KGCI: Real Estate on Air - The Truth About ICON and The Wolfpack Support

Episode Date: November 12, 2025

Summary:This episode provides a firsthand account of the host's journey to success at eXp Realty, focusing on the benefits of the ICON agent program and the "Wolfpack" support community. The discussion highlights how the brokerage's unique model and internal support systems can help agents build wealth, earn passive income, and achieve a higher level of success. It offers a tactical look at how a supportive and collaborative environment can accelerate an agent's career and financial growth.

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 the Real Estate Survival Guide. It's your host, John Shookman. Great to be with you and have you here for today's episode. Cannot believe we are already in June. It kind of feels like we're like halfway through the year, guys. I mean, I know we have June and then we're actually halfway. But it's just wild how fast the year is going. And I just want to say, say, I appreciate so many of you. I really do, you know, as I, as I closed out May and talked about hitting the icon award, celebrated those people and partnerships. I heard from so many of you. And so I just wanted to say thank you. Thanks for reaching out. Thanks for the congratulations. And I really do appreciate it. And it also kind of encouraged me to record this next episode because, you know, a lot of you kind of said, like, kind of explain this. Like, explain the model, explain why EXP's a good fit.

And if this is not for you, if you're not interested in a, you know, deep dive and icon and why EXP is the best model in real estate, you could totally skip this episode. That's totally fine. I do not care. I will not be offended. But I realize I've been at EXP over two years, you know, mid-May. was two years, and I've never really told you why I'm here, like what made it make sense for me. And so we're diving into something today. Again, that full breakdown of not only the

icon award, but EXP Realty, why the model works, why I think it's the best model in real estate, and why personally, I believe the old brokerage model is broken. So let's start again with the basics. The icon award is one of the most prestigious achievements in real estate and an expe realty, a reward system that recognize agents who are not just selling real estate at a high level, but doing it with consistency, culture, contribution, and a reward's top producing agents who give back to the company with an amazing award. And again, it's not just a plaque or pat on the back like all these other brokerages give. They give you your entire $16,000 cap back in company stock and as we said briefly you qualify by there's two different ways but the

main being you paying your $16,000 commission on your 80-20 split so if you're assuming you know a 3% commission and again commission is negotiable so nobody like report me like it's all negotiable with your client but if you were to assume for instance a 3% commission that would be about 2.66 million in sales so again this past year did 9 million something like that. like that so but the hardest part is not the capping it's really doing 20 deals after that and i shared that journey on my last episode so here's the deal and this is what you wanted to be explained here's why it's a game changer right most brokerages do not give you anything back when you hit a milestone right they say thanks so much for paying us 15 000 20 25 whatever it was right again not throwing shade

but at my previous brokerage my final year there i paid them 30,000 thousand dollars per year and realized i'm never doing this again so at exp not only do i get all the tools and support i then get paid and handed back what i paid in my cap and my split i get that back in company stock so a few years ago right i i was leaving thousands tens of thousands of dollars on the table by not being at a company like exp and then coming over saved a ton of money right 16 000 dollar cap and then now becoming an icon agent right from uh you know June 1st 2024 to May 30th 2025 I did it and got my entire cap back returned in the form of stock so that means my business is not just transactional it's building wealth and that's huge and you know not only can say

I'm an icon agent but I get to be around the best systems and the best structure in real estate that like I would compare it against anything and tell you why it beats it. So here's what I want to explain, right? We kind of went into the icon program. A lot of you kind of said, well, why EXP? I don't understand. Like, why would you go there? So one of the things I love is that it's not just an award about production. We give back, right? So icon agents, lead trainings, mental new agents and show up in the community. And I've been able to do all that. And honestly, that part feels really just as good as the financial reward. In a few weeks, we'll have an interview I did with Brian Ellington, and Brian Ellington is one

of the top executives with EXP, and he, you know, it's very cool because I've had conversations with these executives and people within EXP and they've never acted like, oh, you're just some little agent, you know, they kind of talk about, you know, growing together. So Brian Ellington is EXP's chief learning officer, got to interview him, just talk. about all the cool things going on at EXP and how we're kind of changing, changing the real estate playing field. And it's really a blessing to be a part of an organization and a company that cares so much about their agents. And so I've poured into agents, dozens of them, right, have almost 50 agents in my downline now. And it's such a blessing to pour into people.

So I think it is completely changing the game in real estate. And you might be saying, well, John, that's a little dramatic. But here is what I know. I've been on teams, right? I've basically, I'll be honest with you guys, I've interviewed with almost every brokerage in the world. I've talked to them. I've heard their model because even when I came over to EXP, I was not just going to come without studying and making the best decision for me, my family, and our journey. And so I think it's changing the game. It really is. I've been at different brokerages and EXP is revolutionizing

the game. And again, not only EXP at EXP Realty, but our group, the Wolfpack as well, our record-breaking group. And so here's that, let's kind of go into that because here's what people don't understand and I didn't understand until I lived it. It's not just the model. It's the people.

It's the Wolfpack, right? It really is. And here is where it's game change. And I still think some of you do not understand this. So, when I joined EXP. You know, I still remember, it's just so funny, the criticism that people say about different brokerages. I still remember, I have a great friend at my previous brokerage still, still very good friends. And I remember, you know, Connor Steinberg came to town,

did a free in-person event where we kind of paid for food and all this. And my amazing title company, Penn Charter Abstract, hosted it. And a huge thank you to the owner, Leslie Hurst, good friend of mine for helping with that. And I remember this. great friend of mine still at my previous brokerage, really liked what we had going on and we just, you know, we just put on this free event. And then he kind of, he said, well, that's all fine and good, but Connor only came here because you pay him money. And I'm like, what are you talking about? And he was like, well, you pay Connor every month. And I'm like, no, I don't. And so this is what makes the Wolfpack different, right? Is, you know, the support from those leaders that I mentioned,

you know, shouting out in the last episode, right? Jeremy Kane, Louis Gall, Connor Steinberg, Mike Sherard. These guys pour into us for free. They don't get paid coaching fees. They show up on these training, Zoom call, strategy sessions, you name it. And they've built a system that actually lifts agents up, right? Mike Girard, 107,000 followers on YouTube. I have his phone number. I could call him right now if I needed to.

And he supports me, encourages me. And I got plugged in, right? Showed up on the calls, followed the plan, and did what they suggested, and that support made all the difference. For one, I didn't have that in my old brokerage. You're kind of on an island because everyone at the office is competing against you. And at EXP, especially within the Wolfpack, you're part of something bigger, right? You know, and a little known detail is when Mike came over to the Wolfpack. So him and Connor kind of built the Wolfpack together.

Connor was here. Mike came over. And Mike was going to sell courses, right? Every single one of us, me, Louis, Connor, Jeremy, all these people. We have different courses, right? I have my membership. Well, the people that join me at the company get that for free. So that's kind of an added bonus if you join us, right?

So I have something, Jeremy, Louis, Connor, Mike, everybody, right? We all kind of have this thing that we offer that you can just buy or you can get it for free. And so that's where it's like game changing because people, you know, I just this morning met with someone that's actually a couple people. I got a few all over Pennsylvania. Actually, we won't give you too many details. Come me to EXP soon. right? And when they hear that you get John Shookman stuff, Jeremy Kane, Louis Galtz, Mike Schiards, Connor Steinberg's stuff. And this is literally stuff that would cost you thousands

of dollars a month elsewhere or otherwise. They're like, well, it almost makes too much sense. Like kind of what's the catch? Well, there is no catch, right? And when you plug in, when you jump on the calls, it can be really game changing. And so, you know, again, the model is just, it's different. life-changing. And I really think what they've put together, again, I will continue to say it. I believe every single brokerage model is broken except ours. And maybe that's really easy for the EXP guy to say, but I've seen them all. I trained hundreds of agents. I've seen their model and what they go through. And when they really understand what EXP offers with the cap, split, et cetera, and then the icon program, it basically becomes a no-brainer. And at every other

brokerage, you know, I've talked to them all. nobody really wants to help you. They don't because they feel like you're their competition. And within the Wolfpack and EXP, you're not my competition. I don't even care if you're in Lancaster, PA. I will help you and help your business grow. And so lots of amazing resources, right? You have the amazing split, cap, et cetera.

And when you plug into the resources and the coaching and all of that, so many things can happen. Right. I don't have to buy leads. I'm not cold. calling. I'm not door knocking. I've never paid Zillow. I don't have a CRM bill. I get Canva and all these things for free, right? None of this is bleeding me dry every month. I just show up consistently and let people see who I am. A lot of that through social media and it works, right? Almost $10 million in volume in a year, over 30 deals. But I want to be super clear. This all happens

with the tools that EXP and the Wolfpack gave me, right? You're not just getting a brokerage. You're getting a better ecosystem. And when you plug in, you get everything. I've used to build this. You know, you guys ask, well, how did you get here and kind of explain the model? And there's so many amazing tools. So just a few things to close us out. Things you get, right, weekly calls, live coaching, social media deep dives,

Q&A's, masterminds, all for free. Training from people actually selling real estate today, not 10 years ago for free. access to 50 plus hours of on-demand video content per week built by top producers for free marketing tools scripts templates onboarding guides for free right mike's charard social asian academy which you could buy right now today and it's nine hundred ninety seven dollars per year completely for free and then community that shows up checks in and actually cares when you win. And again, when you join someone like myself, a great sponsor at EXP, you'd never pay that person a dime. Do they make money when you sell houses? Absolutely, right? We are incentivized to

help our agents. But again, if you Google it, there's so much baloney that, that is talked about that, oh, EXP agents, all we do is recruit. We don't sell any houses. Well, if I bring on an agent and they don't sell any houses, I make zero dollars from that. I am incentivized to help you crush it. And at your current brokerage, if you're not at EXP, they are not incentivized to help you crush it. In fact, they are trying to not share the secrets with you, right? In an EXP, the icon agents lead sessions for free for agents to help them grow. And I'll be honest with you guys. You guys show me another brokerage that gives you this much value, this much support, and then pays you back for hitting your goals, and I'll come and join you. But it won't happen. That's why I'm

here and it's completely changed my life. So again, Icon isn't just an award. It's really everything. EXP, Realty and the Wolfpack, it's a lifestyle shift. It means I get to stop trading time for money. It means I get ownership in my brokerage. It means I get to mentor and serve others. It means I get invited to private masterminds, exclusive events, high level conversations, you know, being on the yacht and stuff with Connor and Miami. But more than that, right, Icon and then EXP Realty and the Wolfpack, It means I get to give back, coach, train.

You know, Mike Schroard was just talking to the leaders this evening about, hey, who's got some calls we can, you know, do in June and who wants to lead some, right? So Mike Schroard, who so many of you know, 107,000 followers, I'm in a group thread and we're planning how to put out great calls for agents. And this is just not, you know, even me and Icon, this isn't a solo win. It's a team win, really. I wouldn't be here without Jeremy, Louis, Connor, Mike, and now I get to be that person for others. Icon just lets me go and impact others, and I've never felt more aligned with a business model in my life. And maybe you're sitting there thinking, John, I'm nowhere close to that kind of agent. I'm struggling to get one deal done.

I get it. That was me not so long ago, right? A few years ago. I remember even telling Jeremy, hey, I'm not recruiting. I'm not coaching agents, whatever. I don't want to be that guy. And now I have 40, almost 50 agents. helping amazing agents hit their goals and show up and win.

And it's not hype, it's not smoking mirrors, it's not a pyramid scheme like Google tells you and all these stupid people online. It's real people, real results, and real freedom because I stopped trying to do it alone. You don't have to grind 80 hours a week and burnout, right? We talked about boundaries and prioritizing rest in May. You don't have to do that. At EXP and the Wolfpack, we win and grow together. So again, it's no pressure, but so many you reached out and said, can you explain it?

And so here's what I want to leave you with. If you are at a brokerage that isn't supporting your growth, family, and freedom, let's talk. If you're curious about EXP, the Wolfpack icon, or about building something that lasts, like I'd be happy to talk. That's no pressure. It's just the truth. And I'm willing to share about the brokerage model that changed my life. The Wolfpack gave me this roadmap, and I really love sharing it with others.

so appreciate you guys so much. Thank you guys for listening to this today. Thanks so much for being on this journey with me. And I really hope that this story, you know, about hitting icon and EXP and just breaking it down kind of helped you, but I'm always willing to jump on a call, jump on Zoom and explain it better and in more details and answer questions. So I appreciate you guys. Thanks for listening. I truly believe that this is the best model in real estate. and it is going to completely change the game forever. So I appreciate you guys. Have an awesome week, and I'll talk to you guys soon.

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