There was a time when commission felt like freedom.
Close a deal, get paid, repeat.
But somewhere along the way, that model started to feel thinner. More exposed. One slow month away from stress. One market shift away from uncertainty.
I know that feeling because I’ve lived it.
I remember sitting in front of my laptop at the end of 2019, staring at a blank screen with no roadmap, no mentor on speed dial just a decision I couldn’t reverse. I wanted to build something beyond commissions. Something that didn’t disappear the moment deals slowed down.
What I didn’t realize then was how much rebuilding, learning, and unlearning it would take. Every new level brought a new version of doubt. Every push forward asked a deeper question: Is commission-only really enough for the life I want to build?
The Agent Side Hustle exists for people living in that in-between.
Agents who are ambitious but exhausted. Confident but questioning. Successful on paper, yet quietly aware that relying on one income stream feels riskier than it used to.
This publication is about creating leverage beyond closings. About building skills, systems, and side income that don’t vanish when the market cools or clients pause. Not from theory. Not from a pedestal. From lived experience.
You won’t just hear my perspective here. This is a space for agents, operators, founders, and builders who’ve been in the trenches people who’ve learned the hard way and are willing to share what actually works.
Whether you’re producing consistently or rethinking your next move, my hope is that The Agent Side Hustle becomes a place you return to when commission starts to feel fragile offering clarity, grounded strategies, and proof that you’re not navigating this alone.
If this does its job, you’ll walk away feeling clearer, steadier, and more in control of what you’re building both inside and outside your core business.
Welcome to The Agent Side Hustle.
Let’s build income that doesn’t disappear when deals slow down.
Jeff Hammer is a real estate operator and former broker-owner who has built and exited multiple real estate businesses, now focused on helping agents design income that compounds.