The Entrepreneur DNA - Scaling a $4B Real Estate Empire from Behind the Scenes | Julia Spillman | EP 77

Episode Date: June 23, 2025

In this episode, I sat down with the powerhouse behind one of the most recognized names in luxury real estate — Julia Spillman, CEO of the Eklund Gomes Team. You may know Fredrik Eklund and John Gomes from Million Dollar Listing, but Julia is the operational force that helped grow their business into a $4+ billion empire. We talked about what it really takes to scale, the power of building a brand, and how she leads a national team with grit, discipline, and heart. We also dove into what it means to be a female CEO in a male-dominated industry, how content and storytelling drives real business, and why betting on yourself is always worth it. Julia drops nonstop gems in this one.   --   About Julia Spillman Julia Spillman is the CEO of the Eklund | Gomes Team, one of the most successful luxury real estate teams in the world with over $4 billion in annual sales. Known as the operational force behind the glitz and glamor of Million Dollar Listing, Julia has played a key role in scaling the Eklund Gomes brand into a national powerhouse. From her roots in small-town Kentucky to running a multi-market real estate empire, she brings unmatched leadership, strategy, and heart to the industry. Under her direction, the team has maintained the #1 spot at Douglas Elliman for a decade and expanded across major markets including New York, Miami, LA, and more. 🔗 Connect with Julia Spillman Instagram: @juliaspillman LinkedIn: Julia Spillman Eklund | Gomes Team: eklundgomesteam.com   -- Thank you to Mando for supporting today's podcast! Stay Fresh, Stay Confident with Mando! Tired of body odor? Mando Whole Body Deodorant keeps you fresh for up to 72 hours—pits, feet, and everywhere in between. Grab the Starter Pack and get $5 off (over 40% off!) with code [COLBY] at ShopMando.com. Smell fresher, stay drier, and boost your confidence. Get yours today! -- About Justin: After investing in real estate for over 18 years and almost 3000 deals done, Justin has created a business that generates 7 figures in active income through wholesaling and fix and flipping as well as accumulating millions of dollars of rental properties including 5 apartment buildings, 50+ single family homes, and 1 storage facility Justins longevity in real estate is due to his ability to look around the corners, adapt to changing markets, perfecting Raising private capital, and focusing on lead generation which allows him to not just wholesale and fix & flip, but also accumulate wealth through long term holds. His success in real estate led him to start The Entrepreneur DNA podcast and The Science Of Flipping podcast and education company, and REI LIVE where he’s actively doing deals with members. He has coached and mentored thousands of aspiring and active investors over the last decade. Connect with Justin: Instagram: @thejustincolby YouTube: Justin Colby TikTok: @justincolbytsof LinkedIn: Justin Colby

What's up the entrepreneur DNA family? The guest I have here today is very special. She is incredibly smart, beautiful, but knows how to organize some crazy entrepreneurs like myself. She is the CEO of the Eklund Gomez group. You might know these individuals from Million Dollar Listing Manhattan as well as Million Dollar Listing LA. We have Julia Spillman here.

How are you? Great. Excited to have you. Yeah, nice to be here. Thanks for hosting me today. Yeah. You are dynamic. You are the backbone of what most people see

of the glitz and glamour is on TV, but it is you who makes the whole ship go round. I wanna dive right into that. Okay. What does it take to be a CEO of the glitz and glamor of a high profile business organization? I mean, that's such a great question. I mean, I think one, it's a little deceiving

because I definitely don't look like this every day. I don't unfortunately wake up totally like this, but you know, get the benefit, especially in Miami, of having a great hair and makeup team and a lot of great shopping down here. But I think the big thing is, it's just a lot of damn hard work. And I think one of the things

that we're always the proudest of is, they announced this year the number one team at Douglas Elliman for the last decade. And, you know, we really spent some time reflecting on that. And I think at the end of the day, what sets us apart is I really believe no one can outwork us. And I think just because... Sorry, excuse me, geez.

Just because you're number one, I think it actually makes it harder year over year because you know everybody's coming for you. So how do we almost have to reinvent ourselves every year? Like we've got to stay on the top of the marketing, on the business strategy, on the development world, on what we're offering our clients. And I think that, you know, one of the many things that Frederick has taught me, I think one of the things we've benefited the most from is how do we personally make ourselves better each year

because otherwise, how are we gonna do it in the business? I think the thing I just recently heard and I think the rock is who said it, right? Is what you were basically saying in a different version. When you kind of reach to the top of the mountain top, there's no more mountain necessarily. And so I heard the rock saying, when I got to the top of the mountain top, all I knew how to do is build more mountain. Right? so I heard the Rock saying, when I got to the top of the mountaintop, all I knew how to do

is build more mountain. Right? And I thought that was brilliant. You're saying in a different ways, like, if you're at the top, everyone's chasing you, everyone's biting your heels. But in theory, there's nowhere to go. So you got to go reinnovate, you got to go remake what you've done and do a new version of that. So you have more mountain to climb. Yeah. And you've got younger, smarter hustlers out there that you know are using you and using your business as a case example and you know and sometimes

they can do it better and they would do it smarter and they're you know they're savvier they're you know much more techie you know they're all you know, they're savvier, they're, you know, much more techie, you know, they're all over the AI. So I think that like we wake up knowing that again, we can't stop running. And I think that also, again, the reinvention of ourselves personally, also too like we're getting older, you know? So like, what is, you know, if it's something within,

and I'm seeing my doctor actually this week, she's down here for a biohacking conference on Friday. And so I'm gonna spend some time with her Thursday. Like how do we as people keep getting healthier, the anti-aging, you know, all the stuff. Absolutely. You know, so I think there's really like no area that you can kind of let down in.

Yeah. Which is a lot of pressure, but it's also super exciting. Yeah. How do you, you know, you've been a part of the whole journey with Eklund Gomes and most people have seen them on TV at one point or another, million dollar listing's been around for a very long time. They've reached the pinnacle.

What have you seen kind of in the background for that journey, what it takes? Cause I'm really leaning into helping people understand the personal brand side of things. Absolutely. Right? They are a personal brand. You people understand the personal brand side of things. Absolutely. They are a personal brand. You yourself are a personal brand. What are you seeing the background of that journey

over 15 or whatever years has been on TV? So I've been with them for a decade. I started out doing one of their new developments in New York. So that was almost 10 years ago, as crazy as that sounds. Then we almost didn't really know what to do with me. I was a single agent at that time, but we worked so well together.

So we were like, okay, let's just like figure this out. So I started running their new developments in New York, then ultimately became the COO. And then, you know, really at that time, you know, a lot of people, there's a lot of like mystery around our business, like what it is. And back in the day, you know, 10 years ago,

it really was New York New Development. So I really pitched to them starting a resale business, as crazy as it sounds. Because everybody- That sounds really crazy, like you pitched that idea. Yeah. And, you know, John Gomes, who, who you know is known more for doing some of those bigger really big resales loved it. Fred I remember at the time was like if

you're so bored I feel sorry for you and I you know I'll let you do this and we laugh about it because he's like it's one of the few things that he's probably ever been wrong on. Yeah. And you know now it represents over 50% of our business force and it's very much a feeder system to each other. So that's probably ever been wrong on. Yeah. And, you know, now it represents over 50% of our business. Of course. And it's very much a feeder system to each other. So that's what allowed us to really expand across the U S and build all of these agents, you know, with us.

So, you know, I think it's just such like, you know, it's just such a journey is really like looking at the business and again, you know, I see it more as like a diversified portfolio. And I think where agents get themselves in a little bit of trouble is like, they're so hyper focused on, you know, I'm going to do south of fifth rentals or I'm going to do south of fifth high rises. Well, once that movement shifts away from that, the business is impacted so greatly that then it becomes very hard to keep those numbers up.

So we really tried to figure out how to juggle the business where something is always hitting in season. So now Miami's had quite a run, obviously we're starting to slow down, obviously here live from Miami it's a little nasty out, but now New York is on fire. Were you guys doing a lot in Miami? Yep, Miami was a really, really great season for us.

You know, again, our fellow- When you say season, what does that mean? Is that a year long season or is it a two or like- So I know Miami has been great since COVID, right? For obvious reasons. New York's coming down here, California's coming over here, all the different things for political, right? Well, the high is really on Miami, as you're saying,

in every facet. That's right. So I think the traditional season really was almost like Thanksgiving holidays to before F1. F1 then extended that season kind of mid-May. I mean, we had a really great last couple of weeks. But because so much focus is on the new development space, you know, our projects like the Shore Club, Ritz, South Beach,

Paragon, they've been incredibly, incredibly busy, even as lately as this week, which we're really proud to say. So I think now, of course, the focus is shifting a bit. LA is a bit more on the board. New York's a bit more of a focus. But for us as a broker, brokers thinking this more as like a business,

because again, I think that so many agents think of it as an individual sell. And it's kind of like, okay, I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna run to the next, but how do you really kind of create a pipeline? How do you create a diversified portfolio? And that is branching out. Again, not every agent is gonna have

a national expansion like us. Again, in hindsight, and I just got my Botox done by my amazing plastic surgeon, so I don't look as stressed as I usually am with it, but I mean, it took a lot out of us. And I think because we were the first team to do it, we didn't know what to expect. We definitely didn't have anybody warning us that we were completely insane in doing it. And in hindsight, we probably wouldn't do it again. But now we have this

juggernaut of an amazing machine. Let's talk about growth. You know, being the CEO, you're the operational side to the what I would call because of the popularity on TV, the glitz and the glamour, not saying they don't work, just like, that's what they're more known for. You're gonna be behind the scenes making it all put together, right? They stir up a lot of dust, you corral the dust. When you go in for a new venture and it's a bigger venture and you're like, okay, let's go national,

let's go build this out. What kind of, I think people need to understand the financial undertaking that takes, the commitment for the personnel. You gotta to be fully committed to make project work you have to be fully committed. Talk to us about expansion or growth or putting up a new venture. As many you know, I'm constantly on the move, juggling multiple businesses traveling and ensuring I get my morning workouts in staying fresh isn't just a preference. in ensuring I get my morning workouts in. Staying fresh isn't just a preference, it's a necessity. But let's face it, after back-to-back meetings,

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That is S-H-O-P-M-A-N-D-O.com. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. Smell fresher, stay drier, and boost your confidence from the head to the toe with Mando. Right? Well, as always, you know, you gotta spend money to make money. Amen, girl. And it's very difficult to, you know,

put a lot of money behind something that there's no proven track history of. Then you gotta talk about opportunity loss. So if we're, you know, the number one team in New York, and now we're focused on LA, we actually really struggled with, we lost several big agents because they were like, guys, we love you and your family to us,

but like, you're on a plane. Like we're not seeing you. Like we do believe in what you're building, but we don't really wanna be there during the construction. And it's interesting, almost all of those agents have now returned to us. And for me again, as the CEO and kind of again, like a bit of like the mother figure,

it was probably one of my more proud moments because to me it was the ultimate test of like, we did it and what we were saying that we were gonna do worked. Yeah. You know, cause I think also too, like when you're nurturing like younger agents and you're growing up with them.

And again, a lot of them, you know, I wasn't this agent 10 years ago. You know, I was a very young agent in the business without a lot of experience. So we all kind of grew up a bit together in Eklund Gomes. And I think to see them like leave us was really hard on me. So now to have a lot of them back, you know, cause they're like, wow, it really worked.

And you guys did it. And you know, we want to be part of it because we started it with you guys. And that really honestly was like very touching. Of course. You know, on a personal level, but also on a professional in the sense of like, wow, this crazy thing did work.

And you know, we learned, I was on a call with a friend this morning and he was like, well, I wish so-and-so would approach this the way you do. And I said, well, it's not that I'm like so great at it. I've just done it so many times that statistically I can kind of figure out how this is going to play out. So I do think when people say, you know,

it is about experience, it really is, because I had no business running John and Fred's business 10 years ago. Now I feel incredibly confident. You guys were like, they weren't who they are today, right? So it was a journey that it was a combined journey of that growth, right? You know, and they, you know, I have to give them

a lot of credit. They took a very big risk on me. I, at that time, never sold anything over, I mean, $7 million. You know, and these guys are known for selling 20, 40, 90, now $100 million plus properties. I had worked on a lot of condo conversions, but hadn't done the five star brands

and things that they were known for. So I had a lot to learn. I think that's why when people use the term, fake it till they make it, they think me of all people are gonna be almost annoyed by that term. And I'm like, no, I am the definition of that term. You know? I think we all are to some extent.

I mean, right? To the extent they are too. Yeah. You know, they were able to talk about who they were gonna be to the point of now they are those individuals, right? I wanted to highlight the branding of what the TV show can do. Yes. There's a lot of negative connotation around that too. And I think sometimes for me as a woman, you know, I was actually thinking about some of the stuff we were going to probably talk about. And obviously I have respect for everybody in this industry.

Everybody's got a different way of getting to ultimately where they want to be. And I'm not going to knock that hustle as long as it's ethical. And I think one of the interesting things, it's like, like you look at Selling Sunset, and I know a lot of those women, you know, obviously are more actresses. Obviously, you know, the brothers have an amazing business and, you know, we adore them, they're great people.

But it is sometimes hard to see, you know, six girls in miniskirts and six-inch heels, you know, laughing in in mini skirts and six inch heels, you know, laughing in a walk-in closet. You know, I have never done that, you know, in the 14 years I've been in this business. So I think sometimes where it's really hard and, you know, to give you a little backstory, you know, because again, everybody sees who I am now sitting in the seat. I'm a girl from Kentucky. I mean, we didn't in the five, I mean, I'm stretching using the word town,

the little like villages that we lived in, we still to this day don't even have a stoplight. We have two, actually was corrected. We have two flashing caution lights, you know, in the whole county. So we didn't even have a private school that you could go to anywhere within, you know, hours of where

we grew up. So I think for me, it's such a change of how I grew up. But I think those have been incredible vehicles. And if you look at Frederick and what he has done on those shows, but most importantly, we took that as a marketing opportunity and packaged it and made it into a billion-dollar business. Do you have much to do on that side of his world, or are you just strictly the real estate, strictly the brokerage? I mean, anything that he's involved in, I'm involved in,

but, you know, I would never want to take any credit away from him because he was doing all of this when I got in the mix. So it really was like, you know, I look at the two of them and I'm like, the amount of raw talent between the two of them was just amazing. They just didn't have the business back in built of them. And I always use this as an example. When I started the Seaport project with them,

they gave me a list of, I'll never forget, it was like 321 names. And, you know, to call to start scheduling appointments with, many of them didn't have brokers. And we went through all of it. And I had done a lot of condo conversions in that area, and that's why ultimately, you know, I got the job with them. So I knew a lot of those individuals and stuff. And I said, okay, guys, we've said all these appointments, we've sold a huge part of the business. What do you want me to do with this list? Because I wasn't okay, guys, we've said all these appointments, we've sold a huge part of the business, what do you want me to do with this list?

Because I wasn't on their team technically at that time. And Fred would always tease me, he's like, what's your obsession with this Excel list? And I said, do you know how many top brokers have built their entire business off of lists that are one 100th of the quality of this? And I said, wait, you guys really aren't working any part of that.

And then, you know, and again, that's how the resale conversation came is like, we have because of our access to new development, you know, access to so many buyers. And, you know, again, we've been been so great with selling, you know, all of these new developments, but there's so many people, as you know, like they get so excited about a new project and they walk in, they're like, oh, wait, we need something this fall. So we were able to service so many people

by virtue of our access to these new developments across the country. So it really was, again, how do we start thinking of this as a business instead of one building? And then with the building, I always say with the listing, you should sell that listing and at least three others. And it's like, it's really, again, it's stop thinking of anything as a singular thing

and thinking of it is how does it force force multiply within your business? Do you and they still do personal production? I do not. I haven't, I always joke, I haven't shown a home. Oh my gosh, I'm probably like six, seven years. Now I'm super involved with all of our developers and obviously I'm super involved every day

with all of our agents, but I don't show anymore. I think the specific where I wanted to go is, now they still do the production because it's the level they have to have the brand trust and whatever, but the CEO, you know, we talk about a hustler to CEO. They can kind of remain in a hustler, I'm still the name, the brand, I need to take the listing.

But they have a CEO running it for them. Absolutely. So when they get the signed paper, they say, hey, Julia here, we got the listing. And I doubt that they're sitting in on each one of these houses, on every single open house. Well, most importantly again, I think my job, I always like relate my job to like the talent manager and I need to make sure that like their time is used in the most effective productive way.

And honestly like, you know, because a lot of people will be like well, like that's Frederick and John and like your organization is different. It's not at all. It's just we're 90 plus people doing exactly the same thing as every other agent is trying to do out there. And it's like, as I always say, like, yes, our production numbers are in the billions and luckily in the, you know, in the four billions the last several years. But it's because we have a huge army of people working with us and helping us do all of the pieces.

But my biggest focus is how do I make them the most efficient every single day? And again, that is completely relatable to someone who just started in the business doing rentals in Ohio. It's you've got to figure out what is the highest and best use of your time. And I want all the agents to obviously be able to be supported, whether it's marketing,

transaction coordinators, assistants, we're actually trialing, beta testing, a really exciting AI component that hopefully I'll be talking about soon, that again is to make our agents more efficient. Because at the end of the day, to get these crazy numbers, everybody has to be contributing

and everybody has to be growing. So I always say to my agents, because they're like, well, you're so busy and you've got so many people. And I'm like, I have a vested interest in every single person, because to get to the numbers, these crazy numbers that Fred loves to throw out every year that we're going to do, I have to have everybody contributing to that.

So there's no agent that's going to get lost in the shuffle because they need every single one of them. What's the dynamic between Fred and John? How do they play their roles and then how do you sit in the middle to make sure that they play in their sandbox? Oh my goodness, so this is kind of the running joke. They are like twin brothers that just fight all day. In like the best way possible. And as we always joke, because, you know, a couple of years ago they asked me to, you know, be partners who I do own part of Eklund Gomes with them,

which, you know, is super, super exciting. But we were like, okay, well, what do we do? And I'm like, guys, I'm already represented in it. There's the Eklund, the Slash and the Gomes and I'm the Slash in all ways. I, as I joke, I keep them together and I separate them as well. So, you know, that's really the running joke with that. But I think it's been so interesting to me

because we run an organization that however you feel, you can really say. And I think it's the definition of a safe place. I mean, some of the times that things I say, I'm like, okay, guys, like, now we're just oversharing. But I love because, you know, I was Merrill Lynch in HSBC before, so I was very corporate. And they really got me to be one a lot more vulnerable, which is not my strongest suit. But also really have this amazing blend between the corporate world and more like

the creative and look at things a little bit structured, but also organically and be a lot more nimble, especially than like the traditional brokerages out there. But I mean, they're a riot. I mean, we've got these text chains. And again, it's, you know, Fred's an amazing, like we joke, like he's pretty much like a stockbroker in his free time. So it's like stock tips, kid photos, hilarious memes, all the business, the financials, it's everything on there. And I think like they've really created, you know,

again, most of my families in Kentucky, are really like family away from home for so many people, not just myself. And I think that a lot of us have really found that in common that, you know, we are far away from home. A lot of us, you know, friends from Sweden, like a lot of us don't have our families here with us, but like we are our own family.

So I know like a lot of times like people, when we talk about like the family aspect of it, you know, it does sound kind of cheesy, but it's very real because, you know, we're traveling nonstop at this point. And, you know, we really enjoy being with each other. And it's not just, again, me, John, and Fred. I mean, our COO, Susie, just had a baby,

and it was like, you know, like, again, we all felt like we were involved in that whole process. I mean, she's been with us for 10 years. I mean, she was literally a kid when she started with us. What happens when, let's talk about the content and the ability to grow a brand through, not everyone's gonna get the opportunity to do TV, okay? Granted.

Yeah. But talk about how the growth of content can really expand their brand, what is done for them, but also the reality of what it is. It is a job. If you want to get out and you want to be a name and you want to be known and you want to build client base, you got to hustle in the content. Honestly, I have so much respect for, you know, like again, let's use Dina as example down here. I mean, she, those videos, I mean, she,

it's a full-time job. I can't even imagine, I mean, she's obviously doing insane numbers as a single agent. And then she's essentially like on location shooting nonstop, but it's part of the package of selling. And I think if you can find an authentic way to really showcase who you are, because it's interesting. We did, the last couple of years,

we did more agent videos versus listing videos. Because I do think someone's gotta tell the story. Now, one of the many benefits, you know, I'm very pro team. I've always been on team. I can't imagine an agent not either having a team or being part of it, because I also think real estate's a lonely business. So why not do it and at least like have some fun

in it doing it together. But I think it's really like this concept of like, how do you tell your story? Because everybody has such an interesting story, like how do they get into real estate? Now we're seeing a lot of people that are coming out of college. I do think one of the many benefits of the show has been

you have a generation of people that are like, wow, I wanna graduate college and become a real estate agent. Nobody ever said that. No one ever said that. No one ever. That's right. You know, so.

It was almost looked down upon. I'm 44, so like I went to UCLA. I literally called friends thinking I was gonna get into real estate and start a real estate brokerage. Like, yeah, but you don't even need a degree for that. It was almost like, yeah, but you're done. This didn't work out, maybe this will. And, you know, again, I came from Merrill Lynch,

so people were kind of like, wait. Of course. Are you confused? Like what, you know, like what's going on? And again, I try to look at everything as like the opportunity zone. And I think, 14 years ago, when I moved from, more the real estate banking side to here,

there was so much opportunity because there wasn't that kind of like, again, I'm from Kentucky, so I wouldn't call myself super educated, but there wasn't that kind of like corporate level. And it's interesting, a lot of our shop is former Wall Street kids that really wanted, now again, I always say the joke's on us,

we wanted flexibility. I mean, I've worked more than I ever worked now, but again, it's like, I feel like I have some like odd flexibility in it. So it's like, you know, I think just not eating breakfast, lunch and dinner in the office was like a big win for us. You know, but I think the more that you can tell people like who you are, what you stand for, and I think add in like the layers of personal.

It's interesting because on Frederick's Instagram, he gets, you'll see on his grid is more family stuff, and in his stories is more real estate. And he gets the most engagement when he's really showing who he is. Family. You know? I say the same thing is people need to know who you are. Yeah. Because otherwise, you know, they're just not going to transact in the same way as you,

right? To some extent, when you become a name, you wear a name so everyone knows Eklund. But if they don't really know who you are, then the buy-in is less. Does that make sense? And I think, you know, the dimension of the family, the kids, you know, his amazing husband, Derek's, like, art. And, you know, I think there's, it makes him, I think, especially too, once you cross the lines of, like, being a celebrity or a brand,

like, are you a real person? You know, and it's like, what, you like what, like who is this person actually? And I think people really enjoy, again, there's nobody that works harder than him. I can attest to that. And it's interesting to see that again, a lot of people are like, oh, Fred's always on vacation. And I'm like, I don't know if I'd use the word vacation

because one, he's on the 13 Zooms and the different time zone. But for us, I think one of the big difference that has really set our brand apart is instead of waiting for people to show up at the open houses, or I mean, nobody reads listing E-blast anymore. It's like I've unsubscribed from so many, so I can just get through emails alone

or put them in a folder, and then somebody will look through them. But I think for us, it's like we're taking these properties and our new developments on the road. And if you're not putting this in front of consumers, they can't consume everything that's out there. Do you guys track as a CEO, do you track metrics obviously? We track everything.

Do you track metrics on anything that was sold through social media posting? You do. I mean, you know, again, I think with real estate, it's all about touch points. And I think statistically, it's like four or five touch points before you actually get something from it. So we're aware, though, that that's a major consumption point. And we used to think that it was only the younger generation. And that's definitely not the case.

You know, one of our biggest clients was actually sourced through social media. And it's, you know, again, someone you would whatnot think that was on social, and would definitely never interact in a business capacity through social. But again, I think that that's where the connection was made and solidified to, like, who are we as individuals?

Because I think people wanna be doing business with good people, especially in this day and age. And I think unfortunately, as much as Miami's amazing, it is known for kind of having a little more sketchiness. And that's been a very hard change for Fred and I down here personally, because we've never interacted with that in New York. New York is, it's very transaction based

and it's very vetted. So it's not like you're going out and socializing with individuals for a long time and then maybe doing a transaction. It's about the transaction. They don't need to do- That's why you just get it done. But that's the Northeast.

So Miami I've heard is a very sunny place with very shady people. And I got here and someone told me that when I first moved here, I moved here in 2021, and I laughed just like, I'm like, that's really good. Yeah. Really good, right? And so, and I haven't done a lot, I live here now, but I live here because I married, my wife is from here,

she's Cuban, we had kids, et cetera. So I've had the fortunate lifestyle to be able to do that and live in a very expensive area. But, um, you know, I'm not anywhere near Eklund Gomes in terms of fame and what they've been able to build, but I will tell you business owners understanding the value of, um, strategic content. So this podcast has done very, very well. Our mutual friend Aaron is,

this is why he said you need to have Julie on. I was so excited for us to do that. Because of this is I have an opportunity because what I've done for years without the limelight, now I've caught traction. Now I have the names. You make it. Yeah, right?

And it literally is, I just kept going. Yeah. And I kind of want wanna dive into that whole concept is this podcast put me on a platform now where people were excited to be on my podcast that I would never be able to get on a podcast before, right, but it's because I kept going. I kept thinking it's going to be big.

This is gonna happen, right? Talk to us about that concept, specifically being a female. Yep. I think it's a conversation people try to avoid, but I'm just going to hit it head on because the reality is you are a boss of a multi-billion dollar organization and you are a female and what does it take and what do you go against and what kind of discriminatory stuff do you deal with and what kind of like, I want to use the word hey, but like I'm sure there's people that think it could be or should be a man's job to run that type of organization.

You know, it's so interesting because as a man, you know, I'm so appreciative of you even bringing it up because I think it's so interesting because I think it's like one of the greatest things is being a woman in this industry. And I think about, you know, I think about so much like the dynamics of stuff. The things that I think that the billionaire especially would not allow maybe a straight single man to say to him, a woman definitely can. And with developers, you know, like I think we have the ability to say things and to do things and our ability to multitask that maybe a man wouldn't be able to push as much as we can.

I think there's, if done correctly, a grace and a tasteful way to deliver anything that again, the ego never interacts with us. So where maybe again, if, you know, I'm just using a straight man said something in a more, you know, I'm just using a straight man, said something in a more direct pushy way to a billionaire, he would be like, well, what do you know? And they're not gonna say that to a woman.

And I think that there's so many now amazing, amazing women in this industry who have paid the roads for women like myself from the absolute middle of nowhere with, and I've been having some voice problems, but I typically have a little more twangy accent, that can get in there. And I also think too, it's a very different time

where you can still be a sweetheart. I always say people are always shocked about how approachable and easy, I'm like, okay guys, I'm just a girlfriend can touch. You know, and I still sometimes like, it's interesting because kind of like the group of individuals that mentored me, I would always call myself kid sister

because I think one of the biggest stepping stones to this job was learning a little bit about everybody's job. You know, cause people are like, how do you have the skill set to do this and to know everything? And it's like, I always said the number one thing was, I was curious.

And I would ask people out to coffee. I wouldn't say, can I shadow you at an open house? Can I just observe this? Can I listen in on this call? I promise I won't say anything. I just wanna learn. And I never ask any of them for anything. I really just wanted the knowledge piece of it.

And it's the biggest asset that I have because I have this like interesting knowledge of like, you know, to a typical agent, they'd be like, what would you do with that? And it's like, well, you've run a huge organization with it. But I think again, as a woman, it's also taking ownership of stuff. I think I used to be, you know,

we all have our insecurities. Well, one thing, because I am from Kentucky and don't have a fancy education, my grammar is like a disaster. I always joke down here, because people are like, oh, do you speak Spanish? I'm like, guys, I'm still working on English, so let's like not get ahead of ourselves.

So I used to be very self-conscious about saying the wrong word or like, you know, my crafting of emails. I mean, now we have chat, TV, tea, different things. Thank God, you know, we're just never at that level of someone that, you know, was producing at this rate. So I started like just owning it. So instead of being like, oh gosh,

they're gonna think that I'm like so uneducated in these emails or something, I say, I always joke like, okay, I can win the spelling bee or I can be the top of cell. So it's like cells or spelling. And the second I took ownership of it and put it out there, like, I mean, I'll have developers be like, oh yeah, you're pretty bad on emails.

And I was like, yeah, but we sold that penthouse, right? And they're like, yeah. But the job got done. Yeah, and it's interesting because I think sometimes with like women, there's this like thing in their head that we've got to be like this. And I think it's one, it's about being authentic

and being real. I really struggled with some health stuff that we purposely kept hidden during the expansion because I was worried that people might think like, well, can I do it? Should we really kind of like rally behind her? And then of course, as we got on the other side of the expansion and thank goodness, health-wise,

I turned the corner, I became much more open about it. And it was really like, interesting to me how people were like, oh my gosh, you're a real person. And it's like, oh my gosh, I've got all kinds of realness in me. And, but I think it's something that, you know, as a woman, you've got to make yourself comfortable in a room. And I've sat in way too many rooms that was all men.

But I made sure that I felt, you know, and manifested that it was my place to be in that room. But most importantly, I made sure an open door so that more women could sit at the table. How did you show up to those meetings? You walk into a boardroom and you got, I'm making up 10 dudes, 10 men in suits and power and blah and the role of whatever.

I get it. And you show up. Fake it till you make it. Why am I not in that room? Did you over prepare? Did you study? Do you go like excessively like no one is gonna get shit on me in this room. Well, I always say, you know,

I never wanna be in a position where I'm caught off guard. Yeah. And if I'm going to say something, I'm going to say it in a place of authority, or I'm going to say I'm going to get back to you, this and that. So I always went into these rooms knowing that, again, the whole fake it till you make it. And now, obviously, I very much... You moaned it, by the way. It's sort of clear. You run a four billion dollar a year organizations I think you may have to have that mindset like I never want to get cocky and think that again that I don't have to reinvent myself that I don't have to prove that not in a way that I'm a woman it's more

in the sense of like respect for everybody in there and I think that one of my biggest things because I had a lot of great mentors in the business, I had a great mentor at Merrill Lynch that was a woman, but I never had a woman mentor since. And I'm very sensitive to that. So if you look at the organization, my COO is a woman who, you know, has grown in the business with me, our CMO.

You know, I really want to be able to open doors that I feel like other women, unfortunately, didn't open for me. And I think that if this group, you know, this generation of women leaders do that and do it from a very authentic place, we're gonna be in a much different situation. Cause I think, unfortunately, sometimes women

can be the ones that push other women down. So speak to the younger generation. Speak to the 22, 23 year old woman getting out of college, maybe a little lost. The world's different these days. Weren't we all at that age? What do you pour into them for a second? Take an opportunity to like say, hey, here's some points that I would maybe lead you and direct, what would you say to that woman who maybe wants something bigger? I mean, I think the biggest thing is

curiosity. Like, if you come from an authentic place and you want to learn from everyone, I mean, again, you know this industry, like we all love to talk about ourselves. Oh, yeah, we're the best subject to talk about. So if you take someone to coffee and just say, tell me about yourself, like, it's just like, just start and just take notes. And I think enough people don't take advantage of that. And it's very rare that if someone asks for like a meeting or a call or something with me,

that I don't give them something, or at least like I'll send them a bunch of podcasts and say like, you know, here's some things where I gave some great advice on XYZ, because like, we've all been there. We've all started out at zero and still trying to get to the top or stay at the top. And I think that it's a business that is very open and welcoming and that we all need layers of help. So I think it's being curious. I mean, I hate to say this, I think that, you know, you can be beautiful in this business,

but you can also be professional. And I think sometimes Miami and LA may get a little confused on it. Sure. It's interesting because I probably, you know, dress less my age now than I dressed. Like when I was in my 30s and even like late 20s, I was always very conservative.

So I don't think that sometimes, I think you've got to think about what do you want to leave this person as their experience with? And I think there's a way to still be very beautiful and dress conservative and be able to really showcase, you know, the education that you have in this business and what you can bring.

Now, going back to the team component, I think being on a team is the best move you can make in real estate, especially for someone new, because there's so much that every team, including ours, needs. So it's like, okay, do you want to be an intern, an assistant, a showing agent? You know, and it's like, we've had so many people in our organization, myself even being one of them,

that's like, just give me a shot. Let me start here and let me prove to you to go to here. And I always say though, but you can't go in like, asking what's in this for me. That's right. Because you gotta bet on yourself that you're gonna be able to prove that. Show it, show it.

In 10 years, I never once have made $1 a salary from John and Fred. Mine was- Say that again for everyone. I want everyone, god, that is so meaningful to me. Not $1. My first development I did with them, even though we sold it at every single record,

full ask, like hardly any concessions, I never got paid for it because the building never got done. So, I mean, it was- And you did all that work. All that work. But it got me this seat. That's right. So for me, it's an investment.

And I think that the younger generation may get a little confused on the investment and most importantly, the return on that investment. Do you feel like the younger generation, I can go off on this by the way, so we gotta be careful on time. Us millennials. Oh man, so I'm like the last year millennial.

Yeah, I'm pretty close there. So, do you feel the generation, and I don't even know what it's called, like a little bit of this entitlement, because that's where I think what you're talking about is they feel like the entitlement to like, hey, if I'm gonna join your team, well, I deserve, what's in it for me. How do I get to the CEO? What is me me me and Us as the Millennials, I guess

It's kind of like just just earn it. Like don't worry about it. It's there you have an opportunity Just earn the opportunity I had no I mean for ten, literally not a dollar salary, because for me, my statement was I'm betting on myself. And if you benefit from it, I'm going to benefit from it. And if you really look at how us as entrepreneurs and CEOs think of business, would you rather be in the profit or the loss category of a P&L?

And for me, if I was always, as they were making more money, I was making more money, there's never gonna be a conversation of like, well, I'm never gonna be a cost. I'm never gonna be a negative. I'm never gonna be in the loss column. I'm always gonna be participating in the profits. And I think that that's where people get,

get really confused in the structure. Now, again, I know that's much easier people get really confused in the structure. Now again, I know that's much easier said and done because like you do have to exist. Yeah. And none of these cities unfortunately are cheap and they're just getting more expensive. But if you bet on yourself and you do the work,

you will get rewarded for it. And I 100% think, 110% know that my decisions to bet on myself has made me so much more money than they, anyone would have ever paid me, even now. You know? And I think that that's a big confusion. And I'm a big tester. So for me, if I'm going to sit across from the table, even like, for example, if you get an interview for me, I'm going to say to you, and now I'm gonna sit across from the table, even like for example, if you get an interview for me, I'm gonna say to you, and now I'm giving out all my secrets so people know, but I'll say, hey, I'm traveling, because I definitely am,

reach out to me Friday morning and I'll get you on the calendar. And if you reach out to me Friday morning, you will 100% get on my calendar. The amount of people that don't, and then they'll follow up on Monday and I'm like, guys, no. Insane to me, right you've

Happened all the time in the interview spot. I am shocked. So I have all these tests another test is You you know, and I love to be on time and obviously as you can tell I was like stressing this morning Cuz I was like four minutes late here So do they arrive on time and then I leave them in the waiting room and So do they arrive on time? And then I leave them in the waiting room and have someone kind of monitor. What they do? How do they handle the...

If they're gonna be rude to an assistant or a receptionist, they will not work in my home business. I like it. Because again, the doors that have been opened for me have been from a lot of other CEO and chairman's assistants, not the actual CEO or chairman. So it's like, you gotta think of every angle. And I'm very big on how people treat others,

because I also think it's karma. And I don't want somebody in my organization that's a bad egg. That's right. Because again, they're gonna poison the well eventually. So I always say like, how they treat someone will eventually be you. So we're very, very big on...

How you treat others. That and also I want to see like, how are they going to treat a client of ours? Right. If the client says to them, hey, I'm traveling, get back to me on Friday. I want to discuss that next property and they never reach out. That cost us money. So I think that there is different ways to really test someone to see if like, again,

they should even get in front of you because obviously our time's valuable, but it's really important to me to like, you know, because I'm such a product of, you know, people cheering me on and helping me out. I do think again, as a woman with, you know, like a story of mine and the fact that I really think that I've stayed, you know, Someone said to me the other day,

and it was probably one of the biggest compliments, they're like, you're the same person just with a really big job title. And I don't know, it made me really proud because I think people want to know that it hasn't changed you. And I think this is an industry that is a little hard in that,

especially again, when it's like the outfits, the hair and makeup and you know, we always joke one of my favorite photos with John and Frederick have this beautiful dress that of course was like loaned to us. I definitely didn't buy it. Um, and I was really sick at the time and I was really kind of like struggling with weight and water retention and all kinds of issues. And so I was super nervous about this photo and it's when Douglas Elliman gave us the Icon Award.

And I always joke, I really wish we had a behind the scenes because the dress didn't fit me. I was like a nervous wreck. So we would take the photo. I'd have to literally not breathe, zip the dress up and we'd have to like pin it, take the photo and then everybody would have to like rush to like unzip me so I could breathe.

And I always joke, cause when I see that picture, it just stands for like all the crazy stuff that like we've done and tried to kind of like, again, especially as a woman, make it all look like, oh, this is like super easy. You gotta make it look easy. Yeah, you know, and people again, like look at my Instagram and like outfits

and they're like, oh my gosh, it's so glamorous. And I'm like, look at my Instagram and, like, outfits, and they're like, oh, my gosh, it's so glamorous. And I'm like, this is my least favorite part of the job. Right. Like, that's... I could sit in front of 10 billionaires and 15 developers and wouldn't be nervous, because I'm very confident in my business ability. But when it comes to the photo shoots, you know, and I really struggled with that.

It was interesting. I kind of like chuckled when I put this dress on because, you know, I have so much respect for John and Fred and their vision for myself and definitely their daughters. So long before I really should be standing as an equal to them, you know, they really wanted these photos to stand for the future of our industry. You know, obviously them, you know, they really wanted these photos to stand for the future of our industry. You know, obviously, John, you know, John is a half black gay man. Fred is an immigrant

gay man. I'm obviously a woman from the middle of nowhere south. And, you know, they said to me, these photos are going to represent a lot of like what the future can be for the industry. And it's, it's really important kind of talking about that. Like, you know, the male, female component of it. And so- Well, layer in the, you know, gay component too on top of it all, right? You have two gay men, different ethnicities. You have a female CEO.

I mean, you guys have like the eclecticness at the top. Talk, we don't have a lot of time, but I want people to understand, there's no one size fits all. No. There's no recipe that says, this is how you're gonna go be a billionaire company. And most importantly, our company is a great example

of kind of like, you know, wait a second, it's being done so different, but even like something as little as like, John Gomes was like, you know, I love when you wear like shoulder pads, because he's like, from like an optic standpoint, it represents that like you visually are an equal of us because you are.

And, you know, and I always like, I've always loved that like that's how they've seen things. And I think sometimes like I do have my Eklund Gomes glasses on, but I'm like, I do like the way that like those lenses like we see out of. But yeah, I think it's, I do like the way that those lenses we see out of. But yeah, I think our organization represents a little bit of the chips on the shoulders,

the we didn't start on first base. I think that we always are kind of rooting for the underdog because it's hard, I know, when people are looking at us now to think you guys were never the underdog. We totally were. All three of us. You know, in every single way. And I think that, you know, it's a little bit of, like, yes, it's a overnight success story for me

ten years in the making. You know, so people see this, but I always, like, say to our agents that are newer, I really wish you knew me when I was an agent doing condo conversion and rentals in the financial district. Because like that really is what defined me versus, yes, I'm so proud to be who I am now,

but I'm so grateful for kind of like all the bumps along the way that really have allowed me to lead this organization by knowing what to do because of making a lot of bad decisions. This same old, like I say it like this, you have to give yourself enough runway to do the work. To become your version of you, or in my case, the version I am today. I've done this for 12 years. I didn't have the status I have in the podcast space and content space until recently, but you had to give yourself the runway.

And if you do that. And believe in it. You can end up being Julia or Justin or Fred or John. But I think the big thing that you and I know have in common is the discipline. And I think that that's the biggest thing that people aren't willing to invest in. Because you can create all these disciplines

that allow you to be what we are now, long before you ever are. But people don't want to do. They don't have the stamina to keep doing that. Right, they'll create the discipline. They'll get all fired up because they heard Julia or they heard Justin, they're all fired up. I just met this incredible CEO, she's amazing.

And then a year and a half from then, like are you still disciplined enough to have the discipline to keep going and do it and have the stamina to keep going even though you don't see the results? Well, here's a great example, you know, Aaron Keith, our, you know, common denominator. You know, I still to this day, you know,

I've been working with him on and off for about 10 years. If you look at my calendar, it's set up exactly the way that we trained. I have the time blocking. I'm going to call him and check that. Yeah. Oh, he'll tell you. I mean, you can look at my phone.

It's crazy. I mean, people think that I'm an actual psychopath. Like it literally says in there what time I'm picking up my packages and sending out returns. I love that. So for me, use your calendar. Oh, it is. I'm, I'm actually a victim.

I'm bad at my calendar. Oh, I, I'll call Aaron There's an actual like place that I'll probably have to go get therapy one day for this calendar Like they joke that it's like my actual love language. Yeah, but for me, it's it's how you create efficiency You know, I am I am known for my ability to multitask But that calendar is the cornerstone of why I can multitask Like I I think the biggest thing that, you know, advice-wise, you've got to get up each morning

because this business is a very reactive business. So the more you can be proactive, the more you're already winning the day. But agents have the tendency to kind of just, like, wake up and then, of course, just walk right into it, disaster. So there's not a lot of proactiveness to the business because people are thinking again of an individual transaction

versus thinking it as a business. You know, and I think it's those small disciplines that especially as the business gets so big that makes all the difference in the world. I should put you together a side convo, but I've been talking to a lot of EXP agents for the same thing. They treat it transactionally, but I've been talking to a lot of eXp agents for the same thing They treat it transactionally. They don't treat it as a business and they're eXp agents and they are not at Glyn Gums

But again, as I say every agent is just doing it at a smaller scale exactly what we're doing Yeah, or should be you know, because there's there's nothing how do they get to this big scale? You know, I I mean and this is kind of where I was going with the content and the TV show, because in my heart of hearts, and I haven't had the chance to talk to Fred or John, hopefully I will, but like, could they be where they're at today if they didn't have the opportunity to lean into the brand of them through TV?

Maybe. Yes. I think, you know, again, we would probably be a smaller scale of the same, because I think it's really also too like, one of the biggest misconceptions I think is everybody thinks our business is $100 million deals and buildings, but if you look at the average transaction, I think for last year we did about 2000 transactions.

The average transaction is about 2.5, 2.7 million. And an average means that's the hundred million and less to average at a 2.5 or seven or whatever. So that's a big misconception is, you know, we have so many agents that are like, I just want to sell 20, 30, $40 million. I'm like, you're missing the whole business. Again, if you want to do two transactions a year

and you can somehow live off of that, that's fine. But it's like, yes, the press is gonna pick up the developments, the $100 million deals, the $50 million deals, but what ultimately is building your book of business, because you should think of it, in my opinion, as building, you know, like a financial planner's business. You wanna start with them at the 401k rollover,

and then you wanna be with them when they sell the business and invest in it. That's right. And, but people get so caught up in trying to get to when they sell the business and invest in it. That's right. And, but people get so caught up in trying to get to when they sell the business. They've met so many agents and they've had so much positive experience and probably built a real loyalty with someone buying a million dollar place, then renting something and buying a Hamptons house, then getting their, like, by the time they get to that hundred million dollar transaction,

they don't need you. Yeah. They've already got their guy or girl. And I think that if you really focus on, especially as a new agent, going back to that, being the best rental agent, being the best million dollar agent. So, you know, I used to do open houses nonstop and I would spend my entire summers

instead of going to the Hamptons with everybody, I would spend most of the summers doing open houses, in studios and in one bedrooms. Because I knew those people would be clients of mine forever. And most of those still do business with us. So I think again, it's readjusting the mindset to just do the damn work. Girl, this has been amazing.

If you aren't yet following this girl, you need to. I don't mean to call her a girl, she is a woman. She is a boss. I'll take girl, I has been amazing. If you aren't yet following this girl, you need to. I don't mean to call her a girl, she is a woman. She is a boss. I'll take her. I'll take her. She is a CEO of a $4 billion annual company, the Eklund Gomes empire, but it should be Eklund Gomes Spillman. Like I said, I'm the line in between.

I keep them together and I keep them apart. If this was good, if you think there's one or two people that need to hear her and her message and what she brought, make sure you share this episode. I appreciate you guys. Thanks for showing up. Thanks for this morning. Great chatting with you.

You too.