GLREM Chronicles - A close look at Michael Valdes's personal blogs

GLREM Chronicles

A close look at Michael Valdes’s personal blogs

Table of Contents Australia New South Wales Lee Woodward

8

Canada British Columbia Darren Jacklin

10

Tom Rossiter

12

Ontario Carlos Matias

14

Christopher Invidiata

16

Quebec Sacha Brosseau

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18

England David Russell

20

Puerto Rico Margaret Juvelier

22

United States Arizona Brian Culhane

24

Chuck Fazio

26

Sharon Letcher

28

California Aaron Kirman

30

Alex Howland

32

Brent Gove

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Brett Hagler

36

Christine Kim

38

Courtney Chakarun

40

Gary Acosta

42

Gregg Lynn

44

Glenn Stearns

46

Mark Choey

48

Shen Schulz

50

Valerie Fitzgerald

52

Colorado Nick Bailey

54

Florida Elena Cardone

56

Elizabeth Butler

58

Kelly Townsend

60

Marco Roca

62

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Mayi de la Vega

64

Mercedes Saewitz

66

Orlando Montiel

68

Georgia Jere Metcalf

70

Massachusetts Ishay Grinberg

72

Jason Gesing

74

Ricardo Rodriguez

76

New Jersey Charlie Oppler

78

Meghan Kelley

80

New York Amir Korangy

82

Anthony Hitt

84

Elizabeth Stribling-Kivlan

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Ellie Johnson

88

James Brune

90

Jeff Whiteside

92

Julie Leonhardt Kevin Thompson Lee Summers Perez Perez-Feria Peter Goldmark Randall Miles Rodolfo Delgado Ryan Serhant

94 96 98 100 102 104 106 108

Ohio Jason Riviero

110

Pennsylvania Dave Conord

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112

Texas Chris Heller

114

Cliff Freeman

116

Elizabeth Riley

118

Gene Frederick

120

Julie Nelson

122

Kirtus Dixon

124

Knolly Williams

126

Utah James Bramble

128

Virginia Leo Pareja

130

Washington Glenn Sanford

132

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 7

I’ve only met Lee Woodward very recently, but from that very first conversation I was impressed not only by his successes but by the care he genuinely had for agents. He was truly invested in their success.

As the number one real estate coach in Australia, I was excited to get to know him better when he agreed to do my podcast. Then, I truly became a fan.

He had very humble beginnings as a plumber but became the top person in acquiring new accounts for the firm and discovered his sales skills. He then entered the real estate brokerage world and was ranked in the top 1% of all estate agents in the country in his very first year in the business.

What Lee later discovered was that he could create a program to duplicate his success for other agents who followed his program. He has been directly responsible for not only the financial gains of those individuals but by training so many agents, he elevated the industry in Australia and New Zealand.

He’s a passionate international leader in our industry who is a wonderful family man and philanthropist, and I am privileged to call him a new friend.

Thank you, Lee, for the conversation!

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Sydney Opera House

Lee Woodward

From Plumber to Superstar

CEO & Creative Director of Realtair Academy Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 9

I got to know Darren because he was a Board Member for EXP World Holdings (Nasdaq: EXPI), the parent company of eXp Realty. He was always the first person to praise me after opening a new country or having a successful investor conference. Quite honestly, I thought he was one of the nicest people I had ever met. However, admittedly it wasn’t until I was preparing to interview him for this podcast that I realized what a global and powerful force he is.

Even though he was a brilliant entrepreneur at the age of seven when he started his first business, “Rent a Kid”, he was also misdiagnosed with a learning disability and from Grade 1-12 was in Special Education. He speaks freely from his time when he felt “awkward and invisible” in school and tried to commit suicide more than once. “We are a network of conversations,” he says, and one of those conversations which saved his life was when he tried to run his car into a telephone pole at 85 miles an hour, but instead drove to the 24-hour crisis center and said, “I need help.”.

He discovered the Dale Carnegie training and from there, international toastmasters and learned some of his greatest lessons, which he now teaches. He realized that sometimes the environment is greater than your will power.

Darren reminds us that when we were children, we were request making machines.

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When you make a request, three options can happen: * The request is accepted. * The request is denied. * The request is countered.

We are as human beings have the power to choose. If we don’t request, the answer will always be “no”. He challenges us to ask two questions of ourselves: 1) Where am I not requesting in my life?

2) Who do I become as a human being when I don’t request?

“We are drowning in information, but we are starving for knowledge.”. he cautions. Success leaves clues. Daily habits and daily routines are what builds success. If it’s not in your calendar, it simply won’t happen. He asks us to look at our five closest friends. Are they representative of where you want your life to be in the future? Finally, Darren leaves us with an incredible thought: “The Secret to Living is Giving” Thank you, Darren, for helping change the world.

Stanley Park

Darren Jacklin

Ripple of Impact

Board Member at eXp World Holdings

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 11

Tom Rossiter

Be Nice

Chief Executive Officer at RESAAS

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Tom Rossiter is the CEO of RESAAS, the world’s largest real estate technology platform. He has learned a lot in the decade that he has spent with the company and seen a steady growth to its current platform of 500,00 agents and 160 countries.

Tom always brings a jovial spirit to the industry, and we have developed a nice friendship. He loves to help and has created mentorship sessions under his platform with industry leaders.

When I asked him about the top 3 pieces of advice he would give someone entering the business today, he responded with the following: 1) Be The Expert -- make sure you are the most knowledgeable person in your area to serve the client the best 2) Be Nice -- “What you give comes back to you in spades” -- this has always been my motto.

The more you give, the more you receive.

3) Have Car: Will Travel -- this is the idea that you should expand your network and let others know you are there and what your value is.

Tom also is concerned about the industry in a post COVID world. He has gotten extremely involved in helping to find a solution and has partnered with a company that is doing COVID testing kits that gives results in 8 minutes that is 98.9% accurate. It is available in 27 countries, and as of very recently the United States as well as the FDA just approved it. You can find these kits at https://store.resaas.com/ “This is a way to give peace of mind to everyone in the industry that we can continue our business safely.”.

Tom is truly a leader in so many years, and I am grateful for the conversation.

Downtown Vancouver

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 13

Carlos Matias is someone I have known for several years, and he is one of the utmost real estate technology experts I know. His company Gryphtech/Phoenix Technologies, which he founded over 20 years ago is now operational in over 60 countries with some of the greatest real estate brands including eXp Global.

Originally from Portugal but living in Canada for most of his adult life Carlos started by seeing opportunities in our industry, and in 1999 he moved to Amsterdam to try and build a European MLS. The dot.com burst was not favorable to him, and he was not able to realize that dream. However, he found his current company shortly after, and it has been an incredibly successful operation.

His vision is unique as it is a global lens from a tech perspective and incredibly insightful.

When asked how agents should promote themselves globally, his sage advice is to put oneself in the shoes of the client in a foreign land. What would they want? Do your own search as though you were that client. What’s missing. Now figure out how they find you.

Some thoughts: 1) Have your marketing materials in the language the consumer is accustomed to 14 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

searching in. For example, if you want Asian buyers, your materials have to be in Mandarin.

2) Be open to doing business. That may seem obvious, but if you are dealing in different time zones, you must be available.

3) Either you or someone on your team (or service) must be able to communicate with the consumer in their language.

4) Belong to global real estate associations to network with others in another country.

When asked about life/work balance, he used an analogy of a bicycle. “The bicycle has two wheels which is what keeps it balanced.

The wheels have to be the same size. If one is larger, the bicycle is off balance and will not move. The spokes are what we do. If the spokes are off the wheel, they don’t let the wheel rotate. Everything must be balanced for the bicycle to function.”

When I asked him what his current chapter in his book of life would be called, he said “Keeping my eye on the silver lining.”. After the difficult year with COVID-19, he knows the world will come together again in greater harmony, and he looks forward to that day coming soon.

Absolute World Condominiums

Carlos Matias

Keeping my eye on the silver lining

Chief Executive Officer at Phoenix Software

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 15

Christopher Invidiata

The Harder I work, The Luckier I get

Leader of The Invidiata Team

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Christopher Invidita is someone who I admire not only because of his incredible real estate career but because he is a true gentleman. One thing that struck me about his character was that when he joined eXp, he went into the open market and made sure that he purchased shares of the stock for every employee that was not eligible to earn stock on their own. He wanted them to feel as though they were owners of his selected new home as much as he was.

He was ranked the #1 ReMax team in Canada 15 times and was ranked the #1 team in the world twice, so there is a lot to learn from this man. Christopher says the harder he worked, the luckier he got. He started in the fashion industry, but his father, who was a physician gave him the best piece of advice when he was a young father and felt angst about being away from his child. He told him you can either bust your butt to sell a $10 pair of pants and be away from your family or you can sell a $1 million house and be with them. He entered real estate with the same determination the next day and never looked back.

He explains that his growth was organic because he genuinely cared about people. When he sold his first home, he took the owners to dinner because he was so grateful. When he took them out they referred him to his next client, and then when he sold their home, he repeated the process. The way his team grew was equally organic. It started with one assistant and then eventually to a larger team. Christopher’s desire is for every team member to do better than him.

His three pieces of advice for folks entering the business were: 1) Work under a mentor.

2) Learn everything you can. Hire a coach if you can.

3) Have a plan.

Finally, we spoke about how philanthropic the entire Invidiata family is. They work on many charities and are an impressive clan.

I am honored to know Christopher and call him a friend, and grateful for the time we spent together on the webinar.

CN Tower in Toronto

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 17

Sacha Brosseau

Sacha Brosseau was someone I met when he was the Chief Brokerage Officer for Sotheby’s Quebec. He was always a man of integrity, and we truly bonded over the untimely loss of Dave Carson, who was one of his mentors and my boss and friend when he served as COO of the brand.

Sacha had a great teacher in his mother, who had been working in the luxury market in Quebec for three decades before he joined her team. They were uniquely poised to serve the market they knew so intimately.

When speaking about the luxury market, he reminds us that “price is what you pay, value is what you get.”. Meaning “luxury” is not necessarily a price point, it is a lifestyle. The end product has to serve the particular need of the consumer.

His three pieces of advice for someone entering the luxury market was: 1) Be patient. It may take longer than you expect, but if you are consistent, it will happen.

2) Always keep our ear to the ground -- in this 18 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

Chief Executive Officer at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Québec

world of over-information, consumers are very savvy and can get all the pertinent information on the internet. What they cannot get is the history and the inside story of a house or a neighborhood. That is where your “expertise” comes into play and what a consumer would gladly pay for. It’s the moment you go from broker to advisor.

3) Always keep your integrity -- this is a non-negotiable. As the adage goes, it takes you a lifetime to build a reputation and a moment to lose it.

Sacha’s consistency rings true. When I asked him what was the greatest lesson he ever learned in his career, he answered “patience”.

I was so very proud of him when he purchased the Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Quebec franchise during a pandemic, and he is starting to grow it to a very respectable brand. I do not doubt his success.

This patient man is a great leader, father, and mentor, and I am honored to call him a friend.

Price is what you Pay, Value is what you Get

Centre-Ville

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 19

David Russell Everything in moderation, including moderation “I had the boyhood dream of being a chef” says David Russell, “but quickly realized that they had long hours and low pay so decided to go into the hospitality industry instead”. His career trajectory has been impressive since then. We worked together for over a decade within the Sotheby’s brand and someone who approached everything in relation to branding with such a keen eye. His former profession in hospitality and the food industry allows him to view a situation differently.

He did it masterfully with the brand we worked at together and has now grown to being the Chief Marketing Officer for Chestertons, which is a well respected brand in the United Kingdom. “It’s all about people,” he reminds us when dealing with clients on a global basis, “but you need to build stories and sell a lifestyle and make sure you help them realize their dreams”. People sometimes collect lifestyles to fulfill different parts of their lives.

“Do your homework” he says when creating your own brand.

Use the “rule of 3” 1) What do you want to tell the world about yourself?

2) Is that message clear?

3) Become “the” expert.

ing to build a brand internationally, David gives the following advice: 1) Get specific -- every market is different 2) Get uber-local -- know the tastes and smells of the culture 3) Understand the language 4) Understand the culture 5) go all in ! “it’s ok to make mistakes” was the lesson he shared he learned in his career.

The more you elevate in your career the more comfortable and liberating this statement becomes.

“I don’t need to know everything, I just need to know the players that do ‘’ he advises. Many of us try to be everything for everyone and do it all, which is simply a feat that is doomed to fail. What you need to become is very adept at knowing the strengths of others and how you touch upon them.

Finally, he uses his nana’s advice as his motto to live by and motivate others. He recounts a story of her saying that vegetables cook best in a pressure cooker, but for them to be perfect, you have to let the steam out a bit.

“Everything in moderation, including moderation”.

Continuing on this wavelength and attempt20 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

Leeds Corn Exchange

Chief Marketing Officer at Chestertons

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 21

Margaret Juvelier You are a Mirror: What you do, should reflect back from the brand. In that time this tireless real estate veteran took her New York sophistication to her ancestral land and exposed the luxury market in this island nation to a global audience. Along with her daughter, Oriana and son in law, Brock, they have mastered a rebranding by naming neighborhoods such as CoBe (Condado Beach area) and the Miramar Arts District to mimic the stellar success it has had for neighborhoods such as Tribeca (Triangle below Canal Street); SoHo (South of Houston Street) and Nolita (North of Little Italy) in New York City.

Puerto Rico has had a global spotlight because of its economic tax

Chief Executive Officer at Puerto Rico Sotheby’s International Realty Draped in a Hermes scarf, perfectly coiffed and ready to broker the next multi-million dollar deal, Margaret Pena-Juvelier was one of New York’s premier luxury brokers for over 25 years with Sotheby’s International Realty.

She left all that behind in 2012 to take a leap and purchase the franchise for Puerto Rico 22 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

advantages in Act 60 (originally Act 20) and Act 22, which has attracted such investors as John Paulson who has invested over a billion dollars on the island with purchasing oceanfront hotels and condominium buildings. I remember when Margaret first went to the island, she invited me to take part in an economic forum which included Mr. Paulso, the Governor, and myself. It was a humbling experience to be on

the dais with such impressive individuals. I have always been very bullish on the market which has developed so beautifully.

Like so many of the other sage guests that I’ve had on this podcast, Margaret says one of the greatest lessons she has learned was to listen. Listen to your clients, to others around you and your colleagues. That is the only way to truly develop and become of greater service to all around you.

Her three pieces of advice for someone entering the business truly resonated with me: 1) STUDY THE MARKET -- Go to every open house, know the available inventory, learn the value of the properties. Study so that you can provide insight to a client.

2) WORK HARD -- This may seem obvious, but it is whatever separates those that succeed ultimately and build a career to those that simply are looking for a “get rich quick” solution based on misinformation from reality television programs.

3) DON’T GIVE UP! -- There are a lot of challenges we will face in a real estate career, but if you believe in yourself and persevere, this is one of the few careers that can provide you with great longevity!

Finally, the legacy which Margaret wanted to leave behind was to know that she touched someone’s life and as I told her she ha s been a great confidant to me for many years and I consider her a very close friend, so in many ways, she has already achieved her legacy in touching my life.

Old San Juan

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 23

Brian Culhane

Stepping out of the cave

Founder & CEO at Culhane Companies

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Brian Culhane’s family legacy is the plotline of a great movie script. His great-grandfather was a Chicago teacher and the patriarch of the family up to that point. His grandfather was a great man who was a Golden Gloves boxer and a Notre Dame graduate who became the President of the Pritzker Family Holding Company. On the way to the funeral of his dad, Brain’s grandfather got into a car accident and passed away.

Brian says his father gave him lots of love but financial security eluded him and he did not grow up wealthy. “I was a blue collar kid in a white collar neighborhood”, he says “we moved around alot simply because we were just renters”.

He paid his dues early and waited tables and was a caddy for many years. He then played Division 1 and 2 college basketball. His first job in the industry was with an architectural engineering due diligence company. He spent a couple of years there and then spent time doing ad sales for a commercial real estate trade publication. It’s there that he got his first taste of real estate and was hooked.

However, he got sick of the cold weather in Chicago and decided to throw all his things in a Hefty bag and drive to Arizona where he had some friends. He said two important things happened there that changed his life: 1) He met his future wife, Kristi and 2) He met Glenn Sanford.

By then he had gotten his real estate license but wasn’t sure what he wanted to do and he was looking at Craigslist ads and saw an ad for a team leader and it happened to be Glenn Sanford. In 2004, Glenn had already left Prudential for Keller Willaims and was building his team in different areas and he wanted to expand to Arizona and Brian became his guy.

Roosevelt Lake

When profit sharing at KW didn’t manifest in the way Glenn expected, he started his own independent team and they were doing great until 2008. When the financial crisis hit, Brian remembers Glenn calling his team together and saying “It’s going to be bad... and bad for a while”.

He tells the story that Glenn disappeared for 4 days and when he re-merged the vision of eXp was born. They started in Washington state and Arizona and it went from there. In 2013 when they went public, people started to take notice. In 2015, some large players started coming in.

Brian uses the story of the California gold rush as a metaphor to what happened next. “Sutter’s Hill is where they first found gold and I felt like old man Sitter when I was sitting on this model”, Brian explains “all of a sudden I see these big players coming out of retirement and joining. It felt like they were going to tunnel under my feet to go get the gold before I really got the opportunity to stick a shovel in the ground”.

It was then that Brian decided to form his team and go into production and recruitment and he hasn’t looked back.

One of the greatest pieces of advice that has remained with him is: “If you do something and it works, keep doing it.

If you do something and it doesn;t work, stop doing it.

Just do something !”

Brian has earned generational wealth with eXp and he has become very philanthropic but his humility and sense of serving others remain quintessentially true to his heart.

It was a pleasure to have him on the show.

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 25

Chuck Fazio Iron Sharpens Iron Chuck Fazio is someone that I had interacted with via email and virtually through work-related encounters, but it was only a few weeks ago that I had the great pleasure of meeting him and his incredible wife Angela in Miami at Grant Cardone’s 10X Growth Conference. It was one of those moments where you meet someone, and you know he just became an extended member of your family. His life story is so incredible that if you saw it as a movie script you would think it was too trite because it could never happen. Chuck started as a bouncer for organized crime families in New York and then started working the door at strip clubs owned by the same entity. Ironically, as we were discussing dates and neighborhoods in New York City, I was working at another nightclub as a waiter in my late teens just two blocks from where he was.

I am incredibly appreciative of the level of candor Chuck graciously gave me in this conversation. He recounts chilling encounters of having a gun to his head for a drug deal gone bad which was his next profession once he left the club scene. Chuck jokingly says it was the best-negotiating skill he has ever learned because it was life or death. He calls himself a “degenerate” who turned his life around when he decided to move to Arizona and ultimately found religion. He also found Angela, his wife. They were struggling independently with real estate and almost gave up to move 26 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

in with his parents until they decided to form a team and support one another, and they never looked back. In three years, they went from zero to being ranked in the top 1% of all realtors in the state. They complimented each other and became one unit. As Chuck says, “Iron sharpens iron.”.

Fast forward a few years, and they grew a team of 900 agents when they joined eXp, and now that team has grown to 4300 members. He is a powerhouse and a great inspiration for anyone who is facing adversity. When I asked him his advice for anyone entering the business today, he said: 1) Do not look at the fees you are making.

“No one creates wealth by saving money”.

2) Do your homework. “Most people get into real estate and don’t know what it is” 3) Surround yourself with leaders so you can become one.

Chuck & Angela are incredibly philanthropic and give back to others and find the joy in giving.

It was an immense pleasure to have met them and to now be able to call them friends

Grand Canyon

International Team Leader at eXp Realty

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 27

Sharon Lechter

I met Sharon Lechter last month in Miami at the Grant Cardone 10x conference, and fortuitously we were seated together in the same row and struck up conversations. We later saw ourselves at all the social gatherings together. This lady is a legend in the world of personal development and is a class act on top of it all.

As an author having sold over 30 million books, her humility is disarming. She lives by the mantra of “Have you added value to someone’s life today?” which she was taught by her parents at an early age. Sharon was the CEO of the “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” corporation for over a decade and helped millions of people become financially literate and achieve freedom in their lives. She later spent another 8 1/2 years with the Napoleon Hill Foundation. There is no one else that has this level of experience on the personal development stage.

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Co-author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” Keynote Speaker, Business Strategist & Mentor

Antelope Canyon

If that wasn’t enough, Sharon was also an advisor to two Presidents. President Bush appointed her to the “President’s Council on Financial Literacy” and President Obama to the “President’s Council on Financial Capability.”.

One of the greatest gifts she learned for herself was the “Power of why not?” -- why not try something new? What’s the worst that can happen. Better yet, what’s the best that can happen? However, she says that the greatest lesson she ever learned in her career was to “Stand in your power.”. Know what your worth is and don’t let anyone devalue that.

She lost her son, William Eric, and when that occurred she said she turned inward in her grief and didn’t want to work anymore. It was through celebrating his memory that she started the “Play Big Movement” -- which is exactly what the title eludes. It’s a methodology of achieving your goals in life. Sharon and I shared a special moment in the podcast when I realized that her son’s initials were “WE” and she was sharing this process with the world in a beautiful way to celebrate his memory.

When I asked about her philanthropic efforts and what moves her now, she said it’s “living your legacy with every heart you touch” -- this woman is the real deal!

It was truly an honor to get to know Sharon Lechter in such a special way during this conversation.

I invite you to visit some of her associated links: www.sharonlechter.com www.personalsuccessequation.com www.childhelp.org

Stand In Your Power Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 29

Aaron Kirman is arguably one of the most successful real estate professionals in our industry having sold over $7 billion to date, yet his early start was very humble. He shared with me that he had a learning disability growing up and struggled because of that. It wasn’t until he found real estate at 18 that he discovered he could be his boss, and he reveled in it.

However, he didn’t start out selling multi-million dollar properties. He began very modestly selling $200-300k homes in the Valley and trying to carve out a living. The one thing he truly possessed was ambition. When someone called him for a specific architectural home, he took the challenge head-on even though he had never heard of the architect. To his surprise, he found a home that fit the bill, called the client, and he purchased it immediately. That particular client was very influential in the fashion, art, and celebrity worlds, and Aaron credits him for helping launch his career into the luxury market.

He has looked back since. He has grown his team to 90 people and 12 assistants and handles the top global clients at the very highest levels. When I asked him about his most memorable sale, he mentioned two. The first was a $65 million tear down in Beverly Hills for the sheer size, price, and scope of work, and the second was a $1 million sale to a family that became emotional. It brought him back to the roots of why he entered the business in the first place, and he said it felt incredible to be a small part of a milestone in someone’s life.

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When I asked him the advice he would give to someone wanting to break into the luxury real estate, he offered the following: 1) Run your business like a company. We keep hearing this piece of advice from so many guests, but it cannot be overstated enough.

You are the CEO of your own company.

2) Think outside the box. Be Unique. There are over 3 million real estate agents in this country. Find a niche and excel at it.

3) Create goals. -- Make sure you have achievable goals and track them 4) The only way to grow is to GROW! The last one he certainly takes to heart. He says he sees himself as having no clients.

The moment you become complacent, you are out of business. “If I’m not in front of someone’s face, someone else will be.”, he professes.

Aaron says the greatest lesson he has learned thus far is that life changes, and you need to change with it. “I have seen the richest people become poor; the poorest people become rich. You need to be prepared for everything that life gives you and adapt with it”.

He has created the “Kirman Charity Fund” to help others in need. He has learned that the more you give, the more you get.

Thank you, Aaron, for your leadership in our industry and for the way you look at humanity. I know this will be the start of a wonderful friendship.

Hollywood Sign

Aaron Kirman

The Truth Sells

CNBC’s star of “Listing Imposible” & President of the Estates Division at Compass

Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 31

Alex Howland

Alex Howland is probably one of the smartest men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is an Organizational psychologist and a great entrepreneur who created VirBela, the virtual platform which is home to the eXp world.

The VirBela mission statement of “One World, Achieving Together” resonates now more than ever in the world we are living in. In this virtual world, we all live in harmony as avatars, and work is accomplished so effectively, that in this COVID world, there has been an explosive 1600% growth over the last three years. The majority of it’s happening this calendar year.

In a recent blog on their website, it spoke about the five steps of managing a remote team which I asked him about: 1) Establish trust -- “You must be transparent about your mistakes. It’s ok to be vulnerable.

You must show you care”.

2) Manage output, not time -- “I don’t care

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Founder of Virberla

when people are working so long as the work gets done. If you set the correct OKRs, everyone knows what they are doing.”

3) Create a level playing field -- “The platform itself makes it a level playing field for everyone.

There are no gatekeepers, and it naturally allows leaders to emerge”.

4) Foster a friendly culture -- “This is a place that provides psychological safety. You can accomplish more together as a team.”

5) Reinforce the vision of the company -- “Admittedly it was easier when there were 20 employees. Now that we have grown to over 100, you have to be intentional about it, but it’s much more important now.”

I can personally attest to the vision of the platform. For someone who has spent 25 years in a corporate environment, and now I operate in a “Virtual” world, it is amazing to me how interactive it is and how socially engaged you truly are. I have close friends that I have developed through the platform that I have yet to meet in real life.

This is without a doubt the future, not just in real estate but in many other sectors as well.

Alex Howland is a great leader and intellect who cares about the environment and people in general. It is a rare combination that explains the growth it has enjoyed.

One World, Achieving Together La Jolla Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 33

Brent Gove Live by your calendar, not your emotions dustry, Brent only sold three homes in his first six months in the business.

I used many adjectives to describe Brent throughout this interview. The first was MINDSET. I was at a recent mastermind that he hosted in Cabo with over 700 people in attendance, and someone in the audience who knew him when he was a teenager, recounted a story of Brent working as a dishwasher but listening to motivational tapes because his vision was to better himself. He jokes and says there was politics in the dish room because the other dishwashers picked on him for listening to the cassette tapes on my walkman.

CEO of The Brent Gove Team at eXp Realty Brent Gove is arguably one of the most successful people in real estate. He has grown a team at eXp with over 20,000 people. He puts together masterminds where thousands will pay big money to attend, and he attracts the caliber of top-level speakers like Tony Robbins. However, his beginnings were humble.

Even though his parents were both in the in-

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He is a great history buff, and echoing this theme further, he tells the story of one of the men in history he most admires, and that is the man in Tiananmen Square who stopped the tanks from rolling forward with just his perseverance and mindset of freedom.

The next word was FOCUS. Brent became realtor #11 in the world when he was at ReMax, and that takes a great deal of focus. He says, “work on your business, not just in it.”.

Have a plan and then walk back into it. You can have a yearly goal, which may seem insurmountable now. But if you break it down

to weekly or even daily goals, it is achievable. Design a calendar and “live by your calendar, not your emotions.” explains Brent. I am so regimented in my calendar that I plan my vacations and events out a year in advance. I know where I will be to help grow my business.

MOTIVATION was another word I used to describe this man. He authored a book called “Momentum” that inspired a large number of other agents. “The key to success is enthusiasm”, he says: “especially the last four letters which stand for: I am sold myself.” If you have the passion and enthusiasm that becomes infectious for everyone around you, that leads to your success.

He feels the greatest lesson he ever learned was to go and shadow other people that have done it already. He also cautions not to just do it in your organization. People are people, companies are companies. You want to shadow great people.

That segways into his three pieces of advice for someone entering the business today: 1) Numbers, numbers, numbers -- know your business.

2) Get a coach.

3) Find the best person in your area and offer to work for them for free.

Finally, I asked him in his “book of life” what would this current chapter be called and he said: Redemption!

In 2009 he had his own home foreclosed upon, and an agent in his same company got the lead for his house listing by the bank. There were many lean years after the recession, but he survived and is now thriving.

Brent Gove is a true legend and an inspiration to many. I feel privileged to call him a friend.

Sacramento

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Brett Hagler Bold Ideas Attract Bold People Brett Hagler started NewStory at the age of 24. He tells the story of having been obsessed with an entrepreneurial spirit and having experience with a startup that didn’t go as well as he had expected. That first startup had an association with a charity in Haiti. On his first trip there in 2012, just after the earthquake that was so devastating to the country, he saw such extreme poverty that he was never exposed to prior and felt a need to do something.

On the Maslow Hierarchy scale, housing was one of the basic needs, and there were a large number of families, especially kids who had their future and hopes wiped out because these needs were not met. He came back home and started researching charities he could contribute to, but found the majority of them were not transparent with their funds, and a large portion of the donation went to administrative costs.

He saw a need to revolutionize the charity industry and honing his entrepreneurial skills with his love of technology, NewStory was born. He found some private donors that would cover all administrative costs, which allowed him to focus on donations, and know that 100% of the funds would go to the cause at the hand of raising money to provide shelter for families in need. He was able to build a generational home for $6,000.

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He began to build his team and more importantly his culture. He says “you are either adding to the culture or detracting from it.

The choice is yours”, he continues “If you’re average, the gravitational pull goes down, and when you do just a little bit more, you stand out as extraordinary. That is unfair to the end consumer. If you’re average, you are detracting from the culture. It’s a choice”.

Part of his steadfast vision and focus comes from the fact that he was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 18 and successfully beat it.

He says it was his first introduction to adversity and he understood that he couldn’t control everything. The only two things he could control were his attitude and his response to things.

As he built the core principles of NewStory, he focused on the following: 1) Transparency -he wanted to make sure everyone knew where every dollar was going.

2) Empowerment - he has created thousands of local jobs in these communities as local workers build homes for their neighbors, strengthening the sense of community.

3) Innovation - he wants to make sure he remains cutting edge and at the forefront of making a difference in people’s lives.

Yosemite National Park

CEO & Co-Founder at New Story

When I asked him how he responds to someone who says, ‘`what can one person do?’ His response was wise: “You can do for one what you wish you could do for all.”.

Brett attracted the eye of large industry in both the technology and real estate worlds, and he says humbly, “Bold ideas attract bold people.”. It has been an ethos that has served him well.

It was indeed a pleasure to speak to this entrepreneur, who is doing so much to help change the world.

For more information, please visit: https://newstorycharity.org/

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Christine Kim Discipline and Practice Wins Out Every Time

Former persident of Climb Realty.

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Golden Gate Bridge

”7x7” - The 49 square mile city, San Francisco is one of the most popular cities in the world.

Christine Kim, former President of Climb Realty, gives her thoughts on the real estate industry.

I met Christine through a good friend of mine, Chris Lim, who was the Co-Founder of Climb Realty. Christine is an amazing spirit and a great leader. She is one of the very few Asian-American female CEOs in our industry, and we have gotten to know each other over the last few months. I am so impressed with her accomplishments; Not only is she a graduate of Northwestern University, but she is also a classically trained pianist.

Here were her top 10 highlights from the podcast: 1) Be a part of the community you want to serve.

2) Be a leader in that community. She started the Silicon Valley chapter of AREAA. 3) Focus on a niche within the market and responding to market conditions. --She was focused on REOs and short sales during the downturn.

4) Build your relationships!

5) Mentor others, but be humble enough to learn from your mentee.

6) As a professional musician, discipline and practice stay with you throughout your entire life.

7) Think of your listing presentations and showings as a “performance”.

8) Never assume things are going to go your way. Stay flexible and plan.

9) Prediction vs. Assumption -- There’s a difference between predicting what is going to happen and assuming it will.

10) Come from a place of service to succeed.

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Courtney Chakarun Be comfortable with being wrong

Chief Marketing Officer at eXp World Holdings, Inc.

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The Painted Ladies

I remember speaking to Courtney Chakarun two weeks before her announcement as the new Chief Marketing Officer of eXp World Holdings was going to be public. The moment we first started conversing, we surmised that we were kindred spirits and adopted each other as “siblings”. It’s been a flawless, collaborative friendship ever since.

Her leadership style is so nurturing, and I learn a great deal from her. One of the key takeaways in this podcast was the conversation of looking at yourself as a brand. I so often speak about the agent being the CEO of their own company as an independent contractor, but when you start to shift that viewpoint into a more singular focus of “brand”, it’s a game-changer. The journey to get there is about embracing freedom.

“Be comfortable with being wrong”, Courtney advises “If you can embrace being comfortable with being wrong and surround yourself with people that will challenge you to

help you grow, it’s a winning combination.”.

Adding upon that concept she discusses the nuances and differences between mentor, coach, and advocate -- something that is so nuanced but crystal clear when you see it. In many stages of our lives, we may be fortunate enough to have all three.

My favorite takeaway was the analogy of a work/life balance. “You have balls in life. Some are rubber, and some are crystal. If you drop the rubber ball, it’s ok, it’ll bounce, and you can make it up”, she begins... “but if you drop the crystal ball, it shatters, and it’s irreparable.” I’ve never heard the analogy before, but it does allow you to make more clear choices in work as to how it would affect your family and friends. Will that decision make the ball bounce or shatter?

Thank you, Courtney, for these great life lessons!

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Gary Acosta Don’t Peak Too Soon. Be Prepared achieve the American dream of homeownership in greater numbers that I asked to serve on his Corporate Board of Governors.

The first speech I gave was to the NAHREP 250 -- the top Latino real estate agents in the country and we began to elevate the conversation immediately. I spoke about targeting the global billionaires and how they differ across the globe. When I finished, I had a line of people waiting patiently to ask me more questions. I was immediately hooked on the desire for knowledge and advancement as an organization.

Co-Founder and CEO of NAHREP I remember vividly when I first met Gary Acosta at the board room of my former employer.

I learned all about NAHREP -- The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals -- the organization he co-founded 20 years ago and he leads to this day. I was so impressed with his mission of elevating the Latino professional in our industry and fighting for our community to have the ability to

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However, none of this can happen without the leadership at the top with Gary Acosta.

I am certain that the traits he learned from Gregg Popovich, who is now a Hall of Fame coach but back then was the varsity basketball coach at Pomona College in California, stayed with him all these years later. Gary has built the organization up to 40,000 members and 100 chapters across the United States.

Some of the incredible mandates which he has spearheaded include “The Hispanic Wealth Project”, which was co-chaired by former Secretary, Henry Cisneros whose mission statement is to triple Hispanic wealth by 2024. Now just let that sink in for a moment.

Think of the impact that this signifies to not only the community but society as a whole.

The other initiative was a partnership with Sol Trujillo, who is the first person to be the CEO of three public companies on three different continents. In three short years, this has become the premier Latino event -- a sort of SXSW for the Latino community. The name of it is L’Attitude which stands for Latin Attitude, and the biggest names in business, entertainment, sports, and politics all participate. Last year Emilio Estefan became the third partner in the venture.

When I asked him the three pieces of advice for a new agent entering the business today, he said: 1) Find a mentor. Have someone guide you who has done this before.

2) Remember that nothing great comes without patience 3) Remember that this is a cyclical business. Prepare for the hard times and make sure you have enough to get you through.

Finally, on the concept of wealth, he eloquently said, “Wealth is freedom.”

Thank you, Gary, for being such an amazing leader in our community and our industry. www.nahrep.org

San Diego Zoo

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I met Gregg Lynn in 2008 in Hong Kong at the Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Auction just as the financial markets were collapsing. Over the past 12 years, I saw him catapult to being the top agent in San Francisco. He has been a dear friend and leader in our industry.

Someone who has always been there to support my career rise as well every step of the way. I am grateful for the friendship and for the conversation we had together recently.

I think his points of very were very sage and offered wonderful lessons for the listeners.

When we spoke of building teams, he warned not to build too early because clients will smell that desperation and you will inevitably fail. The idea to grow a team should be one that happens organically.

In regards to dealing with trophy properties, he warns to have a business plan and to be

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prepared to spend some money on the listing.He continued to advise that one must prepare for “the Picasso moment”-- the time that you reveal that amazing property to the public for the first time.

Build your brand for the market you want to be in. This is a lesson Gregg warns back to the day when we first met. He was in Hong Kong to find a buyer for his trophy properties in San Francisco. He realized he needed to nurture those leads and made the buyers know he was the “go to” person in SF. He needed to create his brand in Asia because by the time they landed in the states it was too late.

He teaches that it’s ok to let go of bad clients.

This is incredibly hard for new agents to the business but in the long run, it is the best advice ever.

Bay Bridge

Gregg Lynn

San Francisco is not 7x7, It’s Really 2x1

One of the Top Two Realtors in San Francisco at Sotheby’s Interntional Realty

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Glenn Stearns When times are tough, you don’t stick your head in the sand dinary life. Glenn said it set him up for success. He had to leave school early and go to work to support his new child, and it instilled in him an incredible work ethic which he credits for building his empire.

One of the many incredible things about this man is how much he values relationships. The mother of his child and her husband are dear friends of his, and part of his “extended family”. He doesn’t understand how people can separate from someone they were involved with and never speak to them again. He says, “if you don’t look favorably on your ex, it’s a reflection of you because you picked them.”.

He remains friends with these kids he went to school with to this day. That mindset carried him over to his business relationships, and he is incredibly well respected by his competitors.

Co-Founder and CEO of NAHREP For those of you that see Glenn Stearns now, the star of “Undercover Billionaire” and CEO of Kind Lending that seemingly has it all started with very humble beginnings.

He grew up in Maryland, and his mother was a grocery checker and cleaned homes while his dad was a printer. Glenn failed the fourth grade and had a child at the age of 14. Most people would look at these insurmountable odds and relegate themselves to living an or46 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

He doesn’t believe in the “kill or be killed mentality” in business, he feels there is enough to go around and that colleagues should collaborate. Glenn operates from a focus of “servant leadership”.

When he first started, he drove from Maryland to California and worked as a mortgage loan officer for ten months before deciding to start his own company. That was the company he built for 30 years and says one of his early lessons was not to kid himself. He started doing other things as part of the mortgage

company including suit, title, and escrow. He knew he had much larger players in the core mortgage business, and he had to build his reputation.

He was introduced to government bidding on jobs, and he ultimately had the opportunity to bid on a contract because he came in 50 cents less than the previous person who had it. He quickly realized that it didn’t pencil out and it was going to cost him money to service it. He went back to the government to try and renegotiate. They told him if he didn’t fulfill his contract he would be in default and would never again be eligible for another government contract.

Glenn was a quick thinker, and he realized that there were many inflated fees from outside parties on these documents. He proposed doing the contract as is but if he could save the government money on other fees, he would charge them a 10% fee on the savings. They agreed, and Glenn was extremely successful. So much so that he grew to service 75% of all HUD contracts in the country.

He grew very quickly and started building because two of his competitors were going under during 2007, so he decided to acquire them and their talented people. In 2007 he opened five offices; in 2008 he opened five more; in 2009 he opened over 100 more, and then the crisis hit him as well.

He says he was at the lowest point in his life but realized the only direction he could go was up. He owed a lot of money to several financial institutions that wanted to get paid. He says, “when times are tough you don’t stick your head in the sand, you confront it”. He negotiated with every single creditor and ended up not only surviving but thriving. Glenn always observes that the true test of someone is to see how they treat people when they are down.

When he started his new company, “Kind Lending” he named it because he looked around and realized that the world needed more kindness.

He is the star of “Undercover Billionaire” on the Discovery Channel and has a follow-up show where he goes back to the town of Erie, PA to help other business owners succeed.

He and his wife Mindy are very passionate about giving back. He is a spiritual man who believes “to whom much is given, much is required”. At one point, he sat on 16 non-profit boards.

He is also a podcast host of a show called, “Grit Happens” where he brings his successful business entrepreneurs to share their stories with a large audience.

Glenn is an extraordinary gentleman who I was honored to have on this podcast.

Laguna Beach

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Mark Choey

Everyone Has a Different Superhero

Founder of HighNote Labs

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I had known Mark by reputation in the industry and had met him socially on a few occasions. Last December, a good friend of mine, Chris Lim who was the co-founder with Mark of Climb Real Estate invited me to their Christmas celebration in San Francisco and it was there that I got to know Mark better and was so impressed with him as a person and visionary.

This was a great podcast for me because Mark is truly a spiritual person to his core. He cares about the success of others and is a great motivator in a very precise way, which makes the message a lot more welcoming.

My most favorite line from the interview was that “everyone has a different superpower”.

Think about how empowering that message is. It’s just a matter of finding what yours is.

Lombard Street

Below are the top 10 takeaways from our talk: 1) “When you build a culture, it has to be more than yourself.”

2) “It’s not just about your home, it’s about your life.”

3) “Everyone has a different superpower.”

4) “In real estate, there are many paths to success.”

5) “Celebrate the individual, not the establishment.”

6) Free yourself from the need to please everyone.”

7) “You can’t fake it... I’ve tried.”

8) “Don’t hide your success.”

9) “I want to use technology for a purpose.”

10) “You don’t need a million fans.”

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Shen Schulz A Lotus Can Only Grow in Mud

I was in Los Angeles earlier this year and had dinner with Shen. We sat and spoke for hours about everything and nothing. It’s so rare to have friends in your life that you can do that with. He is someone that truly makes me want to be a better person. Shen is a great husband, father, mentor, and friend and I truly feel blessed to have him in my life.

As I mentioned in the podcast, his father was a Buddhist monk and when he was 18 he decided to follow that path himself which is the reason he is so spiritual, yet he balances his life with living in Malibu, playing in a band and having fun living his life.

I would like to mention that we did this interview before the global pandemic of COVID-19 which is why there is no reference to it which may seem odd when we speak of tragedies such as the Malibu fires and the lessons learned.

I wanted to summarize the top 10 lessons we

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discussed in this podcast: 1) “High tides raise all ships” 2) “Don’t focus on worry, focus on what we want to accomplish” 3) “Challenge is simply the doorway for the next great opportunity” 4) “No Mud, No Lotus” 5) “What would your life be like if you didn’t attach to your story?”

6) “Put service first and the money will follow” 7) “There is no separation between our internal world and our external world” 8) “If you focus 5 feet beyond the finish line, you won’t slow down” 9) “Inspiration is all around us, we just need to find it” 10) “When you start from gratitude, there’s no space for fear and anxiety” It was such fun doing this episode with such a great friend.

Thank you, Shen, for being who you are!

Malibu Beach

Broker Associate at Sotheby’s International Realty

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Valerie Fitzgerald “No” is the opening of a conversation

Very rarely do I interview people I don’t know well. However, we shared a mutual friend who recommended we speak, and I had met Valerie in the past through my days at Realogy and admired her career from afar. When we finally connected, the conversation flowed beautifully as though I were speaking with an old friend.

Her humility with which she recounted her humble beginnings of being a single mother and needing to “figure it out” was inspiring.

The story of coming to a developer meeting with her infant daughter in tow, diaper bag, briefcase, and rushing into the meeting with her heel breaking, and then getting the listing because she said it just proved how tenacious she was has become one of my favorite stories of perseverance.

“No” is the start of a conversation.”. This has always been a mantra of mine, and when Valerie said it, I knew we were kindred spirits. If someone is still talking to you, the deal is very much alive. Someone is exploring options in

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their mind. Unless they walk away or hang up on you, they are engaged.

Her vision of building a team organically is a great template for those wanting to grow in the business. Make a list of those things you don’t want to do or don’t have the time to do, and that becomes the job description for the role you need to hire. Such a simple formula ensures that the team is growing at the pace it needs to and is destined for greatness.

Valerie is a celebrated mentor and public speaker. She also was the star of “Selling LA”, and as her career and brand grew, she always found time to give back. Not only to others in the industry but through her charity work. She was the co-founder of “Children Uniting Nations” which is an organization that helps place foster children in permanent homes, and she works tirelessly with Cedars Sinai Hospital.

Thank you, Valerie, for an inspiring conversation.

Rodeo Drive

Star of Selling L.A

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Nick Bailey Barriers to entry are low; barriers to success are high home, he took his young son out for lunch just to spend some quality time. During the ride to the restaurant, his son told him that he liked when he worked for his other company more. Nick thought it was because the other company offered much more swag, and he thought he wasn’t giving his son enough gifts, but when he asked his son why that was, he simply said, “because I got to see you more.”

Like a dagger to the heart, Nick flew to New Jersey and rendered his resignation the next day, without having a plan B because the family was always first.

Chief Customer Officer at ReMax My level of respect had always been high for Nick Bailey, but it grew exponentially when he shared the story of why he left being President of C21. He was commuting between Denver and New Jersey, where the Realogy Headquarters were located every single week. In one of his times when he was 54 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

That type of conviction is rare, and while he doesn’t recommend leaving a CEO position without having something as a backup, luckily all things worked out and Nick is now the Chief Customer Officer for ReMax, which is the brand where he started his career, so he is enjoying the story reaching a full circle.

As someone who owned his first property when he was still a teenager, real estate was in his blood, and he was the landlord for his friends when he went to college. He realized that it was better to buy a property and have his friends move into the house and pay the mortgage rather than pay for college housing costs.

When I asked Nick about his three pieces of advice for an agent entering the market today, his responses were thoughtful: 1) Get educated -- many agents enter this business without having the expertise in the market they are in. In today’s world, where information is so readily available, you have to be able to prove your value by giving a client information they cannot find online.

2) Spend time on money-making activities -- make sure you are doing things that will advance you in making money. Showing homes, talking to a prospective buyer, etc.

3) Surround yourself with the very best -- If you look around at who is around you now, it will show you your future.

“The real estate barriers to entry are very low. All you need is a high school diploma and a pulse, but the barriers to success are high”. You have to have the discipline to treat it like a true business. You want to reach the level of being the trusted advisor in the equation for someone who is looking to buy or sell the property.

When talking about the work/life balance, he not only shared the story of why he left C21, but also the fact that his life changed when he learned to say “no”. You don’t always have to be available every second for every client. When you value your time, so will they. That is probably one of the greatest gifts you will ever receive. The Bailey family is also amazingly philanthropic.

They support any charity having to do with children, but are very involved with the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

Nick Bailey is a great leader and mentor in our industry, and I am privileged to be able to know him.

Rocky Mountain National Park

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Elena Cardone Discipline is not Motivation I attended the Grant Cardone 10x conference in Miami last month, and it was the first time I had met Elena Cardone. She was a powerful force of a human being who was elegant, caring, nurturing, and protective. In fact, the first question we addressed was speaking about three words that are prevalent on her website.

Creating... Building and Defending.

We explore these three concepts throughout our conversation. The creating is personified by being uncomfortable with the norm. You have to be allergic to complacency. This is a big part of the success factor. In building, you need to be willing to think bigger and set goals that make you incredibly uncomfortable to declare. Finally, defending is all about protecting what you have built. The mantra is just to focus on your success and not to worry about anyone else, “but that is not always reciprocated”, explains Elena.

I remember noticing Elena at the aforementioned conference and she had her daughter on her lap and holding her protectively; she was looking at her husband on the stage and nodding at him encouragingly and at the same time surveying the room of 2,000 attendees to make sure they were having their needs met as well. She smiles at the notion that I picked up on the subtleties. “That’s my role,” she explains. “Grant and I are not 50/50, we 56 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

are 100/100. Each one of us commits wholeheartedly to our roles in our partnership and marriage and execute that to the fullest”.

This best-selling author of “Build an empire: How to Have it all”, believes what she writes.

She reminds us to remember that there is no scarcity in the world. Anything we want to achieve is there for us to do so, but we must be disciplined to do so. “Discipline is not motivation”, Elena says. “I am not motivated to go to the gym every morning, but I am disciplined to do so because I know the results it will achieve, and that is what I am seeking.

You have to put in the work”.

In an introspective moment, I asked her what she would tell her 10-year-old self from the lens she has now. “Learn to be the best friend to yourself.”.

Her sage advice is very true.

Elena is an incredible motivator, and someone alongside her husband has been responsible for changing so many people’s lives for the better.

It was a delight to have a conversation with her. www.elenacardone.com Aventura

Keynote Speaker at R10X Growth Conference and Bestselling Author

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Beth Butler

Be a Student of the Business

Former Compass Florida President 58 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

I know that I have many friends on this podcast, but Beth is not only one of my oldest friends but also my business partner in an online venture we have called, “Feather The Nest” which is targeted at millennials and helping them raise a down payment for their dream of homeownership by using crowdfunding methods. We’ve known each other for over 15 years and she has always proven to be a knowledgeable leader with a great deal of caring and a desire to mentor others.

She mentions in the podcast that if she were not doing real estate, she would most probably be a university professor.

A true Miami native, she explains that she got into real estate on a whim. She was doing data processing for small businesses and then got her real estate license but was working mostly commercial deals. She did her first residential deal as a favor to a friend and found the perfect home for her clients and at the closing table with the seller, he was arrested after the transaction was completed for insider trading, and Beth was hooked on the adrenaline of the business.

SoHo Beach House, Miami Beach

She has worked and led with some of the top brands and teams in South Florida and has been very cognizant of building a culture that breeds success. Beth urges people to be a student of the business. Learn from those that came before but at the same time learn resiliency. It will not always go your way and you need to be flexible to survive and thrive.

For those entering the business today, her singular piece of advice is to get a coach.

Have someone guide you through the pitfalls and set you up for success by having been through it before and learned best practices.

There are few people I know that could have gotten a brand like Compass into Florida with no real resources and help grow that into the behemoth it is now.

Enjoy this episode and please comment on your favorite podcasts thus far.

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Kelly Townsend Discovering the Blind Spot

Business Coach & Co-owner of Leaders Team

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Naples, Florida

I first met Kelly Townsend 16 years ago in 2005 when I first got into real estate and ended up running one of the most elite teams in the state of Florida. I came across an old business plan that she guided me through, and I smiled at the techniques that started there and that I have implemented with my mentees throughout the years.

The importance of a mission statement. Why you? What is your ‘why? How do you eloquently and efficiently transmit the message to a consumer so that they are inclined to do business with you rather than the other 1.4 million realtors in America?

There were goals for listings, sales, but also for building my brand. What events did I want to attend to get noticed? What articles did I want to be written about me, and how was I going to go about doing that? I realized that I have been building my brand for 16 years, and it started with Kelly’s guidance.

other, but two years ago I tracked her down again and needed a new vision and focus, and I must say this second journey has been much more powerful than the first. The earlier one was one of self-discovery and branding to reach a certain level. Once I have done so, this journey was about helping the largest number of people, leaving a legacy, and making a difference.

The conversations are powerful, and the results have been astounding. I realize I am a vehicle to help others reach their dreams. The “power of creation”, “the power of language” and “the power of your actions” are all concepts that Kelly guides you through with her coaching.

I achieved what I have done so in this world in no small part through the guidance of this woman. I am forever indebted to her, and it was my honor to share this conversation with all of you.

In the course of life, we lost track of one an-

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Marco Roca I have a relentless determination to succeed His background of senior leadership roles in organizations such as Realogy, Hard Rock Hotels, Wyndham, and Caesar’s Corporation truly gave him a uniquely global lens on the real estate and hospitality industry. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to sit down for a chat with an old friend.

He has a unique outlook on working for other companies, “All jobs come to an end”, he theorizes “The bullet leaves the gun as soon as you are hired and one day it’ll hit you.”. That was why he decided to start his own company, “Reveille Hospitality” that he now runs with his sons. He is anxious to build something with them and leave them their legacy.

His focus now is on Extended Stay America brands hotel and a food franchise called, “Caprriotti’s”.

Chief Executive Officer at Reveille Hospitality and former President of Caesars Entertainment Corporation` I was living in London when Marco Roca was there on a business trip. I had arranged a lunch at the executive boardroom at Sotheby’s Auction House on Bond Street, and our special friendship was born from that day almost a decade ago.

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When asked what three pieces of advice he would give someone wanting to break into the international arena and he said: 1) Look at your business plan from back to front. Make sure you have anticipated the pitfalls and then plan for the inevitable.

2) Look for key partners in the markets you wish to enter. You won’t be able to do it on your own because you don’t have the market knowledge. Make sure to pair with partners that can give you the that competitive edge.

3) Have the ability to give up what you have. This was a very real and sage piece of advice.

Marco says that something will inevitably suffer (home life, relationships, health), and you need to be willing to do that to expand your business globally. Prepare for it.

His great piece of advice is always to act with: * Loyalty * Honesty * Integrity When asked for his opinion on future investment opportunities around the globe, he is bullish on territories in the Caribbean and Latin America. In a post-pandemic world, there will be new countries that emerge as attractive investments since people will adopt a greater percentage of remote working.

Finally, my favorite question to ask my guests is what would this chapter in your book of life be called, to which he responds: “Let The Good Times Roll” Thank you, Marco, for your friendship and leadership in our industry.

Bayside Skyline

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I met Mayi de la Vega in the summer of 2008 in Miami at a sales meeting with the office I was with at the time. I was their top salesperson and I did not know who this elegantly dressed woman with a mane of blond hair was, so I may not have been that inviting to her. She ended up acquiring the company I worked for. After meeting with Mayi for lunch, I decided to become Senior Vice President of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty under her leadership because I respected her vision and tenacity.

with her crew. It was just the two of us and we talked about our friendship for the last 12 years and what our aspirations in life still were. I cherish the time we spent and truly consider her a close friend.

As I mentioned before, we recorded this interview before the pandemic, so there is no mention of it on our podcast. However, what resonates is her vision and ambition to be the best and to be able to use the resources of what she has to give back to others. Mentorship is paramount in her life.

Mayi continued to grow, as did our friendship.

In 2010, I left to work on the corporate side of the Sotheby’s brand and moved to London, but we remained in constant touch since I still maintained property in Miami and felt as though it was still my U.S. base.

The idea of giving back to others and leaving a legacy through service resonates in our talk. The three recurring themes are: 1) her business, 2) her family with her son Danny is the President of the company and her daughter running one of the top teams within the organization and 3) Community with making sure that she remains philanthropic and helps others.

At the beginning of this year, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, I spent some time in Miami, and Mayi took me out on her boat

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South Beach

Mayi de la Vega

Building a Culture Like No Other

Founder and CEO at ONE Sotheby’s International Realty

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Mercedes Saewitz

The Saewitz name is legendary in South Florida. The family owns one of the most successful restaurants in the country -- Joe’s Stone Crab and Mercie’s father was one of the developers of Coconut Grove, an upscale neighborhood in the state.

Max Saewitz was also one of my early mentors in the business. He was a man who had an unfatigued work ethic. He would call you at 6 am with a thought or send you an email at 2 am because he had woken up and wanted to move on something immediately. Max would find solutions to problems and always thought outside the box to get to a resolution.

They were valuable lessons that he taught me, and obviously that was more profound with his own daughter, Mercedes.

Mercedes handled the deals her father would purchase, and that is how we first met 15 years ago. She and I became good friends to the point where her mother calls me her other son. I saw first hand the work lessons that Mercie inherited, and she was incredibly

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Managing Broker of Florida at Compass

successful in the hospitality industry before she joined her dad and afterward was a tireless closer of deals.

Business plans are something we both adhere to and hold dear as a secret to success. As Managing Broker for the state of Florida for Compass, she makes her agents do a yearly business plan which she works on every quarter and sits with her agents on a one on one every month to ensure they are on track. With over 600 agents in the state, it is a testament to her belief in other’s success.

Her three top advice suggestions for someone entering the business today were: 1) Have a year of savings.

2) Get a CRM. 3) Call the top 25 agents in your area and introduce yourself.

The last one is such a lost art form. I remember early on that I was taught to always present offers in person. People get to know you and your reputation, and even if you don’t close that particular deal, you have started a relationship that you will need to call upon as you build your career.

Thank you, Mercie, for sharing the valuable lessons with our audience.

My father gave me the gift of hard work and humility Ocean Drive Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 67

I’ve known Orlando for several years because he and his brother, Daniel, started the Montiel Organization. They have developed their real estate program and coaching services to reach over 8500 agents thus far taking their course regularly. I formally met him earlier this year when he was joining eXp, and we have become friends since then as we have worked together with several international contacts he has in markets I am seeking to open.

What first struck me about him is his passion. He cares deeply about agents, and that shines through in his program and everything he delivers. He wants agents not to be “secret agents’’, he advises: “You need to market yourself so that people know you are out there.”. It seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised how few people do it.

He speaks in-depth about marketing and turning yourself into the brand. Having come from several brands in the past, he realized when he saw the eXp model that it was a platform for the agent to become the brand and he was hooked.

He says that when he joined eXp, it was because of the 5 C’s: 1) Coaching 2) Coordination of systems 3) Compound growth 4) Compensation model 5) Culture

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That was all aligned with what he has tried to do his entire career and now found the perfect home to have the vehicle for delivery.

In his career, he understood that the power of relationships was the greatest gift for him.

Everyone has a story, and when you deliver great service to someone, they become your best form of advertising because they continue to tell your story.

As an immigrant from Venezuela, his passion and drive for success is imminent but not so much for himself but the community as a whole. He is passionate to educate and elevate the Hispanic community, which is amazingly admirable.

When I asked him what the current chapter in his book of life would be called, he simply said “Joy”.

Thank you, Orlando, for sharing so much of your story.

Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables

Orlando Montiel

Don’t Be a Secret Agent

President at Paz Economica && Montiel Organization, LLC and Univision celebrity Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 69

Broker Associate at Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty

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Jere Metcalf In order to have what you really want, you have to be who you really are

Jere Metcalf is someone who truly inspires me.

Humility is one of the keys to success if you learn to grow from the failures life assuredly hands you. Jere was broke when she came to real estate and by her own words: “had to start from nothing.”. Now, she is one of the top agents in the Atlanta area with Sotheby’s International Realty.

Her singular focus now is helping and mentoring others. I was a recent guest on Jere’s podcast, and her mission is to ensure other’s success.

She studies life and is a voracious reader.

She can quote top takeaways from her favorite authors the way a sports fan can quote stats on their favorite player complete with author and chapter. The lessons Jere learns

Georgia Aquarium

she is only too eager to share. That to me is a remarkable human being. I’ve spoken several times about humility and service and that all of the people that I know who are successful in our industry have these two values as their paramount deliverables. To see Jere say “value and service first” as one of her key competencies is one of the reasons for her phenomenal success.

We worked for the same brand for many years, but it is only now with the passage of time that I really appreciate all she does in the industry for others.

Thank you, Jere, for the inspiration you are for so many!

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Ishay Grinberg Universal Source of Truth “Technology moves fast, real estate moves slow” Ishay Grinberg, the founder and CEO of Rental Beast, explains: “we provided a set of tools around a human being.”. He reminds us that real estate is still a people business.

I was so impressed to meet and spend time with Ishay. He is a personable leader in our industry who found a niche and has built an exceptional business. He was born in Haifa, and when I asked him about his time as a combat officer in the Israeli Defense Force and what lessons it taught him he said with a laugh, “the technical part of a foot soldier was useless.”. His charm continues by explaining that it was his first management experience. “If you can motivate someone to move towards live fire, you can learn to motivate someone in real estate. It’s slightly easier”.

The other lessons he learned there which has remained with him included * Do what you need to do when you need to do it to get the job done * Just learn to overcome adversity.

He keeps a quote from the movie, “Rocky” in his office which says -- “It’s not about how hard you get hit, it’s about how hard you get hit and keep moving forward.”.

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When I asked him about the greatest lesson he learned in his career, he said to build your network as early as possible. Don’t allow your ego to stop you from asking for help. No one can do it alone. However, he reminds us that he retained a strict “No asshole policy”.

His three pieces of advice for anyone entering the business today is: 1) Remember that everyone is a customer.

We all need a place to live 2) Rentals have to be a part of your strategy.

If you cultivate the renters, they become your buyers.

3) Get the right set of tools around you He and his family are incredibly philanthropic in their community, and his motto with charity is “if it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right”.

Money is only here on loan, and it is meant to be spread around to help others.

Finally, when I asked him what this chapter in his book of life is entitled, he said: GROWTH! A multi-faceted man who cares about his community and industry, it was indeed an honor and pleasure to have spent time with Ishay.

Hardvard University

Founder and CEO of Rental Beast

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Jason Gesing

I remember being on a panel with Jason last year at the Global Real Estate Summit in New York at the Marquis Hotel in Times Square.

The topic was a global luxury, and there were several brand CEOs on the panel as well. The conversation continued, and Jason spoke about how the premise of eXp and the technology was to bring a sense of “community” to the industry. Where all avatars related in harmony and the imagery stuck with me. I was speaking about the global markets I was working on with my former employer, and after the session, Jason asked me if I would be open to having a discussion on what an eXp Global could truly look like. I agreed, and the following month we all found ourselves at Inman, and Jason, Glenn Sanford, and Jeff Whiteside, the CFO all sat for 2 hours and started dreaming up what I am now living.

I will always be grateful to Jason for his foresight of that conversation, and now that I get to work with him daily, my respect for him as an industry leader and more importantly as a human being grows exponentially. He is a be-

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Chief Executive Officer at eXp Realty

nevolent and inspiring leader who is also humble and eager to continue to learn from everyone.

In the podcast, I loved his top 3 lessons he shared with the listeners: 1) What others dislike about you is usually what they do not dare to do themselves.

2) Be kind to others until they give you a reason not to.

3) Don’t think whatever you are doing now is what you have to do always.

The last sentiment I found particularly poignant. Jason explained how he picks one day out of the year to take stock. “It’s usually easier to pick a day that has significance for you, but the idea is to truly have an honest conversation with yourself and if you decide to make changes do so and get them into action”, he advises. Once that day is over, you are not allowed to obsess over it again until next year unless changes were put into action on that day. I found that so profound. So many of us beat ourselves up over what they “should” be doing and never set the time to put that into action. I love the idea of allowing ourselves one day to take stock, be honest with ourselves, and set a course of action for change if needed or appreciation and gratitude if satisfied.

Jason is a great leader, mentor, husband, father, and someone I consider a great friend. I am appreciative of the lessons he shared on the podcast.

“We have two ears and one tongue for a reason” Listening is key Chatham, Massachusetts Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 75

Ricardo Rodriguez Real Estate is not just about where you live. It’s about how you live ment that it reinvigorated me and so started our friendship.

He got into real estate very accidentally as he tells the story of a friend telling him he felt he would be “good at it”. It was a business that he was born for and his humility is one of the reasons why he has succeeded so well. He moved to Boston from Colombia in the early 90s with $25 in his pocket and no English to his vocabulary. He started working at a bike shop and he says looking back he should have never been hired because he spoke no English and knew nothing about bikes. However, the owner wanted to give him a chance.

Former #1 NAHREP producer in the country

Ricardo feels an enormous responsibility to be able to return the favor and give back to as many people as possible as well as his beloved city of Boston that accepted him with open arms. He grew an impressive business in a town where “you are supposed to succeed with my skin color and accent”, yet he stresses that real estate is the

I met Ricardo a few years ago during a convention towards the end of the day when you have met hundreds of people and the scene of people becoming faceless. The meeting was at the request of a mutual friend who was the HR Director at my former firm. I met him and he was so full of energy and excite-

great equalizer if you approach it authentically and organically. A large percentage of his current business is new developments, but when he began he set up a lot of appointments, and some developers laughed at him and told him to leave his office. Not one to be easily discouraged, he found inner strength until he found some young new developers

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that gave him a chance and he sold out their building. So started a relationship that has lasted over a decade to date.

The lessons he learned when he built his team were lessons we can all learn from. He realized that as he was getting busier, he hired agents to help on certain projects on an ad hoc basis but he realized that what was missing was his consistent DNA and culture. “I realized I needed my innate feelings to be able to thrive and serve my clients. I needed to build that infrastructure to impact the business I was building” Ricardo built his team on three principles: * Integrity * Professionalism * Results He says this serves him well because those are the pillars of his business and he is responsible to his colleagues, clients and community (the 3 “c’s”).

If you have an active community it builds trust. That is why he is truly happy when a competitor does a large sale because that means he can as well. “You’re only as good as your last transaction”, he reminds. His final piece of advice is “Look to both sides for inspiration, not comparison”.

The moment you believe your own press, you’re out of the business. A true visionary, great businessman, friend, and philanthropist.

Ricardo Rodriguez is an inspiration to us all.

Boston

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Charlie Oppler

Your Reputation is Based on Trust

The NAR President-Elect 78 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

Charlie shared a story on the podcast of being at an industry conference away from his family, but has never missed any of his son’s ball games, he had made a commitment to be there. In the middle of a snowstorm, he was lucky enough to get the last flight out before all travel was canceled, and when he landed in New Jersey, he went straight to his son’s game and walked in at 6:55 for a 7 pm game.

He beams with joy to recount the fact that it was one of his son’s best games that led them to the state championships. The next morning, he woke up at the crack of dawn to take the next flight back to the conference and the majority of the attendees had no idea he was even gone.

That to me personifies, Charlie Oppler. He is a man I have known for many years and is truly one of the men I admire most in our industry. He truly cares which is a rarity. Charlie runs one of the most successful franchises for Sotheby’s with Prominent Properties in New Jersey with over $2 billion in sales and over 600 agents. When I asked him about how he built the culture at his firm, he said “one agent at a time”.

Liberty State Park

As a man of his word, he says “your reputation is built on trust”. He protects vehemently because he also knows that it can be lost in a split second. We spoke about the current pandemic and how he saw the business. He preferred to speak about the heart of a broker. He told a story that he told all his agents to make sure they and their families were fine and then go and check on one more person.

One realtor took his advice and left a note for a neighbor she had never spoken to and asked if she needed groceries. This woman was elderly and had no way to get to the store, and this agent became her lifeline -- quite literally.

Charlie is the incoming NAR President, and I can certainly say that the 1.4 million agents he will be leading next year (myself included) are in the wonderful hands. Charlie is a true innovator, inspirational leader, and humble philanthropist. I am honored to know him and call him a friend.

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Meghan Kelley I have known Meghan Kelley for over a decade, and when she joined my team, I knew I had someone I could trust that could supercharge the growth trajectory we had at eXp in expanding our global presence.

The team affectionately calls her “Superwoman” because she seemingly does many things simultaneously, and they are accomplished with ease. Of course, there are no shortcuts, and she works tirelessly to make it look effortless. Her father was a professional football player, and she credits him for teaching her discipline and structure. “You don’t get to the NFL without both.”, she says of her dad.

Meghan has proven to be an effective ally when agents have wanted to explore expanding their business internationally. She gives three pieces of advice that can be expanded for anyone that has this goal in mind: 1) Be humble: Remember you need to understand someone’s culture to work successfully in it.

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Senior Director of Global Operations at eXp Realty

3) Be strategic: the world is very big. Make sure you pick a country you like and makes sense for you so that it will increase your odds of succeeding.

When I asked her about her greatest lesson thus far in her career, I was appreciative of her introspective answer. “I decided to choose myself”, she says. Not in a self-centered way, but the exact polar opposite. She accepted her strengths in helping others reach their goals and dreams; accepted her talent to make informed business decisions that can help drive a publicly-traded company to larger earnings; she accepted her power to make a difference.

Meghan has been a wonderful leader, and partner in our expansion plans, and I am very thankful to have her leading this global team to greatness. It was an honor to sit down with her and have a discussion.

Be Humble; Be Inquisitive; Be Strategic

Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 81

When Amir told me he was a fan of the “Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind”, I was simply floored. Here was a man who is the publisher of our real estate industry “bible”.

The Real Deal is so incredibly benevolent and humble towards me.

His family escaped Iran and emigrated to Europe, and the spirit of being displaced is what gave him this great drive. Amir is the greatest believer in himself, and it has always served him well. His early days into publishing happened when he lived in Baja and noticed there was no publication for the large number of expats living in that Southern part of Mexico, so he started, “South of the Border”. Later he moved to DC and started “The Washington Free Press” which challenged conservative views in this town.

He came to New York in 1999 and started working for Yahoo and finding a niche in real estate. He began purchasing properties in Brooklyn but marketing them in Manhattan to a clientele willing to pay a healthy premium.

He learned the importance of real estate and selling to the right audience.

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He started The Real Deal shortly thereafter as a response to having all the deals in commercial, residential, and retail come together in one source of news. It became a brilliant decision as a consolidator of information.

During the last two decades, Amir has been able to have versions of the publication in Las Vegas and Los Angeles as well.

Amir met Costas Kondylis, the famed architect that has done more than 80 buildings along the New York skyline, and he decided to produce a documentary on him which was later sold to PBS. When I asked him what the greatest lesson he ever learned in his career was, he answered without hesitation: “Believe in yourself”. Indeed!

He is also an adjunct professor in real estate and media and always invites guests to speak to his students to take away real-life experience.

He says this current chapter in his book of life is called “Reinvention”.

The Vakil Mosque

Amir Korangy

Reinvention is a must

Founder, Chairman, and Publisher at The Real Deal.

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There are few people in our industry that have the luxury experience that Anthony Hitt has. He has been the CEO of Engel & Volkers Americas for the last decade and before that spent almost another decade with Sotheby’s International Realty in California in both an agent and manager capacity. However, what truly inspires me about Anthony is his commitment to mentorship. He was one of the top real estate coaches for almost a decade and even founded the “American Institute of Mentorship” - which was dedicated to the growth trajectory of others.

I strive to help as many people as I can, which was one of the catalysts for me to start this podcast, but to have someone so fully dedicated to a cause such as that is humbling.

When someone likes Anthony starts to share secrets and tips, it is a gift.

A theme that has resonated throughout several interviews and continued with this one was the idea of being a specialist. Do not be a generalist. No one pays a premium for generalists. Think about when you go to the doctor, and you go to someone who is a general practitioner. He may be able to diagnose

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your problem but then needs to send you to a specialist because his level of expertise is limited. In our terms, it may be a specialist in a farm area; a specialist in buyers seeking tax-advantaged properties; a specialist in commercial properties, etc.

The other great lesson was service. Anthony actually tells the story of how he got into the industry. He was living in Santa Monica, California, and was working with one of the “top” agents at the top, and he thought the level of service was sub-par. He thought that if this person was the best, then people haven’t really experienced “great service”. Anthony got his license and quickly became one of the top agents on the west coast.

The last lesson is about lessons learned.

His quote has now become one of my favorites: “Fail spectacularly, fail fast & fail often”.

Statue of Liberty

Anthony Hitt

Fail spectacularly, fail fast and fail often

Chief Executive Officer at Americas for Engel & Volkers Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 85

Elizabeth Stribling-Kivlan

Work Hard & Be Honest

Senior Managing Director at Compass

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I first met Elizabeth Stribling-Kivlan through another good friend and former podcast guest, Stan Ponte. I immediately connected to her fantastic energy and legendary status in the industry. Her mother had started Stribling Realty and made it one of the most boutique firms in New York City that rivaled large franchises for market share.

In fact, I shared the story in the podcast of the first meeting with Elizabeth’s mom. We were all at a charity event, and I had seen this elegantly dressed woman, and I just needed to go up and compliment her. As it turned out, it was Elizabeth’s mother, Libby, who ended up sitting next to me at our table, and a friendship had forged.

Elizabeth fought the inevitable of her real estate legacy and has a degree in comparative religions and went to culinary school, only to come back to her calling. She recalls that during the crisis, her mother gave her two pieces of advice:

Brooklyn Bridge

1) You can buy a 20-pound bag of rice for $5 2) She would make introductions for people in real estate, but she had to prove herself.

Elizabeth opted for the latter, and within an hour of working with the Pacific Union, she knew that everything she always fought was her actual calling. She thought success meant you needed to do something different than your family instead of looking inward.

Elizabeth is a true mentor to many with the motto of “work hard and be honest.”. Always there to lend a helping hand, she reminds us that it’s always important to ask for help.

Stribling-Kivlan’s legacy was that she wants to be remembered as being a good person.

Elizabeth, you have achieved that in spades!

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Ellie Johnson

I have known Ellie Johnson, President of Berkshire Hathaway Homes Services New York, for over 15 years. She is a highly respected and accomplished professional in our industry, but much more than that. Her success has come from her uncanny ability to read people and her infinite knowledge of the industry.

Ellie started her career in WalnutCreek, CA, on a part-time basis to get out of the house while her young children were at school. She quickly realized she had a great talent for this and during her first year in the business was named “Rookie of the Year” for Coldwell Banker. When her husband’s job moved them back to New York, she decided to open her brokerage firm in the Crown Building on 57th and 5th Ave and quickly grew her clientele.

She always knew that you can differentiate yourself through service. Soon, the big firms took notice, and Sotheby’s recruited her to run the New York office. Her success was meteoric, and that office became the number 1 office in the world under her leadership.

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President of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services New York

“We become successful when we do something we believe in.”, she states. That was proven time and again by her motivation and inspiration of others, which she says can only be done through action. “When it comes to authenticity, treat everyone as an individual.” Ellie stresses, “Allow people to be unique and celebrate that uniqueness. Only then can you bring unique individuals to be a successful team”. Johnson says that the only way you can bring out the best in people is to invest in them. To know them both professionally and personally because the individual is made up of many parts.

Ellie was very candid in telling the story of the loss of her eldest daughter and how after her passing, she had to create a “new normal” and when she hears the phrase now about the pandemic, she feels as though she already had the lessons to be able to see on the other side of this and know that we will all be fine.

She cautions that sometimes we are more critical of ourselves than others and what we see as failures are simply mistakes which we have the gift of learning from and correcting every minute of the day.

Her closing thoughts was that she wanted her legacy to be: “That I was a kind person and made a difference in someone’s life for the better.”

Ellie Johnson, as a dear friend in your life, I can say I think you have already achieved your legacy.

Inspiration & Motivation are achieved through Action Flatiron Building Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 89

James Brune started his career in the oil & gas industry following in his father’s footsteps, who was a litigator in that industry. However, real estate was always in his blood, and he even purchased his first home at the age of 21. He recalls visiting his parent’s rental properties as a young child on weekends to fix odds and ends and get the property ready for the next tenant.

When he decided to pursue real estate full time, his outlook is what helped him achieve his success at such an early age even achieving “Rookie of the Year” in his first year in the business. The mantra was “if you speak to the rationale and speak to the heart, that’s a recipe for success.”.

He started “Board Packager” as a response to his own needs. He had endless clients who were purchasing co-ops and condos in New York City, and the edifice boards all required information that could easily number in the hundreds of pages. “Each member needed a package, and you ever knew when and if they were looking at your application”, he says.

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“I knew there had to be a better way, but I couldn’t find anything so I created it”. What he created was an automated process that was so needed in the industry. He quickly found traction and is now representing 3,000 buildings which represent 250,000 units in multiple states.

He continues to serve his client’s needs as well, and when I asked him the advice he would offer someone entering the industry today, he said: 1) Own it 2) Know your capability 3) Hit it daily His advice of focus is key. “If you get lost about what’s wrong, you get lost”.

There is so much more from this talented individual to come. When I asked him what this current chapter in his book of life is called, he said “The Beginning”.

James Brune Honest without Fear

CEO at BoardPackager

The Vessel

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Jeff Whiteside is one of the main reasons why I joined eXp. His sense of humor is second to none, his role as Chief Financial officer is one he does flawlessly with his background with such impressive companies like GE, but his other role as chief Collaboration Officer is really the glue behind eXp corporate. He becomes the person you go to with challenges, and he gives you the advice a great coach would on how to think about the situation at hand.

As a father of 4 and as a true Canadian who grew up playing hockey and later coaching his kids, he uses those hockey analogies within our meetings. We expect them now in every presentation, but they truly make you think, and that is exactly what they are intended to do.

agents have done a weekly podcast with that title where they share insights from top leaders for their audience. We never stopped our business because we were virtual. In fact, the last quarter was the best quarter of the company’s decade long existence -- in the middle of COVID. It is an extraordinary feat.

Jeff was very good at guiding others, as I mentioned above and one of his best sayings is that you only make good decisions, by making bad ones and learning from them.

Jeff is an insightful leader and a good friend. I invite you to listen to Jeff’s episode.

We spoke about the eXp platform during the pandemic. That’s when the brand coined the term “we were built for this” and that has been a battle cry for us ever since. Four top

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Grand Central Terminal

Jeff Whiteside

How do you make good decisions?

By making bad ones.

CFO/Chief Collaboration Officer at eXp World Holdings

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Julie Leonhardt LaTo Don’t let anyone ever tell you, you can’t do something When I first met Julie, she walked into my office as the new COO of Sotheby’s International Realty. Within just a few minutes, we were laughing as though we were old friends, and I invited her to my birthday party which was happening in Las Vegas the following week as a sit-down dinner for 30 people. She has an uncanny gift of making people feel like family.

Thus began a deep friendship which has only strengthened over time. Our first trip together was to Bermuda to visit our affiliate there, and the synergy we shared was evident. In London, we visited some affiliates and had some serious conversations with some of them, and her benevolent leadership shone through.

As an educator, she focused on girls who were at risk at a halfway home and helped guide them back to take the right path in life.

As an attorney, she worked for non-profits and made sure the underdog was wellserved. In real estate, she was a champion for

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the agents to help them increase their bottom line.

Her career trajectory is unlike anyone else I know. She is now on her fourth career as the founder of Vuse, a real estate technology company. Throughout all these stops in her journey, the lessons and sacrifices have been vast, but one evident thing is her singular focus towards a goal.

Julie’s other passion is to make sure that the strides she has made pave the way for other women to succeed in business. She has started several women’s groups and continues to mentor people to make sure the path for success for others is just a little bit easier as time goes by.

It was a fun conversation with a dear friend.

There was a great deal of information within the 45 minutes of the conversation. I invite you to reach out to Julie directly through her website at www.vuseapp.com

Manhattan Bridge from Dumbo

orre

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Vuse App

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Kevin Thompson Don’t let your Ego get in your way

Kevin Thompson and I worked together at Sotheby’s International Realty and when he joined to form an impressive fashion background, he truly elevated an established brand in a way that opened it up to another younger generation. I was so impressed with his skill set and how he could see a challenge and create a new opportunity. Our conversation in this podcast touched on many of those same elements and how an agent can focus on branding in the same fashion for a global clientele.

I’ve had a few marketing professionals on this podcast, and it’s always fun for me when I get to talk to them because of the perspective that comes from their lens allows us as real estate professionals to see our profession from a different light. However, it’s always nice to see that similarities and core elements of business remain the same.

Kevin gave his three top pieces of advice as follows:

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CMO of the Princess Grace Foundation and the former CMO of Sotheby’s International Realty

About 15 years ago, Richard Perez-Feria and his partner were moving back to Miami, but their home wasn’t quite ready yet. I was living on Palm Island at the time. They moved into my house for a month while they were getting settled. One night, I decided to throw a dinner party in their honor, and Richard asked if he could invite “a few people”. Of course, I said yes, and to my surprise, three of the top superstars in the Latin entertainment world that sell out arenas were at my front door.

They were incredibly gracious, but it spoke volumes about Richard. These artists usually travel with security, and they showed up at a stranger’s home because of this particular individual. Once you know RPF, he’s your family. We have been friends for over two decades.

When you look at his resume, it’s almost unbelievable. He was Editor in Chief of People en Espanol when we first met, which was at the time arguably the most important Hispanic publication. He went on to have EIC roles at OUT and Vegas magazines just to highlight a couple. He also recently served as Editor in Chief of Elliman Magazine, which he elevated into an award-winning publication. He brought glamour to the real estate publishing world.

“Understand what your audience cares about.”, he advises. “Listen carefully to them as they can be extremely loyal. When we transfer that sage advice to the real estate world, it’s something every real estate professional needs to remember.

Central Park

In helping guide superstar agents such as Frederick Eklund and Luis Ortiz, he always reminded them of remembering their “Why”.

It’s a question that should be asked whether you are at the top of your career or just starting out.

His three pieces of advice were not the usual response but very important words: 1) Don’t lie.

2) Never ask someone where they’re from, ask them where they’re going.

3) Stick to your guns.

The effort you put into your career will be the direct result you achieve. “Full time focus = full time results; part-time focus = part-time results”.

Richard has learned many lessons, and he shared a lot of advice in our conversation, but one of my favorites was his saying: “Live your life with your hand up, and your head held high.”, he continues “I’d rather be spectacularly wrong than mostly right.”.

I couldn’t have said it better, my dear friend.

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Lee Summers Be Nice to Everyone, They May be the Next CEO

Global Real Estate Advisor, Associate Broker & Founder of The Summers Global Team at Compass

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Empire State Building

It was a balmy summer evening in Miami almost 15 years ago when I first met Lee Summers. She was one of the top global brokers in NewYork within the Sotheby’s network and I was gaining a reputation in Miami for closing top sales for many foreign clients.

Lee had a vision of creating a group of top agents throughout the brand to travel together as a collective force and offer a variety of inventory to the same clientele we were already pitching separately on a global scale.

She tells me her vision as we are sipping martinis on the patio of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Brickell Key. “I wasn’t sure I wanted you as part of the group.”, she tells me, “I thought you were just a party boy in Miami, but you’re a serious agent with a significant book of business.”. So started our friendship

and not only her discovery of me being a very disciplined person after 10 years at Deutsche Bank, but I found in Lee a kindred spirit who was a “global citizen”.

Lee is a true visionary because, after New York and Miami, she added DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other key cities. We did travel together as a group to Hong Kong, Moscow, London, and other exotic locations.

We met with many clients, their intermediaries, and sold a significant amount of real estate. She is now reinventing the model and has created the “Summers Global Team” at Compass where she has global alliances with brokers around the globe.

This podcast circled around truly building a global business with friends.

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Richard Pérez-Feria

Create A Third Rail

Award-winning Editor in Chief

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1) Do your homework: Understand the consumer behaviors of the audience, you are trying to speak to.

2) Understand their challenges and make an informed decision as to how you want to reach them.

3) Don’t let ego get in the way.

These elements can be used in any part of our business, and the last one truly is one we must embrace. How many times have you heard me say we must approach our business with humility and service? It is the core of what we must do in our industry to better service our clients and each other so that we can continue to elevate our profession and society as a whole.

Kevin is now the CMO of the Princess Grace Foundation, and just as she changed the world by becoming a royal with such elegance in the small country of Monaco, I am anxious to see how Kevin will take that responsibility and help her legacy live on and be discovered by other generations.

Thank you for the conversation, Kevin, and for the great work you are doing in the world as well.

Don’t let your Ego get in your way The Guggenheim Museum Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 101

Peter Goldmark Life Is a Trip Around the Bases Peter’s father was a Hungarian born inventor and engineer who is credited for such history making accomplishments such as inventing the LP and instrumental in the technology behind color television and radar technology.

Peter, Jr. certainly had huge shoes to fill but he did not fail in that task.

At age 30, he was appointed Secretary of Human Services for the State of Massachusetts which oversaw the prisons in the state and this was a year after the Attica prison riots in New York. He learned to bring all parties together and master the art of compromise and resolution. There was a great deal of trust that needed to occur in a very short period of time. These are lessons that although Peter lived to the extreme can be implemented in our daily lives and business goals.

Independent Climate and Social Change Advisor I was introduced to Peter Goldmark by my podcast producer who is a mentee of mine.

He said Peter was also a mentor of his and that we should meet. He went so far as suggesting him as a guest on the podcast. When I reviewed this man’s accomplishments, I was incredibly eager to sit down with this varied individual to start and unravel the amazing story that was his life.

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He later moved to become CEO of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey which at the time of his tenure he says was full of corruption. He needed to self-govern, find the culprits, introduce the mandate that it would not be tolerated and restore trust in the public. Again, the theme of trust resonates and being responsible for the shortcomings in an organization.

As the President of the Rockefeller Foundation, he wanted to stretch the mandate of what the organization was doing and start to

bring in other voices and make the dialogue more diverse. This son of immigrants understood the importance of a global voice to make radical change.

When I asked him what the greatest lesson he learned in his career, he said “to take the time and understand the problem”. That simplistic message resonated when you dissect the gravity of situations that he was at the helm of.

His greatest love now is to help the planet. He wants to take the culmination of all the lessons he learned on a global scale with his 8 decades on this planet and help organizations and businesses understand the responsibility for our planet and climate. He is passionate about this work and knows this will be his lasting legacy.

We spoke about a book he was reading, “Lincoln on the Verge” and the idea of the struggles Lincoln inherited during the Civil War when he became President and how he had to unite a country and preserve. In fact Lincol lost most of the elections he ran, but his perseverance and faith allowed him to become one of the greatest Presidents in our history.

Peter’s closing advice to the listeners was “Build a plan and never give up” .

It was truly an honor to spend time with this spirited, wise and learned individual.

Atlas at Rockefeller Plaza

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Randall Miles One of my greatest lessons was learning to listen. knowledge as he possessed, yet he was also one of the most humble men I have ever met.

That is a difficult balancing act to accomplish.

His sense of humor is also something that I have come to admire as well because it’s done on a very intellectual level.

As a Board Member and Vice-Chairman of the eXp Board, he is one of the most involved board members I have ever met. Coming from a background of spending a quarter of a century at two very large corporate entities, I would be hard-pressed to name any board member, let alone be able to get them on the phone. It speaks volumes not just to the person involved but also to a greater organization.

Board Member at eXp Realty When I had finished negotiating my contract with eXp Realty, literally within 3 minutes, I received a text from Randall Miles that said, “Congratulations. Don’t f**K it up!”. That summed up the various sides of this very complex man. When I was doing my due diligence, he and I had numerous phone calls and one face to face meeting and, I have never met someone with as much business

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Throughout the podcast, we speak about his views of the industry post-COVID in residential, commercial, and retail markets and how technology will continue to play a role in our industry as well as many others. However, the points of the interview, which were most of interest to me were his introspective nature. “We can’t be good at what we do unless we know the consequence of our words for the other party.” he counsels. “We must be willing to listen and learn.”

Randall shares a wonderful story of being a young VP in his investment bank and having to pick up his boss for a large meeting with 100 bank CEOs. As he arrived at his boss’s

home, he was too ill to travel, handed him the presentation, and told him he had to deliver it.

As he was on the plane, he realized that he had prepared the majority of the presentation and knew the material better than most of his audience, so he decided to embrace the situation and “own” it. Needless to say, it went flawlessly and was his fast-track to managing director and onward. That was the catalyst for his 3 lessons to everyone: 1) Understand the opportunity when it arrives... and cease it!

2) Own it! -- find solutions rather than complain about the problem.

3) Pay it forward.

He has been a big proponent of the last one as well. He and his family are very philanthropic and very discreet about it, but I feel it’s important to celebrate the good someone does for others as well. Randall was the former Chairman of the Board of the “Make A Wish” Foundation and we all know the good work they do around the world They are also very heavily involved with Alzheimer’s Research because his mother in law passed away from it and I shared the same interest as my mother succumbed to the same illness.

Lastly, his question of legacy was simple: “I want to know that my contributions made a difference.”, he explains, “That I did the right thing, the right way for the right reason.”

From my humble view, this man has already achieved this. It was truly an honor to spend time with Randall on this podcast and get to know him better.

Wall Street

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Rodolfo Delgado Reach Out Shamelessly ferent path at first: studying architecture for his love of the edifices, and things being built from scratch. But it wasn’t long before the brokerage side called him back.

Rodolfo moved to New York to attend NYU and continue his studies, where he ultimately received a Masters’s in technology. Simultaneously, Rodolfo joined an elite real estate team, where he was handling the majority of their technology needs. He also focused on rentals for those coming into Manhattan, which was a high-demand part of the duties. Where most people would not want to get involved with rentals, he understood that this group ultimately became your buyers. He also saw how disappointed people became when they would see the professionally shot photographs, but when you went to see it in person, the property was not quite what was being represented.

Chief Executive Officer at Replay Listings I see a lot of myself in Rodolfo Delgado. His ambition and drive are reminiscent of what I remember me doing at his age. He comes from a real estate family in Monterrey, Mexico, and it was in his blood. His grandfather was a real estate broker, and he started unlocking doors and showing properties as a young teenager. He followed a slightly dif-

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Replay Listings became a reality based on that challenge. Rodolfo and his business partner decided to join forces and create a platform where realtors can upload a raw video from their phones to show what the “true” condition of the property is. It helps consumers weed out what was not for them and increases business and the overall customer experience.

When I asked him his three pieces of advice

for someone entering the business today, his humility rings true: 1) Reach out shamelessly -- learn from those that have done this before you.

2) Don’t do it alone -- You just can’t.

3) Be proactive, not reactive -- make sure you do enough of your homework so that you stay ahead of the curve.

He says that “culture starts at the top” and this nominee of Forbes “30 under 30” is focused on the future growth of his company.

He is someone to keep an eye on.

Thanks, Rodolfo, for the conversation.

The Metropolitan Museum

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Ryan Serhant In just a little over a decade, Ryan Serhant has become a household name and a global brand in our industry. He is one of the most charming and affable people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. His candor and humor were so refreshing to experience from someone who has reached his level of success.

He moved eight times by the time he reached fourth grade, so he was always making “new friends’’. He found great refuge in the theatre department and quickly found out he had a talent for acting. He tried his luck and moved to New York to pursue a career in 2006. Ryan says he would rather regret the things he did rather than the things he never tried. His choices proved successful, and he landed the role of Dr. Evan Walsh IV in the soap opera “As The World Turns”. When his character was killed off and he became an unemployed actor, he got his real estate license to do rentals in between acting and modeling jobs.

His first day in the industry was the day Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. He learned early on that he wouldn’t go after the big whales, but rather would focus on what was closeable. He did the work no one else wanted to do and started to build a steady stream of income. The work ethic he demonstrated came from his father who taught him at an early age that work produced results.

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Founder & CEO at SERHANT, Million Dollar Listing New York Star & Author

He still recalls his father forcing him to write a 10-page essay at 10 years of age on the importance of not being lazy. “I became addicted to working”, he admits. Soon his rental clients became buyers, and he built a book of business.

Ryan can name each deal that he has ever been involved with, because he says every deal in New York City is so traumatizing it feels like “you are being beaten by bamboo whips”. However, the more inventory you have, the more of the market you control.

“I like to set the goalposts far away”, he says: “but we also have to be our own tiger moms because no one else cares.”. Success Begets Success.

Be Humble.

to be when the show comes out”. It was such a powerful piece of advice when he realized he needed to do business now that would be representative of his future self which would in essence create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Twelve years to the date of him entering the business, he opened his own real estate brokerage company, Serhant. Many people would look at his timing of creating a global brand in a city like New York where most people have left due to the pandemic, but he knew there was no better time. His vision will prove to be correct.

He quotes the film, Whiplash as one of his favorite movies when he says, “sometimes you have to beat the greatness you have inside of you for it to come out”.

Ryan is not OK with just being OK.

Be Kind.

Be A champion of your own success.

Richard Rubinstein of Rubenstein PR offered him the best piece of advice when he first got Million Dollar Listing in New York. He told him “Go big, go hard and film the person you want

This man is a true global visionary, and it was an honor to sit down with him for this discussion.

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Jason Riveiro Go Beyond your Job Description

Senior Director of Global Growth Markets & Inclusion at Realogy Holdings Corp

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John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge

Jason Riviero is someone I have known for many years. I jokingly say he is the little brother I never wanted, but in all seriousness, he is a person that I greatly admire for the focus and individuality he brings to our industry.

He comes from a diverse marketing background, and he found an amazing niche in the multicultural world. He focused on the value of understanding how that segment of the population is utterly important on a global scale for our industry. As Chief Marketing Officer for NAHREP, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals he forged alliances to make this organization stand out in mainstream avenues emphasizing the importance of the Hispanic buying community in the real estate sector.

vious to others. LinkedIn became one of the tools that he mastered for agent recruitment as well as promoting and communicating messages.

He is one of those rare individuals that understands marketing and business growth to equal aptitude. I appreciated the time and the conversation and hope you all enjoy the lessons shared.

We worked together at Realogy, and during that time, his ingenuity was at hand time and again. As he said in the podcast, he always tried to go beyond his job description. That meant finding solutions that weren’t as ob-

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Dave Conord is my counterpart as President of eXp US. He is someone I have the great pleasure of working with on a daily basis. We both motivate each other to help the company reach even greater heights. He is truly one of the best mentors I know of for agents, and he was very gracious with his advice during our conversation.

sons. Dave shares my strong belief that to get what you want in life, you have to help others get what they want. Be the “Go-Giver.”.

Dave’s candor was incredibly appreciated, and he shared a very personal story of his year-long road to recovery after a severe boating accident. His five key lessons were:

1) Serve others (don’t have commission breath” -- if you are doing the transaction because of the commission you are going to receive, it’s going to be evident, and you will come across as insincere.

1) Allow others to help. “We cannot go where we want to go by ourselves.”

2) “ I learned what I was made of” -- He recounted the story of the carrot, egg, and coffee bean in boiling water. The carrot in boiling water starts hard but turns soft; the egg begins soft and ends up hard. However, the coffee bean changes the water, and both become better.

3) Truly appreciated what’s little vs. what is big. Your Perspective changes.

4) “It improved me as a human being.”

5) “I learned to take chances.”

Now, you don’t have to have a near-death experience to be able to learn from these les-

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When I asked him what advice he would give someone entering the business today, his five answers were evidence of how much he truly cares about agents:

2) As he said from his boating accident, his second piece of advice is “ask for help.”

3) Leverage systems. If you find yourself doing something more than once, find an automated system to do it moving forward. You don’t want to do it for the first time every time.

4) Treat it like a business. As an independent contractor, you are the CEO of your own business. Act that way.

5) Know your end game. What is your exit strategy?

Dave is a true inspiration in our industry, and it was an honor to have this conversation with him.

Philadelphia City Hall

Dave Conord

Put Your Oars Back in the water

CEO & Creative Director of Realtair Academy

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Chris Heller The Secret to getting what you want is having the willingness to do whatever it takes Chris Heller is truly a legendary person in our industry. He was the former CO of Keller Williams International and the current Chief Real Estate officer for Ojo Labs.

He tells of his beginnings with his father selling timeshares in Lake Tahoe and how that quickly escalated to him branching out on his own in residential real estate with a brief stint in the commercial side of the business. He credits his early success to hard work and follow-through. He was the first one in the office and the last one to leave to soak up all the knowledge he could. Chris says he was “persistent and consistent”.

Those traits allowed him to catapult to the “rookie of the year” when he first joined KW and then became the #1 agent in North America. He always followed these simple rules when creating his business: 1) Master a certain area -- become the expert.

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2) Have a Goal.

3) Have a plan to achieve that goal.

4) Believe you can -- mindset is 90% of success.

He certainly followed that rule because his team has sold over 100 homes a year consistently for the last 3 decades. I think that is a statistic that will be hard to beat anytime soon.

Chris moved to the corporate side and eventually became CEO of Keller Williams Worldwide growing that brand impressively around the globe. When asked what is the greatest lesson he ever learned was, he responded “the secret to getting whatever you want is the willingness to do whatever it takes.”.

Chris is a true inspiration, and it was a pleasure to have our chat.

Pennybacker Bridge

Chief Real Estate Officer at OJO Labs

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Cliff Freeman

I knew of Cliff Freeman the moment I came to eXp as he was one of the top agents across the organization of almost 40,000 agents.

When I spoke to him, he was one of the most humble men I had ever met. His focus was always on how he can help others, which as I always say is the secret to success. When you focus on serving others is when your financial freedom and success reach the elite levels you are looking for. Cliff had graciously invited me to be a guest on his podcast, “Cliff’s Notes” when I first joined, and a very nice friendship was forged.

Last week, eXp had three simultaneous events where we celebrated 50 of our top agents in each part of the country. I was asked to attend the event in Dallas, and I had an incredible gift of spending much more quality time with Cliff and learning of his journey, and he is truly an inspiration for so many. He was humble enough to share those stories on this episode of the podcast, and I encourage you

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Leader of The Cliff Freeman Group, Brokered by eXp Realty

to take things away that are powerful life lessons.

He tells the story of how less than 10 years ago he had to start over. He had nothing, but he realized that “broke is a temporary space, but poverty is a mindset”, he cautions. “I was never in poverty, I was just broke.” Just think about how powerful that lesson is. How many of us have had a temporary dip in our bank account and resign ourselves to a new reality? Cliff is one of the most successful realtors in the country now with all the financial rewards that bring.

However, his main focus is on how can he empower others to grow and be better?

A profound statement he shared is that we have denied our children the right to fail. In failure is when the best life lessons occur for someone. A skillset of survival and thriving. We want to protect our children, but we must empower them first.

I will leave you with the best quote Cliff shared with me: “If it’s raining, quit worrying about the storm and learn to dance in the rain.”

Thank you, Cliff, for your wisdom and guidance.

You are a powerhouse.

I was literally born into the business

Fort Worth Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind | 117

Elizabeth Riley

Elizabeth Riley came from an international marketing focus with a minor in Russian. That background gave her an amazing advantage when she focused her attention on real estate full-time.

She says, “your vibe attracts your tribe.”, and that sensibility could not be more true for anyone. She is so focused on serving others and helping them grow, and in turn, her success has also grown exponentially. I had a personal story of a friend of mine, that lived in Austin and was new to the business. I reached out to Elizabeth to see if she would just reach out to him to give him some tips since they lived in the same city. She went the extra mile, took him to lunch, included him on mentorship calls, and has even referred him business.

She is a humble servant leader, and that is how she has built such an amazing career.

Her three pieces of advice for someone epit-

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CEO of the Luxe Property Group powered by eXp Realty

omizes who she is: 1) Figure out who you are and own it 2) Find people that do business the way you want to do business 3) Don’t spend money until you are making money Elizabeth also warns that “not all business is good business.”. Decide early on what type of people you want to work with, and they will be attracted to you. She also advises that “consistency is key” and do not compare yourself with others. You just need to do better than yesterday. “Comparison kills joy”.

Finally, her passion for helping others through eXp resonates throughout the entire conversation, and she reminds everyone “from the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it”.

This is one lady who is truly a genuine soul.

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Gene Frederick Don’t Let Anyone Define Your Vision

Board of Directors, Team Leader and Ambassador at eXp Realty

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Downtown view over the water from Lou Neff point of Lady Bird Hike and Bike Trail.

Gene Frederick... the man, the myth, the legend.

He has built a team of over 11,000 people.

Think about that for a moment. 11,000 people!!! What makes so many people attracted to what he has to say. He is the real deal and cares about the success of others. That’s his secret.

As a board member of eXp World Holdings, I met Gene before I joined the firm, and he was so genuine and welcoming from our first encounter that he has grown to be a good friend. He is an inspiration to others based on his work and life lessons. One of his greatest lessons to share was “Don’t let anyone define your vision.”. If you are around friends that do not support your dream, find a new group of friends.

should be doing in business and vice versa.

His four pieces of advice for anyone entering the business were: 1) Commit to lead generation. There are 101 ways to generate leads. Go find yours.

2) Build a business strategy that provides you other streams of income.

3) Put the health of yourself and your family above work.

4) Go have fun!

Gene is truly one of the legends in our industry, and he is very forthcoming with all his advice. He is one of the special people on this planet. I’m privileged to call him a friend.

One of the other things he shared was that in his opinion, there are no such things as “business ethics’’. There are just “ethics’ ‘.

Whatever you would do in real life is what you

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Julie Nelson

Julie Nelson has just released her second book this week, and she is truly someone who is so giving with her advice and counsel. She is a mentor in every sense of the word, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to chat with her about her career trajectory and lessons learned.

you treat your business with less respect than you would someone else’s?

“Remember, you are starting over every day.”, she reminds us “Know Your Value!”.

When I asked her what was the greatest lesson she has ever learned, she responded “to be unapologetic about who I am and what I bring to the table.”. How powerful is that???

Forget real estate, that’s a life lesson!

You know what you have to do. Break it down and do something every day, which will propel you forward.

Throughout her career, she teaches that “it’s ok to hit reset.”. You have to have a business plan for your career goals, but they will occur in stages. She teaches that someone should be a great sales manager for themselves, then a COO, CFO, and finally a great CEO of your own business. One of her valuable thoughts that I took away with me was her advice to “Be a Better Boss to Yourself.”. Why would

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Her other piece of advice I thought was powerful was, “uncomplicate your business.”.

I encourage you to get her book, “Success, Faster, On Fire, Hot!” on Amazon today. You can also order on www.onfirehot.com Thank you, Julie, for your leadership and our conversation.

The Texas State Capitol

Author, Mentor and Real Estate Coach

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Kirtus Dixon In order to bring the fire, you have to respect the flame ceived an academic scholarship and entered the Minority Engineering Program at the University of Oklahoma, wherein his freshman year, he met the love of his life, Megan, who he eventually married and had children.

He was a great entrepreneur having four different companies operating simultaneously, and as he and I always say, “You can’t bring the fire unless you respect the flame.”. He quotes from the book, “The Lean Startup” by Eric Reis that teaches the three stages of a startup being: build, measure, and learn. His analytical engineering mind could accept this trajectory and it worked well for him.

When I asked this wonderful coach what three pieces of advice he would give a new agent coming into the business today, he said: 1) Plan for three years of investment. He even went so far as to identify these three years:

Co-Founder and CEO of NAHREP Kirtus Dixon Has a booming voice and has an electric energy that can light up a room.

When he tells you that you will succeed, you simply believe him. Kirtus had humble beginnings growing up in a trailer park in Laredo, Texas, but he said he was never hungry for yearning. He knew he would succeed. He re124 | Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind

Year 1: Grind Year -- this is when you will be doing the building of your business Year 2: Growth Year -- this is when people are starting to know you, and you are securing business for yourself Year 3: Explosion Year -- this is when your reputation is built and you have a steady string of clients, and your business is secure.

Tower of the Americas

He goes back to the reference of “Build/ Measure/Learn” as an analogy to this. The majority of all new agents will fail in the first two years. If you can hang on to Year 3, your chances are exponentially increased.

1) Fear

2) Fill up your activity tracker -- this is crucial to know where you are spending your time and how you can maximize what it is you are doing. You need to focus your time on things that will generate income for your business.

4) Love

3) Learn to Earn, Earn to Learn -- In the beginning, you have to learn all you can. Soaking up the knowledge will make you a valuable resource to your future clients. Once you are there, you must transition to giving back and sharing that wealth with others.

Kirtus shared that he was inspired by progress -- in himself and others. The other side of that is impacted. When I inquired about what motivates him, he referenced another book, “Think Like A Monk” which talks about the fact that every human being is motivated by four things:

2) Desire 3) Duty

While he doesn’t question how anyone gets motivated, he said the latter two are his.

Kirtus and his wife are wonderfully philanthropic. Their two beautiful daughters came to them through the “Foster to Adopt” program in Texas that was part of CPS. He says he had the vision to impact 1,000 lives, and after coming to eXp, his new goal is to impact 10,000 lives. He isn’t sure how he’s going to do it just yet, but he is certain of its success.

Finally, I asked him what this chapter in his book of life is called, and he simply said, “Heal”...

I am so appreciative to know this multifaceted man who I am honored to call a friend.

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Knolly Williams No One Succeeds Alone

Author, Trainer, National Speaker & Entrepreneur

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Downtown Austin

When I first saw Knolly in his white cowboy hat take the stage, he was mesmerizing. He spoke about his story with such conviction and how he started his record label and magazine at 22 years of age and was incredibly successful. Ten years later, he was broke.

This is a man who is humble enough to share his journey so that others can become aware of the pitfalls. He now looks back and realizes that “no one succeeds alone”, and it is a motto he lives by now.

He became a real estate agent and quickly studied how to be successful. Knolly made it to the #1 agent in Austin and top 10 in the state of Texas. When Gary Keller noticed him and asked to meet with him, he realized he could get paid to do what he loved, teach and help others.

Knolly has never looked back. He is one of the most sought-after coaches in our industry, and he cares so much, and it is evident.

When I asked him what his top three lessons for someone entering the business today

would be, he said: 1) Become Famous -- make sure everyone knows you in your area. Get out there and make a name for yourself 2) Do the “two” -- 2x4 -- Two hours of lead generation 4 days a week 3) Get a mentor -- learn from someone who has done this already He is a spiritual man who explores. “Know thyself” is your center and how you communicate with others. He does a beautiful analogy of saying “we are all a piece of a tapestry.”.

Finally, when I asked him what this current chapter in his book of life is called, he said “Becoming Me”.

Knolly is a great human being who cares about his family, his industry, and mankind.

It’s a joy to know this man.

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James Bramble Find The Beauty in All Situations

Chief Legal Counsel for EXP World Holdings

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Temple Square

When I was first interviewing for my position at eXp, one of the people I spoke with was Jim Bramble as he was the Chief Legal Counsel for eXp World Holdings. He and I spoke at length about his international experience and we understood the various global nuances that existed between markets. I was excited to work with someone that understood the process, and I must say that he and I work every day together, and the journey has been an absolute pleasure.

In this interview, Jim shares that he chose the law profession after reading “The Brethren”

by Bob Woodward which gave a detailed account of the inner workings of the Supreme Court. He decided he wanted to do good and fight for the underdog. He began this quest by being an Adjunct Professor in Constitutional Law and empowering his students to make a difference. That has been his goal ever since no matter the route it took him.

For twenty years he worked for USANA which was in the health sector. He joined because the owner had said he wanted to grow the most ethical company in the sector and that’s what attracted him to the role. Under his leadership, that company grew to 24 countries and from a $50 million company to over $1.1 billion. He still has a plaque that his assistant gave him many years ago that he uses as a reminder. It simply said: “When in Doubt, Do what is right.”

he shared three pearls of wisdom: 1) Choose the markets the right way. Make sure it is an organic decision that is right for your business at the time.

2) Understand the different rules, regulations, and infrastructure of where you want to enter.

Doing your homework is paramount.

3) Know and respect the cultural differences in the country to ensure your success.

One of the things I like most about Jim is his outlook. He always finds the good in people.

If you follow him on social media, you will see that it is a recurring theme throughout his posts. In this interview, he suggests, “Find the Beauty in All Situations.”.

His three pieces of advice for agents entering the business today from his time at eXp are: 1) Understand your sphere of influence 2) Always do what is right 3) Have Patience It is a pleasure to work with this man. He is a great leader, father, and friend, and I am honored to call him a friend.

When I asked him about how he opened international markets and the criteria he followed,

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Leo Pareja Leo Pareja is one of those rare individuals who is smart without being arrogant; ambitious without being cut-throat and feels a social responsibility to give back to others.

His mind looks for problems to solve, and as such has excelled in three incredibly diverse sectors of real estate, finance, and technology. “I find beauty in chaos,” he says. He started in real estate at the age of 19, where he decided he would sell properties to his fraternity brothers so that the rent they were paying would go towards a mortgage. By the age of 28, he was the #1 salesperson in the world for Keller Williams. As an immigrant, he always felt a greater need to succeed and fit in. With his growing success, he has noticed that many Latinos were being left behind with credit-worthiness and their ability to enter the market. As he states, “there are 26 million credit invisible people”. That’s when he co-founded Washington Capital Partners in DC that allowed this segment of the population to begin to participate in the American dream. As the 2017 National President of NAHREP that mission catapulted him to spread the word of Latino homeownership across America. Education and wealth cre-

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President and Co-Founder of at Remine

ation became two areas of focus for him. The technology was the last piece of the puzzle for Leo, and when he co-founded Remine that was fulfilled. It started as a predictive analytics data company but quickly grew from there.

His three key lessons for everyone were: 1) Pick your business model.

2) Know your numbers.

3) Always be learning.

He stresses to always be true to yourself. Know you are why because that’s what is going to motivate you. He admits to having “his butt whooped during the financial crisis” and any cockiness of a twenty-year-old was quickly rectified and he learned humility.

Finally, when I asked Leo about philanthropy, he simply said: “Giving is a Duty”.

This is a very caring human being who I am privileged to call a friend. Leo Pareja and I met when he was the National President of NAHREP, and he impressed me from the start. He has a great deal of ambition coupled with great humility and smarts, and that makes him a great leader and entrepreneur. Leo is a great inspiration for the Latino community and a spectacular leader in our industry. It was a pleasure to sit down with him and speak candidly during this podcast.

Giving Is A Duty

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Glenn Sanford Be A Mono-Maniac on a Mission After 15 years at Realogy, I have recently left to join eXp Realty, the fastest growing real estate company in America. The technology and business model were far superior to anything I had ever seen, but above all else, the team behind it was exceptional. It was all created by a visionary leader who frowns on being called “the boss” but prefers to be called “the coach” because he set up a platform where everyone is an owner of the company.

I had been meeting with Glenn for months as we were discussing the possibility of a global platform for eXp and he was always presented himself with the highest integrity and it was a pleasure to sit down with him for this discussion.

One of my early questions was to ask him what 3 lessons he has learned in business and without hesitation, he began:

Founder and CEO of eXp Realty | World Holdings

1) Success Leaves Clues: “If you’re truly a student of the business, look at the nuances of who’s winning, there are themes”, he says. But he also stresses that you have to define “success’ for yourself, whether that be monetary, family, or even philanthropy. “If you follow the clues, you will most likely be successful as well”, he professes.

2) Be a Mono-Maniac on a Mission - Focusson being the best at one thing. “Life rewards

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specialists, not generalists”. Don’t try to be good at many things, just be great at a few things.

3) Leverage Your Strengths - Glenn warns that people try to improve their weaknesses, but your strengths are what people are going to pay you for. He says he has never paid anyone for a skill set they were weak on but were trying to improve.

During this global pandemic, one seems the VirBela eXp technology platform and would think that this solution for remote business maximization was something that may have been developed in the last year or so when in reality it has been operation for over a decade. He truly created a “defensible business model” for working remotely, while still keeping the human factor of interaction through the avatars.

logg’s in the ‘70s. He noticed that when he was 35 he was the single wage earner and that wasn’t a very sustainable model. He looked at the idea of a team, but that was still very connected to the leader for its success. The brokerage model he thought was not a great idea for him, so in 2009 he started with a blank slate and created the model we know today. A model where agents can build wealth and a residual line of revenue which has changed lives.

Glenn said he wanted to leave the world a better place because he was a part of it. I believe this man has already achieved that and it will be an honor to witness how much larger of a footprint he leaves for all of us firsthand as we continue this journey.

Sanford said he learned lessons of intrinsic motivations from his father who was also an entrepreneur and sold a company to Kel-

Billingham Forest Trail

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