KGCI: Real Estate on Air - Is Your Real Estate Brokerage the Best One for You?

Episode Date: July 17, 2024

Okay, welcome back to the high performance agent podcast. I'm your host, Tina Belavow and I'm here with Laura Malick. And we are here to talk today about whether it's time to change your real estate brokerage. Now, Laura, why are we talking about this? Well, I brought it up because, you know, 2024, we're going in 2024 right now. And there's a lot going on in the real estate industry. There's just a lot going on with commissions. There's a lot going on with inventory. There's a lot going on with interest rates. Like there's, you go into, if you're on Facebook groups, so the real state you go there, everyone's talking about everything. And it feels heavy. And we're all kind questioning ourselves and are we with the right people? And I think it brings up a good topic.

Are we with like at the right brokerage? And I thought it would just be really interesting to unpack. So it's why I brought the question up to you is I know you've been to a few different brokerages. But when people are like, when I see people wanting to shift like as a brokerage, I'm always like, isn't it a broker's thing or is it a youth thing? And I'm like, I was there once, you know, where I was like, is it me or is it my brokerage? And I don't know. I just want to unpack it because I know there's other agents out there that are maybe not happy where they're at. And is it the brokerage or is there things in their business that they need to adjust? Yeah. And I feel compelled to just jump in with a spoiler alert. And like, it's both, right? Is it me or is it my

brokerage? Like, it's always both. Because I'm speaking from myself and you can respond to this, I feel like there's always things for me to be refining. and examining, and then I'm always impacted by whatever environment I'm in. And every environment has so many facets. So I think one way to look at this conversation, and you said before we started recording, like, how can you kind of position some questions for people to just start their own self-assessment is to start to look at what are the components that are you and then what are the components that are the environment? Well, I think most people assume it's their environment and they don't necessarily assume that it's them. Yes, because it's so much easier to look externally than

internally. It's much less threatening. That's for sure. Yeah. Okay, I love it. And then I also do want to give the disclaimer, Laura and I are with EXP. We are not EXP recruiters. It's not been our jam. We do have like a really small group of women that we mentor, but just know that this is not going to like end with an EXP sales pitch. So you don't need to, I don't know, have a moment about that. So let's just have a conversation, please. Well, and that's one of my favorite reasons why I love having a conversation with you is because you just ask questions so people can reflect and wherever they're at in their journey, whatever brokerage, they can just think that's a really good question and they can reflect

about it so that, you know, you can help them on their journey. And that's the beauty of the words that come out of your mouth. Okay. Well, thank you. You're always my hype woman. Well, I was thinking of like how we could have this conversation. And I was thinking, that I've been at five brokerages. I just sit and write them down when we were doing our little brain dump before we turned the record button on. So I've been at five companies over 20 years. So I've made my share of moves. And I've made my share of moves for a couple reasons. But I would say, number one, the industry is nothing like what it was like when I got my license. So the number of brokerages to choose from and the type in 2005 was so different than today. So there's this

evolution of value proposition and compensation that they were huge drivers of my first two moves. And then there was also my own growth and my own desires and goals such as things like building a team and finding brokerages where that was embraced and not something that was worked against and all of that. So I think we could just take it back to my my old timey days in Long and Foster. And it's actually not really about the company names and more about the company kind of ethos. So I think of my first brokerage as what I would call very much like a traditional company that was founded. I don't even know when it was founded. I feel like, I don't know, in 1950, a long time ago, definitely pre-internet.

that pre-MLS, you know, it's where agents like start to tell the stories of like the MLS was a book and it came out once a month. And when I got my license, we didn't even use lockboxes that much yet. And you had to go to all the offices and pick the keys up. Talk about time inefficiency. That's way off topic. But I got my, I got into the business because that traditional brand was like very well known in my area. What do you mean by traditional? Old school. What do you mean by old school? You really help me out. Let me clarify.

So I think of traditional as like the traditional real estate setup with a physical office, a manager who is there to watch over, but not necessarily mentor or coach or train. Generally not a lot of training. I did all my training. Like I outsourced it from the beginning. And then compensation wise, most. traditional brokers, the way I use the term traditional, and thank you for calling me out to like actually clarify what I mean. They're usually like a flat percentage type split where you don't ever cap or pay like a limited amount of fees. You're, you know, sharing X percent of every single

transaction with them. Maybe it's on a sliding scale. Maybe it isn't. And one of the worst things about traditional brokerages is there's often a lot of politics and disparity in what splits agents are getting. There's no transparency. There are published commission splits, but then everyone's like backdoor negotiating with their manager or some higher up to like get the best possible percentage. So that was the environment that I started in. And it was the only environment I knew because the person who got me into real estate worked there. And that's how so many of us end up at our brokerage is, right? We select a team that's part of a broker or a mentor or a friend or someone that we know and trust and don't necessarily, I don't know, do a bunch of, I didn't

research. I mean, I worked for the person. I didn't research. Yeah. I think it's more common now because there's just everything. I think social media has just impacted so much in the last five to 10 years. Yeah. And Google and YouTube. And just I think the real estate industry overall has become way more transparent, right? Like Zillow, Redfin, buyer agency commission rates being right on consumer portals. Like none of that was happening. 19 years ago. I'm still like, oh my God, I can't believe it. But even 10 years ago, I mean, there's just a lot that has changed. Yeah. And I will say, I feel like a lot of my biases are going to come out as we talk through this, but I'm going to do my best to give some of the why behind it.

So if I catch them, I'll call them out. Yeah, please do. Like, so that environment was terrible for me for all of. So you're at a, you're at a traditional brokerage, Long and Foster, because you kind of knew somebody who was there, getting started in real estate. And now you're hitting to a point where you're unhappy? Yes. I mean, here's the things that I didn't even realize I was unhappy. I just, a lot of my needs weren't being met and I felt like I was floundering. So for example, they didn't have any in-house training.

They had a weekly sales meeting, which was basically a bunch of chest beating. And we did broker open tours where we would walk around and because this was in a downtown area. So a lot of the listings were nearby. So we would like go out and walk and like see people's listings. And that's not what I knew. needed. I needed to learn how to build a business and build a database. So right away, they were like, take Bafini classes. And it was like, okay. So I went and paid for that. And Bafini training was really helpful to me. But I didn't get what I needed there. So I had to outsource my own training.

My manager is a, was a nice, well thought of man who had absolutely no interest in mentoring me or teaching me anything. So I didn't have, I didn't have a culture of feeling like someone was there to help me. I definitely made friends with other people in the office and tried to learn from them. But there's such a funny thing in a lot of traditional and just general real estate offices where I think like the top producers are too busy to help you. So then I was kind of hanging out with whoever was in the bullpen. I can't even believe I'm using these words. I was in the bullpen. learning from the people who were the least successful, the least productive. So it was just a mismatch from a learning perspective.

And also, as I did slowly grow my business from complete scratch, because I did start on a team, but I went solo pretty quickly, like basically I graduated from college and went solo and stayed at that brokerage. And as I started to produce, I'll never forget, like, realizing that I should probably negotiate my split and it made me sick to my stomach because I felt, A, I didn't know how to do it because it was the complete unknown. B, I didn't really know what my leverage was because it felt like the only way to get a better split is to say, and there's maybe multiple ways to do it, but to say, well, I'm going to leave if you don't do X for me, which just isn't how I do business. So it was such a mismatch

to just be in that kind of environment where I felt like, hey, let me just like earn to the next level. And in theory, that happened there. But in practice, no one was going to give me anything. I needed to go and ask for it. And that's business. But that's just not how I roll at all. And I don't like finding out later that this person was getting that and I was only getting this. And they got it because they threw a fit and threatened to leave.

And that's just not really what I wanted to do. So I was there for a little while, a couple years. And it's so funny how things happen. My mom met a young energetic woman who was managing another traditional brokerage office called at the time it was a Prudential brand. Now that's Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire bought Prudential in our area at least. So basically my mom met this woman and she was like, Tina, I think she might be a really good fit to like actually be. be a mentor. So my first move, and I was probably unhappy. I can't even remember the particulars because it was so long ago, but I was open to it. I hadn't been outlooking. I hadn't, again, I didn't interview. I didn't really look any other places, but I went and met with her. And it was a

really great fit. So luckily, that was like a good move for me. And essentially when I moved to that, again, it was a traditional brokerage with a little bit more going for it, for sure. I was able to negotiate a better split in my transition. And she was someone who I learned a lot from about marketing and transactions and how to negotiate home inspections and all the stuff that happens where you like need someone. Ideally, you don't need anyone. But I like for people to give me their best practices. So I can learn faster versus, you know, banging my head against the wall and learning it

the hard way. And eventually, you know, kind of putting the pieces together. So I moved to it. So my second broker was again traditional with like a fixed commission split. But it was a huge upgrade. Oh yeah. I heard real interesting right there. And it just made a really good point because you can't quite remember now like if you were unhappy. But the fact was there was kind of like a door that opened up and you just were like, hey, let me see what's behind this door. And I think it's a good reminder in general is that even if we are happy with where we're at is we always should kind of be curious because we really don't know what else is out there or who else. is out there. And I just, I don't know when I heard that, I was like, that's kind of just a really good reminder in general of don't get too comfortable. Like, it's okay to be comfortable and happy, but stay curious. Yeah, I'm so glad you said that because I think there's this weird thing that happens in the real estate industry. It's like a form of tribalism where people can conflate their

identity with their brokerage brand and feel overly loyal to the, like I consider the brokerage, like the platform where I am. So they can feel very loyal to where they are. They can get upset if people who are where they are go somewhere else. And I've always thought it was a little bit strange because like my husband works in financial services. And if someone leaves his company to work at another, everyone's like, good for you, dude. Like, good luck.

Like real estate people react very differently. So I think there's this like thing that happens where people really, I just conflate their identity with their brokerage brand a little bit. So I think that's something to be. So that's something I would just encourage anyone listening to be aware of. And I feel like I really went through that when I was at Keller Williams because the company has, and I'll get there later, that's chapter four or five. The company had such a strong culture that there's like this sort of this thing that happens. And I think this is something I've actually thought about a lot because when I, left Keller Williams and went to EXP, I went through some things related to that. And it occurred to me

that I think part of why people can do that and get upset about when someone makes a shift to better themselves and better their business is it can create a little bit of like a question for the, it can feel like a threat. Like, oh, if they're going there, maybe something's wrong here or not as great as I thought it was. But I don't want to think about that. So instead, I'm going to project that negativity or judgment on that person. And that's actually happened at every brokerage move I've made now that I think about it. When I left Long and Foster, I'll never forgive the manager for what he said. He looked at me and said, you're going to fail there. You're not going to do well. I mean, he looked me in the eye and was so degrading.

And I know he just had he had no idea who he was talking to. Like he had no idea what I was going to do and what I was going to become. And I just can't imagine ever speaking to someone. So that's what I remember the most about my brokerage move is when I went and had the guts to in person tell him that I was leaving. He was so rude to me that I left the meeting in tears and filled with doubt. And I would never want to make someone feel that way if they felt they needed to go do something to better themselves. So that's a lesson. Sometimes we have to learn our own lesson and it's better when they leave on a good note to be like if you feel like this is best for you, great. There's always a spot here for you if there's not. Like that's really how leadership should be

handling it. But that's not the topic for today. So now you're at your next program. I do think there is this link though to what you said about staying curious. And I think about the moves that I've made, every office manager I had felt rightfully that they had invested a lot in me. He really hadn't. But the prudential manager, the owner of the boutique brokerage I worked at, and then beyond, I think, you know, they had given me personal time and attention. So it is hard to be the leader and have someone you've mentored move on and say, this isn't for me anymore. Thanks for everything you've done. So I think a lot of us can stay where we are because we don't want to go through that with someone. We don't want to lose the relationship. We don't want to hurt them. We don't want to burn a bridge.

and that's all valid. And there's often a cost that we're paying by staying in a relationship. I heard this phrase a long time ago and I've always loved it. Staying in a relationship past its expiration date. And what I say about brokerages and managers and team leaders and mentors is if you had a real relationship, it should survive a brand change. And if not, that was really just a business arrangement. And that's okay. Just call it what it is. Is it a relationship, a personal relationship, or a business arrangement? You usually find out afterwards. You do. And it's important for us to remember that aspect and realize that it wasn't us. It just wasn't what we thought it was. I actually heard from a great leader in the industry and he, agents were talking about agents leaving like within their team. And he had something so powerful to say that he really took the great leadership mindset on it. And he was like, I just look at us as chapters. Like that was the part of life where I got to help them, you know, help them as far as I could. And for whatever reason,

that chapter ended. He's like, and I'm thankful for it. And then I move on to the next. Like, he's not, you know, he looks for ways to grow, but he's never bitter if the person's chapter is done. And I was like, you're a great leader. And that's why your team is, is where it's at. And I think that's just really powerful. I love that you put it that way. And I think if you've struggled to look at things as chapters, then that's like a really great perspective shift. And I feel like I really struggled with that and I don't want to sidebar too much on this is when people would leave my team and I felt all kinds of feelings and it really was exposing a lot of my insecurities as like a person and a leader that I wasn't good enough for them, that they're going to do better without me,

that I mean, I could go on and on and on, but I think I had some people leave when my team first got really up and running and then I had my first exit of a productive. agent, it brought up so much of that to light. And a lot of it was just not wanting to look bad and to not seem like I was the one losing in like a public kind of viewpoint of, you know, she went here and Tina stayed there and whatever the case may be. So I think that that's just, so I'll put that on a shelf, but I just want to say, I think it can be hard to even evaluate the brokerage move because we don't want to go through those dynamics. And, you know, nothing worth doing and business is easy. So again, it's just kind of weighing that opportunity cost.

So to kind of fast forward a little bit, when I moved to my second brokerage, I upgraded a little bit in the compensation structure. But really what I got in that environment was nurturing culture. There was a lot of like a younger vibe there. So there were agents who I was able to network with and whatever the case may be. And the challenge that happened is I really grew as a salesperson in my time there. And I also did. did a lot of my own work to cause that growth. But what happened was I became the number one agent in the office. I was the biggest fish in the pond. And that seems like it might come with status. But for me, it just felt like being choked, being choked by all the constrictions and

restrictions of being kind of, there was no one for me to learn from. There were a lot of people who wanted to learn from me and learn from my tactics. And this was pre-instagram. This was pre-courses. This was before you could maybe find a way to earn money for your time and value helping agents. This was even before real estate coaching companies were really big. It was happening, but nowhere near like today. So there wasn't a business opportunity for me that made sense to help all the people who wanted my help. And there wasn't anyone for me to learn from. And then also, I really want to wanted to build a team and that company was not team friendly. The compensation structure wasn't team friendly. They didn't want to let me have my own signage, my own branding. So there was really

no way to build a team there that made any financial sense, which is why traditional brokerages with straight commission splits, it's, you know, when you own a team, you have so much overhead an expense. When you run a team well, you usually have salaried staff. You have agents that are on commission splits with you. You have tons of marketing and expenses and lead generation. And then if you're sharing like a huge piece of the pie with your brokerage too, there's the profit margin makes no sense. I didn't even understand it that clearly at the time, but I knew that the, that the money wasn't making sense. So that's when I started to seek out other brokerages. And at that time, You got curious.

I got curious. I got frustrated. It's really well. Frustrated. Okay. And curious. That always precedes curiosity for me. Not always, but a lot of the time.

Especially if I need, because I think anger and frustration can create fuel and positive fuel to get things done and to be courageous and maybe go do something where it would be easier to stay comfortable. And that was something I learned a lot about as a recruiter because in my KW days, I was recruiting for most of that time. And one of the things my recruiting mentors taught me is that comfort reads complacency. And when we're super, super comfortable, why in the world would you upset the apple cart and make a move? And being comfortable isn't bad. It's just an agents would say it all the time. It was like a script that like an objection handler. I'm comfortable where I am.

I'm comfortable where I'm. And I'd be like, okay, well, if you're comfortable, there's probably not much to talk about. So I was uncomfortable. And I started researching my options. And I know at that time that I definitely looked around more. I looked at Remax. I looked at a local boutique type company that functioned a lot like Remax. And just to clarify the way Remax worked then, at least in my area,

was you tended to pay like a small monthly fee and then no split and maybe just like a fee with every closing. And then that would kind of cap out at a certain amount of money or just be a straight like admin fee with every closing. So when you run those numbers on a certain level of production and it totally varies, that is where you can really net a lot more money. And in my world, I tend to call that the very independent model where you have sort of very fixed expenses with your brokerage and they might not do much for you. They may not train you. They may not mentor you the way I just described. They may not provide

marketing services, but you net a lot more. And then usually in return, you get a lot of independence and autonomy. And that's what I was looking for at that time. So, and in my area, again, it's crazy thinking 2013, 11 years ago, Keller Williams wasn't even a big brand in the area. So I had looked into a local Keller Williams office and felt like there weren't major producers there at that time. So there wasn't that piece of, oh, I could learn from these people. So I decided to go to this independent broker that did have like a really nice kind of boutiquey brand and vibe in our area. And that was a huge upgrade for me. Getting out of a more controlled environment where I couldn't brand myself and build my team was a game changer. So in 2013,

I formed my team, started doing all my own branding and hiring, you know, I hired my first full-time full-force operations manager. I hired my first buyer's agent. And I grew my business from 15 to almost 50 million in that kind of two-year period between the end of 2013 and the end of 2015. So that was a big change. Right. So it was kind of the financial structure, the environment. The broker was very supportive of me. So it wasn't so much a mentorship relationship, but I got really good broker services from him. And he was very well connected in the area. So I feel like that's another thing that I feel like influence can really matter.

And he got me in the door a couple places. He made some introductions for me. And he kind of always had my back. So that was like the perfect level of support for me at that time. And then I was also leveraging coaches to very specifically help me on like a week to week basis with like building my team and all of that. And that was again, not none of that. that came through my brokerage. I was again, like, outsourcing my training and figuring out what I

needed and curating that for myself. So that's what I would call like the independent environment. Do you know what I love what I heard out of just that three is whether you knew you were doing it or not? And as what I pointed out to those are listening is you actually were like, where's my business and where's my business going? And who can I bring my business to that can help me get that? Like I don't know if that was necessarily your thought process. And I think it was, but it was kind of cool as you share your story. You're like, well, want to build a team. I want my own branding. Who is going to say yes to that? I want to align with them. It was really cool. Yeah. And I think at that, I'm so glad you pointed that out because at that time, it was much more of an unconscious thing. I've always valued having mentors. And I've had a lot of people,

countless people who I've tapped as mentors in my adult life. So then I think it was more, what's the vehicle for me to build my team? And now it's very much like, who do I want to be aligned with and it's very selective. So that's definitely been like an evolutionary thought. So my time in that independent brokerage environment was unexpectedly short because a couple things happened and this was very much personal to what was going on with me at that time. But in those two years, my team grew at a very fast rate. And I had, it wasn't that many people, But I had several agents. I had a lot of staff.

I tried hiring ISAs inside sales agents. We had our staging department. I was feeling very stretched as a leader. I was feeling, and this really probably was like a root of what was going on with me that I alluded to earlier in the episode. I was feeling insecure and unsure of how to lead. And one of the things that I think I felt a lot of rub with was being a top performer with really high expectations and basically how to employ other people. and either employ people who were as excellent as I needed and wanted them to be or coaching people up or compromising my standard. I think that's like a really tough thing in building a team.

So again, that sounds like another podcast. It's definitely a different episode. I feel like it's some of the grittiest, ugliest, ugliest parts of my journey of team building and making mistakes and then looking back at it and being like, wow. But you just can't see a lot of that. you're in it. But so I was uncomfortable, right? I was uncomfortable. I was not actually unhappy with my brokerage at all, but I was feeling uncomfortable as a leader. And I was really needing in my mind, I felt like I really needed and wanted a mentor. And then sure enough, this KW office that had kind of been

not very big two years ago was growing rapidly. And part of why it was growing rapidly as someone really amazing was leading it. Vlad, who, you know, ended up, has been one of my big, business mentors and influences. So he basically recruited me to KW. I was sort of asking for it. Without asking for it, I was going to a lot of trainings and really just trying to figure out how can I operate my team with more Zen? Well, like, that was really like, and at the time, I really wanted to grow from 50 to 100 million. And what I've since learned is sometimes having a very big team and a lot of complexity is not for everyone. And for me, that wasn't necessarily bringing me more joy or work-life balance. So I went to KW really looking for a change with my

environment, my mentorship, and then my leadership. And I wanted to go there and really learn how to either build myself out of the business or something. And it was my reasons for moving were a little bit vague. It was very surprising to my prior broker. He was not pleased, especially because there was sort of a perception that I was going to go to KW and try and steal everybody and, you know, all of that stuff. So I had another messy exit where, you know, it just was sort of, I didn't want to burn the bridge, but that was sort of the vibe of the move. So I went to KW in 2015 and stayed there until late 2019 and very quickly got tapped to become a leader of that office. So my mentor Vlad came to me within a, I don't even.

know less than a year of being there and said, I really think you have a future doing this instead. I know you're not really happy running a team. I know you really don't want to keep running, like doing listing appointments and working with buyers yourself. At that time, I'd been listing focused only. So I hopped into a essentially management gig that was very recruiting heavy, but also a lot of other responsibilities. Before you jump into that, yeah, from, because you were in conversations, like, so the door was open and like, because you weren't necessarily looking for another brokerage, did I catch that correctly? And like, you just happened to be in conversations with Vlad. And then those conversations were powerful that made you feel like

you needed to make a switch. Is that correct? Yeah, it's such a good question. He sought me out because I was producing really highly. So I, you know, was on his target list of, you know, wouldn't it be great if, you know, X, Y, and Z kind of people came over. So he was inviting me to really great trainings. that were really getting my wheels turning. Okay. And I came and I went to a Keller Williams conference and had a really great experience there meeting, you know, a lot of, that was my first experience with national networking.

So like that's another thing of like, what kind of network are you able to tap into with your brokerage? Do you like going to conferences? Do you want to travel? Do you want to meet people all over? Do you want to model off of other people's businesses? At the time, my answer to all of that was, yes, like I would, you know, was open to anything.

Anyone that I could learn from that would help me improve and grow. That was super, super exciting. And again, I was actually the number one producer at my, you know, independent broker before that. So I outgrew that fishbowl really, really quickly again. So that was another thing of like, how fast are you growing? And are you growing really fast? And that might necessitate a need for a change of environment or at least your mentor. Or are you not growing at the rate you want to be growing? And is that something to look at? And what's my part and what's the part of my environment and everybody always has a list of things that are their part, right? But that's, I guess if you were going to look for an action item from this episode,

it would be to kind of make up, not like a pro and comlist, but a sheet of paper with a line down it, like, what's me and what's my environment that I want to amend or change or improve? Or I just, I know it isn't working and I don't even know how to fix it, but I know that it's a problem. And I think those, when you're clear on your pain points and what, they are and hopefully why you're having them, then you can start to look around and say, okay, well, what would address those pain points? And one thing I think we've uncovered is in our early brokerage moves, we didn't research much. We didn't maybe ask as many questions. I think that would be another thing I would say is, you know, probably don't just have one conversation with one person

at one company, you know, look around. Part two, how to find the right brokerage. Yes, I know if we were thinking there might be a part two. So we'll do a part two. So, So my time in Keller Williams was rife with learning and I got a front seat to what it's like to run a brokerage and to be on the brokerage leadership side. I also got a taste of what it's like to be in a large, very political company with very strong views of how things should be done and culture and this is how we do it. and this is how, you know, you need to teach people how to do it. And this is what everybody needs to enroll in. And you need 90 people to sign up for that bold course. And I started to, I mean, there were a lot of things where I felt less and less alignment.

But one of my takeaways from that was I don't want to be in a highly political environment where it's all about appealing to the higher ups and towing the company line. I did it. And then one day I was like, I hate this. And I don't ever want to sell something I don't believe in. So as a brokerage manager, I had all these duties to make sure enough people were enrolled in maps coaching and enough people were paying for bold and that enough people were coming to this and that. And half the time, it felt like it was a profit motive of the company. I think a lot of it, I think most of it came from a place of wanting to help. people. But ultimately, when I had to be the mouthpiece and also getting people to adopt

the command CRM, I don't know how command works now, but four years ago, it wasn't working at the level that people needed it to. So I was also like supposed to help people adopt a CRM that I didn't believe in. So I think one of the things I learned about myself was I need to be in an environment where I'm really, really aligned. And what's strange is I think when I came to Keller Williams, I was really aligned. And as I got deeper and deeper into the like higher producing side of it and then the corporate politics of how you get on Gary Keller's good side and how you get in that room and how you get along with these people, for me, it was not productive at all. It seemed really cool. I think if you're an achiever, it's really exciting to get this trophy and

get this recognition in your office and then in your region and then at the top level. But for me, it also created this going along to get along dynamic and group think. And because I was like so awash in all of that messaging, I lost contact with my inner voice. Oh, I could cry just telling you. It was so loud, Laura. Like it was such a loud environment with so much that I could not hear myself at all. until I finally did because what happened was what was not aligned in me got really loud. I finally.

It was sort of like a moment. And I addressed that in one of my other episodes. I think it's my very first episode. I talk a little bit about my story. But when I realized, and this is not a dig on Keller Williams, you can obviously hear I had some issues at the company. I had other issues that I'm not talking about here either. But it's strange because it was a great fit.

and then it wasn't. And it was a difficult environment for me to hear my own truth and figure out how I wanted to build that maybe wasn't the playbook. That wasn't in the millionaire real estate agent book. That wasn't the way all the key people were doing it. So when I went to EXP, which is the fifth chapter in this story, a beautiful chapter. Yeah. It was really important to me to be in an environment that was literally quiet. and to only go and do the trainings that I wanted,

only go to the conferences that made sense and really kind of go inward. So I've spent four years being very, very inward and bringing back my focus on the best way for Tina to build in a way that really aligns with the time and the energy that I have. So I've loved EXP because with the like kind of the setup of the company and being cloud-based and being just a lot more decentralized, it works well in that regard. But KW was a very team-friendly business structure and compensation structure. So it was really important for me to go somewhere equivalent, if not better. So I would say companies like EXP are great for that because of, again, you've got the fixed cost. You've got the capped commission model.

There are structures for teams. It's cool to brand yourself as long as you follow state guidelines and all of that. So my decision in this last chapter was an environment where it's more about my brand than the company's brand, which is part of why I haven't been big on recruiting. I love it here. And I do have, you know, we have this group of people together that we mentor. But it's really about me building my brand, my course, my podcast, my team. I don't mean to sound like me, me, me, but to really have clarity. Because I think as a real estate agent, we are in such a noisy environment, even if we're not in a certain kind of company.

But social media just deluges us with thoughts and ideas and strategies. So for me to really stay focused on what I want and how I want to create it. And I found that being in a very autonomous environment like this works really well. So I'm going to stop. I've said a lot. What do we want to unpack from this and find a way to like tie this episode off eventually? I mean, I think we did. It was really eye-opening to hear the journey. But what I loved was that eventually there was it's either kind of like, it's a good reminder to stay curious and maybe see it like just because you are happy with where you're at, maybe see what other agents are doing or what other brokerages are offering because you don't know

if there's something else out there. I think it's just a good reminder to kind of always do that. of like always be on your toes. But then I think you found like what I heard at the end is like, are you really thinking about what's best for you and your business and making it about you? Like you said, I don't need to make it about me, but we should. But at some brokerages, they're kind of like make it about the brokerage. And that's where like I know I made the sake. I made it about the brokerage instead of making it about me. And I think you need to do that. And then when you kind of bring it internal, you can figure out, you know, where's the best path for you and start asking yourself some questions of where you're trying to go and who's going there and what environment are you in.

Yeah, I think that's such a key point that you made because it is about us. It's about me. It's about you as you're listening to this. What is the best vehicle for your growth? And coming back to some of the things we talked about earlier in the episode, there is a lot of pressure to stay where you are. A good brokerage is going to work to retain you. They're going to work to demonstrate the value of how they helped you. They're going to maybe in some, a little bit of fear as to why you shouldn't go. And you can hear I've had different kind of tastes of that in every move that I've made. And I think maybe part of it, it's because I am a top producer, which is such like a weird phrase, but whatever, I am a top producer. And it is threatening when

talent moves on. And that does bring up a lot of thoughts and feelings for the people that involved. No one wants to look bad. No one wants to lose a, you know, a top producer. But I think because of those pressures, it can be a little bit more difficult to listen to yourself. And to also evaluate the different components of the move. I think some people only look at the money and can lose sight of everything else. Some people only think about the personal side, the relationships they might lose or what somebody might think or how it might look or, oh, I just moved a year ago. It looks bad to move again. I mean, there's many permutations of the personal side of how people feel and how you will be perceived. So I think we don't want to let that be handcuffs. And then there's all the

other tactical things besides the compensation and the personal relationships. The learning opportunities, the technology, the setup, the team friendliness, or not, the local brand, the national brand, the conferences. And that's where I think that basic pro and com list of like what are my needs like start there get clear on your needs get clear on where your needs are not being met and start thinking about maybe you know how they can be met maybe you don't know where to begin and that's where I look for people who are where I want to be and who have what I want in business and also in their personal life those are the people I want advice from so if you don't know what to do with this conversation but you want to continue

it. I know I'm happy to have it. And Laura, you are too. I'll speak for you. Same. Is there anything you want to wrap this up with? Day curious. Perfect. Little truth bomb right there. Thank you all for listening. We'll be back with how to pick a new brokerage and what to look for. Thanks, everybody. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the High Performance Agent Podcast. Make sure to subscribe by hitting the follow button so you don't miss the next episode. And check the show notes for links to all of my goodies, including my newsletter filled with tips for ambitious agents.

You can also find me on Instagram at Tina Bellevaux. Talk to you soon.