My Rawest Advice by Bilal Shafiq
Everyone wants shortcuts.
Everyone wants scripts.
Everyone wants the wins but few are ready for the weight.
After 13+ years, 50,000+ closings, and building my own brand brick by brick, let me give you the truth. Not sugar coated. Not social media polished. This is the rawest advice I can offer not from books, but from the battlefield.
1. Don’t Just Sell Own
If I could rewind time, I’d keep 1 out of every 20 prime plots I sold.
Why? Because cash pays bills, but assets build freedom.
I made millions in commissions, and gave away billions in value. Ownership is your quiet revenge against time.
“Be your own best investor. Not just someone else’s best closer.”
2. Stop Chasing. Start Building.
Early in my journey, I chased every lead, every trend, every client. That chase wore me out.
Now I build systems. I build my team. I build my name.
Here’s the difference:
When you chase, you survive.
When you build, you scale.
3. Personal Brand > Company Name
For years, I hid behind society names: Urban City, Soul City, Verona.
People praised the brand but didn’t know the man.
Now, people connect with me. Not just a logo.
Start showing your process, your face, your flaws.
People buy from people not just pretty graphics.
4. Build Slow to Last Long
I used to think faster was better. More sales, more hires, more launches.
What I learned:
Speed kills when you’re not structured.
Build with SOPs. Train your team. Build depth — not just height.
5. Pain Is the Tuition for Mastery
I’ve been betrayed. Lost money. Had fake friends.
I’ve launched projects that didn’t sell. I’ve sat in silence when everyone clapped for someone else.
But those seasons taught me more than any win did.
“The pain is where the wisdom lives. Don’t run from it — document it.”
6. Your Network is Your Growth Hack
One powerful relationship can open 10 years’ worth of doors.
Don’t chase followers build real alliances.
The right DM. The right dinner. The right face to face that’s where the game changes.
7. Work Like You’re Unknown. Stay Hungry Even After the Win.
Even today, after selling 50,000 plots, I feel like I’m just getting started.
Why?
Because the moment you think you’ve “made it”… you start losing it.
Final Word:
This world doesn’t need more “realtors.” It needs real ones.
People who build with honesty. People who teach what they’ve actually lived.
People who don’t fake the grind they wear it proudly.
If you’re reading this, remember:
You don’t need a mentor. You need a mirror.
Ask yourself, “What am I building that’ll outlive me?”
Until then keep it raw, keep it real.
I’m Bilal Shafiq.
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