Our guest on this episode of the Start with a Win podcast is RE/MAX Co-founder and Chairman of the Board, Dave Liniger. Dave got his start in real estate by flipping houses to earn some extra money while he was stationed with the military in Arizona. He soon decided to get his real estate license in order to save some money on his house flipping, and he observed the activity of the other agents. When his time with the military was completed, he moved to Denver and applied for real estate jobs. He worked with agencies that used the 50%/50% concept and the 100% concept, and he realized that he liked elements of both setups.

He soon decided to create his own company with the goal of becoming a worldwide real estate agency which would combine the freedom of a 100% agency and the stability of a 50%/50% agency in the best possible way, and in January 1973, his dream was born. Most real estate agents at that time were white-haired men, but Dave was an advocate for recruiting women to be agents, despite the prejudices of the industry. This model worked very well for RE/MAX, and by the end of the 5th year, 80% of the agents were women and RE/MAX was #1 in Colorado in listings, sales, and commissions.

When it came to naming the company, Dave didn’t like the idea of using his own name. The idea of “real estate maximums” came up during a brainstorming session, and the team decided to shorten it to RE/MAX to be more catchy while still keeping the heart of the concept. In those early years, there were many sleepless nights and very few days off, but their hard work paid off and they were able to meet their goals. 

Dave’s main challenges of lack of management ability and resistance to the basis of the company from the rest of the industry were overcome by the institution of effective systems and processes. Dave also surrounded himself with the best team he could and made sure that they all focused on being persistent and purposeful.

Links:

Dave Liniger’s Bio: https://www.remax.com/newsroom/company-info/officer-bios/board-of-directors-of-remax-holdings-inc/dave-liniger-chairman-and-co-founder.htm 

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