Pouring drinks, listening to clients, catering to their needs comes naturally to Scott Hurlbert, a
bartender. This experience made him who he is today and gave him compassion and
understanding for others. Although Scott is no longer selling drinks, he found something better
– selling homes. He decided upon the real estate profession when he realized it was a perfect
compliment to his sales skill set.”

Recognizing that he liked to hustle and that he liked numbers (especially since working in the
mortgage industry from 2005-2009), real estate looked like a promising career. “I got a $99 pre-
licensing Groupon for real estate classes,” he recalls. He attended classes and earned his real
estate license in 2016.

“I sold the first home that I ever showed,” he smiles. “I thought, ‘This is really easy.’ I then sold
my second house within 45 days.” Over the next year and a half, Scott only sold five homes. “I
had two jobs,” he admits. “Bartending – which was primarily my income – and supplementing
with selling houses.” After all, Scott and his wife Marthe had a newborn to take care of. They
were forced to make ends meet.

“My second son was born at the end of 2018,” he says. “In 2019, I had a great year and started
to find my footing a little bit and get more established. I was used to face-to-face interaction to
bring in clients. When 2020 hit, I didn’t know what to do. I was back to ground zero and I
needed to build a business beyond my personal relationships.”

Although it took 18 months to figure out how to excel in his career, Scott embraced the
challenge and overcame this obstacle. He owns Grateful Day Realty with Keller Williams. He
credits the leadership in his market center for helping him be successful. “They’re incredible,”
he raves. “I went there, put the time in, and I listened to what people are doing who were
successful. I took pieces that others were doing that fit my personality and slowly incorporated
that.”

Scott adds, “A business needs to breathe – just like anything else – and I knew that I had to be
constantly evolving, especially with how the market moves. That allowed me to find my niche
and feel more comfortable within my skin.”

Building His Client Base
To build his client base, Scott relied on the very same skills he learned as a bartender. “Being a
bartender helped me listen and read people,” he reflects. It also taught him the gift of laughter.
“I like to laugh. I am goofy, but I think laughter creates the most genuine relationships the quickest. I am always looking for a reason to have a joke, a reason to smile. It breaks down
barriers for people. I just want to be a likable person.”

Scott is eager to make friends and influence people. “I want people to call me if they need
anything,” he says. “I want my clients to refer friends and family because they had a good
experience.” He aims to build an “organic machine,” sending friends and family to him.

“I’ve seen big businesses being built with this model,” he says. He realized that real estate
professionals at the market center have genuine relationships with their clients. He excels with
his people personality and his excellent communication skills. “You will never be in the dark
about where we are and where we are going. I’m going to overcommunicate to the point where
it might annoy you.” Scott is known for his words, “Here is what is next.” He says, “I love saying
those words and setting expectations that I need to uphold for myself too.”

A Dynamic Duo
“My wife got licensed at the end of 2019,” smiles Scott. “She just started to gain traction this
year and is helping us scale our business to an even better place, which is awesome.” Scott is
appreciative of her efforts and is thankful for where we are today.

“For the first time in 22 years, I don’t work in a restaurant anymore. “It’s nice to have one job
and have the freedom as my boys get older to spend time with them, whether coaching soccer
or making it to school functions.” He enjoys living his life and not having his job run his life.

Marthe and Scott are better together. “My wife and I own a team together,” says Scott. “She is
more relationship based and I handle the business side. It’s a great balance to make sure we
are addressing all of our clients' needs.”

As for their name, Grateful Day Realty, Scott explains, “The Grateful Dead is a little bit of peace
in my life. It’s something that grounds me. Being grateful is something that means a lot to us in
our lives and business .”

Family Focused
When Scott isn’t working, it’s all about family time to this dedicated dad. He has two sons, Leo
(7) and Forest (4). “Forest has an amazing and huge personality,” he remarks. “His name fits
him perfectly. I couldn’t imagine a better name for him.”  

A self-described homebody, family is the most important thing to Scott. “Everything I do is for
them,” he says. Home is his favorite place to be.

Scott also has plans to continue to grow in real estate to fund his wealth building goal for his
family. “I want to teach my boys that they can do anything that they want to. I want to set them
up for opportunities where they can live a big life with no limitations.”

A Bright Future
“I used to be a bartender who also does real estate. Now I am a REALTOR® who used to be a
bartender,” says Scott. He views the future as limitless, seeing a world of possibility in the world
of real estate. The options are endless for this Rising Star, who caters to his clients and puts
others first. Putting people first is the secret to his success.