"Just hire a VA and your poroblems dissappear."

Not quite. Hiring fast from pain usually creates more chaos, not more capacity, and it's why so many agents say, "I tried a VA… it didn't work."

Most agents rush to a marketplace, grab the first virtual assistant they find, dump a mixed bag of tasks on them, and hope for magic. The result?

• Vague roles, mismatched skill sets, and constant task-switching

• Communication gaps that trigger micromanagement and lost trust

• "Busy" without outcomes—no leverage, no scale, no growth.

You'll learn how to hire the right VA for the right lane, set expectations that stick, and move from paying for hours to paying for outcomes, so you get your time back and your content/operations finally scale.

Things You'll Learn In This Episode

• The #1 hiring trap: why hiring from pain backfires—and what to do instead

• Role pillars that work: admin, TC support, video editing, and social ops (how to choose)

• SOPs that save you: build a real job description with bullets, not "do social media"

• Communication that prevents micromanagement: daily check-ins, "teach-back," and close-the-loop updates

• Pay for results: when to shift from hourly to output (per video/post) for creative roles.

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision, where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they've expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone's life!

So many new real estate agents think if they just stay busy — holding open houses, passing out flyers, showing up everywhere — the business will eventually come. Spoiler alert: it doesn't. The industry glorifies hustle. But for new agents, that often means running in circles without clarity, wasting energy, and burning out before they ever close a deal. Activity for activity's sake isn't a strategy — it's a fast track to frustration. Meet Nicole: a brand-new real estate agent, mom of four, and natural action-taker. She started out invisible on social media, unsure of how to generate leads, and stuck in the "open house hamster wheel." But instead of hustling herself into exhaustion, she leaned into a different path: building a business around her lifestyle, her personality, and her community. The result? Within months she was closing deals, hosting an 80-person launch party, and creating a quirky, relatable brand through her Golf Cart Confessionals. In this episode, you'll hear how Nicole went from zero deals and second-guessing everything… to confident, consistent, and closing. If you've ever felt stuck, scattered, or like you're running without direction, her story will show you how clarity and consistency can change everything. Things You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why "just doing open houses" rarely leads to sustainable business (and what to do instead)
• How Nicole's Golf Cart Confessionals made her the go-to agent in her neighborhood
• The power of a launch party (and why 80+ people showed up for Nicole)
• How Profit First gave her financial peace of mind from day one
• The coaching call that helped her redefine success as a mom, wife, and business owner

About Your Hosts Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision - where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they've expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing. Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone's life!

Most team leaders chase growth that ends up costing them time, peace, and margin. In this episode, Josh and Kelly unpack the myths around building a "big" team, and share how to build a better one. They talk honestly about the hard lessons, expensive mistakes, and what they would do differently if they were starting a real estate team from scratch today. Whether you're overwhelmed, overstaffed, or just second-guessing your next move, this conversation is a wake-up call. Key Takeaways

• Most teams fail because they scale chaos. More agents only multiply broken systems.
• Admin hires come first. You don't need more agents, you need support that creates time and structure.
• Freedom doesn't mean detachment. Team leaders who step away too soon often lose culture, momentum, and connection.
• Success isn't a bigger team; it's a better life. You can be lean, profitable, and personally involved without burning out.
• Start with your values. If you build around your life instead of trying to fit life around the business, you'll make better decisions from day one.

About Your Hosts Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision - where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they've expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing. Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone's life!

What does it look like to sell 2,600 homes in a single year—without grinding your team into the ground? "If you're not creating opportunities for your team—beyond just leads—they'll go find them elsewhere." In this episode, we sit down with Jonathan Campbell, a visionary team leader who's built one of the most productive real estate teams in the country. With just 30 agents or fewer at any given time, Jonathan has closed over 16,000 homes through crystal-clear systems, aligned leadership, and a culture of fun, accountability, and trust. We cover everything from how he holds agents to their commitments without micromanaging, to the surprising true lead source behind their volume (hint: it's not what you think). Plus, Jonathan opens up about why he's choosing to hit the road with his family in a converted school bus for a three-month cross-country journey—and how he's still running the team while he does it. Whether you're a team leader, solo agent, or operator looking to scale without chaos, this one is pure gold. In This Episode, we talk about:

• The exact structure of Jonathan's team & leadership model
• Why RREK (Role, Responsibility, Expectation, Key numbers) is a game-changer
• How to create a high-accountability culture without killing morale
• Why "leads are everything"—but not in the way most agents think
• The simple scoreboard system his team uses weekly
• How he develops long-term team members who produce like crazy
• Why he avoids mass recruiting (and what he does instead)
• The real cost of running a lean team (and the big profit upside)
• Jonathan's Pattern Interrupt family adventure across the country in a school bus
• His best energy management habits for sustainable leadership

Connect with Jonathan: Instagram: jsooup Family Road Trip Account: @campbelladventurebus Team Website: JCteam.com About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision - where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they've expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

If this fired you up or helped you think differently, share it with a fellow team leader or agent who's ready to build something that actually works. Want to grow your real estate business without burnout? Follow us on IG: @leanandmeanrealestate And book a discovery call HERE

Josh and Kelly share the behind-the-scenes strategy of how they built a fully AI-powered content machine for their real estate business—one that runs 24/7 without relying on them to film daily. From a brand-new Instagram account to 23,000+ followers and 180+ videos in just 90 days, this system is changing the game for agents who want more reach, more leverage, and way more freedom. This isn't a podcast, it's an invitation to the future of marketing for modern real estate teams. Chapters: 0:00 – Why this isn't a normal episode 1:40 – The real problem: time, freedom, and burnout 3:30 – What we built (and why) 5:10 – How we're posting 41 videos a week—without filming 6:40 – Step 1: Sourcing local content 7:15 – Step 2: AI scripting 8:20 – Step 3: Voice cloning and avatar creation 10:00 – Step 4: Canva templating and smooth publishing 11:30 – Trello + systems = zero chaos 12:20 – Why this strategy is a land grab right now 13:50 – Why most agents won't do this (but you should) 15:00 – How to join the free training and start building your machine Key Takeaways:

• You don't have to be on camera to dominate social with video
• Systems win—especially when you remove yourself from the bottleneck
• The AI wave isn't coming—it's here
• This strategy positions you as the local voice of authority without needing to sell
• You can post 40+ unique videos a week, even as a solo agent

Download our free checklist + register for the next training: LeanMeanContentMachine.com Follow us on Instagram: @LeanMeanJoshKelly Subscribe on YouTube: Lean & Mean Real Estate Team

The conventional real estate model is built on a "grow or die" mentality. If you're not scaling fast, recruiting a ton of agents, and running a massive team, you're falling behind…or so the industry says.

But what if growth is the very thing that burns you out?

Melissa Ricks saw the pressure to build a mega team, start a brokerage, and grow at all costs, and walked the other way.

While most team leaders were chasing volume and headcount, Melissa was doing something radical: fighting to stay small.

And it worked. She built a wildly efficient, deeply intentional team, and in her highest-producing year, sold 210 homes as the only agent on her team.

No revolving door of recruits. No burnout. Just a business rooted in service, systems, and sanity.

In this episode, Melissa shares what she saw in the traditional model that made her reject it, and how she built a business that supports her life, not the other way around.

Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-The turnover trap

Team leaders are constantly working hard to reduce agent turnover. Is the model (not the agents) the real problem?

-The burnout-proof model you've never heard of

What does it look like to close 200+ deals and still protect your peace, your family, and your joy?

-Pour into people

The problem with real estate's obsession with numbers and scale is that people often get lost in the shuffle. Why does Melissa focus more on the people than the production?

-Stop outsourcing your happiness to your volume So many team leaders are miserable because they are chasing numbers. How do we determine if this model aligns with us? How do we redefine success for ourselves?

Guest Bio

Melissa Ricks is a full-time agent servicing sellers and buyers in NE Florida. She specializes in first-time home buyers, military and retirement relocations, new construction and sellers in all circumstances. The MRE Dream Team provides 5-star customer service with weekly updates to all parties involved for a smooth transaction. Since 2016, Melissa Ricks has served families in the greater NE Florida region and takes pride in providing 5-star experiences, as well as providing peace of mind during the process of selling and buying for all of her clients. She has been fortunate to sell several hundred homes over the years and is honored to be a part of the top 1% of Real Estate professionals in her market. Follow @melissaricksexperience on Instagram.

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision - where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they've expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone's life!

In real estate, success doesn't always lead to fulfillment - sometimes it only creates regret.

So many team leaders fall into the trap of thinking that more agents, more units, and more leads are the ticket to more freedom.

But what happens when the drive to be #1 leaves you exhausted, broke, and wondering why you started in the first place?

That's exactly where this episode begins, with a team leader running a 30-agent team, working harder than ever, and still watching the numbers fall short.

She's not lazy. She's not clueless. She's simply running the wrong race.

Her goal to be #1 in her state has come at a heavy cost. Burnout, broken systems, and no profit to show for it.

Many people are in this boat right now, stuck in the trap of more, wishing for something different. They reach the huge goal, but look back and realize it wasn't worth it.

What if instead of setting the goal of more, we set the goal of figuring out what enough looks like for us?

That's what we're diving into in this episode. We're unpacking what so many team leaders get wrong, and how to pivot toward a model that's not only profitable, but actually worth repeating year after year.

Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-The trap of "more" If 30 agents aren't making you money… will 50 fix the problem? Or just magnify it?

-Why "number one" might be the wrong goal Do you really want to be #1, or do you just want to feel like you've made it?

-When hustle becomes a hamster wheel Are you running harder every year but getting nowhere? Here's why clarity, not growth, is your missing piece.

-The question every team leader should ask Forget units and income. Ask yourself: Was it worth it? And more importantly, would I do it again?

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision - where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they've expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone's life!

Most real estate team leaders make leads their main recruitment tool. After all, what else could possibly convince someone to join your team?

But there's a catch.

Building your entire recruitment model around leads is a short-term play with long-term consequences.

Lisa Ritter has seen it all. With decades in the business, she's led large teams, scaled brokerages, and tested every model under the sun.

Here's what she learned: A lean, lead-independent team will always outperform a lead-reliant one.

Lead-focused teams often attract the wrong kind of agent, the kind who wants results without the reps. Instead of developing professionals who know how to generate business and serve clients deeply, you create a revolving door of entitlement.

Worse, this model fuels the "used car salesman" stereotype our industry has struggled to shake. It's transactional, and it sets everyone up to fail.

But there's a better way.

In this episode, Lisa unpacks the traps most team leaders fall into, and shares how to build a team that thrives on purpose, not handouts.

Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-Look for a white-hot why

Every potential recruit will tell you they are a hard worker, so how do you know if they'll back it up with action?

-Entitled vs. inspired agents

Can making leads your main value prop actually sabotage your team's culture?

-How to motivate (not micromanage) your agents

If you're a team leader still in production, how do you pour into your people without overwhelming yourself?

Guest Bio

Lisa Ritter is a REALTOR®, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Results in Omaha, Nebraska, and co-leader of The Ritter Team. With over 20 years in the real estate industry, she has earned 13 "Best of Omaha" awards and holds prestigious designations including Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI). Lisa served as the 2015 President of the Nebraska REALTORS® Association and was appointed as a Nebraska Real Estate Commissioner in 2019. Known for her commitment to agent development and ethical leadership, Lisa is passionate about building sustainable real estate businesses that prioritize autonomy, purpose, and long-term success over dependency on leads. Find Lisa on Facebook.

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision, where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they've expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone's life!

In real estate, buying leads is like opening Pandora's box. Once you start, it's almost impossible to stop, and it could ultimately wreck your team.

It starts with the best intentions. A few agents join your newly formed team, you design a cute logo, celebrate with brunches and merch, and dream of building an empire.

But when the agents don't produce, the pressure kicks in, and you start buying leads, thinking it's the simple solution.

Instead, it becomes the beginning of the end.

Suddenly, you're bleeding cash every month, stuck micromanaging a team that resents being held accountable, and still can't convert the leads you're paying for.

We've seen this story play out again and again. A well-meaning team leader builds something they end up resenting and regretting.

But here's the truth: the real root of the issue isn't the leads. Things went wrong before you bought that first lead.

How do we stop the downward spiral before it takes everything with it?

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on why most teams fail, how buying leads digs the hole deeper, and why solving the wrong problem is what truly sinks your team.

Things You'll Learn in This Episode

-The hidden trap of starting a team Forming a team feels great at first. How does it lead to resentment, financial loss, and burnout fast?

-Buying leads isn't the solution, it's the start of the downfall What happens when you start paying for leads? Why does it only create more problems, expenses, and pressure?

-How "accountability" turns into micromanagement When agents can't convert leads, team leaders amp up the accountability. How does trying to "fix" your team become an exercise in control and resentment?

-The real problem you must solve to succeed The problem in your business isn't the leads, the production, or even your coaching. Why is the root of the problem the people you recruit?

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision, where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they've expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone's life!

Most agents think starting a team will solve their problems. They have too many leads to service themselves and too little time for client-facing activities (or their families).

But here's the truth: without the right systems in place first, a team won't save you. It'll sink you.

Chaos doesn't scale; it spreads, and even the most talented agents and admin people will struggle in an environment without structure.

That's why Marjorie Adam did it differently.

Before hiring a single agent, she dialed in her backend. She focused on systems, structure, and automation so that people can come in and thrive.

Most team leaders miss this step, and it always comes back to bite them.

If you're not intentional about how you start a team, it will only create more work (and stress) for you.

How do we set up a strong foundation to scale our teams? What should we offload to those first hires?

In this episode, broker/owner, team leader, coach, and speaker Marjorie Adam breaks down why most teams fail and what you need before you even think about hiring.

Things You'll Learn In This Episode

-Before you start recruiting

Team leaders complain about constant terrible hires, but could a lack of systems be the common denominator?

-The biggest mistake new team leaders make

Real estate agents who want to scale are often told to offload what they hate doing first. How does this set us up for failure?

-Automate, eliminate friction, and streamline your systems

Before we bring anyone onto our teams, we need systems and structure. Can AI do some of the heavy lifting?

Guest Bio

Marjorie Adam is the Principal Broker and Owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Pathways, REALTOR, and Team Lead. The driving force behind her team, she isn't just a dedicated Realtor, but a business coach for Realtors nationwide, a loving mom, a devoted wife, and a local real estate expert with a knack for contract negotiation and strategic pricing strategies for both buyers and sellers. An esteemed speaker at real estate events nationally, Marjorie's expertise shines through in every transaction she handles. Her passion for real estate and commitment to excellence have earned her a well-deserved reputation as a go-to authority in the industry. Connect with Marjorie on LinkedIn. Follow @marjorieadamteamrealtors on Instagram.

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision - where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they've expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone's life!