Wake Up to Wealth - How We Built An Empire As A Power Couple With Alex Corona and Jaime Birks

Episode Date: June 19, 2026

In episode 65 of Wake Up to Wealth, Brandon Brittingham interviews power couple, top real estate brokers, and serial investors, Alex Corona and Jaime Birks, on how they turned adversity into opportunity, scaled through strategic implementation, and continue to inspire and lead their teams through honesty, empathy, and unstoppable determination.  Tune in for a dynamic conversation packed with actionable insights, real talk about partnership in business and life, and the secret ingredients that top producers use to break through limits—together.    SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Brandon Brittingham Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mailboxmoneyb/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandon.brittingham.1/   Alex Corona Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexcoronatheshark/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoronaRealtyGroup   Jaime Birks Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/jaime.birks.2025 Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/jaime.birks/   WEBSITES Brandon Brittingham: https://www.brandonsbrain.org/home ========================== SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Accruity: https://accruity.com/

This is Wake Up to Wealth, a podcast dedicated to helping you change the way you think about wealth. And now, here's your host, Brandon Brittingham. This next segment is brought to you by my good friends at Accruity. Now, if you run a business, most business owners neglect their back office, and they don't even know where to go or who to trust when it comes to their financials or CPA or taxes. That's where Accruity comes in. You can trust them. They can give you advice.

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So check out my guys at Accruity, tell them I sent you. Hey, what's up everybody? We are back with another episode of Wake Up to Wealth. And I start every show by telling you guys, thank you. And I truly mean it because we are trending at about 125,000 downloads per episode. And I can't thank you guys enough. We remain in the top five. Most weeks were top three, top two. We've hit one multiple weeks on Apple Podcast and investing. And that's not possible without everybody. that's out there listening and supporting the show. And it gives me the ability to not sell out to corporate sponsors and talk about what I want and bring people on my show that I believe is going to bring a bunch of value. So I can't say thank you guys enough for continually to support the show and make us one of the top in the United States.

Thank you guys so much. It brings me to where we are today and super excited because I got two people that I'm extremely close with and have had the opportunity to coach them. Being on the inside of their businesses for a really long time, two pretty special people today. I got Alex Corona and Jamie Berks. Welcome.

So happy to be here. Thank you. We are absolutely honest. Such a pleasure. So just tell everybody kind of, and you guys do a lot, but like, just give them, give us the two minutes. Like, tell us what you do. Explain to what you guys do.

So we are full-time real estate brokers and investors, and we run a team of about 25 agents just south of Chicago. Yeah. Alex has a lending loan officer at license as well. I don't eat that. So we have a big team on the lending side, title agents. We're big investors learned it from you. We're big on the investment side and we run a investment company alongside the real estate team.

Yeah. So one question is you guys do a lot of stuff, right? And you guys are basically business partners, but you're also life partners. Absolutely. Which is, I think it's three times as hard, right? So, you know, my fiancé runs a huge part of my business. And, man, it is great.

What it comes with is challenges. So how do you think you guys, like, how do you manage this? How do you do it? My main thing is I try to stay in my lane. So I know what I have to do in my part of the business and Jamie knows what she has to do in her part of the business. I don't ask too many questions. questions on that side. I just, when something's not right, on my end, that's when I pretty much

talked to her about. But just try to stay in your lane and do a good job because I want to make sure she's, she's happy with what I'm doing. I think for me, we're kind of two totally different people and we handle two different parts of the business. So Alex is what they call the brainmaker. He's constantly making rain with clients and agents and big on social media. I'm more of the problem solver, negotiator, back of the scenes type of person. So I think that's why it does work because we're handling something totally different, even though we see each other all the long. Yeah.

There's times. We're going at it. Of course. Five minutes later, it's over. It has to be very quickly. So, you know, I think it works because, again, we're two totally different people. So I think that just he's got a lot of energy. I'm kind of just the calm laid back.

She's definitely one of my coaches as well. You know, if it wasn't for Jamie, I wouldn't be where I'm at. And she definitely brings me back because there's times I'm running full speed in the wrong direction. She's got to slap me in the back of the head, turn me in the right direction, get me jogging the right way. Even when we listen to you, I think that through your coaching and things, which has just been amazing. Like, I'll take something away from what you said completely different than what he will. I think it's a good thing. Yeah.

Yeah. And then so how do you guys like, because one of the reasons why I wanted you guys to come on here is because there's so many people that I know that I coach or that I'm in business with. that are entrepreneurs where they have a similar situation than you with you guys and it's a challenge right so i mean i think it i think when you're in business with family and when you're in business with your life partner it's freaking three times as hard than if not right um because there's all the other shit that plays into you know the day-to-day business stuff so how do you guys maintain like you got the business side but then you got the relationship side how do you maintain that so that you guys don't have problems what i think is the best

between me and her is we're aligned. You know, yes, we have two different thoughts, but we are aligned on the same mission. You know, we got the same vision, the same mission.

We have three boys. We call them SOBs, son of brokers. So we got three boys and we are on the same mission with them. We're on the same mission with the business and we integrate everything. We integrate the whole family. Our boys are her and I. And it seems like we're never working.

You know, doing it that way. It seems like, you know, we're just together. and figuring things out. Yes, I think the destination, like the goal is the same for the two of us. The journey on how to get there may be very different.

But also we are, we're not big dweller. Like, I'm not dwelling on something. So we may, we could literally have an argument. And then five minutes later, like, all right, we have to do this now. And it's just because we have so much going on. We can't be sitting and simmering in one, one little issue for too long. We have to keep moving. I think that helps too.

it's really important to ask each other and work through what it is that you want because a lot of times you're not even sure what your partner wants and you're not sure what your partner doesn't want. So if you're going for one thing and they don't want that, it's going to, you're definitely going to have conflict. Yeah. Yeah, I think it's, I think that's a very, like very good point you made because I know in my situation, there's been times when it's like, you know, I'm not. nuts, you know, I'm just full psychopath. And she's like, dude, the, the simple shit makes me happy. Like, I don't need all the shit you need, right? And so it's just finding that common ground and having that conversation of, you

know what I mean? Because to your point, it was like, the first time I actually really sat down and started asking those questions, it was like, damn, I never asked these questions before. And it was like, you know, Brandon, I don't need any of that shit. Like, that's cool that you want it, but I'm actually a lot simpler than that. you know i'm certainly simple one yeah i think Alex is much more like you than um than anything else for sure and i think for me like i being having that problem solving mindset i think i can really just keep myself like he'll freak out about something i'm like all right we're going to do this

let's figure out what the what the solution is and then keep moving you know to get it done a lot too it does help too um just like james said she's um very simple you know i could literally take we go camping a lot. We could sleep on the floor, on the ground in a Walmart parking lot. It doesn't matter. She's happy. She doesn't have to go stay at the nicest hotels or be pampered.

She's okay with any of that. And, you know, it goes a long way who's on the other end as well. Yeah. Because like she said, I'm a little bit more uptight than she is. I freak out a lot more than she does. I want things to be a lot, you know,

more perfect than her. She's okay with, you know, just going to a lot of. I think that everything in life can be solved with time or money. except for death. Like, I think there's just it's a good point. Yeah. So give it some time.

Give it a little cash for that. I cannot take that. Yeah. Yeah. So you guys have been doing business together for a long time, right? Well, we've been together with 26 years. Wow. We've been in business.

We've had our office for 12 years, but we've been in business even before that. Yeah. So what do you think is, like, to the stage you're at now, you know, if you were to say, right like you've had well you guys have had massive growth just since i've known you right what do you i don't want to answer this for you because i know what my answer would be for you based on knowing you guys but what do you think is like one or two things that like really

propelled you to growth to being able to do the investment be able to build ancillary companies be able to do all the things that you've done which is a lot of shit and still be able to you know deal with it all and handle it and be able to be able to be successful at it. Like one or two things you think is like, this is what we did really well. This is why it was, this is why it worked. Well, I guess going back to how Alex is and then how I am, he really is a risk taker and he does things like immediately. So the one thing that helped us in my eyes is the fact that he will execute immediately after hearing it. So we come to, you know, your events and you coach us and you tell us what needs to happen. He's immediately implementing it.

And that for me has helped me grow because I'm a procrastinator and I am nervous and I'm not as much of a risk taker. So I think a lot of that has to do with his personality. And that is his personality in every area of life. Like it is not just business. He's like that on the baseball field with the kids. Yeah. So it really does help really push myself and our team to do everything that he's, you know, taking us to do. So with me, I would say definitely coaching.

You know, you got to get into the right rooms. You got to get in proximity with the right people. Hearing you speak motivates me and gets me going. I've heard, you know, I've known you for a long time. I've heard you speak plenty of times. And there was a time also reading your book. You know, reading your book, you signed it for me, I want to say like five years ago. And, you know, I read it.

And I remember that one of the last sentences was become the fucking Amazon of real estate. And I literally took it the heart. I was like, okay, I need to start building an affiliate partnerships with everybody that I'm already doing business with. I need to start new affiliate partnerships. And what else can I tap into to bring in more income streams? My thinking is like, you know, do less work, make more money. How can I do that? And how can I get more income?

And how can I get one client to pay me many times instead of just once? Yeah, yeah, 100%. Yeah, I was going to say execution. That was going to be mine for you guys. just because I've literally seen you guys do like, I tell you something in the next day you're doing it, right? And a lot of times it doesn't go well, but I still keep going. Because we're doing too many good ones.

Yeah, but I, you know, I think it's the fact that you guys go and execute. I mean, you know, your aim always gets better if you fire at a target. Eventually you'll hit it, right? And I think another thing, too, is when you guys sit, when I've sat in rooms with you guys, whether it's my room or we're in a room together, you guys always take a shit ton of notes, right? And then anytime there's shares, if you guys stand up,

you always share something insightful. And I think to your point of getting in the right room and getting the right coaches is so powerful. But I think the other thing, too, is some people will sit in rooms. Look, you guys have been in rooms with me for a long time. There's people that have been in rooms with me that don't do anything, right?

And you guys implemented right away, but I think it's not just that. I think you guys are present when you're in the room and then you guys actually go execute off of what you learn, which is not what a lot of people do, right? And so, like, I've seen you guys do that, you know, repeatedly. Do you know what I mean? What do you think?

What do you think execution is a big one? What else do you think has kind of helps you guys along your journey? Obviously, the coaching and getting in the rooms. Being really coachable. I think that's like one of my superpowers is, like, I keep a white belt mentality. I literally just don't know anything. That's why I keep telling myself.

Like I don't know what I don't know. And I sit brunt row every single event I go to. Like you said, I'm breaking my hands with notes. I'm recording. I don't want to miss a beat. And another great thing is my team. If I didn't have the team,

the right people surrounding, you know, around me, then I wouldn't be able to implement these things. Not the most tech savvy. I don't know a lot of, a lot of anything. So,

but I do. know to surround myself with the right people that do know these things that can like james said i'm here to bring in the business so i need these guys to take care of the rest yeah for me i think it's the team for sure i couldn't do any of it without them and then just my ability to just be very honest when we're in a tough spot like we're okay with letting you know like last year was a shit show like what do we do you know so i think that just being able to be honest with the reality of your situation because it's the only way we're going to change it is if you admit to everything you're doing wrong Yeah, I think one thing I've experienced with you guys, and for those of you that are entrepreneurs that are listening to this, like I think you guys are always willing to ask for help, right?

And I think that that's one of the things that, you know, when you start to get to a certain level, your ego actually gets in the way sometimes and you're afraid to ask for help, right? And then like you're even, some people are even afraid to like, I don't want to ask my coach for help because I don't want them to think less of me. and I think in your, and the crazy thing is, is as a coach, I actually think more of somebody when they tell me that their shit is fucked up because it's like, well, that's what you hired me to do to fix it, right? So it's like, if you tell me everything is good and it's not, then that doesn't make sense for any of us, right? And so I think that's one of the things I've seen you guys do repeatedly is, you know, ask for help.

Definitely not free to ask for help. And we're definitely not afraid to put her ego down. You know, that's obviously everybody, you know, high top performers, they all got a little something. But I am always willing to let it go. I need the help. And I'm willing to ask. Another thing I want to touch on is one thing that I've seen you do really well. And I will talk about this and so I'm blue with the face because I just don't understand why more people don't do it because it literally prints money.

But you are consistent on social media. Like your social media marketing, like your shit is nonstop, right? And so, like, did you start that one day? I mean, like, where did that come from? So before I got my real estate license and we opened up our office, I didn't even know what social media was. Right. I thought literally the feds were coming to get me. If I went on Facebook or Instagram or any of that, I didn't want any part of it.

Yeah. So we opened up our office. And for six months, you know, as soon as I opened, I got an assistant because I don't know how I use a computer. So I got my assistant. Have you learned how to use a computer? Last year I went to a bunch of computer classes. Debatable. Yeah, we're getting there.

He's got a short patience for it. So she for six months kept telling me, Alex, let's get Facebook. Let's get Facebook. No, no, no. And then finally, I'm like, you know what? I'm done looking out the window. Nobody's coming. Let's get Facebook.

So she creates me a Facebook, puts a post out there. First day, I get a buyer and a seller. And didn't cost me a dollar. So I'm like, we might be under something here. next day we post more leads more leads more leads and if you're not on marketplace you are literally sleeping at the wheel because they I would get hundreds of leads a day through Facebook yeah and for free it cost me a dollar yeah uh and up until this point I've never paid for a lead every single lead every single person in our database all organic and we've got over 100,000

people in there coming to our events so instead of um you know paying for leads I just have events And I get to meet the people one on one and really get all their data and follow up with them. Yeah. So what has marketing on social media done for your business? It's changed everything. I mean, everybody knows who we are. I can't go anywhere without somebody knowing who I am or wanting to talk to me or wanted to take a picture or asking me some questions. So it's like I tell my team, you're not a secret agent.

You didn't join the FBI. You're not in the CIA. You're a real estate agent. You're a marketer. You have to put yourself out there. Your own family, your own friends are doing business with other people because they don't know what you do. Well, that you touch on something else. I've seen you guys do really well is you guys throw a ton of events, right?

And, you know, so obviously you can't fill an event if you don't market. Absolutely. But, you know, like I, you know, when you did the grid launch, the one I called in, right? Oh, yeah. Oh, the one you did yet. Yeah. And so like, you know, I've seen you guys pack the room. So I got to imagine that your social media plays a huge role in that.

Absolutely. If it wasn't for that, first thing I did as soon as I got here yesterday was make a video. Look, I'm here, a bunch of top producers. Yep. You just got to put it out there. And even when you don't think anybody is watching, they're watching. There's a lot of creepers out there that are watching everything you're doing. They don't hit the like button.

They don't share, but they know every single move you're making. Well, and the flip side of that is there's also people that essentially you're selling to them, right, and you don't even know it. And then when it comes time for them to do business, they already feel like they have a relationship with you, right? I always tell people right now, like social media is the average person's TV. You're either a show they watch or a commercial they scroll through, right?

And so the point you made of, which I think is super important, is that, like, people are always watching and you just don't know. And then, like, I'm sure this has happened to you. You get a DM,

hey, I want to invest with you. I want to sell. I want to buy. I want to be on your team. Right. And it's like you don't even, there's no sales friction because they're already sold.

Right. Hey, I've been watching your stuff for whatever, however long, there's no sales friction. That's the shit people don't understand. Like that is like, that is the gold of what social media marketing will do for you.

We just had a builder. He's in the NFL. He reached out to us from Atlanta. That's how he found us. Yeah. I was on social media and I started telling him about what I do. He's like, Alex, stop.

You don't need to sell me anything. Yeah, I'm good. I'm not calling you for no reason. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I already know. Yeah. So what are you, you posting every day?

Every day all day. Yeah. So as much as I can. So obviously I have life in the way as well. Of course. Anything I'm doing, I try to, sometimes a little too much, I think. Yeah. I'm pulling out my camera.

I'm recording. I'm trying to make sure I get as much content as I can because even if I don't use it today, I can use it in the future. Yeah. So it's to your point. You're thinking moving and operating like a marketer. You have to. Yeah.

And then Jamie's picking up the pieces behind you. Yeah. I try to get her to post as well. She does. The little bit that I do is because of him. It really is because of him. And I think that a lot of times I'm like, well, why do I have to?

You do so much. Right. I'm doing this. So it's like, but he says, he tells, it's like he's a stain on their brain. I mean, it really does make a huge difference. And people are just showing up. I mean, people know they meet me and they're like,

how's the boys? Yeah. And I know who they're great. Thank you so much. for following us. They don't even know the boys. I mean, social media makes people think that they're, you know, again, they know you. They got a relationship with you.

It's almost like an icebreaker to start having a conversation. Mm-hmm. That's good. I'm going to ask you guys two more questions before we wrap. One question is, anybody who's listening to this, what advice would you give them? I want to hear both of your answers. What advice would you give them, you know, just advice of like, hey, this is what you, this is what you, this is a piece of advice I would give you to help you get to where we are.

And I want both of you to answer this question. Okay. I'll go first. Okay. So I would tell you this, okay. There's going to be a lot of pain. There's going to be a lot that you're going to have to go through. But you have to keep going no matter what happens.

God's got you. You just have to keep going and you have to believe, even when it's not working, you're still making micro deposits and you have to keep moving forward. And no matter what happens, how much pain you go through, keep going. What's on the other side of it is amazing. I think for me, the best thing that's really helped myself and I think agents as well, it's just tipping into the emotional aspect of just dealing with humans. Because we are not in a, we don't sell houses.

We literally, they're like coming on this. journey for an emotional experience and you have to listen to it. Have to be genuine. You have to be empathetic. Because if you can't solve their problems in a way that's going to work with them, they don't need you anymore. So it's good to be able to dip into like really what just. Yeah, that's a good point. I think the other thing too is like post-COVID, like I think the emotional frequency of the average person is just like it's for, I mean, it's people have a lot of fear. People have a lot of anxiety. Um, and, you know, like people don't want to be sold to, right?

They want to be, to your point, they want to be led on a journey. They want to feel safe. And I think that, I think without emotional intelligence and empathy in any, in any business right now, you're going to get smoked because the average consumer is just, that's not what they're looking for. Very, very good points, both of you. Last question. Well, first of all, how can people find you guys?

You can find me on social media, Alex Corona. You can find me in any social media. We're on all of them. Or our website, Corona Homes team.com. Same. Same with me. You can also call me 708-259-6242.

I do text messaging. He wants a phone call because he's a dinosaur. So last question. I always ask everybody. We call this show, wake up to wealth. Two reasons. I always wanted to,

I always wanted to be wealthy. And I learned very early in life that we were never, talk about money correct, right? So two things I want to do on the show. I want to, I want to show people what's possible of that they can become wealthy, but I also wanted them to wake up, like, from an intelligence standpoint that what's out there in the world to become wealthy. So I ask everybody this at the end of the show, and it's whatever answer you want, what does waking up to wealth mean to you? Both of you, I want your answers. Okay. Understanding that you don't have to

come from money that with any background in the street, you have no family whatsoever. It's possible for anybody to make kind of money that considers healthy. And then for me, I think it's just being at peace. Like being at peace with the business, being kids, money's ever going to make me happy. But it sure is going to make life easy. Yeah. Great answer. How about you?

So for me, it definitely is being able to do what I want. when I want with who I want. There's no doubt about that. I just want, I'm chasing freedom. Yeah. That's definitely what I'm doing here is I want freedom for me. I want freedom for my family, you know, everyone around me. I love seeing people win and I just want the whole world to win.

Awesome. I appreciate both of you guys. It's been awesome, you know, riding with you guys for a long time and watching your growth and seeing you guys continually evolve and grow. And I greatly appreciate you guys. taking some time. We're actually in New Orleans together because I'm throwing an event that they're going to be a part of tomorrow. So I really appreciate you guys coming on the show and spending some time with us. We appreciate you and all your support. As you see, I'm speechless. I can't even

get it out. We just love you. I love you guys. Thanks so much, Brandon. Thanks for everything you've done for us. And it's our pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for having it. Awesome. Thanks so much for tuning into this episode of Wake Up to Wealth. We're sure to appreciate it. If you have a so already, make sure you're subscribed to the show wherever you consume podcast. This way of good updates as new episodes become available. And if you feel so inclined, please leave us a review on Apple Podcast and tell your friends about the show. It is how new people find us. Until next time.