KGCI: Real Estate on Air - The Power of the Room How eXpCon Changed My Business and Mindset

Episode Date: May 11, 2026

Summary:The host shares transformative insights from his experience at eXpCon, emphasizing that the "next level" in real estate comes from being in the right room rather than simply doing more work. He discusses the importance of humility in leadership, noting that top industry figures focus on mission and service rather than just money or production. Listeners will learn why success is not a "solo sport" and how surrounding yourself with people who think differently can shatter the growth ceilings created by working in isolation.

Welcome to the Real Estate Survival Guide, the show that teaches realtors how to create a thriving real estate business. What is up, guys? Welcome to today's podcast episode. I'm so excited to have you guys here and taking a little break from what we've been talking about with social media because I want to tell you guys about my experience at EXPCon. Had a great experience, had a great time at EXPCon last week, and just really excited about it. This isn't about EXPCon or EXP or whatever. What I want to tell you guys about here as we close out the month of October is just about being in the right room. So excited to get into it with you. Let's jump in. There is something so powerful about walking into a room and realizing you are surrounded by people who dream and push and grind harder and go for things bigger than you.

And that was me this year at EXPCon. and I'm excited to be on here telling you about it today. So I've been doing real estate for a while now, but this event is my second year at EXPCon reminded me that the next level doesn't come from doing more. It comes from being around the right people who think differently, who stretch you, who make you believe bigger. That's exactly what I want to talk about today, how a week at EXPCon completely changed how I see business, leadership, and life.

and, you know, really, it's so funny because I never would have believed this would be my life. I never would have believed it. And I'm so thankful again to Jeremy Kane to bringing me to this amazing opportunity. It has changed my life. And I'm so thankful for him as a friend and brother and just someone who has integrity that I really trust and care about greatly. And here's the deal, guys. No one wants to be alone. No one wants to feel like they're on an island.

You know, you want to be surrounded by people that push you. for more, right? And I really believe, you know, I have people that I coach that are like, oh, I want to be the number one agent, the number one this. And then they get it. And I'm like, was it worth it? Did it satisfy you? I believe, I'll keep saying this. If you are the number one agent at your office in your brokerage, whatever, you are in the wrong office, the wrong brokerage, right? Because you need people that challenge you to be better. I cannot let you, right? I cannot let you as you listen to me here. Let you just be normal and average.

I can't. So I want to set the scene for you, right? Thousands of agents. I think we had 6,000 agents packed into a convention center, maybe 4,500. New agents sitting besides top producers, electric energy, not competition, right? Collaboration, right? I met so many incredible people, not only like our Wolfpack family, but even meeting in person, some I've seen before, but some for the first time, are amazing leaders, right?

Russ Lagan, Leo Perea, Wendy Forsyth, right, Glenn Sanford, Brian Ellington, all these people that have contributed to making EXP a game-changing business opportunity for me. And what hit me most wasn't the lights, the production, whatever. It was really the humility. The humility of all these people. They didn't talk about money. They talked about mission. And that's rare in business. And I will say to you, you know, there was an event. I had a few of my agents there. And Monday night, we had our Wolfpack group, had rented out this rooftop bar and all that. And a huge thank you to the leaders who were a part of putting that together. I appreciate you so much.

But Monday night, I had a few of my agents there. And I said, hey, I'm going to go grab a drink or whatever. I'll be back in five minutes. And I am not kidding, you guys. It was 45 minutes until I got back, maybe even an hour. And I'm not being dramatic. They were like, we thought you died. So what happened to me in that moment?

What happened was I had so many people pulling me aside. Like, are you John Chookman? Like, are you John? And I don't say that to be cocky. I say that to say, like, it even gives me chills right now thinking about it. It is such an honor to be a part of something bigger than myself. It is such an honor to be a part of something bigger than myself where I can genuinely help people. And dozens, if not hundreds, I'm not kidding, of people at this not only just the rooftop bar, but the conference came up to me, wanted to meet me, introduced themselves.

And I kind of said to them, like I say to you guys, I'm a nobody. I'm nobody special. I'm really not, right? And the success I've had, anyone can do it. Here's the other part too. It's always about improving. One night I was sitting there with leaders at our Airbnb, right? Kyle Mark, Adam Gillespie, Jeremy Kane, Louis Galt, and we're sitting there. And I'm not kidding, it was two or three a.m. I think I went to bed at 4 a.m. that night, and we was sitting there talking about how do we serve agents better. It wasn't how do we sell more. It wasn't how do we like recruit, whatever. It was how do we serve agents, all agents, all brokerages better, right? How do we help those agents grow their

business, care about their families? And it hit me so hard, right? Oftentimes we chase more deals, more views, more everything. But this was different. It was how do we genuinely care more, serve more, grow more. It wasn't about numbers. It wasn't about dollars. It wasn't about us on a pedestal, right? And the real growth happens when you focus on who can you serve. Who can you help? You know, and when you're around such amazing leaders like I am within the wolf pack, proximity is power. And I watch them all and think about, huh, how can I grow as well? How can I be better? my weak in eXPcon changed so many things about how I view leadership right every great leader I saw or met was not talking about being number one they would talk about how to help others and it

made me look at what I'm doing right am I trying to be and I think you guys know this I try to come from a humble place right am I trying to be humble and help others or am I making it about me and I firmly believe guys that what you see at a conference like eXP con is real leadership not about control not about like being the top dog, but showing up to serve and to multiply and care about others, right? And so here's the truth, right? Events like this aren't just about learning. They're about connecting, right?

I even was going through pictures today or, you know, for some social media posts. And it's dozen, if not at least 100 or north of it, agents that I saw there connected with, built relationships with that I've kept in touch with in the week since I came home, right? and so many new partnerships, new collaborations, and of course, yes, referral opportunities. All of it started with like just conversations in a room. And when you put yourself in the right rooms, the right people show up.

And when the right people show up, your life will change. And so here's my biggest takeaway from EXPCon. Success is not a solo sport. You can have the best systems, the best strategy, the best intentions, but if you are doing it alone, you will hit this ceiling where you can no longer grow, where you can no longer push because you are capped out. And so if you're not growing, maybe it's not your business.

Maybe it's your room. Maybe that's the brokerage or office, and I'm not going to try to encourage you to make that change unless you see, hey, this needs to change. So here's my challenge for you, whatever situation you're in. Find a new room where you are not. the smartest person in the room. I got to be honest with you, I sat with people at EXPCon, and I felt like, wow, they are crushing it. And the crazy part is, right? Then they say, wow, like, I'm with someone and you're crushing on social media, an agent attraction and all these different things.

But I think when you go into these rooms with humility, you learn from every single person. I learned from every single person there, whether they had one agent or 50 or 100 or 1,000 or 5,000. And I learned from so many people whether they had been a 10 times icon agent or one time icon like me or sold one or two houses. I was talking to somebody. I'm not kidding you. I was talking to someone and they have done two deals in their business. But I still learned and interacted and asked questions. I showed curiosity, which I encourage my agents all the time to do. Be curious. See what you can learn from others. I don't care if you're an icon agent and you close $10 million in transactions last year and probably, you know, whatever it is,

50 million in your career, or you've sold one house. We all have something that we can share with one another. So here's my challenge. Find a new room, whether that's a mastermind, a conference, a local meetup, maybe it is a brokerage, right? Get around people who see something in you that you can't see in yourself yet and who push you, right? Again, I'll always go back to it. The icon trophy does not happen if I don't have a leader. like Jeremy Kane pushing me to be better. It doesn't happen. And so what I want everyone to see from this is you need leaders above you that are invested

in helping you grow and pouring into you. And if you need a community like that that's changing lives and wants to help you grow, like please reach out because I'd be happy to have a conversation and serve your needs. But big takeaway, guys, really, is growth happens in these moments where we're in these rooms with these rock stars. They don't happen sitting at your desk 24-7 or alone or just doing your own thing on social media or your own showings. Again, real estate is not a solo sport. It feels like it sometimes.

It feels like you're alone, but then you need a new room where people are pouring into you. So thanks so much for watching. I hope this kind of helped you realize like what EXP Con is all about. And if you've never been like hit me up, I want to take you because I think it'd be a great opportunity for you, whether you are at EXP or not, I could take you next year. So great opportunities coming. next year, it's going to be absolutely amazing. And I can't wait to see the growth that happens from now until next fall when we are back at it again.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode, guys. Hope this really, if nothing else, encouraged you that you need to be in the right rooms. And if I can help you guys find that right room, I'd be happy to. You can kind of reach out any time on social media or message me. But thank you guys for listening. Really appreciate it. And look forward to seeing you guys on our next podcast episode next Friday as we continue you diving into growing your business through social media. I'll see you then.

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