Built on Referrals

Justin Stoddart | Relationship-Based Business Growth
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship

A Modern Business on a Timeless Foundation Welcome to Built on Referrals, hosted by Justin Stoddart, author of The Upstream Model and Co-Founder and CEO of ProInsight. This is the podcast for professionals in real estate, home services, and financial services who want to build a business that embraces today’s best technology while keeping relationships at the center. Here, you’ll find the strategies and tactics to build a highly profitable, legacy-driven, referral-based business. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience building and advising relationship-based businesses, Justin brings both proven wisdom and real-time insight from his work with top referral-based companies serving homeowner clients. Here, you’ll learn how to leverage today’s best technology without losing the personal touch that drives trust, loyalty, and referrals.

Episodes

  1. May 8

    Ep 003 Why Your Business Breakthrough Doesn't Require More Tech | It Requires Better Relationships

    Today, we are tackling a feeling we all know too well: the grind. If you feel like you are pushing a boulder uphill to get your business to the next level, it might be time to stop forcing it and find your alignment. There is a lot of noise telling you to automate everything and integrate endless new tech tools, but what if your greatest breakthrough requires leaning into the relationship-building talents you already possess? This episode is a reminder that success doesn't always have to be this hard. If you are tired of doing it all yourself and want to discover the power of a "quantum leap," you are in the right place. What You Will Discover - The High Jump Epiphany: A powerful story about why shifting from what you’ve always done (the grind) to what aligns with your natural talents can create unexpected, overnight success. - The Myth of the Hard Way: Why we mistakenly believe that endless struggle is the only path to growth, and how to spot when you are simply running the wrong race. - The Ultimate Door Opener: Why curating the right network and collaborating with bright people will take you further and faster than trying to build a business in isolation. - Collaboration vs. Automation: The massive difference between spending a week setting up a new tech tool to act like you, versus simply taking a real person out for coffee. - Back to Basics: How to stop chasing every shiny new bell and whistle and get back to the timeless foundation of cultivating meaningful, human connections. Get Your Referral Score Are you capturing the opportunities already within your reach, or are they slipping through the cracks? Take two minutes to find out where your business currently stands. Get your score out of 100, receive quick steps to improve, and grab a free digital and audio copy of my book, The Upstream Model. Test your business here: https://builtonreferrals.com/referralscore/

    6 min

  2. Apr 21

    Ep 002 Don't Let AI Replace This With Your Clients

    Today, we are tackling a modern dilemma: how do you integrate AI into a relationship-based business without destroying the very trust you’ve built? There are endless shiny new tools promising to automate your client interactions, but outsourcing human connection is a fast track to losing it. This episode serves as a reality check on when to leverage AI and when to keep things profoundly human. If you want to use technology to enhance your relationships rather than replace them, you are in the right place. What You Will Discover Things vs. People: Why you should automate your back-office tasks to be efficient, but never try to be "efficient" with your front-office relationships. The Robot Call Reality Check: A cautionary tale of what happens when you try to use an AI agent to gather personal client data like birthdays and anniversaries. The Ultimate AI Filter: The one critical question you need to ask yourself before implementing any new bell, whistle, or shiny AI object into your business. The Spouse Analogy: Why outsourcing your relationship-building to a robot is just as disastrous in business as it would be in a marriage. Modern Tools, Timeless Core: How to build a modern business that uses cutting-edge technology to make you more insightful, present, and valuable when you are face-to-face with your clients. Get Your Referral Score Are you capturing the opportunities already within your reach, or are they slipping through the cracks? Take two minutes to find out where your business currently stands. Get your score out of 100, receive quick steps to improve, and grab a free digital and audio copy of my book, The Upstream Model. Test your business here: https://builtonreferrals.com/referralscore/ Episode Timestamps: 00:00 AI and Relationships 00:12 The AI Call Story 00:46 Efficient Not With People 01:56 Why Robot Calls Fail 03:04 Referral Score Break 03:39 Modern Tools Timeless Core 04:16 Back Office vs Front Office 04:58 Run Every Tool Filter 05:33 Spouse Analogy Reality Check 05:57 People First Closing 06:15 Final Sign Off

    6 min

  3. Apr 14

    Ep 001 How to Build a Trust-Driven Business with Referrals

    Today, we are tackling a crucial question: is a referral-based model actually the right fit for you? There is a lot of noise out there pushing transactional, lead-based strategies as the only way to grow. While attention certainly matters, trust moves you much further and faster. This episode is designed as a litmus test to help you discover if your professional DNA is wired for long-term relationships and compounding growth. If you are tired of renting attention and want to own your growth engine, you are in the right place. What You Will DiscoverAttention vs. Trust: Why capturing eyeballs means nothing without the credibility to back it up.The Power of Borrowed Trust: The massive difference between starting from zero with a cold lead and transferring belief through a warm introduction.Four Key Growth Signs: Clear indicators that your business should be driven by relationships instead of expensive ads.Modernizing Word-of-Mouth: How to use the right systems and technology to make referrals proactive rather than passive.Scaling Beyond Your Sphere: Strategies to leverage ecosystems of professional partners, not just your immediate friends and family.Get Your Referral ScoreAre you capturing the opportunities already within your reach, or are they slipping through the cracks? Take two minutes to find out where your business currently stands. Get your score out of 100, receive quick steps to improve, and grab a free digital and audio copy of my book, The Upstream Model. Test your business here: builtonreferrals.com/referralscore Episode Timestamps00:00 - Is a referral business right for your DNA?02:49 - The Attention Economy vs. The Trust Economy04:23 - Test your business with the Referral Score06:29 - Leads vs. Referrals: Why borrowed trust wins09:21 - Modern systems for a timeless foundation11:21 - Four clear signs you need a referral strategy17:09 - Building a resilient, compound growth engine19:15 - Does earning trust actually take too long?21:05 - Growing a scalable network beyond your immediate sphere22:42 - Final recap and episode close

    26 min

  4. Season 1 Trailer

    Introductory Episode: From Think Bigger to Built On Referrals | What's Next

    Welcome to the Built On Referrals podcast! I’m your host, Justin Stoddart, and I am absolutely thrilled to share this brand-new project with you. Whether you’re joining me from my nine years hosting the Think Bigger Real Estate Podcast, you've read my book The Upstream Model, or you’re brand new to my world—thank you for being here. I am extremely excited about what we are going to build together. What is Built On Referrals?I believe very strongly that it’s not enough to just have a successful business; you also need to have a significant life. The best way to achieve both—and to positively impact the most people, especially those at home—is through a relationship-based business built on trust and reputation. While doing business based on relationships might seem "old-fashioned," it is still the most tried and true method out there. Especially in a world full of noise and fake trends, being someone people can genuinely trust matters more than ever. But we aren't going backward—we are building forward. This podcast is all about taking that timeless foundation and equipping it for the modern, fast-moving world. We’ll be diving deep into: Trust & Value: How to genuinely connect with clients and referral sources.Relationship Strategy: Maintaining and deepening connections in a digital age.Modern Tools: The technology, trends, and referral ecosystems shaping client expectations today.Who is this for?This show is purpose-built for professionals who primarily serve homeowners—including real estate agents, estate planners, and financial professionals. However, if you are in any relationship-driven business, you will find massive value here to help you build something durable, modern, and worth talking about. What to Expect:Bite-Sized Tactics (Weekly): Short, 5- to 10-minute solo episodes designed for you to digest quickly and put into action immediately.Bonus Expert Spotlights (Monthly): Deep dive interviews with industry professionals who have mastered a specific skill you need to know about.Hit subscribe and get ready to receive value like you've never experienced before. It’s time to build a modern business on a timeless foundation. Let's go!

    4 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

A Modern Business on a Timeless Foundation Welcome to Built on Referrals, hosted by Justin Stoddart, author of The Upstream Model and Co-Founder and CEO of ProInsight. This is the podcast for professionals in real estate, home services, and financial services who want to build a business that embraces today’s best technology while keeping relationships at the center. Here, you’ll find the strategies and tactics to build a highly profitable, legacy-driven, referral-based business. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience building and advising relationship-based businesses, Justin brings both proven wisdom and real-time insight from his work with top referral-based companies serving homeowner clients. Here, you’ll learn how to leverage today’s best technology without losing the personal touch that drives trust, loyalty, and referrals.

Information

  • Creator
    Justin Stoddart | Relationship-Based Business Growth
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Justin Stoddart | Relationship-Based Business Growth
  • Show Website
    Built on Referrals