Mike Ferry’s Podcast the Original: Aleksey Julanov on the Mindset Shift Behind Chasing Ten Million-Dollar Deals – Tony Smith Interviews Aleksey Julanov
In this episode, coach Tony Smith sits down with Aleksey Julanov, a Calgary, Alberta agent. Aleksey immigrated to Canada with his family in 2004 and has sold real estate for 16 years. He joined Mike Ferry coaching the same year he got licensed. Since then, he’s built a career with real highs and real lows. Lately, though, one decision has changed everything: every day is the best day of his life.
A Decision, Not a Feeling
A few weeks before this conversation, Aleksey made a simple decision. He cut off his other options and committed to having the best day of his life, every single day. It started almost by accident, with an offhand answer to a stranger’s question at a store. Since then, he repeats it to himself every morning during his affirmations. He also says it to everyone who asks how he’s doing. As a result, it’s become both a mindset shift and a genuine conversation starter, one that leads directly to new listings.
Breaking the Boom-and-Bust Cycle
For years, Aleksey moved through a familiar pattern. He’d build momentum, then transactions would overwhelm him. He’d stop prospecting and slide into a two-month slump before climbing back out, roughly three or four times a year. This time, he’s approaching it differently. He’s brought on a second assistant to handle the admin work. That way, he can stay focused on what he does best: knocking on doors and talking to people in person, without letting the overwhelm pull him back down.
Chasing Ten Million-Dollar Deals, and a Brick That Won’t Let Him Quit
A UFC fighter’s book inspired Aleksey to write “10 FSBOs” on a brick. He now carries it everywhere until he closes all ten, currently six down, four to go. Meanwhile, he’s working a one-month push with Tony to sign ten contracts over a million dollars. His goal is to lift his average sale price from $612,000 to over $800,000. So far, he’s landed a $1.5 million listing from a cold door knock and a $1.1 million for-sale-by-owner, with several more leads in the pipeline.
In this episode you’ll learn
- How one agent turned a simple daily decision into real business momentum
- Why recognizing your own boom-and-bust cycle is the first step to breaking it
- How delegating admin work can protect an agent from overwhelm during busy stretches
- Why a brick with “10 FSBOs” written on it became a daily accountability tool
- How targeting higher-end listings can raise an agent’s average sale price
- Why consistent event attendance reinforces mindset and mastermind-level thinking
- How creating financial accountability, like a self-imposed penalty for wasted time, builds discipline