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This week, you’ve got two episodes in one! Both were recorded live on stage at Unlock by Zillow in November 2025. The first half takes you inside The Nickley Group in Florida and the second half takes you inside HomeTeam4U in Wisconsin.

TOM AND ALEXIS NICKLEY
Alexis and Tom Nickley, co-team leaders of The Nickley Group in Orlando, credit team culture with the growth and success of their 65-agent, 20-staff real estate team pacing for 900 transactions and $400M in sales. 

Learn two key roles, four core values, and three things they’re focused on in the year ahead!

Watch or listen for insights from Alexis and Tom on:

• A bold decision to leave sales production
• The division of labor between husband-and-wife, co-team leaders
• Why their recruiter’s job is so challenging
• The purpose and role of the Director of Culture and Engagement (and specific tactics you can take for yourself)
• The purpose and role of their Director of Growth (it’s FAR bigger than recruiting)
• Three things they’re focusing on in 2026
• A key takeaway for you: “Keep the underdog mindset! At the end of the year, challenge your systems and processes to improve your client and agent experience.”
• Their key takeaway from Unlock (uniqueness and diversity!)

JEN STAUTER
Jen Stauter serves as team leader of HomeTeam4U in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. She walks you through the personality types that work within their 32-agent organization, how she plans to get to 50 agents, two specific ways the Agent Success Coordinator roles has helped her and the team, a unique quality of their mentorship program, and more!

Watch or listen for insights from Jen on:

• Growing a team from 4 family members to 32 agents (and counting)
• The purpose and role of their Agent Success Coordinator, including two specific, high-value projects she took on and where they found her
• How they structure their mentorship program and one of its unique qualities
• Which changes the EOS process (the VTO, specifically) forced them to make
• Keys to successful recruiting en route to 50 agents
• A key takeaway for you: “You don’t need to do more. You just need someone who makes sure it happens.”
• A key takeaway from Unlock (recruiting!)

Connect with The Nickley Group:

→ https://www.instagram.com/thenickleygroup/

Connect with Jen Stauter:

→ https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_stauter_kornstedt/

Connect with Real Estate Team OS

→ https://www.realestateteamos.com

→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Get email-exclusive insights and subscriber-only episodes - absolutely free: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

If you’re looking for ways to leverage AI, automations, and technology without losing sight of what matters most - relationships, culture, and client goals, then you’re in the right place!

• Best practices for AI voice and texting, including when and how to hand off to humans.
• Three things to set up for success in Follow Up Boss.
• A few under-used, high-value features of Follow Up Boss.
• Specific automations to increase lead engagement and conversion.
• A framework for better AI prompts and other prompting tips.
• Two Custom GPTs to save massive amounts of time

This is just some of what you’ll get with Matt Croteau, team leader with The Fernandez Group in Orange, California.

Get tech tips that honor the human touch and your client’s goals and that make AI your assistant, not your replacement. Learn Custom GPTs for on-the-fly coaching and real-time scripting. Hear automations that drive lead engagement and save time.

Watch or listen for Matt’s insights into:
- Ways to sustain a healthy culture even when agents aren’t in the office
- The path from loan officer to real estate agent to team leader
- Foundational pieces needed to start a productive partnership
- The importance of staying focused on client goals
- The role of AI and automation vs the role of the real estate agent
- Best practices for AI voice and texting, including seamless handoffs to humans
- Three specific ways to set up for success in Follow Up Boss
- Specific automations to set up to improve lead engagement and lead conversion
- The RELIC framework for better AI prompts and specific prompting tips for better output
- The basics and benefits of Custom GPTs - with two time-saving examples
- One way the Comet browser from Perplexity saves him time
- What’s stayed the same and what’s changed for lead conversion over the past several years
- Who to hire in-house and what to hire out to virtual assistants

At the end, learn about a disappointing baseball season, overpriced robots, open skies, and quieter trails.

Mentioned in this episode:
→ Techtember on Real Estate Team OS https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCJiXNo93cVoSlXhdFv_RC9V8G5tUw1QX
→ Follow Up Boss Success Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/followupbosscommunity

Connect with Matt Croteau:
→ Email: Matt at MattSellsOC dot com

Connect with Real Estate Team OS
→ https://www.realestateteamos.com
→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos
→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Get email-exclusive insights and subscriber-only episodes - absolutely free: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

After earning two degrees in architecture and starting your career with a design firm, you get into real estate operations.

Your first task: turn a real estate team into an independent brokerage. Overnight, if possible.
Your second task: expand and renovate the office to prepare for growth.
Meanwhile: you need to get the systems and processes out of people’s heads, merge them together, get it documented, redesign onboarding, and teach it to agents.

That’s just some of what you’ll get in this conversation with Matteo Zingales, Director of Operations at Team Zingales Realty, a family-owned, independent teamerage.

How to create the role from scratch.
Why to put observation before innovation.
How to set up the tech stack for scale.
Which three questions to ask to get constructive criticism from your business partners.

Four years into his journey, Matteo shares these details and more!

Watch or listen for insights into:

• The balance of clarity, alignment, and accountability
• The path from a degree and career in architecture to a Director of Operations role
• Transitioning from real estate team to independent, family-owned brokerage
• How the Director of Operations role was shaped from scratch and what it brought to the team
• A prioritized list of projects and SOPs to set up the business to scale successfully
• The vital role of constructive criticism and three questions to ask every staff member and agent to help draw it out
• The specific pieces of their tech stack
• How they carved out distinct, aligned roles between Director of Operations, Team Founder and Partner, and Broker Owner and Partner
• Specific recruiting tactics as they look to double agent count in the year ahead
• How to find your own Director of Operations

At the end, learn how Gillette Group, Wemert Group Realty, and SERHANT. Real Estate fuse brand, systems and performance, how luxury items can commemorate milestones, and which books have helped this Director of Operations.

Mentioned in this episode:
→ Camila Rivera https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/team-leader-guide-making-your-first-operations-hire-camila-rivera
→ Jenny Wemert https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/jenny-wemert-group-realty-independent
→ Emily Smith https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/emily-smith-intrapreneur-entrepreneur-teamerage
→ 10X is Easier Than 2X https://10xeasierbook.com/
→ Rocket Fuel https://rocketfueluniversity.com/rocket-fuel-book/

Connect with Matteo Zingales:
→ https://www.instagram.com/matteoonops/
→ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mzingales/
→ https://www.tiktok.com/@team.zingales.realty
→ https://teamzingales.com/team-zingales-difference/meet-our-team/

Connect with Real Estate Team OS:

→ https://www.realestateteamos.com

→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Get email-exclusive insights and subscriber-only episodes - absolutely free: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

What if your biggest mistakes became the blueprint for your next business?

That’s exactly what Marissa Canario is doing with Apex Realty Group, which she’s building from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

After building a 7th-level insurance agency and after opening 168 markets (yes 168!) as a real estate leader on a national expansion team, Marissa’s now taking lessons learned to build again - with deeper obsession and a clearer value prop.

She shares the key to improving both agent experience and client experience. She details her segmented approach to onboarding (and re-onboarding) agents. She explains the pitfalls to avoid in market expansion and when to know if you’re ready. And she shares a vision of teams getting larger and larger in the years ahead through mergers and acquisitions.

Watch or listen for Marissa’s insights into:

• Why obsession with agent experience and client experience drives success
• What was required and what was learned by opening 168 markets in a real estate team expansion
• How to improve communication and get more done by meeting people where they are
• How to turn past mistakes into a tighter, more focused model with a clearer value proposition
• How Marissa’s segmenting and improving “one of the most important factors of your entire foundation and one of the most difficult to get correct” … agent onboarding
• Why to celebrate more (and more specific) agent milestones
• AI and ISAs as new leverage points for real estate teams
• Ways to make technology amplify rather than replace real estate agents (and what that means they should focus on)
• How self-awareness, network strength, and sufficient capital set you up for market expansion success
• Why mergers and acquisitions will drive larger teams and what your participation in that growth might look like

At the end, learn about the value of integrity, the ends of toilet paper rolls, the bottoms of shampoo and ketchup bottles, and fewer business books.

Episodes mentioned:
→ AI Voice and Texting with Kyle Draper and Tiffany Gelzinis
→ Redefining the Role of the Real Estate Team Leader with Keith Anderson
→The Roll-Up Strategy for Business Growth with Sam Khorramian

Connect with Marissa Canario:
→ https://www.instagram.com/marissacanario/

Connect with Real Estate Team OS:

→ https://www.realestateteamos.com

→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Get email-exclusive insights and subscriber-only episodes - absolutely free: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

Which is the better direction for you: real estate team leader or independent brokerage owner? Or even: independent teamerage owner.

Get practical tips and helpful ideas to help you figure out which is right for you from Brad Nix, who helped turn two teams into brokerages. 

Go inside Path & Post, a brokerage that runs as a unified team of 6 staff and about two dozen agents - with a focus on onboarding and training professional Strategic Guides, creating your own systems and processes, and on making decisions based on core values.

Their ultimate metric: 5-star reviews.

Watch or listen to this conversation with Brad for insights into:

• Being open to being wrong
• The path to Path & Post, an independent teamerage of 30 people
• Weighing real estate team vs independent brokerage vs independent teamerage for you and your business
• Makers, doers, followers, and complainers
• Building systems to handle what your brokerage was doing for you
• Three core values: Respect, Unity, and the Golden Rule
• Onboarding and training Strategic Guides rather than real estate agents and the one metric that lets them know it’s working
• The evolution of their onboarding and training from WordPress plug-in to Trainual to Guru
• How to thoughtfully sequence and structure your training materials (in their case: 500 pieces of content over 90 days)
• How AI helps their agents become more effective
• The 6 staff positions on their “lean, mean" teamerage
• How exit strategy and consolidation weigh into the future of your real estate business
• The simple process of surprising and delighting your clients

At the end, learn about season tickets, a bag closet, board games, and a healthy diet for your mind.

Mentioned in this episode:
→ https://realestateteamos.com/bot
→ https://www.getguru.com/
→ https://reformationbrewery.com/

Connect with Brad Nix:
→ https://pathpost.com

Connect with Real Estate Team OS:
→ https://www.realestateteamos.com
→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos
→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Get email-exclusive insights and subscriber-only episodes - absolutely free: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

From fix-and-flip investor to Founder and Owner of the #1 real estate team in California and #3 in the United States, Sam Khorramian has been driven by “pigheaded determination.”

Sam talks through primary drivers of his success, including “wow” experiences, a differentiated business model, and a roll-up strategy for business growth. He explains why it made sense to go from independent brokerage to a team brokered by LPT Realty.

Learn to acquire complementary businesses outside of the three most common ancillaries and RESPA requirements with no money out of your own pocket - with an example of how those deals are structured. And learn how to make your real estate team a more valuable acquisition target. 

Watch or listen for Sam Khorramian’s insights into:

• Why pigheaded determination is a leadership superpower
• Tapping into the unquantifiable power of “wow” experiences (inspired by Ritz Carlton)
• Pioneering a new business model when launching a new brokerage (with a caution from Mike Ferry)
• How a 100% commission, $300/month model worked for agents and for the brokerage
• Growing 2.5-3x by partnering with LPT Realty
• Creative business acquisitions outside of the common ancillaries and RESPA requirements
• Ways to structure a no-money-down acquisition through seller financing, asset-based loans, and other strategies (with a specific example)
• Why real estate teams becoming more valuable than brokerages

At the end, learn about underdogs, expensive passions, and masterminds.

Mentioned in this episode:
→ Big Block and LPT Realty (webinar) https://youtu.be/-kMlDY4KLuk
→ The New Gold Standard (book) https://www.josephmichelli.com/yournewgoldstandard.com/
→ Epic Network https://epicnetwork.com/
→ Mango Automotive https://www.mangoautomotive.com/

Connect with Sam Khorramian:
→ https://www.instagram.com/the9thzero/

Connect with Real Estate Team OS:
→ https://www.realestateteamos.com
→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos
→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Get email-exclusive insights and subscriber-only episodes - absolutely free: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

You’re growing your real estate team or real estate brokerage.

Some of your agents are interested in starting a team within your business. Or small teams are approaching you about joining your team or brokerage.

What kinds of rules and standards should you have in place? What are the tough conversations you need to have? How do you open up this opportunity while preserving the integrity and profitability of your business?

For helpful ideas and practical lessons, enjoy this conversation with Eric Bramlett, Broker and Owner of Bramlett Partners, an independent brokerage with 125 agents.

Pay special attention to the three paths an agent can take to get what they want without starting a team!

Watch or listen for Eric’s insights into:

• Focus as your defining trait for growth and impact
• The differences between and value of a North Star and an annual focus
• Making client service and 5-star reviews your sustainable growth engine
• Decisions that allowed Bramlett Partners to shift from a decade of slow growth to 125 agents and 90% retention over the past few years 
• Why “how many agents do you have?” is a terrible question and how median production balances out average production
• Three paths a high-performing agent can take to get what they want without starting a team
• The standards an agent must meet to become team eligible 
• Ways to support teams inside your team or brokerage and differences in value prop for agents vs teams
• Research results: what agents really want from a brokerage (spoiler: a sense of belonging)
• Ways to nurture a valuable culture

At the end, learn about individual performers, the Innovation Hub, delivery vs pickup, and the days-on-mountain metric.

Team Standards at Bramlett Partners:

→ Team eligibility and team building policies: https://support.bramlettpartners.com/article/329-team-eligibility

→ Team and team leader hiring process and standards: https://support.bramlettpartners.com/article/776-team-team-leader-hiring-process-standards

→ Team culture code: https://bramlettpartners.com/join-bramlett#culture

→ Team retention stats: https://bramlettpartners.com/join-bramlett#growth

Mentioned in this episode:

→ Research on what agents want from brokerages: https://www.mikedp.com/articles/2025/8/21/research-study-what-agents-really-want-in-a-brokerage

→ Sean Soderstrom (Courted) and Eric Bramlett discussing the research: https://youtu.be/rECokGVWZkA
→ Brittany Hodak on The Customer Experience Podcast: https://bombbomb.com/podcasts/creating-superfans-brittany-hodak-customer-experience/

→ Brittany Hodak on Bramlett Partners Podcast: https://youtu.be/X-CJs13KNhc

→ Creating Superfans: https://brittanyhodak.com/book#/

→ The Real Estate Innovation Hub: https://www.reinnovationhub.com

→ FUB Co-founder Dan Corkill on Real Estate Team OS: https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/customer-centricity-follow-up-boss-founder-dan-corkill

Connect with Eric Bramlett:

→ Eric @ Bramlett . me

→ https://bramlettpartners.com/agents/eric-bramlett

→ https://www.instagram.com/bramlettpartners/

Connect with Real Estate Team OS:

→ https://www.realestateteamos.com

→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Get email-exclusive insights and subscriber-only episodes - absolutely free: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

What does it take to form a real estate partnership that lasts? One that’s built to endure all kinds of markets, to serve all kinds of clients, and to stand the test of time?

Some of the components - like shared values and great people - are intuitive. Others - like valuations, management agreements, and unified brands - are less so.

Mike Hines joins us to share lessons learned in partnering with Scott Oyler to create Oyler Hines, the second-ranked team in Ohio.

Learn how they put it all together culturally, financially, and legally - and get tips on per-agent productivity and new construction sales.

Watch or listen for Mike's insights into:

• Shared vision and values as your foundation
• How EOS help clarify a team’s North Star for better decision making
• The evolution of Oyler Hines from solo agents to co-team leaders
• How complementary strengths and clear standards make a partnership work
• The logistics of merging teams - valuation, structure, and tough conversations
• Setting up fair compensation and a management agreement
• The importance of professional branding (even if it costs 3x more than you thought it would)
• Balancing approachability and luxury with your real estate brand
• Keys to improving per-agent productivity (spoiler: specialization helps)
• The coaching and meeting cadence that supports agent and team success
• Tips to win more new construction opportunities 

At the end, learn about the end of the loaf, workout retreats, and head-clearing, all-day walks.

Mentioned in this episode:
→ Kevin Oakley https://www.doyouconvert.com/team/kevin-oakley/
→ 1000watt https://1000watt.net/
→ Jill Biggs https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/hardwired-for-hard-work-with-jill-biggs
→ The 12-Hour Walk https://12hourwalk.com/

Connect with Mike Hines:
→ https://www.instagram.com/mphines1/
→ https://oylerhines.com/mike-hines/
→ Mike at OylerHines dot com

Connect with Oyler Hines:
→ https://www.instagram.com/oylerhines/
→ https://oylerhines.com/

Connect with Real Estate Team OS:
→ https://www.realestateteamos.com
→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos
→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Get email-exclusive insights and subscriber-only episodes - absolutely free: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

Ever wondered when it’s time to hire your first full-time recruiter? Or what it takes to lead the market in agent retention?

Tiffany Williamson, Owner and President of Navigate Realty, shares the hard lessons and successful steps that have driven their growth to hundreds of agents in multiple markets. From hiring a full-time recruiter (on the third try!) to running blind surveys after every onboarding, this conversation is packed with actionable insights to help you recruit and retain agents.

At the center of it all is culture. And at the center of culture are people, stories, and transformations. That’s because people don’t join value props. People join people.

Tiffany shares the strategies and tactics that have the team pacing for $1B in sales this year, including value prop and agent avatars, onboarding your recruiter and building out a department (no real estate experience required!), and lifting agent success and retention.

Watch or listen for Tiffany’s insights into:
- The central role consistency plays in success
- Backing away from buying a company to double down on Navigate
- Why they went the independent brokerage route
- How focusing on what agents need and leading the market in retention are driving a $1B pace
- Lessons learned in hiring a full-time recruiter
- What should be in place before hiring your recruiter and why it’s not as big a risk as you think
- What the first 90 days should look like for your recruiter and why stories of transformation should be their focus
- How they’ve evolved their onboarding program from version 1.0 to version 3.0 and how they run it
- Why the industry is going more toward big teams and brokerages (spoiler: it’s getting more agent-centric)

At the end, learn about a secondhand Chanel bag, 80% capacity for short-term rentals, and the Canyon Ranch experience.

Connect with Tiffany Williamson:
→ https://www.instagram.com/tiffany_williamson_/
→ https://www.navigaterealty.com/agents/tiffany-williamson/

Connect with Real Estate Team OS:
→ https://www.realestateteamos.com
→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos
→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

Get email-exclusive insights and subscriber-only episodes - absolutely free: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

The Agency Team is the #1 real estate team in Hawaii. They recently achieved their first 100-unit month. They recently expanded beyond the islands to the mainland. They’ve grown to 150 agents.

And they’ve done it all with zero recruiting.

How? Attraction.

On day one, team leader Dylan Nonaka created a “culture code” that focuses on family and relationships and emphasizes the abundance mindset and pay-it-forward practice.

Two channels that help attract agents and clients to them: video and social media.
Two concepts you’ll hear in this episode: “your vibe attracts your tribe” and “who not how.”

Watch or listen to this conversation with Dylan for insights into:

• The main elements of a strong team foundation
• How he developed his culture code and how it’s benefitted the team since day one
• How a few friends came together to create what’s become a 150-agent team
• A key expense that grows as the business grows
• The two cultural characteristics and two sources of agents that prevent him from having to do any outbound recruiting at all
• Why he’ll always do his social media himself
• When, why, and how he committed to consistently creating videos
• Why his videos aren’t about entertainment or even lead generation
• Why he looks at attribution, conversion rate, and ROI in a global way
• How team members get involved in the YouTube channel
• “Who Not How” as the philosophy for market expansion
• How he found the person who started in a role he didn’t know he needed and who’s become COO

At the end, learn about Javelin Squad with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, about never paying for a haircut, about being forced to be fully present, and why “the devil lives in the white space.”

Mentioned in this episode:
→ https://whonothow.com/
→ https://unlockconference.com

Connect with Dylan Nonaka:
→ https://www.instagram.com/konabroker/
→ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNtK6ItXmpLIPB7FWUSsyyw

Connect with Real Estate Team OS:
→ https://www.realestateteamos.com
→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos
→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/