Next Level Agents: The Kevin & Fred Show - Interviews with the best and brightest minds in the real estate industry Kevin Kauffman and Fred Weaver

There are two sides to growth, achievement and success - strategies and tactics as well as mindset and self-work. You can know what to do, but not be emotionally, mentally and spiritually prepared for it. This is why the real conduit to business growth is knowing yourself and what makes you tick. 

The problem is: people tend to camp out on one or the other, overly focusing on the tactics or overly focusing on mindset. In order to really take off, we have to marry the two sides and work on them simultaneously. It’s often easier to focus on the strategy side of things, because the term “inner work” can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Ultimately, we all have things that get in the way of how we show up in the world. Becoming aware of these areas and working on them is what will drive growth in every corner of our lives. 

That’s why Lindsay Fricks created Legacy Agents - a container that combines the tactical strategies with the inner work piece. She discovered that growth, setting boundaries with clients and getting the right opportunities was easy once she worked on herself. Today she shares her journey and how she’s paying it forward with her new book. 

Quotes 

Setting boundaries and learning yourself and what makes you tick is the best thing you can do for growing your business. -Lindsay Fricks

You can wire your brain for the success you’re looking for, but it’s the beliefs that drive the thoughts which then drive the action which drives the results. -Lindsay Fricks
 
Key Points  

The truth about this business 
Coming into real estate with a nest egg is one key factor that set Lindsay up for early success. A lot of people come in without the stability of a good runway and that’s why they struggle. They have a lack of financial finesse because they got into this thinking it’s just about selling houses. You are, in fact, a small business owner and a CEO, being a Realtor is just a job within the business. 

Friends with professional benefits 
When Angela came into this industry, she had no database to speak of. So she did 100 open houses in a year! That allowed her to build a ton of relationships, but she still has a standard of who she’s going to work with. Because she talks to so many people, she’s able to be more selective about clients, and create friendships that happen to have a business component. 

Self-work and business growth go hand-in-hand 
You can only grow your business to the extent that you’re physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually prepared for it. It’s not enough to be around the right people or do the right strategies. Until you figure out who you are, what makes you tick, and why you do things, you’ll never be able to grow your business because you’re trying to do what someone else is doing.  

The ultimate power of self-work 
You can wire your brain for the success that you’re looking for, but the beliefs drive the thoughts which then drive the action, which drives the results. It’s about closing the gap between who you are inside and who you show up as to the world. Once you do that, you radiate at a magnetic level where you just end up calling in the right people and opportunities. 

Guest Info

Lindsay Fricks is an Arizona Realtor, Agent Success Coach, founder of Legacy Agents and author of Becoming a Legacy Agent.  Legacy Agents provides hands-on, practical guidance on navigating the complex world of entrepreneurship and real estate investment. Whether you have been in the industry since you stepped out of the womb, or you’re just starting, their mastermind and workshops are tailored to meet you at your unique stage, providing you with the tools and strategies to reach new levels of success. For more information follow @lindsay.fricks and @legacy.agents on Instagram. 

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The real estate industry has always given people the ability to build a business on their own terms…unless you’re a solo agent who wants to remain that way. 

Individual agents who want to grow without starting a team or joining a team have always been left out in the cold. There have never been models, structures and supports that allow them to scale without getting away from what they’re good at. 

Their only other option is to stay where they are, stagnate and remain in the shadow of the business models that are hyped up from the stage. Nikki Miller found herself at this crossroads. She was a solo agent who wanted to scale or earn more without taking on all the overhead of starting a team. She also didn't want to give up her own brand for someone else’s. After being told there was no solution, she decided to build it herself, and The LEAD Syndicate was born. After being told it wouldn’t work, the platform quickly grew to 160 locations and recently got acquired by OJO Labs (now Movoto).  

It goes to show that not fitting into any industry boxes, can actually be an advantage. A new idea based on your own pain point is worth chasing down because often, you’re not the only one with that problem. Yes, you’ll get resistance  and even pushback, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work. In this episode, Nikki shares the story behind LEAD Syndicate, and why serving individual agents should matter to the entire industry. 

Quotes 

If you build well and show up correctly day-to-day, the success will show up. -Nikki Miller  

When you’re coming up with something new, you’re probably on the right track if people don’t think it’s going to work. -Nikki Miller  

We’re never solving problems in a vacuum, if we have a problem, someone else does. -Nikki Miller  

Key Points  

The truth about intentionally solo agents 
Solo agents who want to stay solo are every brokerage’s biggest pain point. They are the biggest revolving door, the biggest time suck, and also a growing group. The challenge is they’ve always been underserved in this industry. 

Why solo agents are often left in the cold
There are many solo agents who want to remain solo, but also want to have systems, leverage and economies of scale. They just want to focus on what they are good at and nothing more. The LEAD Syndicate was created as a plug-and-play solution for this group of agents. It provides them with consistent support in coaching and training, database management, marketing, transaction management and supplemental lead generation. The agents don’t have to figure anything out, the platform takes that off their plates so they can focus on what they do best. 

Focus on what stays the same
When it comes to innovating, most people think about what will change and what will be new in the near and distant future. But sometimes the most innovative things come from focusing on what’s never going to change about the consumer - that’s exactly what Jeff Bezos did. 

Your “weakness” is an advantage 
If you think there's something wrong with you because you aren’t behaving the way everyone else is or you don’t have the strengths everyone else does, think differently. That thing you’re resisting is actually your strength so lean into it and figure out how to use that in order to achieve what you want.

Guest Info

Nikki Miller is the founder of The LEAD Syndicate and the VP of Lever and Agent Programs at OJO Labs. Lever is a first-of-its-kind platform specifically optimized for individual agents. It gives all the support, economies of scale, infrastructure, accountability, and training of a team without having to give up your personal brand.
Follow @the_nikki_miller on Instagram and go to https://lever.movoto.com/ for more information. 

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Most of us got into real estate and running our own businesses because we craved freedom and autonomy. The problem is that freedom can be the very thing that leads to us losing our businesses. 

In order to have both the freedom and the sustained great results, we need to build constraints around ourselves. If we don’t, at any given moment, our businesses are under the threat of four killers. 

No matter how long you’ve been in the game, you can still fall prey to these problems and find yourself going backwards or completely derailed. Our businesses aren’t just in danger when the market is hard, they are in fact most prone when everything is going well and you get complacent. 

Today, we’re going to discuss the 4 business killers, how they manifest and how to prevent and address them. 


Quotes 

When things are good, it’s easier to spend money, to say yes and to not hold standards.  We lose discipline in the things that got us to where we were. -Kevin Kauffman 

A lack of discipline shows up in not us not repeating the same activity day in and day out. -Fred Weaver 

People are assigning hope to an external activity to fuel their business. You can’t do that for that many quarters in a row without finding yourself out of this business. -Fred Weaver 

Key Points  

The danger of inconsistent discipline 
In this industry, it’s really easy to be disciplined when you desperately need the next deal, but what happens when things start going well? We take our foot off the gas. We’re disciplined enough to go out and hustle for the next deal, but not in the long run. Many of us are undisciplined - a good month is based on deals happening and having money in the bank. We have peaks and valleys in our income because it’s a direct reflection of the inconsistency in our activity. When things are good, it’s easier to spend money, to say yes and to not hold standards. It’s really easy to lose discipline in the things that got us to where we were.

Being overly optimistic 
We have to accept that fact when the market’s good, our results are going to outpace our effort. Some of our great outcomes are just pure luck - we were at the right place at the right time. The problem is: if we believe that things will stay good, that easy deals will keep flowing in and that rates will stay low, we’ll miss market changes that are obvious. Assigning hope to an external activity to fuel your business isn’t sustainable. 

This is a boredom management business 
The truth about this business is boredom will creep in the longer you’re in it. If you’re not bored, you haven’t been in business long enough and/or you’re not consistent enough with your activities. The problem is boredom can sabotage our business because we fall into the trap of trying new things, creating chaos and taking our eye off the ball. This  ultimately crumbles results in our core business. 

How to combat impatience 
Impatience is lethal in business because there might be a bigger gap between our effort and results than we expect. So many business owners sabotage themselves because they start thinking whatever they are doing isn’t working. Successful people have mastered the art of outlasting the impatient people. 
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The secret to growing a real estate team can be summed up in 4 words: people move the money. If you’re a team leader or broker owner looking to add more transactions to your bottom line, you can’t avoid adding to your agent count. 

You could pour more into the agents you do have and try to squeeze more production out of them, but if you’re relying on that for growth, you’re going to be disappointed. Of course, it’s critical to keep developing our people, but there’s only so much more we can get out of them. Even if we give them everything, people will inevitably hit a ceiling, so we have to get more people in if we want to increase our results.

You may get out of production to grow your team, but that doesn’t mean you stop lead generating. Now your lead gen efforts need to be put toward building your agent pipeline, having recruiting conversations and treating agents like your new listings. 

A business vs. a job 
There are two types of people in real estate: agents who love selling houses and agents who want to build businesses. The ones who want to build businesses grow by bringing more agents on, instead of trying to increase their transactions. The reality is: we could go out tomorrow and start making listings and we’d probably make more money, but we don’t want a business that relies on our effort to grow. We want leverage through people.  

Agents are your new listings 
Team leaders or broker owners who want to grow their agent count may step out of selling homes, but they still have to lead generate. You have to channel the energy you put into real estate into recruiting people to your team. The activities are the same: you have to get on the phone, set appointments and convert those appointments into closings AKA an agent joining your team. 

The good news about the proposed NAR settlement 
If you’re a team leader looking to grow your agent count, this NAR settlement presents a huge opportunity. A lot of people aren’t prepared for the changes in the industry and their businesses are suffering. This is a perfect opportunity to step in, have an honest conversation and provide much-needed guidance by offering to bring them on your team. 

8 million opportunities
So many people in real estate believe there’s no opportunity in this market, but the numbers don’t lie. In 2023, 4 million homes sold, and that means there were 8 million opportunities. There’s still plenty of transactions to be had for the agents doing the right things. 

Guest Info

With a North Carolina Broker's License acquired in 2005, Noah embarked on a remarkable journey in real estate. Selling over 1400 properties and personally listing more than 100 homes in a single year, Noah's expertise became evident early on. Beginning his career with Keller Williams Realty in 2005, Noah took the bold step of founding George Real Estate Group in 2019, an independent brokerage serving Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. Notably, Noah transitioned away from active sales, redirecting his focus towards building the business through training, mentoring, coaching, and recruiting. Starting with 12 agents in early 2023, the brokerage has flourished, growing to 25 agents by the onset of 2024. This expansion has notably propelled productivity even during a challenging real estate environment, boasting a 100% increase in production during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year, directly attributed to the emphasis on team development. To date, Noah's career at KW and the collective efforts of George Real Estate Group have facilitated over $346 million in real estate transactions. Connect with Noah on LinkedIn.


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When we look at someone making and posting great content, we tend to overlook one thing. They all had that first crappy post or clumsy video. It doesn’t become polished overnight - it goes through a ton of iterations until it looks amazing. You don’t see the 100 steps the content creator had to go through - the period of being bad at it first, figuring it out, learning new things and applying them. 

Most people will never get to great because they aren’t willing to go through this part of the process. They are afraid of looking silly and afraid of the discomfort of looking like they don’t know what they’re doing. They don’t want to screw up in order to do it better next time. 

The journey of getting better as a business owner, and a person for that matter, involves a lot of humbling moments, learning curves, curiosity and a ton of improvements. As soon as we become okay with that, we unlock our next level of growth. We’re ultimately in the self-improvement business disguised as a real estate business. How do we commit to constant growth and improvement? Today, fellow Phoenix agent, Angela Gordon talks about how she’s growing her business by improving herself. 

Key Points  

Give fear a seat at the table, not a vote
One of the things that holds us back from taking action is the fear of not getting results or looking silly. Fear is a natural response to trying something new. We can still have the thoughts, but we don’t have to give them power by not taking action. Give fear and doubt a seat at the table, but you don’t have to give them a vote. 

How to handle the results lag of real estate
As agents whose business results often lag behind the action we take, we don’t have the benefit of instant gratification. If we let our emotions control the day-to-day of our business and what we do, we can easily get off track. We have to believe that as long as we’re doing the right things, business will be okay, even if we don’t see the results right away. 

You’re not in the business of selling houses
If you’re a business owner, you’re really in the self-development business especially if you’re working with the public and dealing with customers/clients. Working on yourself is your number 1 job because if you don’t overcome your BS, you’ll never get to where you want to go. 

How to tap into your creativity 
One of the most powerful things we can do is be more creative. It benefits us in so many aspects of our business. But how do we lean into creativity and get ourselves into a creative space? By getting out of our usual routines, taking a break from work and getting out of our element. Whatever our hamster wheel is, we have to step off it to get those creative juices flowing. 

The power of curiosity 
Curiosity and the ability to be uncomfortable are some of the most powerful qualities a person can possess. Most people aren’t willing to try something different, but even if you discover that the new hobby wasn’t for you, you still get to learn something about yourself, and that’s great if you want to keep growing. 

Guest Info

Angela is an investor and top 4% real estate agent in Arizona who focuses on the east valley cities. With an emphasis on cultivating community, connecting people and supporting local businesses. Angela is also committed to personal development, constant improvement and building a life on being your authentic self. Follow @angelagordon_ on Instagram. 

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Real estate may have had its stormy period, but things are really close to being good again. Knowing all this, why are both real estate and mortgage bleeding over 40% of agents and loan officers? 

Anyone you see leaving the industry right now has learned a brutal lesson - your results can only outpace your effort for so long. If you get used to cashing easy checks, in an easy market without the effort, you’ll feel invincible, until you get a rude awakening. If you don’t pick up the effort to deserve your results, you won’t have them anymore. 

There's a better approach…

Anyone who has stayed in the industry, and is set to grow when things get good again understands the power of frontloading the work. They would rather work at 80 to 100% capacity in less time instead of working at 30% capacity for 20 years. The more you front-load the work and effort, the longer it has to cook and the more you get out of it. 

The result: an impact and return on investment that compounds exponentially. Most people would call it a sacrifice, but Colby Steel sees it as something different - an investment in future flexibility and ultimately, freedom. Today, he shares how he made the switch from real estate to mortgage, how he was able to ramp up fast, and the reason so many are leaving the industry right now.

Quotes 

The more you front-load the work the longer it has to cook. -Kevin Kauffman 

There’s an opportunity to serve more people by expanding your arsenal. -Colby Steel

If you do all the things you need to be doing, and you’re a person of integrity, you earn the benefit of the doubt. -Colby Steel 

I’ve actually done the math on what actually moves the needle and I don't feel bad about the things that don’t. -Kevin Kauffman 

The best way to learn is by doing more of the thing. -Colby Steel 

An inflated market will cover up inadequacies in your business. -Colby Steel 

If your results start to outpace your effort, that can only last for so long. -Kevin Kauffman 

Guest Info

Colby Steel is a Loan Strategist who has lived in Mohave County for most of his life. Since joining the world of finance with Chase Bank and JP Morgan Securities, he allowed his passion for customer service to shine through and began building his clientele.  In 2016 he opted to switch over the mortgage industry and hasn't looked back since.  His forward progression in home lending is a direct reflection of that focus. Colby has helped 100’s to reach their dream of homeownership by being a trusted local resource and always putting his clients first. Follow @steelcolby on Instagram. 

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