Jeff Jones with Keller William is the featured August Rising Star for Real Producers, and, in hindsight, the mosaic of his life has led him down a seemingly preordained path towards remarkable success.

Every move may have been guided by divine intervention, but he has marched to his own drumbeat every step of the way.  

 A Mobile native, Jones found an anchor in Christian faith at an early age.

“In the fifth grade, a friend invited me to his church downtown for Vacation Bible School. After the preacher gave an altar call for Christ, I made the decision to surrender my life.”

A year later, Jeff discovered another God-given gift that has shaped his life ever since.

“The next summer I went along to pick up my brother from Bandcamp. He was a freshman at Shaw High School and played trumpet. I remember hearing the drumline for the first time and was addicted at that point. It was life changing.” Jones said.

“I started playing drums with the Hillsdale Middle School Band. I later auditioned for the Mobile County, Middle School Honor Band and got First Chair in the county both years.” Jeff said.

“In high school, I was  1st chair in the state in the Alabama Allstate band all four years of high school. I also received music scholarship offers from LSU, Alabama, and Southern Mississippi, first going to USM because my brother was there.” he added.

Jones soon came back home and in 1996 graduated from the University of Mobile with a degree in Psychology. He then made his way into the working world.   

“In the fall of 1997, I got hired at Integrity Music to work in licensing and copyright. I soon realized filing papers was not what I wanted to do as a career. Eleven months later I resigned.”

He also continued playing in local bands.  

“I got a call from a local band called ‘Dog Named David’. Andy Cloninger was the founder. Andy's mom was a prolific songwriter in the Country and Christian music space.”

Towards the end of the 1990’s Jones was first introduced to the band that would shape life for the next decade while moving into the new millennium.

“I heard about this band in 1998 that was going to open for us at a University of Mobile event. They were called Big Daddy Weave. After listening, I wanted to join them.” Jeff said.

 

 

Over the ensuing decade Jones met and married his wife Stephanie in 2001. His daughter Hannah was born in 2004 and Addison in 2007. The rise to fame of the band was a dream realized but had its drawbacks.

“The birth of my first child was an eye-opening moment. I'm touring and away from my family, but there was something greater than myself, now as a father with more responsibilities.” Jeff said.

It was around this time he read a book that profoundly changed his life.

“The book was ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ and it opened my eyes to a different way of thinking. Life was about creating your own opportunities.” he said.

Jones soon morphed from a pure artist to budding entrepreneur, with a calling outside of music.

He parted ways with Big Daddy Weave in 2013, shortly after the release of their greatest hit, a song called “Redeemed”.

In late 2019, while studying for the real estate exam and handling the social media and marketing for Power Real Estate, he discovered a love for the business.

“I decided to get my real estate license to lend credibility to my speaking and consulting. But when I sold properties my first three days on the job, I remember half-jokingly telling my wife we were going to be rich.”  Jones said.  

Jeff’s skill sets perfectly matched the profession.

Fast forward to today, and the full weight of his social media savvy, intended for clients as a consultant, has been applied to his own brand.

The long list of his accomplishments so far has been phenomenal.

In late 2020, Jones started a YouTube channel highlighting the City of Mobile that turbocharged an already white-hot career.

“I shot my first video myself, and then three years later that video has 46,000 views. That's what started everything for me.” he said.

He went on to say the videos generate 50% of his current business. Potential buyers are surprised when he answers the phone, giving him the reverence of a TV show host due to the quality of the production.

Overall, the results of his media efforts have been overwhelming at times.

“I remember physically crying in my office in October of 2021 because I was so overwhelmed with business. I had 19 active buyers at the same time, and just couldn't breathe. It was crazy.”   

 

 

 

The end of 2021 saw Jones closing $16 million. In 2022 he closed $20 million. This year his goal is $25 million.  

The optics around his brand also seem to be accelerating exponentially.

In 2022 the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce approached him as a brand ambassador, due to his YouTube work highlighting the best parts of the city.

He was recently invited as a guest speaker in South Carolina for another Keller Williams office by peers who follow his Facebook page.  

Facebook was also responsible for Jones’ invitation by Fox & Friends News for a guest appearance on their morning show as a local expert on Baldwin and Mobile County real estate.  

The future for Jeff seems virtually limitless.

For the short term, he plans to continue expanding his media brand into Baldwin County as well as Mississippi.

When asked what advice he could give anyone wanting to try and duplicate the whirlwind ride that has been his life lately, insight was offered.

“Sometimes you need to do as much as you possibly can, to find out what you don't want to do. That's what I did.”

For questions or comments about this article, contact Jeff at (251) 545-8445 or JeffJonesAgent@kw.com