be like the rest, which is, you know, you want to kind of follow trends, but kind of also want to be your own person too, which is kind of a hard balance, right?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (15:33 - 15:53)
Yeah. Yeah, it is. And it's super tempting to, especially when you see like high performing videos, you're like, oh dude, I want to get that same like, but yeah, again, it just comes down to, okay, does this, is this video going to serve that person who I'm trying to connect with?
Right. And so yeah, having that balance is definitely key for sure.
[Stephen Husted] (15:53 - 16:01)
What are the problems you have? Because you shoot a lot of content. What do you go through on a weekly basis?
That's, you know, hard for you to kind of, you know, press through. Yeah.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (16:02 - 16:58)
I mean, right now I would say like, I'm pretty crystal clear who I'm trying to touch with the content. I think for me, I would say like issues right now is it's more so psychological. I think in entrepreneurship, like imposter syndrome is pretty, pretty real.
And there's times where I'm just like, dude, like who am I to put out this video? Right. But it's like, again, I got to remind myself and be like, dude, people are going to connect with different people.
Right. Like me and like 30 other people that do the same exact thing. We may connect with 30 different people because of just the way we present ourselves, the way we speak, the way we present information, things like that.
And so the idea of like, oh man, social media is saturated or like real estate investing saturated. I don't believe in that because there are billions of people or even millions of people that join or like start joining social media platforms every single day. And they're going to gravitate towards people that they vibe with the most.
[Stephen Husted] (16:59 - 16:59)
So, yeah.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (16:59 - 17:11)
So yeah. I mean, that's kind of like my struggle right now is more like psychological. It's just reminding myself like, dude, you're different.
There's no one like you. You're different. Just keep going.
So that's kind of like mine.
[Stephen Husted] (17:12 - 17:19)
Then you get like a DM or some kind of message on the side and it's somebody like, you know, thanking you for something and you're like, okay, I'm on the right page. Right.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (17:19 - 17:28)
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. That happened just like a couple of weeks ago.
Like it's kind of weird. Well, I added to my morning routine, like putting my ice or my face in a bucket of ice or whatever.
[Stephen Husted] (17:28 - 17:28)
I saw that.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (17:29 - 17:43)
It's been doing that every day. I just post it. It's like 10 seconds or whatever on my stories.
And it's crazy how many like DMs I get from people being like, dude, I'm going to do that too. Oh, man, I started doing it and it's like, it helps with my day. So it's like even small things like that is pretty cool.
So.
[Stephen Husted] (17:44 - 17:46)
That goes back to the little connection point.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (17:47 - 17:47)
Yeah, exactly.
[Stephen Husted] (17:48 - 20:50)
You know what I mean? Like that hits it right there. Yeah
I think I'm struggling with that part of my business right now is because when I started shooting content, it was more because I got inspired and I hated doing the traditional real estate marketing back when, you know, before like video was what it is today. I just hated doing just sold and, you know, just listed and all, you know, and just like, oh, I sold it. It was so stupid.
I just hated it. So drove me crazy. And then once I knew like video, I'm like, oh, I can do a just sold, but I can do a backstory on what went on during the transaction.
And I'm like, okay, now it's not about me. Now it's about the transaction and what my client went through good or bad that had just opened up the floodgates. But then the investing side started kicking up in full gear.
And then it was this battle of, because, you know, they say this, it's like, who are you talking to? Are you talking to a buyers and sellers in your local area? Or are you talking to the first time investor that's getting inspired by what you're doing on your projects out of state?
Right. So I'm, I'm really at that moment of going, what am I really doing here? I did hire a branding expert to help me.
And he actually made a suggestion of starting a whole nother Instagram account just on invest, just straight investing, you know, like this is it hyper niched into one little thing. And then I would ask him, okay, I understand that. So let's just say it's, you know, how to buy your first investment property out of state.
Okay, great. Do I just stay right there in that lane? And I have a hard time just staying in one lane too
That's my biggest problem is like, I get bored and I shouldn't, you know what I mean? Because you should approach it all as it's a creative project in itself. You know, even if you're doing the same thing over and over, you got to figure out ways.
Anyways, I'm like, well, what if I'm, I'm not doing as many single family homes now, now I'm developing out in Seattle. Do I get to talk about that still? You know what I mean?
And he's like, well, you got to kind of, and you know, it's a problem when even answer that too. He's a, he's a branding expert. So it's kind of put me in this weird thing.
And you know, at the end of the day, I just go screw it. I'm going to just keep doing what I'm doing. I don't think too much about it except for, you know, staying on and trying to do my best and working on, you know, being more on YouTube and doing more of this and doing more of that and get into coaching because I'm coaching and like, and try to focus, but then it's media, dude.
You can end up turning something into five different career paths from media, right? So you know that you could, you help entrepreneurs or real estate investors shoot content, you know, so that they can put on all the platforms and, you know, grow their audience and be top of mind. Let's just say that.
Right. But you'd also could be a coach to somebody trying to start a media company.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (20:51 - 20:52)
Yeah, exactly.
[Stephen Husted] (20:52 - 21:02)
Right. You could put that onto Upwork and that could be another, you could be just an editor straight, just an editor with a team of editors. You could be on, you know what I mean?
Like there's a million different things that go on.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (21:02 - 21:03)
Oh, it's huge. Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (21:03 - 21:09)
So, and that could be a problem because you do hear this a lot that do one thing and do one thing really great.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (21:09 - 22:03)
Yeah, that's true. I mean, yeah. I mean, look at all the big creators, dude, like Alex Hermosi, dude, he was like all gems for a while, right?
Like a couple of years. And now he's like pivoting to like different stuff. So I think like in the very beginning, you should niche down until like you started building some type of following and then you can gradually be like, okay, I'm going to add like this, I'm going to add that or whatever.
That's a path because I mean, if you look at, I mean, you look at Joe Rogan too, all UFC now is, I mean, he's the biggest podcast in the world, right? So it's like, I think it's good to at least focus on one thing. If I'm just saying, if you're starting from scratch, like day one, you know, because you just obviously want to film content that you know, right?
So I think that path is something that's probably a safe bet as far as like not giving up and keep going and stuff.
[Stephen Husted] (22:03 - 22:13)
Yeah. How would you approach me? Because you know that I help buyers and sellers and then do the investing side.
And then there's, do you think it's okay to kind of mesh them together?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (22:14 - 22:16)
I do. Yeah. Because a lot of my clients do the same.
[Stephen Husted] (22:16 - 22:17)
Yeah. Okay.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (22:17 - 23:29)
I mean, you know, like Ian and stuff and I have a couple other clients down here in Portland that are basically doing the same thing. Because I think in your case, like I see, at least for me, I see real estate under this umbrella, right? You have investing, you have traditional sales, you have like wholesaling, you have development.
I believe it's all like in one umbrella. And obviously, you know, you have people that are like, they want knowledge in like a single sector, right? But in your unique case, you offer like tremendous value, not just traditional sales, but you're an investor yourself.
So it's like, I feel like you'd be limiting yourself if you just focused on one thing in your case, kind of because you do so many other things well under that real estate umbrella. So the advice I would have given me, like dude, just I would be going hard on YouTube, like long form, like showing off your projects, doing like longer form versions of your projects, showcasing or doing educational stuff. So like maybe sharing like, okay, what's the San Jose market compared to Seattle or something like that?
I think that'd be a pretty cool video based on your experience. Yeah, that'd be cool. But yeah, I would just go hard on YouTube and YouTube long.
And then yeah, just continue to do what you're doing on shorts and just keep everything in, you know, under your personal brand.
[Stephen Husted] (23:30 - 24:58)
I'll tell you one thing about for me. Well, here's an interesting story. So these are, I got two like full circle scenarios that started back in like middle school.
So one, I was in a, this is a crazy story. I had a drafting class back in like sixth grade. And so we, you know, designed a home, built a home.
Okay. And then we did, I think hot like balloons too. I don't know if we flew them or anything, but we designed balloons out, but I had to design this house.
And I remember debating my teacher. I'm like, no, he kept wanting us to do like a traditional house. And I'm like, no, dude, I want, I want this house looking like this.
And like, I want big window and like all this stuff. Yeah. And some, I guess my mom found this house in the den, you know, stored away.
And she's like, do you know that you built the most coolest modern home back in like sixth grade? And I'm like, no. And she's like, yeah, I still have it.
You should come and see it. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm going to see it soon. Then fast forward to about, about two months ago, I had a gentleman from middle school, reach out to me from on Facebook who lives in Seattle and said, the first sentence was, I guess you took that sixth grade drafting class serious.
And I'm like, what? And he's like, yeah, I helped you build the foundation of your home in sixth grade. And he lives in Seattle, dude.
And he wants to build daddies.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (24:58 - 25:06)
Dude, that's crazy. See right there. That's like, man, that'd be a good review in itself.
Isn't that wild? Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (25:06 - 25:16)
Yeah. And I remember I really, you know, you know, through school, you know, what classes you really, oh yeah. You loved, right?
Well, that was one of them. And the other one was TV journalism.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (25:17 - 25:18)
Okay. Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (25:18 - 26:07)
And so we had to do a, like some type of like final report, you know, like a, it was like a new show. And so I was into super into heavy metal. Okay.
So I did mine on Motley Crue and how they, and all the girls that follow them, you know, like to all the concerts and stuff. So I brought these girls from, that I knew in class and dressed them up like heavy metal, little groupie girls. We did this whole skit thing and we recorded it and we had to edit it and we had to bring props in and all this different stuff.
And I absolutely loved that class. And now, you know, fast forward to today, that same, I hear that from other kids from that period of time about now that I'm shooting content, like they're all out. It makes sense.
Totally makes sense.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (26:08 - 26:11)
Cause they probably all like the creativity, you know?
[Stephen Husted] (26:11 - 26:14)
Yeah. And it's like from middle school, dude.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (26:14 - 26:16)
So that's so wild.
[Stephen Husted] (26:16 - 26:17)
It's so wild.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (26:17 - 26:56)
Did you go to middle school in California too? Yeah. San Jose.
Where did you grow up? I grew up, well I was born in SoCal, Riverside, and then moved up, bounced around, moved up into just North of Seattle called Everett, Washington. So grew up there basically from, you know, six years old through college.
Went to University of Washington, but yeah, it was pretty cool growing up there. But yeah, I moved down to LA for like five years, met my wife. She's from San Diego.
And then we moved back up here like 2016. And then recently we just moved down to Vancouver, Washington, which is like about very close to Portland, Oregon. So it's like on the border of Washington and Oregon.
So.
[Stephen Husted] (26:57 - 26:59)
I just learned about that through, through Joey.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (27:00 - 27:00)
Oh, okay.
[Stephen Husted] (27:00 - 27:06)
Oh yeah. I thought when he said Vancouver, he was from Vancouver, Canada. And then he's like, no dude, we're in Washington.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (27:07 - 27:09)
Get that all the time. Yeah. I don't know why they did that, but.
[Stephen Husted] (27:10 - 27:11)
Yeah. How's that area
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (27:11 - 27:38)
Is it pretty cool? Oh, I love it, dude. It's definitely like a hidden gem.
A lot of people are starting to build like dattoos now. So you might, it might be worth looking down here now. Oh really?
Yeah. Interesting. But yeah, it's one of those things where it's like people are starting to discover it now.
Just because if you think about it, it's like Washington historically does have state income tax. You go to Portland, which is like a 10 minute drive, no sales tax. So you kind of have like the best of both worlds, like.
[Stephen Husted] (27:39 - 27:44)
Oh, so you could travel in there to grab your grocery. Yeah. Yeah.
And then come back.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (27:45 - 27:51)
Purchases and stuff. Yeah. Just drive like 10 minutes down, down South and you're in Portland and no sales tax.
So.
[Stephen Husted] (27:51 - 27:55)
How do you compare it to other areas South of Seattle?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (27:56 - 29:00)
I would say like, okay. South of Seattle, I would say, yeah, it's like, I want to say 180, 180,000 people. So it's probably just as big as like, Kent, the Kent area.
It kind of reminds that area a lot. It's not, yeah, it's not like a huge place, but yeah, it's starting to grow that like Ridgefield, which is like 10 minutes North of Vancouver. It's like the fastest growing city in the state of Washington.
So that, that place is exploding. And what's the housing market like? It's on fire, dude.
It's on fire. The pricing is pretty comparable to like almost like the closest Seattle area now. Yeah.
It's just booming, dude. But I mean, yeah, there's plenty of inventory. It's definitely on fire, especially now with spring here now.
Is it like Tacoma? I wouldn't say it's that busy. I wouldn't say it's that busy.
No, cause just Tacoma. I mean, there's just plenty of, you know, cheaper properties there, but yeah. And it's a little bit bigger city as well.
I think Tacoma is like what? Three, I think a hundred thousand more people, but yeah, it's not as fire as Tacoma, but it's getting there.
[Stephen Husted] (29:00 - 29:09)
So how did you do as far as transitioning and coming from like California to Washington? If Washington had California weather, I would have already moved.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (29:09 - 29:38)
Oh yeah. I, oh yeah, dude, I love California, man. Like at heart, I'm a Cali guy, but you know, it's just, well, my wife, I would say like my wife's the boss, so it's her call, but she basically, she loves the four seasons, man.
And like, she grew up in San Diego. So like, we'll still go down like once or twice a year, but as far as living, it's just like, you know, high taxes and stuff, things of that nature. But I dude, every time we go to California, I'm like, I don't, I never want to go back home, dude.
[Stephen Husted] (29:39 - 29:53)
Yeah. The weather has got us locked down. The weather and just very similar.
I mean, you got the coast, you got the mountains, you just, you know, you can get on a plane and go to Vegas. There's just a lot of stuff and it's pretty in a lot of areas.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (29:53 - 30:04)
Not so pretty in some, but yeah, I just, and it's just a vibe. I just feel like the sun hits different down there, man. It's like, you just feel the energy is just like, man, I just love it, dude.
Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (30:05 - 30:25)
You know, it's funny. I think the first time that I met you, when we filmed over at that property, it was like, I'm like, damn, it's so goddamn hot here. I'm like, this is great weather.
And then the last time we're out there, it was like so cold. And I was trying to shoot content and I could see my breath, like the steam coming off it. And I'm like, I don't seem like I'm recording good.
I'm like, no, I'm cold. I don't even want to shoot.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (30:26 - 30:34)
Yeah, dude. It's like totally different here. Like from November to, you know, February is just like a whole other beast.
[Stephen Husted] (30:35 - 30:43)
Yeah. That would be hard. That would be really hard for me.
I'm a baby. Heck, I'll look outside and see dark clouds. I'm like, huh, that's a baby.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (30:43 - 30:49)
Yeah. It changes your mood and stuff too. And yeah, it's hard to like kind of snap out of it and get to work and stuff.
[Stephen Husted] (30:49 - 31:00)
Yeah. Yeah. So let's walk through a client coming to you.
How that, what that looks like and how do you get them from point A to B? I'm curious about that. Let's go with somebody who's brand new.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (31:00 - 32:58)
Yeah. Someone's brand new. Yeah
So, you know, there's a lot of research and that goes into place. So we basically asked them some onboarding questions about them, what they want to accomplish about their business. And then from there we'll build them like a personalized content machine.
That is like what we like to call our content engine. And so what we do is we kind of do a mixture of like old school research and like AI, and we come up with like, we help them develop their ideal video viewer. So we basically be like, Hey, this is the exact person that we're going to revolve the content around that who you're going to talk to with your content.
And then from there, we basically set up kind of like our blueprint of the type of content that we're going to create. So basically do ideation. So we come up with a specific niche content.
I would say 90% is that, and the rest of the 10% is more like Q&A's more like, I would say content that has more of a personal touch. So we kind of develop those. We have a central hub for those that they can access.
And then we just, we set up our film shoots. So either it'd be myself, I have five other videographers on my team. So it's either myself or one of us go out, we, and we film the content.
And it's not one of those things where we show up and just press record. We actually like talk them through each topic and we guide them and direct them just to make them feel as comfortable as possible. And then once we get that film, we send it over to our editing team who basically splices it together, whether it be short form or long form.
And then from there, we start branching them out, disseminating the content. So we focus mainly on Instagram and YouTube. And so we basically optimize the video content to post on those platforms.
And recently we've just added some paid ad services to our agency as well. So we'll basically help run ads on Facebook and the IGDM ads as well. And to just help them, especially if they have like a high ticket offer that they have for people and we help strategize that as well.
So that's kind of like what it is like working with us in a nutshell.
[Stephen Husted] (32:58 - 33:04)
And how do you get the beginner, you know, comfortable to shoot? What are you saying to them
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (33:05 - 34:29)
Yeah. So it's like, it really depends on the person. Everybody's different.
So it's like, what I noticed that's funny is like the more extroverted someone is off camera, the more introverted they are in front of the camera, or more uncomfortable they are in front of the camera. And then it's a reverse. So someone who's shy is like really good in front of the camera.
Yeah. So we kind of just gauge. There's some people that we have to talk like the first 10 minutes, just about life, just random, just chopping it up for like 10, 15 minutes just to get them comfortable that way.
There's other people where it's like, we literally have to like go for a walk outside or like do some breathing exercises. Like that's me. Like before I shoot content, I always go for a walk or I just like do some breathing stuff just to get like ready to go.
And there's other people where it's like, they need like the exact script and we have a teleprompter where we put it into the lens and then have them read it. That's the only way they're going to be comfortable. And that's totally fine too.
And so we can set it up that way. So yeah, it really just depends on the person. But my personal experience is that the more prepared you are, the more comfortable you're going to be.
What we try to do is we send like the topics and outlines at least like a week before our shoot date. And so you could tell real quick if when someone shows up, if they're prepared or not. So more times than not, they are prepared.
But yeah, I find that the more prepared you are leading up to the shoot, the more comfortable you're going to be.
[Stephen Husted] (34:30 - 34:55)
Yeah, that is a good point. I noticed the times that I've rushed when I have my video first showing up and we're like, we're going to go in and I just flop in the very beginning. I'm like, okay, let's just get in the car and drive to the job site and then we'll shoot some content.
Let me get a rhythm going. And yeah, I have a hard time that scripts are been so hard for me to pull off. Honestly, I just have such a hard time following one.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (34:56 - 35:03)
Do you kind of just come up with the topics and you just kind of just go, okay, just run the camera. I'll just talk through it or bullet points. Okay.
[Stephen Husted] (35:03 - 36:01)
Yeah. And I don't know if that's, that's probably not the best way to do it. And I don't try to always figure out, I think because I've done videos where I like, okay, I'm going to put this hook in here.
I know this topic and this is how I want the, you know, the caption to come across right in the beginning. And I know it's going to get them and it does. And then I go, this is, I'm just playing a game to try to get people to watch where, but then I talked to the team and I go, if we didn't put, I got scammed as the first line, the video wouldn't have done anything.
You know what I mean? You know, cause we scrolled just so fast through things these days. And I know I have to get better at doing that and just being a bit more like aggressive on, you know, trying to hook them in the first three seconds for stuff.
But yeah, then it just flips into what I see others do. And I don't want to do that because I don't want to follow, you know, everybody else's content. We've talked about this, you know, there's a balance there, you know?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (36:01 - 36:02)
Right. Exactly.
[Stephen Husted] (36:03 - 36:17)
Yeah. But some of it gets you inspired too, and you want to do it, but you know, at the end of the day, I don't know if you go through this with your clients. Some of my videos had done, you know, 100, 200, 300 views, have landed me $3 million listings.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (36:18 - 36:47)
Exactly. That's why, yeah, I know the other day I had a client, we just started posting YouTube longs. I mean, they'd even pass a hundred, well, the first one passed a hundred views, but the other one was probably like 50 or 60 views.
And she picked up a 1.5 million investment commitment from someone just cold, just because he watched the video. That's why views don't, it doesn't matter, man. You just never know.
The right views, that's what matters.
[Stephen Husted] (36:47 - 36:56)
The right views. And you just, in the moment where it's just in somebody's lap and they got a thought process going and it connects with them. And then that, you know, they reach out.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (36:56 - 36:57)
Exactly.
[Stephen Husted] (36:57 - 37:18)
I think that was a hard pill to swallow for people when, you know, let's say back during COVID, you know, you getting five, 10,000 views and then it shrunk to 300. I mean, that really, a lot of people just stop making content. They're just like, screw this.
Why am I putting the money into this? It's not paying off. And I'm like, well, am I really putting videos out for views?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (37:19 - 37:20)
Yeah, exactly.
[Stephen Husted] (37:20 - 38:56)
Or am I, is it just, you know, social proof, top of mind, here's what I'm doing. Because at the end of the day, I think that it's some of most random things that I've actually recorded resonate the most in different ways. You know, I mean, just like it could be the most, you know, like I was running a job site and all the subcontractors, you know, would be calling me all the time on things like, what's this?
What's the hell based in there? What's the paint? You know, we have on this list on WhatsApp and I'm like, all right.
So I talked to my designer, I go, let's put something at the property for these people. Let's just put a QR code, link it back. So they just go take it with their phone.
And then we recorded that. And it was like so many people. I was like, oh my God, that's such a great idea.
You've made my life so much easy just by telling me about this one little thing. And that's the beauty about social media is when you can learn from like a one minute video waiting in line at Target. You know, you learn something, you're on with your day and it's like in your, especially real estate.
Like, oh yeah, dude, I've learned so much on Instagram and dude, Ian, all the, that's all these guys. I say this all the time and I had to stop this year. I told myself I'm not going to be the dude in Thatch's comment section, like advocating for him anymore because I just got tired of these people with their stupid comments on shit they don't know.
They just don't know. And they comment on a one minute video that he's putting out. And you're like, do you realize that if you followed Thatch for two years, you're going to know more about real estate than a lot of people out there.
And you'd be able to execute, you know, pretty much point A to B because he tells everything he goes through everything.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (38:56 - 38:58)
He's super transparent. That's why I love it.
[Stephen Husted] (38:58 - 39:34)
Super transparent. I mean, there's no, he doesn't have any other reason not to be. Yeah.
I mean, I don't care if you put, you know, videos out of your cars, you deserve your cars. Yeah. You deserve your cars.
You know what I mean? Because it's funny because you could be the complete opposite and be the guru that doesn't really have any real estate, but that rented the Lamborghini and then made out there and made the content and you paid for his course. Instead, you can get the put in all the work, came from nothing and built this whole business out.
Gives a bunch of the content for free, but you could join his group and get even another level. What are you talking about? Like you're missing the opportunities.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (39:35 - 39:36)
Yeah, exactly.
[Stephen Husted] (39:36 - 39:40)
I don't know. So that's my rant on that. I'm not talking about Thatch anymore.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (39:41 - 40:13)
I get it. Yeah. It's funny how the things that you don't think is going to pop off, but they do.
And then the reverse you're like, Oh dude, I put so much time and effort in this video. It's like super educational. This one's probably going to go well.
And you're just like, Oh, but yeah, I mean, you never know who's watching, right? I mean, opportunities are endless. And that's the beauty of social media too, is that you're basically replicating yourself and like every video that you're posting is like a seed.
So you're planting it, you're planting it. And like the fun thing is that you never know when it's going to bloom, but when it does, it's dude.
[Stephen Husted] (40:14 - 41:05)
Yeah. And you brought up something about imposter syndrome. I think that if in the very beginning, let's say you're a new agent and you're new to content, you know, the imposter syndrome kicks in.
But at the end of the day, I think what people really gravitate towards is watching your journey go and just what you go through, you know, the good, the bad, the ugly, and that goes within, you know, whatever in any business, if you can kind of document that in a way that shows a lot of transparency and, you know, openness to things. I feel like I gravitate a lot towards those people. I think when I see things too perfect, I question it.
I'd rather say, oh shit, things are going wrong here, folks. I'm getting ready to do one right now on for, you're going to hear, you're going to see it on Instagram. Yeah.
You know, I have a property we put on the market and put a lot of time into it.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (41:05 - 41:05)
Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (41:05 - 42:11)
And the market is, you know, there's no warning when there's a shift, but I think that, you know, what was going on with the stock market and tech stocks, especially when they drop, you know, it pulls back buyers because a lot of buyers here in Silicon Valley and same with Seattle, you know, they buy their houses on with their stock. And once that shifts down and people losing money, I'm going to pull off, I think I'll hold off. And anyways, it's, I'm going through it right now in this market.
And, you know, I put a house on the market. That's a pretty much a no pricing. And it's like crickets.
Oh wow. And I'm like, okay, well, you know, I got to keep that story going. Yeah.
Cause that's the story. So I got to say, Hey, Cambridge name is not doing as good. I'm just going to lay it out there.
And it could go to the point where it's like, Hey, I have to take it off the market and I got to rent it out or we're going to try it another time because that's, it is what it is. Can't hold that back. They've already heard the beginning of the story, which some people probably would like, Oh, I don't want to tell that part because it would make me look less than, or I failed or whatever.
But dude, it's business. Nothing's perfect.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (42:11 - 42:14)
Oh yeah. Never. Is that deal a fix and flip?
[Stephen Husted] (42:15 - 43:17)
So no. So it's my client's house. She owns it.
It was a fixer and she wanted a certain price point out of it, which we wouldn't have achieved without doing a rehab on it. Because I have that background. I was able to go, Hey, look, I'm going to get you private money.
We're gonna go in here and we're going to rehab it. This will increase the value. You know, you'll probably make an extra couple hundred grand on it just for doing this.
And it back when we started it, the market was a certain way and the comps were a certain way. And then that shifted. It literally started shifting three weeks before we went to the market.
And I knew the minute the stock market did its thing and this tariffs and all the things that were kind of coming out. And you can, you just know when things are. That's why I keep asking Ian because we're putting one 17th on the market soon.
And I'm asking him like, what's going on, dude? We're in this position up there too. And he's like, I don't feel that yet.
I just want that transparency to be there so that people can understand what I'm going through. I try my best to do it mostly on stories.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (43:17 - 43:33)
Oh yeah. I noticed that on yours. I see your stories every day.
Yeah. Yeah. That's great.
Cause I think again, you never know who's watching and you never know whose lives you're touching. And it's like, dude, that one story may help them not make that mistake or like not mistake, but like, you know, not go through that same issue.
[Stephen Husted] (43:33 - 43:41)
Or have that awareness. It's totally true. And I feel like stories is like your little group of, especially the ones that have followed you from the beginning.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (43:41 - 43:42)
Right.
[Stephen Husted] (43:42 - 43:50)
I feel like I'm really, really, really talking to them. You know, it's made for them. Like I really put more, I put more effort in stories than I do on my videos.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (43:51 - 43:59)
Yeah. That's a great point you made is, is that, you know, stories is specifically made for your followers is just to help nurture those relationships you have.
[Stephen Husted] (43:59 - 44:00)
Yeah. Yeah.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (44:00 - 44:01)
Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (44:01 - 44:04)
And you can be, have a little bit more freedom there.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (44:04 - 44:05)
Yeah, I agree.
[Stephen Husted] (44:05 - 45:07)
So you brought up a point that's kind of crazy. So you brought the music part, right? Well, okay.
So in the beginning, when I first started doing stories and stories became a thing, right. When they first came out, you know, I got the video, I'm going to put it out. I'm like, what kind of music am I going to put on this?
I like, well, I love music and I'm, you know, used to DJ. And so I'm like electronic, but I was afraid to put out, to put like house music and techno and those types and progressive house music to the videos. Like I thought I was going to, you know, turn off, but I'm like, well, dude, if I put out some commercial track, Michael, you would probably second guess why I did that.
You would go, Stephen did not put that song. Somebody else did that for Stephen because that's not him. You know what I mean?
I follow other people and like, they have their music kind of selection too. Right. And then it was okay to kind of lean into that.
But then it was like, Oh, then you find out there's a lot of people out there that like dance music. There's a lot of people that go to Burning Man. And then, then they're like, dude, I downloaded some of your songs so that I can put them in my videos.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (45:08 - 45:11)
Save like a lot of the songs I see, man. I'm like, Oh dude, this is sick.
[Stephen Husted] (45:11 - 45:20)
So it's like, and that's, what's really cool because that's the connection. That's the glue to it all. And then when that day comes, when it's looking to buy, looking to sell.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (45:21 - 45:21)
Exactly.
[Stephen Husted] (45:21 - 45:26)
You know, it's the same thing with you. You know what I mean? Like if I moved to Seattle, you're already top of mind.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (45:27 - 45:27)
Right.
[Stephen Husted] (45:27 - 46:07)
Do I need a content creator? You know, do I need somebody on the ground? I don't need to go any further.
Right. I've seen your videos. I know what you do.
I know what time you get up at you get five, five in the morning. You can inspire me there, but you haven't got me there yet. Nobody has.
One day it's like you, Ian and Curry, you know, I had her daughter on my podcast, Lauren. She gets up early. I'm like, dude, I'm such a, I'm such a night owl.
I can't break that, man. I don't know. I'm just, and two, this is my wife's time.
She gets up at four 30. Oh, okay. Yeah.
But she's in bed by like eight 30. So I'm trying to, so yes, I saw your clock. He's like, damn, Michael's getting up at five.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (46:08 - 46:15)
Yeah, I have to man. Cause I know if I don't get my workout in like immediately, like I won't be able to do it like an afternoon.
[Stephen Husted] (46:15 - 46:18)
That's just like how I'm wired, you know, walk me through one of your days.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (46:18 - 47:14)
Yeah. So yeah, typically you wake up around, you know, five, do my little ice thing, pray. Cause I'm super pretty religious.
So, you know, just thank God for another day. And then yeah, hit the workout. I like lift weights like three times a week, but usually depending on the day, it's either weightlifting or just like long, steady cardio.
And then from there, depending on if I'm filming a client or not, you know, just doing work for praise media, talking to my team, talking to clients, kissing babies, you know, meeting new people, networking and stuff like that. And then just making sure, you know, everyone is doing well and performing well. And then from there, you know, just spending time with the wife.
So she's a nurse. So she's usually home like around two 30 or three o'clock. So once she's home, we just spend time together and just kind of reflect on the day and then prep for the next day.
Okay. Not the most exciting day, but you know, get a lot of stuff done.
[Stephen Husted] (47:14 - 47:36)
No, I think that, I think that's another problem people have when it comes to, you know, being online and social media, they're like, Oh, my day's boring. Like, no, you probably do more than most people. And there's a lot of things that go on through the day that are interesting.
Just like you said, you know, the ice bath, you brought that up, you know, how that resonated. Do you feel like you're pretty organized as a business owner?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (47:36 - 48:10)
That's a good question. I would say I'm 90% there. I think like, for me, I hate like the, I mean, I love numbers, obviously, but like the accounting, like keeping tap, like I just, oh man, when it comes to that, that's the one thing I'm not like the most organized with.
But I feel like everything else as far as like communication, setting up systems for communication with the team and stuff, setting up a content system for the clients. I feel like those are pretty dialed in, but like the taxes, accounting stuff is just super tough, dude.
[Stephen Husted] (48:10 - 48:34)
Yeah. You're in good company with that one. That's one thing I tell my business partners
When we start off, I go, Hey, look, I can be the visionary guy. I can paint the picture. I can put the team together and charge forward.
The minute you hear me say, I'm going to do anything with numbers, you should fire me because I can't stand doing it. The worst part of the business for me is accounting. I just, I don't want to deal with it.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (48:35 - 48:46)
Oh my gosh. Much love to everybody that can do it because, dude, that is the most confusing thing I've ever experienced. I can't imagine you too with real estate.
Oh my goodness.
[Stephen Husted] (48:46 - 49:09)
Well, that part's okay. For me, I'm okay with that part because I just ask a lot of questions on strategies on how to reduce my taxable scenario. But the number part of it, I have a bookkeeper, then I got my CPA.
And even having all that and QuickBooks and all these other things in place, it's always an ongoing... And it's so many tax returns, man. Oh my gosh.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (49:10 - 49:10)
It's crazy.
[Stephen Husted] (49:11 - 49:12)
It's so crazy.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (49:13 - 49:16)
Oh my God. Because you have what? You probably have an LLC for each property you have?
[Stephen Husted] (49:16 - 50:07)
No, but I have four partnerships. So that's four separate K1s and then my own and then my real estate and my hair business still doing hair a couple of days a week. So it's all these different...
And everything is all separated. So the salon has its own bank account. The real estate has it.
The bank accounts. But it is what it is. And you can't outsource that part of it.
There's this part of your business. I complained about it a lot. And then one of my friends, he works in finance and he's like, dude, you're a business owner.
Shut up. That's what you have to do, man. You're not going to love everything else.
You're not going to love everything you do. And that's just one you're not. So I'm like, yeah, okay, cool.
All right.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (50:07 - 50:13)
Yeah, that's true. It could be way worse, you know. No revenue coming in and stuff.
[Stephen Husted] (50:14 - 50:25)
Yeah. I was telling my assistant that I saw this post about being an entrepreneur where it said, start the week off with $8 in your bank account. The middle of it, you have 60 and by then you're negative three.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (50:26 - 50:34)
I saw something similar. It was like seven bucks, like $64,000. And I knew it was like a dollar.
Dude, that's so true, dude.
[Stephen Husted] (50:35 - 50:48)
You make a lot of money. It's like, yeah, it's in real estate and I don't know. It's crazy.
What would be one piece of advice you'd give somebody that's getting ready to shoot content for their business?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (50:49 - 52:18)
Well, I would first figure out, okay, who exactly am I speaking to? So depending on the industry you're in, I think the easiest way to figure that out is either hire us, just kidding. Nice plug.
It would be to basically put yourselves in the shoes of a beginner in your industry. So say that you have 10 years of experience in real estate, put yourself in the shoes of like that beginner and then make content around that to start out. So just basics, right?
And then also the second thing you want to do is really reflect and figure out why you want to do video content. Is it to become more famous? Is it to get more leads?
Is it to build more brand awareness? There's no right or wrong answer, but that why is what's going to carry you through the tough times because there's going to be times, dude, you're going to be like, oh God, I got to film 10 pieces of content today. Or I got to meet my media team today.
Like, dude, I do not feel like doing that. But that why is what's going to help you propel through those obstacles and tough times. So I'd say definitely lock down those first two things.
And then the third thing is just doing it, man, because a lot of people are hesitant about, oh, I don't have the nicest equipment. I don't have a cool camera. I don't have like cool clothes or whatever.
No, dude, just grab your phone, grab this phone, iPhone, Android, or whatever, and just start filming content and putting the reps in. So I'd say those are the three things to focus on.
[Stephen Husted] (52:18 - 52:28)
Yeah. You definitely don't need a fancy camera. I can vouch for that.
I'm staring at it right now and I never use it. It's got dust on it. I use my iPhone on everything.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (52:29 - 52:30)
Yeah, dude. That's all it takes.
[Stephen Husted] (52:30 - 52:40)
I guess if you really wanted to put money towards something, like if you wanted equipment, just upgrade your phone. Like just get the best phone and a good mic, like a wireless mic.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (52:40 - 52:41)
All you need to do.
[Stephen Husted] (52:41 - 52:46)
You know, and just a stand. You're good. You're ready.
You're ready to go. And it's definitely a rep thing too.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (52:47 - 52:51)
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And I would suggest even this too, like the Osmo Pocket 3.
[Stephen Husted] (52:51 - 52:52)
Oh yeah.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (52:52 - 53:01)
This is super good because it's like a gimbal on it. And it's only like, I think it's three, 400 bucks or something like that. But yeah, that's a really good option too.
In addition to your phone.
[Stephen Husted] (53:01 - 53:22)
I just got this one, the Insta360 Go. Okay. Yeah.
Yeah. This one. Yeah.
And this one's been really cool because, you know, it has, you can, it's magnetic. So you can put it here for shots, like doing this goes on your head. It's just tiny.
You could put anything metal. I've been using it in the car. Who's the maker?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (53:23 - 53:26)
Who made it? It's the Insta360. Okay.
It's just, so it's Insta.
[Stephen Husted] (53:26 - 53:41)
And then I have the same, very similar to what you have right there. I had that other one. That's very, I like these gadgets.
And honestly, I've been using this the most, this and my camera, because what I wanted for, what I use this for just to let you know.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (53:42 - 53:42)
Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (53:42 - 53:47)
You notice how I like record my conversations with people. This is what I'm using.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (53:47 - 53:48)
Okay.
[Stephen Husted] (53:48 - 53:56)
Because I'm on my, I'm on my phone on speaker and I have this mounted somewhere and I just record and that's what I wanted it for. Kind of like behind the scenes kind of things.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (53:58 - 54:02)
Does it have a mic on there on the Insta or you have to record on your phone?
[Stephen Husted] (54:02 - 54:25)
It has a mic on it. The only bummer, I think the DJI has a version like this that actually connects to the DJI wireless mics, which is cool. This one doesn't, it can record to a mic, but then it's like the mic, the audio is separate to this.
Right. And you have to splice them together, I guess. And I'm like, okay, that's too much, but in my car and here it's been totally fine.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (54:26 - 54:26)
That's good.
[Stephen Husted] (54:26 - 54:26)
Yeah.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (54:26 - 54:27)
Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (54:27 - 54:30)
That's cool. So where, where can the audience find you?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (54:30 - 54:40)
Well, you can find me, I'm mainly active on Instagram and YouTube. So you can just type in official Michael Hudson and then, yeah, you can come up and find me and hit me up.
[Stephen Husted] (54:40 - 54:52)
So I know another question, are you helping all types of industries shoot content? Or is it most, I know you do a lot of real estate, but are you branching out to others or do others contact you as well?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (54:53 - 55:16)
Yeah. Yeah. So we basically promote ourselves as helping any type of business.
So, I mean, just because I had some experience in real estate, so people have, when I first started Praise Media, that's a lot of the people I brought on as clients, but yeah, we're open to helping any small business, especially like service-based businesses. So like HVAC, mortgage, the list goes on and on. So any of those types of businesses.
[Stephen Husted] (55:16 - 55:18)
Cool. I enjoyed our little shoots we've done
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (55:19 - 55:19)
Yeah, dude.
[Stephen Husted] (55:19 - 55:20)
It was fun, man.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (55:20 - 55:32)
Yeah. You're a pro, man. You're like super easy to work with, man.
Cause it's like, didn't even really need to like give you much direction. That was more just like following you around because it was more like behind the scenes stuff. But yeah, you're super easy to work with.
[Stephen Husted] (55:33 - 55:36)
Yeah. Ian was great too. It was like, I started turning it into an interview for him.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (55:36 - 55:45)
Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
That was good. That was a good interview too. And then like, you know, with Ian, it's just like, you just got to like make him laugh and stuff, which you did.
And then he'll be like way comfortable.
[Stephen Husted] (55:46 - 55:51)
I know. And it totally threw him off sometimes when I'd say something to him. He's like, what the hell is he saying?
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (55:52 - 55:54)
Yeah. Yeah. It was really funny.
[Stephen Husted] (55:54 - 56:09)
Cool, man. Hopefully I'll see you the next time I come up to Seattle, which is probably sometime next month. I definitely wanted to get you to help me on this other property that we just picked up, that we're kind of midway through, but it was too damn cold and I didn't want to waste your expertise.
Oh yeah.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (56:10 - 56:12)
Yeah. It's dude, it's tough. It's brutal.
[Stephen Husted] (56:12 - 56:12)
Yeah.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (56:12 - 56:20)
It's really cold. But yeah, man, hit me up, dude. I'd love to see you again.
And whenever I'm in your area, I'll be sure to reach out to you as well.
[Stephen Husted] (56:20 - 56:35)
Yeah, absolutely. Keep rocking it, dude. And get out there and get your cardio on.
I want to see videos. You put it out there to me, so now it's time. I guess you could try to hold me accountable for the 5am.
I don't think, I think I'll try for, you know, six and baby step it.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (56:36 - 56:40)
A couple of weeks, 6am and then boost it up to like 545 and then.
[Stephen Husted] (56:40 - 56:40)
Yeah.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (56:41 - 56:41)
Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (56:42 - 56:44)
Everybody's got something to strive for.
[MICHAEL HUDSON] (56:44 - 56:45)
Yeah.
[Stephen Husted] (56:45 - 57:17)
Right on, buddy. I appreciate it. You have a good day.
All right, man. Talk to you later.
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