48 Lessons Learned From Building the Fastest-Growing Real Estate Brokerage in the World

What building two billion-dollar companies taught me that no MBA ever could.

As I step into a new chapter, moving from President to the Board of Directors at Real, I’ve been reflecting on what we have been able to build in a short time.

Against all odds, we built the fastest-growing, publicly traded real estate brokerage in the world, in the worst real estate market in 3 decades.

The Cinderella Story:

• We grew from 6,800 to over 28,000 agents in under 3 years

• With over $1 Billion in annual revenue and growing

• We expanded into all 50 states and 4 Canadian provinces

• We posted 300–400% growth across every meaningful metric

• We took the company from under $200M in valuation to well over $1 Billion (and growing)

But more than the numbers… we did it while staying true to our ethos:
Work hard. Be kind.

This moment is personal.

And most importantly, these lessons are mine.

They come from building two billion-dollar companies: one private, one public.

They also come from the wins, the scars, the near-misses, and the accelerated growth along the way.

And none of it would have been possible without the team and of course the entire real estate community: who challenged me, supported me, and let me contribute in my own way.

Here are 48 lessons I’m taking with me into this next chapter as I get ready to build The Next Billion.

1. We > Me
Nothing great was ever built by one person.
Replace “I” with “we” forever in your vocabulary.

2. Until You Win, Effort Goes Unnoticed
Nobody claps for invisible progress.
Work harder.

3. Fame Is the Most Efficient Business Model
We live in the age of endorsed distribution.
Product is important. But, there are tons of amazing products, services, and apps the world will never know about, because attention didn’t find them.

4. Be an A-Player Recruiting Machine
A-players cost 10–30% more than B-players, but they’re worth 10x more.
Also, you cannot do epic shit with B-players.

5. Reporting Comes First
Build a dashboard before you build anything else.
Good reporting lets you make better decisions sooner in the lifecycle.

6. Your Company Is the T-Shirt
If you print it with a logo, you’ve got swag.
If you print it with your message, you’ve got a brand.

7. Improve What You Stand For
I loved the core value “Work Hard. Be Kind.”
But over time, I learned that I personally needed three more words:
Work Hard. Be Kind. Make More Money.
It’s okay to improve upon your original values for yourself.

8. Culture Is Cadence
Culture is a curated set of obsessively repeated behaviors that reinforce performance.
Mechanically, if you’re a leader who isn’t delivering a weekly “thing” (email, video, message, call), you can do better.

9. Singular Voice. Multiple Echoes.
Great organizations have one clear voice that sets the tone and rhythm for performance.
But they scale that voice through many echoes… leaders, team members, systems, who reinforce the mission.

10. Operationalize Generosity
Engineer a business model where you can give your best stuff away for free.
You’ll be shocked at how much goodwill it generates in the marketplace.
Also… it's just the right side of karma to be on.

11. Assume Every Single Person Was Sent to Teach You Something

12. Don’t Get Lost in the Features
At the end of the day, someone is paying you for a specific result.
Don’t let the features of a product or the tactics of a service distract you from the transformation they’re buying.

13. Sell Ownership
Instead of just building something for your avatar, ask:
“How could we build this together?”
People take more ownership when they’re also contributors.

14. Everything Is Biased, Even Morality
The “right thing to do” is a matter of perspective.
It’s usually a reflection of their narrow belief system, not objective truth.
Be cautious around people who weaponize virtue.

15. Trust the 3 Filters
I learned to run everything I sell through three filters:
Capability, Money, Convenience.
If you're not selling one of those three things, it better be pretty damn close.

16. Business Models Are Great… for Slide Decks
Business models can be copied, improved, and duplicated.
But culture can’t be replicated.
To me: Business model is beta. Culture is alpha.

17. Decide Like a Startup. Build Like an Entrepreneur. Defend Like a Corporation.

18. Intricate Approval Workflows Are Dumb
They mean you hired the wrong people.
A-players don’t want to ask for approval. They want to win.
While managing risk, build an environment where people can just go win.

19. Recurring Meetings Are Useless
Cancel them all.
BAMFAM everything: Book A Meeting From A Meeting.

20. No Agenda, No Meeting

21. Winning Is Not for Everyone
Winners find ways.
Find them. Hang around them. Pay them. Promote them.
And do everything you can to keep them.

22. The Four Phrases I’ve Come to Love
If someone says any of these to me, I’m in hog-heaven:

1. “I have an idea.”

2. “Can you help me?”

3. “You won’t believe what happened…”

4. “I got it.” (as in: you don’t have to worry about it)

23. Shitty Attitudes Have No Place Here
If you hear yourself saying, “That’s not my job” or “That’s not my problem…”
You probably shouldn’t work there anymore.
Greatness is a choice. So is being checked out.

24. The People Test
The quality of an employee:
You’d instantly invite them to your next company.
The quality of a leader:
They’d instantly follow you to your next company.

25. Infrastructure Is an Asset
Billion-dollar businesses are built on the rails no one sees.
Tech. Finance. Legal. Systems. People.
The sexy stuff gets headlines.
The invisible stuff drives profit.

26. You Can’t Truly Collaborate If You Don't Respect The People You Work With.
Obsessively hire for competitive greatness.

27. Hire Every A-Player You Meet
Ambition is infectious.
A-Players are bred to win.
Remove friction. Get out of their way.
Yes, some people deserve special treatment: better comp, more perks, more trust.
Because they’re that valuable.
If someone complains about it:
They should work harder. Get better. Become more valuable. Become undeniable.

28. Visionaries Are a Dime a Dozen
Vision is useless if no one else can articulate it.
Your secret weapon: Language.
The limits of your language are the limits of your world.
A shared vocabulary is what unites your people.

29. The World Is Now Async
My rule: 3% sync. 97% async.
If you can’t communicate in writing: Slack, email, Loom, memos…you’re stuck.
One-word replies are insulting to the people who put effort into sharing with you.
While you may think everything needs a live conversation (3%), maybe you're just not skilled in asynchronous communication (97%).
Get good at it. It’s the new money-making muscle.

30. Talk About Money Freely
If money talk makes someone uncomfortable, they need to upgrade their belief system.
If I’m talking about buying my next jet (the Phenom 300) and that bothers you…
Get inspired.
Set a goal.
Work harder.
I dumpster-dived for food. I started with nothing.
If a no-talent-ass-clown like me can do it, so can you.

31. The Secret Ingredient of Great Partners
If your partners aren't obsessed with helping you achieve your goals…
You don’t have a partnership. You have a transaction.
Meaning, if my partners are not voluntarily obsessed with helping me buy the Anaheim Ducks, then I need different partners.

32. Accept That Luck Played a Role
Someone took a chance on you.
The pandemic validated your model.
One investor believed.
One hire crushed it.
You dodged the bullet on that lawsuit.
Sometimes your competitors just did dumb shit.
All of which helped you. Without you doing anything.
Call it what it is: Lady luck showed up.

33. Never Give Credit to a Generic Group
Don’t say, “It was all because of the team,” people recognize the false humility.
Here’s what’s worse, nobody actually felt deserving of that credit.
Shower the credit specifically. Not generically.
Fortune favors the specific.

34. Innovation Is a Series of Trust Moves
Roll out banger ideas continuously.
Tell them what’s coming.
Tell them when it’s coming.
Ship it.
Repeat.

35. Unless You Embrace Your Humanity, Nobody Cares About Your Profitability

36. The Company Does What the Leader Measures
Yes, what gets measured improves.
But what gets measured and obsessively reported improves exponentially.

37. Speed Is the Ultimate Advantage
Stop asking, “Can we get this done by next week’s meeting?”
Start asking, “Why can’t we get this done by tomorrow?”
Speed is a mindset.
Build urgency into your culture.

38. You Don’t Need a Spokesperson for Your Brand
You need a spokesperson for what you believe in.
That belief attracts people to your brand automatically.
Lead with the belief. The brand follows.

39. Work-Life Balance Is a Myth
Balance is for gymnasts.
Obsession is for entrepreneurs.
You’re not chasing balance. You’re chasing greatness.

40. Greatness Is a Choice
You already know what to do.
You’re just hoping you won’t have to.
Make the choice.

41. Your Lack of Commitment Is Insulting To The People Who Believe In You

42. Learn to Spot Lucky People
I’m a lucky person.
I’m like a freakin’ Indian leprechaun.
I don’t have all the skills, but I can make people happy and wealthy.
In interviews, I love to ask people: “Are you lucky?”
You’re not just hiring skills, you’re also stacking luck in your corner.

43. It’s Only Delusional Until It Works
Then they call it vision.
Stay delusional long enough to earn that title.

44. Unspoken Expectations Are Just Pre-Meditated Resentments
Say the hard things early.
Silence has a price tag.

45. Be Soft on the Person, Hard on the Problem
Nobody wants a manipulative, hot-headed, passive-aggressive leader.
Use your humanity to lead the person.
Use your strategy to solve the problem.
Just don’t flip the two.

46. People Meet Your Energy Before They Meet You
Kindness is a competitive edge.
Be the warmth in the room before you even speak.

47. Be Where Your Feet Are
Do the work that you committed to.
Focus on the person in front of you.
Your undivided attention is the purest form of generosity.

48. The Greatest Gift You Can Give Someone Is Making Them Feel Important
If you do nothing else… do this.
Everyone’s carrying something you can’t see.
Make them feel like they matter.

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I’m writing The Next Billion because this feels like the right moment to share.

After helping to build two billion-dollar companies, I’ve had time to reflect on what actually mattered along the way. These lessons helped shape me, stretch me, and remind me what being in the trenches really looks like.

They’re not rules.

They’re just lessons that are now personal truths that I’ve come to believe.

I’m deeply grateful for everyone who’s been part of this journey. And if any of these words help you build something meaningful, then I’m glad I wrote them down.

Work Hard. Be Kind. Make More Money.

Welcome to The Next Billion.