Realty411 Magazine Featuring Eric Counts, Credit Nerds | Page 71

The Blessings and Set­Backs
After high school, Eric’s academic
excellence had earned him a full­ride
scholarship to college. But that’s
where this story takes a turn. Within
two short semesters he had dropped
out. Within another year he was
married and had a child. He was broke,
unemployed, and faced with
supporting a new family. It didn’t take
long to realize that a black belt and a
good time in the 3200m race doesn’t
get you very far in the real world.
Like many others like him, he
bounced from job to job. Door to door
sales, telemarketing, waiting tables; or
as he call them, “pre­requisites for
success”.
Counts recalls this as one of the
most difficult times in his life. "We
didn't' have any money. I was so
embarrassed. I had just come through
high school and college knowing I was
going to be Somebody, and now here I
was, broke."
During this challenging time in the
start of the young family's life, Counts
attributes the support of his wife,
Stephanie, whom he met in the 5th
grade, with helping him through this
stressful time and immense pressure as
a young husband and father.
The high expectations Counts set on
in having a lucrative career began to
look like a false promise, until a fateful
day happened when he took a sales job
in the credit industry. He learned
quickly and started selling credit repair
services to as many people as he could.
Unfortunately, within about 3 months
he realized the company he worked for
was not providing their services in a
legal, moral, and ethical manner.
Complaints started coming quickly.
Mr. Counts then did what truly displays
his character. He contacted the people
he had sold the service to and
apologized. He told me he couldn’t give
them refunds because he only earned a
small commission, but what he could
do was attempt to give them the service
they had originally wanted. He started
reading, learning, seeking knowledge
about the industry. Soon, people were
calling and asking about the “guy fixing
credit”.
He decided to open his own
company, and within three weeks his
wife had to quit her job as a waitress
because they simply couldn’t keep up
with the demand.
Fast forward 12 years, and they now
operate one of the most effective and
efficient credit repair companies in the
country. They have clients and partners
in all 50 states, Eric is an instructor for
a national real estate investment
education company, and is on the board
of NACSO, the National Association of
Credit Services Organizations. He has
been interviewed or published by USA
Today, CNN, Money Magazine, and The
Wall Street Journal, and of course here
in Realty411.
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