Stay Paid

The comeback story every agent needs to hear. Jacob McLaughlin went from having $30 in his bank account to closing $25M in real estate sales—and building one of the fastest-growing referral platforms for agents. In this episode of Stay Paid, Jacob shares the raw story behind his journey: cold calling through tax records, driving five hours for showings, walking dogs to survive financially, and ultimately launching ReferralMate, a platform now connecting over 12,000 agents nationwide. Learn about Jacob's journey: Jacob started real estate with no connections, no marketing budget, and only cold calling from tax records. After early success, a failed business venture left him with just $30 to his name. He rebuilt his career by doing everything possible—cold calls, social media, referrals, and long commutes for showings. Referrals became a key opportunity, which inspired him to build ReferralMate, now used by 12,000+ agents. The platform helps agents post referrals, apply for them, and manage ag