Going full-time in real estate is a leap many agents want to take, but few actually do. Emily Nguyen is one of the rare examples of someone who didn’t just survive the jump from retail to real estate; she built a business that by Year Three that netted over $200,000.

What makes her story especially powerful is that she didn’t start with connections, capital or paid leads. She built everything from scratch using simple tools and consistent effort while juggling a demanding retail job. Here’s how she did it and what other agents can learn from her path.

Step 1: Retail work by day, real estate by night

Like a lot of people in real estate, Nguyen didn’t grow up planning to be an agent. She was working part-time retail after high school when her parents decided to buy and sell a home, and they needed help. There were no local Vietnamese-speaking Realtors, so Nguyen stepped in to translate and interpret. That experience opened her eyes to a real problem in the market, and an opportunity to serve.

She didn’t immediately jump into real estate full-time. Instead, she studied while keeping her retail job. The income from that job gave her a cushion, but it also made it harder to step away. Every time she got promoted or got a raise, it became harder to leave, even as she started building momentum in real estate.

Step 2: Year 1 to Year 3 – Building while balancing

Nguyen’s first year in real estate closed in six transactions. She thought it was low. But she more than doubled that in her second year, closing 20 deals.

By year three, she was managing 42 transactions and still working retail full-time. But the pace caught up with her. The health toll of juggling two full-time jobs finally forced a hard decision. She took an FMLA leave from retail and used that time to reflect. That’s when she realized that she had already built something powerful enough to stand on its own.

She was scared to walk away from the guaranteed paycheck, especially with the pressure of being the first generation in her family to run a business. But when she resigned, she said it felt like freedom.

Step 3: Her lead-gen strategy was built for longevity

Nguyen never bought leads. Instead, she built a social media presence that turned into her biggest lead source. By year three, 95 percent of her clients came through social media or word-of-mouth. That’s impressive in any market, but it’s even more impressive in rural Iowa.

She didn’t wait around for clients to reach out. She showed up at local college events, sponsored cultural organizations and made sure her content delivered value first. That often meant sharing real estate tips, but also included things like supporting local businesses and posting recommendations for places to eat or things to do in Iowa.

Nguyen says her content pillars are simple: real estate, local businesses and community. And she shows up as herself, not just “the Realtor.” Her followers don’t just see listings. They see a person they can trust.

Step 4: Growing into the business side of real estate

Once Nguyen went full-time in real estate, her transaction count dipped slightly, but her income stayed steady. Why? She stepped up her price point and started working more strategically.

Along the way, she transitioned from an LLC to an S-Corp, hired a CPA and started tracking her expenses. Like many agents, she didn’t realize early on how much money she was leaving on the table by not treating her finances like a business. When she made that shift, her net income held steady even with fewer closings.

She learned to manage inconsistent months, stopped saying yes to every client at any hour and started setting healthier boundaries. Even in her fifth year, when she decided to slow down for self-care, she still closed 16 deals without burning out or going backward financially.

What makes her strategy so effective

Nguyen’s success didn’t come from ads, hacks or gimmicks. It came from community. Her social media presence is small by influencer standards, roughly 1,000 followers on Instagram, a few hundred on TikTok and 123 subscribers on YouTube, but that reach converts.

She focuses on engagement and education. She connects with people by being visible in her culture and community. She helps first-time buyers feel safe navigating homeownership for the first time, especially when language might be a barrier. That trust is something no Facebook ad can replace.

She also understands the power of delayed gratification. Instead of rushing to pay for leads, she built relationships and nurtured trust, so when her ideal clients needed a Realtor, she was the first name that came to mind.

Lessons every agent can learn from Nguyen

1. Leverage your time before your money. Nguyen didn’t buy leads. She bought time, and she used that time to show up online and in person.
2. Build a lead gen system around who you really are. Her three content pillars weren’t random. They reflected who she is and what her community needed.
3. Track net income, not just gross volume. Nguyen didn’t brag about closings. She focused on the money that actually landed in her bank account.
4. Know when to go all in. Year 3 was her tipping point. But she made that leap only when she had the proof and the pipeline to back it up.
5. Grow like a business. Transitioning to an S-Corp, hiring a CPA and setting up systems helped her keep more of what she earned.

Why her story matters

There are a lot of agents out there stuck in part-time roles, afraid to make the jump. But Nguyen proves it can be done, and that you don’t need viral content or massive ad budgets to do it. You need consistency, community and a system that works even when the market doesn’t.

If you’re looking to go full-time in real estate, take a page out of Emily Nguyen’s playbook. Start with service, show up with value, and when the time is right, jump in all the way.