Real Estate Team OS

Top-line revenue growth of a real estate team is great. But driving that growth while preserving your gross profit margin and net profit margin is even better.

In this conversation, Anthwon Thomas shares his numbers along with the story of starting and growing Silver Lining Real Estate Group brokered by Real in Lafayette, Indiana.

Learn the key elements to preserving profit as you grow, including clarity on your operating model and equity in commission splits. Hear which roles they hired and in what order. Get their three-stage process for bringing great-fit people onto the team. 

Watch or listen to this conversation with Anthwon Thomas for insights into:
 - Exemplifying the values and principles of the team as a leader and as a leadership team

- Dropping out of a pre-law university path and becoming a real estate agent

- When and why he started a team with someone who’s still a member today (and the “scary” part of the process)

- Which staff and agents they hired and in what order

- Growing production 50% with a new CRM, a database manager, and more accountability

- Their main lead sources and their monthly ad spend

- How onboarding and training have evolved over the past 7 years

- Why he abandoned the idea of a NAVY Seal team in favor of recruiting more agents

- The three minimum standards required from every agent on the team (20, 20, and Tuesday)

- Details of their three-stage process to find people who fit their operating model (group call, one-way video interview, one-on-one meeting)

- Why a 60% gross profit margin and 25% net profit margin are their goals

- Why the key to preserving profit margin is managing your cost of sale / commission split

- Why he started the High Value Agent podcast

At the end, learn about Team Thomas masterminds, G-Wagon anxiety, and the benefits of writing. 

Episode Mentions:

- Episode 022 with Matt Smith https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/real-estate-team-leader-leadership-lessons-matt-smith

- FUBCON Session with Jon Cheplak https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/jon-cheplak-real-estate-teams-traditional-brokerages

- Episode 009 with Daniel Dixon https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/daniel-dixon-lighthouse-real-estate-agents

Anthwon Thomas:

- https://www.instagram.com/anthwonthomas/

- https://www.facebook.com/AnthwonThomas/

High Value Agent:

- https://www.instagram.com/highvalueagent/

- https://www.facebook.com/groups/858436428634711

- https://highvalueagent.com/hva/

Silver Lining Real Estate Group:

- https://www.slreg.com/about/

- https://www.instagram.com/_slreg_/

- https://www.facebook.com/SLREG/

Book Recommendation:

- The Power of a Positive Team by John Gordon

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

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

Founder and team leader George Laughton is focused on top-line revenue growth. COO Billy Hobbs is focused on expense management and operational efficiency. 
 
 Both have an eye on net operating income, but neither is cuffed to the numbers or focused on making a specific margin at all costs. 
 
 Ultimately, they’re working to build a durable business - one that’s healthy enough to adapt to and endure changes in market conditions, technologies, regulations, and anything else they face as a real estate team.

George and Billy were our first two guests in our Inside The Laughton Team series, in which we met and learned from eight different leaders in their 200-agent, 25-staff, and 5-office organization in Phoenix, Arizona.

They’re back on the show and together in this episode to share ideas on profitability, trust, consumer experience, video messages, transaction coordination, the infinite game, and “the EKG of the business.”

Watch or listen for insights into:

- Recognizing the need for and value of trust, intuition, and patience within the team

- Getting a snapshot of the team today (agent count, staff size, year-over-year growth)

- Running the organization on a modified version of EOS (and why they modified it) and how they prioritize problems and opportunities

- Elevating consumer experience through video communication

- Creating the most consistent and efficient agents possible

- Improving CRM, transaction management, and business intelligence over the past 7 years and through 10x agent count - and having one place to access everything from the macro level down to micro details

- Creating a durable, profitable business that shields your people through different seasons and different markets

- Watching out for the “it’s only”s that eat into profit

- Evaluating the ROI of lead sources and keeping an eye on originating source on every conversion

- Judging the effects of the NAR settlement as a net positive so far

At the end, learn about Apple update insights, too-effective Instagram ads, and empty health hacks.

The Laughton Team
 - https://www.instagram.com/laughtonteam/

- https://www.instagram.com/georgelaughton/

- https://www.instagram.com/billyhobbsjr/

Inside The Laughton Team Series

- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCJiXNo93cVr9Oc0ptse5z6Vaq5l0T1kA

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

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

Phone calls create conversations. Conversations make paychecks.
How many two-minute conversations do you need to make a paycheck? About 31.
 
Throughout this conversation, Tyler Blair repeatedly emphasizes a real estate fundamental: “phone calls are the only thing that matters.”
 
Learn how that helped him grow 15% in a down year and 4x agent count over the past few years. Learn the evolution of their recruiting process from sourcing to screening to onboarding agents. Learn the daily email every team leader should consider sending.

Listen to this conversation with Tyler Blair for insights into:

- The characteristic you can’t teach or train that gets you through all market conditions - and how they screen for it

- The path from property management to real estate agent (advice he got: “An idiot can sell a house a month”)
 - The mistake that cost his business all momentum and left his growing family broke - and how he recovered
 - Why he started a team and what the first iteration of agent training looked like (advice he got: “There are people who can do your paperwork.”)

- Why he left sales production and returned to it - and how it affected his team (advice he got: “You either have no team or a big team.”)
 - The size, structure, tenure, and culture of the team today
 - Specific things they did to grow by 15% in a down year - 75 Day Hard for real estate, call nights, and a daily email
 - Specific things they did to 4x agent count, including the recruiting channels, screening process, and closing process

- When, how, and why he left an independent brokerage, looked at all the options, and landed with eXp Realty

- His one-year vision and long-term vision for the company

- Why phone calls are “the only thing that matters” and how they focused on the finding that “31 two-minute conversations makes a paycheck”

At the end, learn about the best seat on the bench, doors that should be closed and lights that should be off, and the morning routine that make him happy and productive.

Tyler Blair:

- https://www.instagram.com/thetylerblair/

- https://www.instagram.com/legacyrealestateteam/

- https://www.legacyrealestateteam.com/

- 480 291 4478

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

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

Most great agents and teams provide significant value to clients before and during a real estate transaction. But most aren’t as systematic or successful after the transaction.

Amy Stockberger solved this problem with margarita machines (among other tools and supplies!). 

In this conversation, Amy walks us through a system that serves your clients, vendors, local employers, and agents - all at the same time. She designed it to turn one client into five, transform her database into a "databank," and create “clients for life” (rather than “past clients”).
 
The 20 agents with Amy Stockberger Real Estate each close an average of 20 units per year and have a seven-year average on the team. For years they’ve been the top team in their market, achieving a 10% market share (with a goal of 15%) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Watch or listen to this conversation with Amy Stockberger for insights into:

- Operationalizing a service-first mindset

- Doing 15-20 open houses per weekend on a diet of beef jerky, sunflower seeds, and Mountain Dew

- Identifying a “major hole” in her team’s business (and in the industry)

- Knowing where your closings come from (link to free resource below!)

- Developing the Lifetime Home Support system to serve clients for life

- Logistics behind moving trucks, party supplies, and a tool shed your clients can book at any time (in a way that drives agent reviews, agent referrals, and vendor partnerships)

- Tips for building, monetizing, and generating leads from your vendor program (they’re at $3,500/year with about 100 vendors - DM her “Ethan” on Instagram for a guide)

- Adjusting your business model toward a better exit plan

At the end, learn about traveling to see the Red Sox, cutting down on color printing, and leveraging other people’s audiences.

Get the DataBANK Developer (including tips on vendor programs):
 - https://www.instagram.com/amystockberger/ (DM her the word “Ethan”)

Get the Source Code System (to track ROI by lead source):  

- https://adobe.ly/4efGkS1

Amy Stockberger:

- https://www.amystockberger.com/

- https://lifetimehomesupport.com/

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

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

Jonathan Campbell leads the #1 real estate team in Pennsylvania. 

The 20 agents on the team each close 45-50 units per year. Together, they more than tripled the units and nearly doubled the volume of the second-ranked team.

What are the keys to this success? How does the team sustain such high per-agent productivity?
 
 After appearing as one of four contributors to Episode 50, Jonathan welcomes us into his business model, strategies, and philosophies in this full-length conversation.

Watch or listen to Episode 55 with Jonathan for insights into:

- Why agents are more likely to run profitable businesses when they’re on a profitable team

- Why profit is misunderstood and how to create more clarity around it

- His path from team agent to solo agent to sales manager to team owner

- The team leader’s job: create more opportunity

- The benefits of his team size and business model

- What agents do (and don’t do) every day

- Details of the relationship between ISAs and agents

- The process for high-quality appointment sets and handoffs

- Tips for higher conversion and higher ROI on lead sources

- Running the business on EES rather than EOS
- Increasing agent accountability and ownership

- Why he prefers to run and own a team rather than a brokerage or teamerage

- The two things he’s focused on in 2025 - new construction and cash offers

At the end, get tips for creating better conference experiences, having more conversations (with less judgment), coaching youth soccer, canceling and adding streaming subscriptions, and being around more people.

Jonathan Campbell:

- https://www.instagram.com/jsooup/

- https://www.instagram.com/joncampbellteam

- https://www.facebook.com/jsoupamanc

- https://jcteam.com/

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

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

Over the past few years, Tarasa Hurley has become licensed, a real estate agent, a team leader, and a co-owner of an independent brokerage. One key to this progress is a problem many people would love to have: too many leads!

Hear the story of tearing down the team’s first iteration and rebuilding. Learn how speed, flexibility, and control over online leads and tech stack drove the move into an independent brokerage. Get tips for recruiting agents and creating closings from the same sales methodology.

In this conversation, which was recorded in person at Unlock at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, you’ll get lessons from her experience step by step.

Listen to this conversation with Tarasa for insights into:

- The most important quality of an entrepreneur

- 5x overperformance on her first-year goal as an agent
- Her first 5 hires as she started building the team - and the vital role her husband plays

- 3 key pieces of her tech stack

- Why building or buying into an independent brokerage was the next right step - and how she pursued it

- How her team fits into the brokerage model

- How and why she dismantled the entire team and started again

- Her primary value proposition as she fires up recruiting and onboarding for the brokerage

- The role of the Follow Up Boss Success Community Mod Squad in her learning and growth

- Why deep discovery is critical to feature-benefit selling

- How she’s setting up for scale in 2025

- Which agents are right for the brokerage and which agents are right for the leads team

At the end, learn about a powerful partnership, a tiny car, and a crafting room.

Tarasa Hurley:

- https://tarasa.com

- https://www.instagram.com/tarasah/ 

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

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

Like many team leaders, Jill Biggs didn’t intend to become a real estate agent or start a team. Today, she leads the top team in her market, The Jill Biggs Group with Coldwell Banker Realty in Hoboken, NJ.
 
 Get stories and lessons from nearly 20 years of growing the team to about 60 agents. Learn some of the key roles brought in to support the team, including an in-house stager, in-house media production, and a Chief Operating Officer. Get the process for building and communicating an authentic brand.

Recorded in person at Unlock 2024 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, this conversation will leave you with a clear impression of what happens when you’re hardwired for hard work.

Watch or listen to this in-person recording with Jill Biggs for insights into:
- Speed and energy as must-have characteristics of a high-performing team

- How life, leadership, and entrepreneurship in NYC, Maui, and Miami all led to the Hoboken real estate market

- The primary key to her success: outworking other people

- How she built her initial database and her agent team with friends and how they continued growing their network over the years

- A significant team insight gleaned from her first coaching experience

- The size and structure of the team today

- When she wanted to quit and why a COO was the answer to the problem

- The growth of real estate teams over the past couple of decades

- Why everything in your business is always a little bit broken, why everything and everyone needs to be ready to change, and how to compete despite that (“You have six months to make money doing THIS, then you have to pivot”)

- How the Hardwired for Hardwork branding was developed with Marc Davison of 1000WATT
- What’s ahead in 2025, including a fix and flip division

At the end, learn about paying less by asking to pay less (for anything) and paying your taxes on time.

Jill Biggs:

- https://www.instagram.com/jillkbiggs/

- https://www.thejillbiggsgroup.com/

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

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

Along with her first two team members (who are still with the team today), Treasure Davis built the #1 real estate team in Colorado Springs - a team of 15 agents who closed more than 400 units last year.

More than 20 years into the business and more than a dozen years into building the team, Treasure reflects on the people, processes, and technology that allowed her to persevere and thrive in various market conditions. The amount of grit required just to start this journey makes it all the more impressive and wonderful.

Treasure also shares insights into working with developers and builders, including the story of two years of follow-up that led to ground-up work on what will be a community (and city!) of more than 2,500 people.

We recorded this conversation in person at Unlock 2024 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Throughout, you’ll hear themes of honesty, integrity, authentic connection, and thoughtful reflection.

Watch or listen to this conversation with Treasure Davis for insights into:

- Developing market resilience for yourself and your team through adaptability, flexibility, and relationship-building

- Doing things you don’t want to do and that few people will … because there’s no database

- Getting your team agents to achieve success faster than they could as solo agents

- Starting a team nearly by accident but from the common position of having too much opportunity to handle yourself

- Weighing the pros and cons of making your name the team’s name

- Reflecting on the people, processes, and technology behind a high-performing team (including a 226-item task list that’s 20 years in the making)

- Getting involved with developers and builders on new construction projects

- Following up for two years to create the opportunity to develop the marketing, sales, and product strategies behind a new community

At the end, get lessons on coaching and practicing before performing, celebrating the journey over the destination, getting out for summer sports, and getting out of your local bubble.

Treasure Davis:
- https://www.instagram.com/treasuredavisrealtor/

- https://www.facebook.com/treasure.davis.5

- https://www.treasuredavis.com/

- https://www.tiktok.com/@treasuredavisteam

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

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

From being one of the first four real estate agents of a new real estate company to serving as Chief Operating Officer of a +1,000-member organization, Lauren Bowen has experienced, learned, and achieved more than most in the industry over the past decade … all with boldness and kindness.

We opened 2024 with Lauren as our first guest. Now we’re opening 2025 with her return!

Last year she shared the path from 1 to 16 different lead sources. This year she shares how they vet, distribute, and increase conversion on 24 different lead sources!

Among the MANY helpful things she openly shares with you in this conversation: how they discovered that 56% of leads closed with the second Robert Slack agent they talked to - and what they did about it.
 
We recorded this conversation in person at Unlock 2024 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Listen to this episode with Lauren Bowen for insights into:

- The obvious and non-obvious benefits of grace

- The growth of Robert Slack from one office and four agents to more than 800 agents in multiple offices in five states

- The agent count to start investing in agent onboarding and training

- How they built their corporate staff of 20 people to support about 1,000 team members, including role and recruiting tips

- What it takes to run the organization as a family

- Why teams shouldn’t get above 50 agents (35 is the recommended limit)

- Lessons learned from managing 24 lead sources, including putting agents on two lead sources max (down from five or six)

- Three things they did to double lead conversion on some of their sources

- The three roles that fulfill her vision of “making agents’ lives easier”

- Specific ways they task their ISA team, including an automation to help ISAs “revive the leads”

- Insights into tracking lead conversion by source, reviewing your lead sources monthly, balancing lead quality and quantity, and vetting new lead sources

- A bittersweet change since her appearance on Episode 11 to open 2024

At the end, Lauren talks baseball, building over buying, and being bouyant. She also shares tips for balancing your commitments to real estate conferences.

16 Lead Sources for 800 Agents with Lauren Bowen | Ep 011
- https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/lauren-bowen-robert-slack-coo-lead-sources-team-leaders

Lauren Bowen:

- https://www.instagram.com/lauren_bowen_robertslackllc/

- https://www.tiktok.com/@lbowen_robertslack

- https://www.instagram.com/robertslackllc/

- https://www.tiktok.com/@robertslackrealestate
- https://robertslack.com
- lauren (dot) bowen (at) robertslack (dot) com

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

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

Compared to 2023, production was down about 18% this year for The Funk Collection brokered by eXp Realty in Orlando, Florida. Co-team leader Renee Funk took no pleasure in sharing that, but also acknowledged that it’s a fact.

Many teams experienced similar results, driven by all kinds of change. But change presents opportunity and Renee is bullish on regulation changes and the year ahead.

Here in this bonus episode themed to the 2024 Wins and 2025 Game Plans episodes that immediately precede it, Renee shares some of the lessons, challenges, and wins their team faced - and what’s ahead in 2025.

FUBCON Session with Renee: https://youtu.be/ClJc94xi3ic

Subscriber-only episodes: https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe

Listen to this episode with Renee Funk for insights into:

- Why operations are the “true glue” of your team and why your first hires should be in this area

- Why there’s no single way to define success in real estate and what that means for leaving or staying in sales production

- Specific conversations to have openly within your team, including teams within the team and offboarding rather than re-recruiting

- The LB NT framework to reflect on any meeting, conversation, or time period

- Why they’re bullish on regulation changes (spoiler: it’s about clarity of value for all)

- Specific times we’ve seen the “end of agents” fear and distraction before

- How they approached training on buyer-broker agreements

- The two-stage buyer conversations to get buyer-broker agreements signed, to get more buyers to contracts, and to level up “Pop Tart” agents

- Resetting strategy with yourself, your team, and your clients

At the end, learn about a top team that’s close to home.

Renee Funk:

- https://reneefunk.com

- https://www.instagram.com/renee_funk

- https://realtyinorlando.com

Real Estate Team OS:

- https://www.realestateteamos.com

- https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos

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

FUBCON Session with Renee:
 - https://youtu.be/ClJc94xi3ic

FUBCON Session playlist:
 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCJiXNo93cVopyNz34nrcV-kVacpWjvAm

 7 subscriber-only episodes and email-exclusive insights every week:

- https://realestateteamos.com/subscribe