In this episode of the Collective Genius Podcast, I sit down with who I call the ultimate utility player in our industry—Benmont Locker. If there's anyone uniquely positioned to talk about what's working right now for real estate investors, it's Benmont. From operations and growth strategy to sales training and talent development, he's been in—and built—nearly every seat that matters.

We dive deep into why 2026 is a year of stabilization, not reckless scaling, and why the operators winning today are the ones obsessing over fundamentals: leads, sales, people, and execution. Benmont shares his journey from retail and consulting into real estate, how his partnership with Eric Brewer evolved, and how ventures like RAMP REI and CG Elevate were born out of real, in-the-trenches necessity—not theory. This episode is a blueprint for building durable businesses, developing elite talent, and executing relentlessly in any market.

Timeline Summary

[0:00] – Why "stabilize growth" is the real theme of 2026

[2:30] – Benmont as the ultimate utility player in real estate

[4:45] – From family retail business to operations and consulting

[6:40] – Learning to execute ideas, not just create them

[7:45] – Exposure to startups across multiple industries

[9:30] – First real estate experiences—and learning what not to do

[11:00] – How Eric Brewer identified and recruited Benmont

[13:00] – Talent recruiting as a long-term strategy, not a reaction

[15:00] – Becoming the filter for a visionary without killing innovation

[17:00] – The evolution from operations to Chief Growth Officer

[19:00] – Why experimentation must live outside the core business

[21:00] – Creating career paths instead of job ceilings

[23:00] – Building partners, not just employees

[24:45] – The biggest lesson: commit fully or don't start

[27:00] – Why dabbling kills momentum

[28:30] – The origin of RAMP REI: solving internal sales problems first

[31:00] – Turning internal IP into an external platform

[33:00] – Avoiding guru culture by staying actively in the business

[35:00] – What RAMP REI actually helps operators fix

[37:00] – CG Elevate: bridging the gap from operator to business owner

[39:00] – Watching members scale, promote, and change their lives

[42:00] – What's working right now: simplify and execute

[44:00] – Why most struggles are really sales and lead problems

[45:30] – "Vicious execution" as the edge in today's market

[47:30] – Momentum as the most overlooked KPI

[48:30] – How to connect with Benmont

5 Key Takeaways

1. Stabilize Before You Scale – Sustainable growth starts with fundamentals, not expansion.
2. Talent Is Recruited, Not Found – Elite operators proactively identify and develop people.
3. Sales Fix Everything – Most business problems are really sales process problems.
4. Commit or Don't Start – Dabbling kills momentum; full commitment creates breakthroughs.
5. Execution Wins Markets – Simplify, focus, and execute with urgency—especially now.

Links & Resources

• ExploreCG.com – Learn more about the Collective Genius community
• RAMP REI – Sales systems and training for real estate teams: https://ramprei.com/

Benmont's story is a reminder that the businesses winning today aren't doing more—they're doing the right things, better, with discipline and urgency.

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