Permission Granted
“In the beginning, I thought a real estate agent was supposed to look a certain way, talk a certain way, do certain things. And so that’s what I tried to be, and every time I went to work, I felt like I was playing dress-up.”
Sitting comfortably in a chair in a black graphic tee at KW’s Mega Camp 2026 Summit Studios, Gregory Tran reflects on his early days in real estate. When he got ready for work, he always felt like he was putting on a costume — button-up shirt, dress pants, dress shoes. Back then, his business was doing okay, but he wasn’t flourishing on any front — personally or professionally. Then COVID hit. It took working from home for Gregory to realize that business actually got better when he relaxed into his own style — sartorial and otherwise.
A glance at Gregory’s Instagram channel shows he’s built a winning brand and business by staying true to his personality (including deadpan humor and a pair of signature red sandals). Behind the relaxed exterior is an agent who knows his stuff: Gregory is a member of Gary Keller’s Top Agents Mastermind group, and in 2026, he was named a top producer at Keller Williams® Austin SW Market Center.
But the transition from what Gregory believed he needed to do to build a winning business to what actually drove success took years. In addition to dressing for the part he thought he was meant to play, Gregory built out a sizeable team of agents, following the example of other agents around him. But there was one big problem. He didn’t like managing people — and it showed. A self-described introvert, Gregory found it draining to support his team, and he craved solitude.
Just before the pandemic, most of Gregory’s team had left, and he found himself at an inflection point, questioning his efficacy as an agent and business owner. It was only then that he finally considered the advice of his operations director: Work with a coach.
