The Collective Genius Podcast

Leon Barnes
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  • BUSINESS
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The CG Podcast is the go-to resource for active real estate investors looking to scale their business to the next level. Tune in as the nation's top real estate investors share their success stories the game-changing decisions that shaped their journey how they turned failures into valuable learning experiences. Whether you're aiming to grow your portfolio, refine your strategy, or gain insights from industry leaders, this podcast delivers the knowledge and inspiration you need to accelerate your success.

  1. 16H AGO

    From 220 Flips to a Billion-Dollar Lending Company featuring Josh Stech

    In this episode of the Collective Genius Podcast, host Leanne Barnes sits down with Josh Stech—Stanford-educated entrepreneur, CG founding member, and one of the most prolific builders in the real estate investing space. Josh's journey reads like a masterclass in spotting white space: from fixing and flipping in Las Vegas, to co-founding Lending Home and scaling it to over 15% national market share and a $1 billion valuation, to building ventures that help everyday investors access the same wealth-building tools that changed his family's trajectory. This episode goes well beyond business biography. Josh unpacks the strategic thinking behind every major pivot—why he left Lending Home at its peak, how the SoFi business model shaped his thinking, why focus is the most underrated growth lever, and how AI is about to reshape real estate in ways most investors aren't prepared for. He also shares two ventures—Just Be the Bank and Access Insiders—that open the door to private lending and early-stage investing for anyone ready to level up.   Timeline Summary [0:46] – Welcome and intro to Josh Stech, founding CG member and entrepreneur [3:08] – How a CG meeting 15 years ago led to the first private loan that changed Josh's family's trajectory [4:20] – Stanford, economics, and why Josh chose flipping over private equity right out of school [6:09] – From 220 flips to 1,000+ loans in three years: recognizing a superpower in capital raising [7:22] – The lending landscape in 2013: a massively fragmented market with no dominant player [10:11] – The honors thesis on the subprime crisis that pointed Josh toward real estate investing [12:08] – Lending Home: bootstrapped vs. venture capital and what it felt like to build a unicorn [13:42] – The Mike Cagney / SoFi model that inspired Josh to think about serving one customer broadly [17:49] – The real cost of expanding your surface area: complexity compounds faster than revenue [28:05] – The biggest opportunity in real estate right now: folding AI into your business [29:09] – Why smaller brands are about to disappear from AI search results—and what to do about it [29:31] – AI for inside sales, voice models, and inspection tech: what Josh is testing right now [31:37] – Just Be the Bank: the two-and-a-half-day course teaching private lending from scratch [33:04] – Access Insiders: the alternative investment club doing early-stage venture deals [35:24] – The passive income continuum: flipping → rentals → lending → lending funds [37:26] – Foreclosure reality check: why the risk most people fear almost never happens [39:14] – What Josh is most excited about heading into 2026—and it's not business   5 Key Takeaways Find Your Leverage, Then Follow It – Josh pivoted from flipping to lending the moment he realized raising capital was his superpower. Knowing where you have unfair advantage changes everything. Serve One Customer Broadly, Not One Product to Everyone – The SoFi model: find the right customer and surround them with everything they need over time. Focus Is a Feature, Not a Limitation – Lending Home grew to $800M months after Josh left—largely because they stayed in their lane. Expanding surface area multiplies complexity, not just revenue. AI Is the Biggest Opportunity in Real Estate Right Now – From dominating LLM search results to voice-based sales and AI-powered inspections, the window to get ahead is open—but closing fast. Private Lending Is the Most Scalable Path to Passive Income – One borrower can generate 100 loans. The underwriting bar is lower, foreclosure rates are under 1%, and the checks just come in.   Links & Resources Just Be the Bank – Two-and-a-half-day private lending course + book (Amazon #1 bestseller): justbethebank.com/genius (exclusive resource page for CG podcast listeners) Access Insiders – Alternative investment and early-stage venture club (run with Josh's father) ExploreCG.com – Learn more about the Collective Genius community   If Josh's story sparked something for you—whether it's the lending path, the AI opportunity, or just the reminder that there's always a bigger game to play—share this episode with someone who's ready to think at a different level. And if you want to be in the room with builders like Josh, head to ExploreCG.com to learn more and apply.

    42 min

  2. 4D AGO ·  BONUS

    Ryan Weimer: Why Your CRM Is Costing You Millions and You Don't Even Know It

    In this CG Live episode recorded at our Q1 event in Dallas, Texas, I sit down with CG Premier member Ryan Weimer — a Boise, Idaho-based real estate investor who signed 200 deals in 2025 and then discovered he lost nearly 1,000 more. His main stage presentation stopped the room, and for good reason: the data he brought was something most investors are too afraid to look at. Ryan walks through exactly how his team uncovered 998 missed deals in a single year — all sitting in their own CRM — and what it revealed about their hiring, their lead management, and their leadership. We dig into how he reframed that painful number as an opportunity for his team, why attacking your database beats spending more on marketing, and how the shift from sales company to data company is now changing the way they hire, manage, and grow. If you've ever wondered how much money is sitting untouched in your CRM, this episode will wake you up.   Timeline Summary [0:23] – Live from Dallas at the CG Q1 Premier and CEO event [0:50] – Introducing Ryan Weimer and the presentation that stopped the room [1:07] – How Ryan came into this meeting knowing the data — and still got slapped by it again [1:51] – The market shift: recalibrating from the Boise boom years to doing the real work [2:15] – The number: 998 missed deals in 2025 in a market of just over a million people [2:34] – Context: 200 signed deals, nearly 1,000 lost — five times more missed than won [3:21] – Why this means you don't need a second market — you need to mine what you already have [3:44] – Their CRM only represents 2% of all housing units in Idaho — the pie is enormous [4:31] – How AI and property sales tracking made it possible to identify every missed deal [5:09] – Breaking down the 998: off-market sales they had in their CRM, both inbound and outbound leads [6:00] – Nearly half of the 998 were sitting in the "new" bucket — never contacted beyond initial reach [7:20] – Four pain points every investor is facing: leads, appointments, conversions, and closing [8:40] – Calculating the real cost: $39M in lost revenue and $5M in missed team commissions [9:32] – Two major realizations: drastically under-hired and a total failure of leadership [9:52] – Lead managers had no consistent system for attacking the database — all different answers [10:09] – "People need to be reminded more than they need to be taught" [10:56] – How Ryan took ownership before pointing fingers at the team [11:34] – Reframing missed deals as opportunity: showing the team what's in it for them [12:13] – The shift in team buy-in: from chasing visionary optimism to trusting the data [13:03] – Breaking through the $5M ceiling and building a culture around visible opportunity [14:08] – The real fix isn't more marketing spend — it's better sales ops [14:46] – Why pressing the easy button on marketing digs a deeper hole in profitability [15:11] – How attacking your CRM can take a 3X ROAS to a 5X without spending another dollar [15:30] – Being afraid to look at the skeletons in your CRM — and why you have to anyway [16:10] – Most contracts aren't one-call closes — only about 3 out of 10 are signed on the first appointment [17:35] – The transition: from real estate marketing company to real estate data company [17:56] – What a great CRM makes possible: hiring data-minded operators like Tory to run the numbers full-time [18:19] – Using AI to let the cream rise to the top of a large database and identify who's most likely to sell [19:03] – How the data changes your recruiting pitch — and why top sales talent leans in when they hear it [19:59] – The cycle every growing investor needs: sales, marketing, data — in that order [21:00] – How data removes the blame game between sales and marketing and creates real accountability [21:45] – Sales contests as a 0-to-1 tool for boosting sales ops without overhauling your CRM [22:09] – Using missed deal data to coach high-performing but hard-to-manage acquisitions reps [23:25] – Leadership has to shift from yelling to coaching — especially with today's workforce [25:06] – 2026 update: 108 missed deals in 9 weeks, on pace to cut annual losses by 37% [25:27] – It's not about being perfect — incremental improvement in this industry means millions   Key Takeaways The Opportunity Is Already in Your CRM Ryan's team had 998 missed deals sitting in their own database. Before spending more on marketing, audit what you already have — the gold is there. Under-Hiring Is a Silent Revenue Killer One of the biggest contributors to missed deals was simply not having enough people to follow up. If your lead volume outpaces your headcount, you're leaving money on the table daily. Leadership Failure Shows Up in the Data When your lead managers all describe their day differently, that's not a training problem — it's a leadership problem. Systems and reminders matter more than one-time training. Frame Missed Deals as Opportunity, Not Failure Ryan didn't go to his team and say "we lost 1,000 deals." He showed them $5M in missed commissions and asked what they were going to do about it. That framing changes everything. Data Transforms How You Hire and Lead When you can show a recruit exactly how many people you helped, how much opportunity exists, and where the gaps are — the best candidates lean in. Data turns recruiting into a competitive advantage.   Links & Resources Follow Ryan on Instagram: @realryanweimer Explore CG Membership: https://www.explorecg.com   Closing Remark If this episode made you want to open your CRM and start auditing what's been sitting there, take a moment to rate, follow, and review the Collective Genius Podcast. And if you're ready to be in a room with operators like Ryan, visit https://www.explorecg.com and apply today.

    27 min

  3. MAY 5

    The 5 Leadership Gaps Holding Your Business Back featuring Annie Yatch

    In this episode of the Collective Genius Podcast, host Leanne Barnes sits down with leadership coach and longtime CG collaborator Annie Yatch—founder of Northstar Leadership—for a conversation that goes well beyond the typical real estate investing playbook. Annie brings a uniquely powerful background: a counterterrorism master's from Georgetown, work with the Defense Intelligence Agency, and years spent backward-engineering the leadership systems of Navy SEAL teams to apply them to entrepreneurial businesses. What Annie found after working with thousands of entrepreneurs is that the biggest obstacle to scaling isn't leads, marketing, or even hiring—it's leadership gaps. In this episode, she walks through all five, with a deep dive into the delegation gap and a practical five-step framework any entrepreneur can start using immediately. From trauma patterns that quietly cap your revenue to the nervous system habits that keep you in grind mode, this episode is a masterclass in the inner work that makes outer scale possible. Timeline Summary [1:30] – Welcome and intro to Annie Yatch and Northstar Leadership [4:20] – Annie's two focus areas: leader development and couples in business [6:48] – Overview of the five leadership gaps every entrepreneur needs to address [7:49] – Gap 1: The delegation gap and why quick handoffs fail [8:53] – Gap 2: The feedback gap and why criticism kills team motivation [9:19] – Gap 3: The planning gap and why entrepreneurs don't contingency plan with their teams [10:03] – Gap 4: The nervous system gap and how grind culture destroys decision-making [12:28] – Gap 5: The trauma gap and how your 7-year-old self may be running your business [14:38] – How Annie's framework was born from working with Navy SEAL teams [16:26] – Why the entrepreneur's own trauma pattern derails even well-trained teams [19:07] – The five-step delegation framework: an overview [20:02] – Annie's story: 120 guests, five trash bags in the lobby, and the lesson it taught her [21:29] – Step 1: Awareness — why it has to be personal to the individual, not the company [25:05] – Step 2: Standard of performance — your common sense is actually your genius [29:49] – Step 3: Power to act — walking your team through contingency planning in advance [31:30] – Step 4: Personal commitment — getting an explicit yes with a deadline attached [37:44] – Step 5: Feedback and requests for support — asking what's missing before they get stuck [41:42] – Why "people problems" are usually delegation and management problems in disguise [44:17] – Can someone who's "not good at delegation" actually learn it? Annie's answer [47:48] – The story of a client who couldn't break $2M for five years—and why [52:42] – Marriage in Millions and the Authority Shift: Annie's core programs [54:00] – Final advice: slow down to speed up, and build your business from your ideal day first   5 Key Takeaways Your Common Sense Is Your Genius – Anything that feels obvious to you as an entrepreneur must be spoken, documented, and trained. Your team cannot meet a standard they've never been shown. Delegation Is a Five-Step Process, Not a Handoff – Awareness, standard of performance, power to act, personal commitment, and feedback. Skip any step and you're setting your team up to fail. The Trauma Gap Is Real—and It Has a Revenue Ceiling – Unresolved personal history quietly caps how much you can earn and lead. Many entrepreneurs can't break $2–3M until this is addressed. Your Nervous System Affects Your Leadership – If you feel guilty resting, can't sleep, or can't stop grinding, your nervous system is dysregulated—and it's affecting how you show up for your team. Slow Down to Speed Up – Build your business from your ideal day, not the other way around. The most successful entrepreneurs protect time for thinking, planning, and vision—before they can afford to.   Links & Resources Northstar Leadership / Reinvention XO – Annie's full resource hub: reinventionxo.com Marriage in Millions – Program for couples in real estate and business together The Authority Shift – Group program for breaking through subconscious wealth barriers Annie on Instagram: @reinvention.xo.annie (DMs open and responded to) ExploreCG.com – Learn more about the Collective Genius community   If this episode opened your eyes to the leadership gaps that might be quietly holding your business back, share it with a fellow entrepreneur—real estate or otherwise. These lessons apply across every industry. And if you're ready to be in the room with leaders like Annie, head over to ExploreCG.com to learn more and apply.

    1 hr

  4. MAY 1 ·  BONUS

    Shadi Tamimi: From 50% Fallout to Closing More Deals

    In this CG Live episode recorded at our Q1 event in Dallas, Texas, I sit down with CG Premier member Shadi Tamimi, a Central Florida-based real estate investor doing roughly 100 deals a year through wholesaling and flipping. Shadi recently presented in one of our breakout rooms on a topic that doesn't get nearly enough attention — fallout rate — and shares what he uncovered when his team went looking for the real source of the problem. We dig into the gaps between acquisitions and disposition that quietly killed deals, why celebrating a signed contract too early is one of the most dangerous habits a team can have, and how a mindset shift around serving the seller — not chasing the contract — transformed his close rates. Shadi also opens up about his own challenges on stage, including his early learnings with television advertising, and shares one of the most memorable seller stories you'll hear this year. If you're losing deals after the contract is signed and not sure why, this episode is for you.   Timeline Summary [0:23] – Live from Dallas at the CG Q1 Premier and CEO event [0:48] – Introducing Shadi Tamimi: Orlando-based investor, ~100 deals per year [1:06] – Business breakdown: 75% wholesaling/novations, 25% flips [1:38] – How Shadi started virtual across multiple metros and tightened his market focus [2:36] – Why he pivoted to Ocala and manufactured homes as an affordability play [3:24] – The four pain points driving this event: leads, appointments, contracts, and fallout [4:40] – What Shadi presented on: reducing fallout rate and getting contracts to the closing table [5:20] – Fallout was above 50% — and the team was blaming the wrong people [6:04] – The real gaps: seller expectations not set properly on novation deals [6:23] – The fix: adding a flowchart and required initials on DocuSign disclosures [7:14] – Why transparency matters: sellers sell a home once or twice; we do this every day [7:59] – The second gap: contract quality and how they were measuring the wrong win [8:25] – Celebrating signed contracts before they close — why that's like celebrating in the first quarter [8:48] – Tracking contract quality by acquisitions rep and coaching to trends before they become problems [9:31] – The mindset shift: stop telling your team to "get a contract" — tell them to serve the seller [10:10] – How that one phrase change produced results within the same week [10:41] – Core values in action: empathy, intention, and serving others first [11:08] – Elevating the whole industry by focusing on true service over the transaction [12:08] – How every team member — especially lead managers — is impacting far more people than they realize [13:40] – Shadi's most memorable seller story: a cancer patient, a $40,000 offer, and a text six months later [15:33] – How Shadi came to CG with his own challenges and the power of showing vulnerability on stage [16:10] – Being open about what went wrong and helping others avoid the same mistakes [16:47] – Shadi's challenge on stage: getting feedback on television advertising [17:13] – Key takeaway from the room: creative is the most important variable in TV, not the spend [17:54] – The value of learning from someone who just went through what you're about to try [18:22] – The three-legged stool of inbound marketing: direct mail, PPC, and television [19:04] – Pat Martin's TV journey: three months of doubt before it became their highest-converting channel [19:29] – Why a conversation with someone who just figured it out is worth more than any course [20:27] – What CG has meant to Shadi since joining in early 2024 [21:03] – Feeling lost and alone before finding a community built on giving, not selling [21:32] – How CG and the people in this room have impacted his business tenfold   Key Takeaways Don't Celebrate the Contract — Celebrate the Close Signing a contract is step one, not the finish line. Tracking quality over quantity at the contract stage is what actually drives revenue. Fallout Starts Way Before Disposition Most fallout issues trace back to gaps in acquisitions — unclear seller expectations, poor disclosure, or weak contract quality. Fix it upstream before it becomes disposition's problem. Serve the Seller and the Contract Will Follow When your acquisitions team focuses on solving the seller's problem instead of chasing a signature, close rates go up. The mindset shift is simple, and the results are immediate. Vulnerability on Stage Pays Off Sharing what went wrong is more valuable than showing off what went right. Multiple people in Shadi's breakout said they were in the exact same position — and walked away with a roadmap. The Room Is the Shortcut Whether it's TV advertising or any other new channel, finding someone who just went through it — and can share what not to do — is worth more than months of trial and error.   Links & Resources Follow Shadi on Instagram: @shadi.tamimi Email Shadi: shadi@offercharm.com Explore CG Membership: https://www.explorecg.com   Closing Remark If this episode challenged how you think about fallout, seller service, and what it actually means to close a deal, take a moment to rate, follow, and review the Collective Genius Podcast. And if you're ready to be in a room with operators like Shadi, visit https://www.explorecg.com and apply today.

    24 min

  5. APR 28

    Doing 115 Wholesale Deals in Year One Then Chose to Scale Back on Purpose featuring Ryan Haywood

    In this episode of the Collective Genius Podcast, I sit down with Ryan Haywood—longtime CG member, real estate investor, and author of From Commission to Capital—for one of the most personal and relatable conversations we've had on this show. Ryan shares how he went from managing Foot Locker stores and running a collections call center to closing 115 wholesale deals in his very first year of real estate, all out of Saint Joseph, Missouri. But this isn't just a story about scaling up. It's about scaling right. Ryan opens up about the moment he realized chasing bigger numbers was pulling him away from the life he actually wanted—and how he made the hard decision to step back, hire a CEO, and build a business that finally matched his why. From building a rental portfolio to doing strategic flips with a two-person team, Ryan's story is a reminder that success looks different for everyone—and finding your version of it is the whole point.   Timeline Summary [1:30] – Welcome and intro to Ryan Haywood from Saint Joseph, Missouri [3:30] – The common thread among real estate investors: the drive to build something [4:10] – Where Ryan's business stands today: wholesaling, rentals, and flips with a lean team [6:25] – Why you can't reach true clarity without a deeply defined "why" [8:47] – How CG first heard about Ryan through David Leko and Deal Machine [10:05] – Ryan's pre-real estate career: Foot Locker, collections call centers, and fiber optic sales [12:14] – The moment corporate paycheck manipulation pushed him toward entrepreneurship [15:04] – Walking away from the W-2 world with a baby on the way and no roadmap [15:58] – Halloween 2019: Megan finds a Facebook post about wholesaling and everything changes [17:01] – Max Maxwell's 30-day wholesaling challenge and Ryan's first deal in 14 days [18:11] – First month doing seven deals; six close at a live event and change his life [19:38] – Hitting 115 deals in year one and starting to feel alone at the top [20:02] – The dark, lonely feeling that led Ryan to finally take the call with CG [21:19] – Ryan's skepticism about joining a mastermind and Megan closing the deal [23:57] – Anxiety walking into his first CG event—and deciding to do a magic trick [26:52] – Going first in the presentations, killing it, and Ren Bartlett texting mid-talk [29:08] – Why even introverted entrepreneurs find their tribe inside CG [29:29] – Conversations about scaling into new markets and the pressure to go bigger [30:39] – The turning point: realizing scale was costing him the life he built the business for [32:09] – Stepping back, building a rental portfolio, and finding the right rhythm [33:38] – Finding CEO Clint through CG and the transformation that followed [37:05] – Using a lean, high-trust team to free up time for bigger opportunities [40:14] – Why Ryan wrote From Commission to Capital and what it's really about [44:20] – Where to find the book and how to follow Ryan   5 Key Takeaways Know Your Why Before You Scale – Ryan's biggest pivot came from realizing the business had outgrown the life he actually wanted. A clearly defined why is the only thing that keeps you anchored. Scaling Back Can Be the Smartest Move – Doing fewer deals with a smaller team isn't failure. For Ryan, it was the path to profitability, presence, and peace of mind. The Right Hire Changes Everything – Bringing on CEO Clint gave Ryan the ability to step back from day-to-day operations without the business missing a beat. Build a Portfolio While You Wholesale – The CG community pushed Ryan to buy deals instead of just flipping them. That rental portfolio became the foundation for long-term financial freedom. Community Accelerates Clarity – Ryan credits Collective Genius not just for deal strategies, but for helping him see when to push and when to pull back.   Links & Resources From Commission to Capital by Ryan Haywood – Available on Amazon (look for the green shoe on the cover) Deal Machine Podcast – Co-hosted with David Leko, available on YouTube and all podcast platforms (500+ episodes) Ryan on Instagram: @RJHaywood13 Heritage Home Investments: @heritage_home_investments on Instagram ExploreCG.com – Learn more about the Collective Genius community   If Ryan's story resonated with you—whether you're grinding toward your first deal or rethinking what the business you've built is actually for—be sure to follow, rate, and review the Collective Genius Podcast. And pass it along to someone who needs a reminder that building the right business matters more than building the biggest one.

    50 min

  6. APR 24 ·  BONUS

    Stephanie Betters: The Operational Efficiency Edge That Separates Survivors From Thrivers

    In this CG Live episode recorded at our Q1 event in Dallas, Texas, I sit down with longtime CG member and Top Female Founders Inc 500 honoree Stephanie Betters — a real estate investor, operator, and founder of Left Main CRM. Stephanie shares what she's observed across two-plus days of facilitation and main stage sessions, including the consistent theme emerging from top operators: deep operational efficiency is the new competitive edge. We dig into why the cowboys and cowgirls who thrived in 2020 and 2021 are now scrambling to catch up, and why the operators doing well today are the ones who planted seeds in every department — not just sales and marketing. Stephanie breaks down her practical framework for auditing your business from the inside out, starting closest to the revenue event and working backwards. If you're sitting on a database full of gold you're not mining, this episode will change how you look at your business.   Timeline Summary [0:23] – Live from Dallas at the CG Q1 event at the J.W. Marriott Arts District [0:47] – Welcoming Stephanie Betters back to the podcast [1:07] – Stephanie's name was mentioned on almost every episode recorded at this event [2:29] – Stephanie's background: investing since 2007, running a business since 2014 [2:46] – Her investment company: wholesaling, fix and flips, new construction, and multifamily [3:27] – The evolution of Left Main CRM and how it grew out of solving her own problems [4:11] – Salesforce partnership and going live as a platform in January 2020 [5:02] – The personal reward of helping small businesses double their revenue [5:41] – Pat Martin and Cobra going from $4M to $10M in one year [6:02] – Stephanie wins Top Female Founders Inc 500 — a global recognition [7:01] – Stephanie's role as a facilitator and the shift since the market changed in Q1 of 2022 [7:41] – The pain points operators must focus on: leads, appointments, contracts, and closing [8:12] – The consistent theme from this event: deep operational efficiency [8:41] – How you could "sling deals" in 2020 and cure a lot of evils — and why that's over [9:23] – What actually worked: operators who planted seeds in every department [9:49] – Why the lone COO surrounded by deal-slingers was an impossible setup [10:35] – Ryan Wymer's vulnerable moment: 200 deals in Boise but afraid to look at the data [11:02] – The audit mindset and why real estate keeps cycling back to the same fundamentals [11:21] – Ryan's shift from "marketing and sales company" to "data company first" [12:03] – How much gold is sitting in existing databases operators are ignoring [12:44] – Pat and Coburn: auditing every department and going to the next level [13:02] – Where to start if you're at zero: begin closest to the revenue event and work backwards [13:45] – The revenue event defined: owning or selling the asset [13:58] – Start with appointments, not new leads — most offers are only accepted 15–20% of the time [14:17] – The 80% who didn't accept your offer: how to follow up and serve them better [14:56] – Then move to: appointments not attended, leads not qualified, and finally new lead sources [15:12] – Why working backwards from revenue makes money faster than launching new marketing [16:21] – Auditing fallout and dropout rates — start there before new spend [16:38] – Motivating your team by showing them the commissions they missed [16:58] – Joseph and Eric's presentation: deals that sold for less than what your team offered [17:19] – Why data removes subjectivity and lets you coach to real outcomes [17:54] – How to get this data if you don't have a robust CRM yet [18:32] – Stephanie's simple advice: if you're not good at this, hire someone who is [19:02] – How to pull sold data: list providers, CSV files, or tools built into Left Main [20:00] – That hire will pay for themselves tenfold — you're already spending on marketing [20:19] – Stop reflexively spending more; get more from the dollars you already have [20:38] – Your revenue upside could be 5x your current revenue, not just your marketing spend [21:00] – Losing less is a bigger bucket than what you're currently winning [21:22] – The market is bigger than you think — you don't need seven new markets [22:03] – What Pat and Ryan showed their teams: the pie is not as small as you think [22:45] – Showing your team the missed commissions: what's in it for them [23:07] – Turning missed acquisitions into $1–2M more in team earnings [23:29] – What Stephanie is most excited about for the rest of 2026 [23:47] – Members who survived now have better operational focus — and the market is starting to help [24:12] – The personal and professional impact of the CG community on Stephanie's businesses [24:30] – The theme of this entire meeting: do better instead of do new [24:51] – Closing thoughts: manufacture success through operational efficiency, no matter the market   Key Takeaways Start Closest to the Revenue Event Don't launch new marketing before you've audited the people you've already talked to. Work backwards from closing to appointments to leads — that's where the fastest money is hiding. Your Database Is Full of Gold You're Not Mining Most operators have thousands of leads they paid for and never fully followed up on. Getting more from what you have will outperform new spend almost every time. Data Removes Subjectivity — and Makes You a Better Leader When you can show your team what they missed in real numbers, coaching becomes factual instead of emotional. That's where real accountability and motivation live. Hire for What You're Bad At If auditing data makes your head spin, find someone who loves it. That hire will pay for themselves tenfold by maximizing the marketing dollars you're already spending. Operational Efficiency Is the New Competitive Edge The operators thriving right now aren't necessarily outspending anyone — they're out-operating. Do better, not more.   Links & Resources Explore CG Membership: https://www.explorecg.com Left Main CRM: https://www.leftmainrei.com   Closing Remark If this episode gave you a new way to look at what's already inside your business, take a moment to rate, follow, and review the Collective Genius Podcast. And if you're ready to be in the room with operators like Stephanie, visit https://www.explorecg.com and apply today.

    27 min

  7. APR 21

    Why Your Website Is Leaving Half Your Leads on the Table featuring Bryan Sekine

    In this episode of the Collective Genius Podcast, I sit down with Bryan Sekine—CEO and co-founder of Fox and Owl Marketing, a specialized SEO agency built exclusively for real estate investors. Bryan's path to becoming one of the go-to experts for organic search in this industry is one of the most unconventional stories we've had on the show: it starts with sushi knives in Oklahoma City and ends with helping investors across the country dominate their local search results. We dig into how Bryan taught himself SEO to market his own sushi business, landed a corporate gig with Venmo before most people had heard of it, and eventually found his way into the real estate investor world through Carrot. But more than the backstory, this episode is packed with practical insight on why SEO is the most overlooked leg of the real estate investor marketing stool—and what it takes to build organic authority in a world being reshaped by AI.   Timeline Summary [1:52] – Introducing Bryan Sekine and Fox and Owl Marketing [3:41] – The story behind the name: the fox, the owl, and the night work ethic [6:05] – What Bryan wanted to be growing up: creative roots and an artist family [7:47] – Walking into a sushi restaurant and landing a job with no experience [8:59] – How a customer sparked the idea for private sushi classes and catering [9:55] – Teaching himself to build a website and discovering keyword research [11:29] – Studying the competition and producing a #1 YouTube video for "How to Make a California Roll" [13:47] – Getting flown to New York by a little startup called Venmo [15:51] – Venmo's "seed funding": equipment, knives, and a full catering kit [18:36] – COVID kills the events business—pivoting to web design [20:09] – Getting SEO-certified and doubling an agency's revenue in 90 days [21:35] – Discovering Carrot and entering the real estate investor world [22:36] – Rising to SEO strategy lead at Carrot and building demand for his services [23;36] – Going all-in on Fox and Owl Marketing two and a half years ago [25:03] – Why SEO is the most underrated leg of the investor marketing stool [28:29] – Overcoming the "it takes too long" objection and reframing SEO as an investment [30:12] – How SEO costs decrease over time while PPC, TV, and direct mail don't [33:14] – How AI is reshaping the search funnel—and what smart agencies are doing about it [35:24] – Why conversion-focused content beats informational content in the AI era [39:02] – Structured data: the prerequisite to showing up on ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity [40:06] – The homepage video strategy: simple, two minutes, iPhone-ready [42:08] – Final thoughts and how to connect with Bryan   5 Key Takeaways SEO Is the Leg of the Stool Everyone Ignores – PPC gets the attention, but organic search captures roughly half of all clicks. Real estate investors running paid campaigns without SEO are missing a massive portion of their market. Content That Compounds Is Better Than Content That Converts Once – Bryan's sushi website taught him early that content keeps working long after you stop paying for it. The same principle applies to investor websites—organic rankings are an appreciating asset. AI Didn't Kill SEO—It Refined It – The rise of AI-generated answers in search has cleared out low-value informational content. The opportunity now lives in conversion-focused content that reaches motivated sellers already in the decision phase. Structured Data Is the New Foundation – To show up on ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, investors need schema markup that clearly tells AI engines what they do, who they serve, and where they operate. Most sites don't have it done right. Authority Is Built Over Time—Start Yesterday – SEO takes 6–9 months to gain real traction. The investors who will dominate organic search in the next two years are the ones planting the seeds today.   Links & Resources ExploreCG.com – Learn more about the Collective Genius community Fox and Owl Marketing – Bryan's SEO agency for real estate investors Connect with Bryan Sekine: Website: foxandowlmarketing.com Email: bryan@foxandowlmarketing.com   Bryan's story is a reminder that the skills that make you dangerous in one arena—content creation, audience-building, online visibility—translate directly into real estate. Whether you're just getting started with SEO or wondering if your current agency really understands the investor space, this episode gives you a clear framework for thinking about organic search as a long-term competitive advantage. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow, rate, review, and share the Collective Genius Podcast with someone who's ready to stop leaving half their market on the table.

    45 min

  8. APR 17 ·  BONUS

    Gino Palomba: Turning Ideas Into Action Items That Builds Your Business

    In this CG Live episode from our Premier and CEO event in Dallas, Texas, I sit down with longtime CG member Gino Palomba, a high-performing operator who built a seven-figure real estate business while still in college—and is now running it remotely from Italy. Gino shares how his entrepreneurial roots, relentless drive, and willingness to adapt have allowed him to scale through both the easy markets and the challenging ones.   We dive into his Gold Standard presentation on practical AI—not theory, but real, usable systems that help turn ideas into execution instantly. Gino breaks down how he's using AI to capture, prioritize, and deploy ideas into his business without losing momentum, plus how his team is evolving from virtual to in-person sales. If you're a visionary struggling to implement faster, this episode is packed with tactical insights you can apply immediately.   Timeline Summary [0:00] – Live from Dallas at the CG Premier and CEO event [2:20] – Gino's business: 85–100 deals per year and a 15-person team [2:56] – Building a seven-figure business while still in college [3:36] – Early entrepreneurial influence from his father [4:09] – Discovering real estate through YouTube and taking action [5:33] – Navigating the shift from "easy" markets to tougher conditions [6:08] – Pivoting strategies and selling more deals on the MLS [7:21] – The real challenge: building and leading a strong team [8:00] – Introduction to his Gold Standard: practical AI for operators [9:05] – The problem: losing ideas or failing to execute them [10:06] – Using AI to capture ideas and build execution plans instantly [10:58] – Categorizing tasks by urgency and importance [12:00] – Automating task management and calendar integration [12:55] – From idea to execution in minutes instead of weeks [14:49] – Real example: launching a retail/MLS division from existing leads [16:19] – Turning unused leads into a new revenue stream [17:16] – Leveraging community to refine and scale ideas faster [19:33] – Transitioning from virtual to in-person sales for better results [20:12] – Living in Italy while running a U.S.-based business   Key Takeaways Ideas Are Useless Without Execution: Capturing and organizing ideas is only step one—building a system to execute quickly is where the real value lies.: AI Can Be Practical Right Now You don't need futuristic tools—simple AI workflows can immediately improve speed, clarity, and team execution. Your Team Unlocks Scale: The real growth comes from developing people, creating systems, and stepping into leadership.   Links & Resources Explore CG Membership: https://www.explorecg.com   Closing Remark If this episode got you thinking about how to move faster, lead better, and actually execute on your ideas, take a moment to rate, follow, and review the Collective Genius Podcast. And if you're ready to be in a room with operators like Gino, visit https://www.explorecg.com and apply today.

    23 min
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The CG Podcast is the go-to resource for active real estate investors looking to scale their business to the next level. Tune in as the nation's top real estate investors share their success stories the game-changing decisions that shaped their journey how they turned failures into valuable learning experiences. Whether you're aiming to grow your portfolio, refine your strategy, or gain insights from industry leaders, this podcast delivers the knowledge and inspiration you need to accelerate your success.

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