Stop Chasing More: The Truth About Scaling a Real Estate Business w/ Alan Kushmakov
Release Date: 09/25/2025
Why Great Marketers Are Beating Great Agents Right Now w/ Jimmy Mackin
The 13% Podcast
Do you believe that winning in real estate is about working the hardest or being in the business the longest? Well, today’s market is proving otherwise. An okay agent who’s great at marketing will beat a great agent who’s bad at marketing. Their message travels farther, faster, and lands with more people, and that creates leads, appointments, and closings. Effort isn’t the differentiator anymore; consistent visibility is. We’re in an era where speed-to-decision matters more than perfect strategy. Many of us obsess over “what if,” waiting for 90% certainty before we make a...
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The Social Media Metrics That Actually Matter in Real Estate w/ Tessabella Jelten
The 13% Podcast
Social media is one of the most powerful tools in our business… and also one of the most confusing. We’re constantly told to post more, stay consistent, and put ourselves out there, But most of us are still trying to figure out what actually works, and what actually turns content into conversations, and conversations into clients. The truth is, so many of us are doing social media the hard way. We obsess over how polished our posts look, whether we said the perfect thing, or whether we’re “on trend,” but almost none of that is what actually moves the needle for us. We get...
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How to Turn Your Conversations into Higher Conversions w/ Justin Benson
The 13% Podcast
Conversations are the heartbeat of our business… and also the biggest blind spot we have. We live and die by the quality of what our people say on the phone, in a consult, or across a kitchen table, yet it’s the one part of the job we almost never see. We can track dials, leads, pipeline, and appointments all day long, but the real work, the tone, the timing, the questions, the confidence happens in a space we’ve never had true visibility into. And we feel the pain of that every time an agent swears their listing appointment went “great,” only to walk out without the...
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Why Real Estate Agents Become Extinct (and How to Stay Relevant) w/ Wendy Shaw
The 13% Podcast
In this current market, every real estate agent’s deepest fear isn’t losing their next commission; it's extinction, being replaced, or getting forced out of the industry. Whether it’s because of lawsuits, AI, or market shifts, can our businesses survive when the playbook that worked for years suddenly feels outdated? What no one tells you is that this isn’t just a new-agent problem. Even seasoned agents with decades in the business go through the same gut-punch moment when they wake up and realize: “I don’t know how to win in this market anymore.” One day you’re the...
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Reducing Risk, Raising Professionalism: How NAR Is Strengthening Real Estate w/ Kevin Sears
The 13% Podcast
Every real estate agent today is living through a moment that will shape the next few decades of the industry. Commissions have been challenged in courtrooms. Lawsuits have changed how buyers and sellers think about representation. Across the board, both agents and associations are being pushed to evolve fast. But this isn’t the first time real estate has faced disruption, and it definitely won’t be the last. NAR has always been at the center of that evolution. Balancing policy, professionalism, and public trust, and adapting to every new challenge the market brings. The...
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The Legal Landmines Agents Step on Every Day (And How to Avoid Them) w/ Mandy Neat
The 13% Podcast
In real estate, there are everyday habits that feel routine, even harmless, but behind the scenes, many of them cross legal lines most agents don’t even know exist. It’s handshake agreements instead of written ones. It’s a “my client said so” text instead of a signed instruction. It’s forgetting that being someone’s friend isn’t the same as being their fiduciary. Most agents don’t realize that our “normal” often contradicts the very statutes that govern our licenses. And when a market correction, a class action, or a client complaint hits, ignorance won’t protect...
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Stop Chasing More: The Truth About Scaling a Real Estate Business w/ Alan Kushmakov
The 13% Podcast
In real estate, everyone talks about scale like it’s just a matter of adding agents or buying more leads. But the truth is, most leaders never really scale. They just build a bigger version of their own job. They’re still carrying all the weight, doing all the production, and wondering why their team is failing to thrive. The deeper problem is that most leaders confuse activity with growth. They chase five strategies at once, dabble in new lead sources, and hire quickly without clarity. What they end up with is a revolving door of agents, wasted money, and no leverage. ...
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The Emotional Side of Real Estate and Why Only 13% Survive w/ Dana Malstaff
The 13% Podcast
In real estate, everyone talks about the wins: the closings, the volume, the big paydays. But just as much a part of this business are the challenges. The clients who reject you, the seasons where business is slow, or the moments when life gets in the way, whether it’s parenting, loss, or personal struggle. And that’s the real difference between the 87% who quit and the 13% who last. The 13% treat those challenges differently. They don’t hide from them; they’re transparent about them. That honesty not only makes them more authentic. It also attracts clients who resonate...
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Why “Just Sold” Posts Are Killing Your Real Estate Brand w/ Marc Davison
The 13% Podcast
In real estate, “branding” is a word people use all the time, without knowing how to use it. A strong brand isn’t just decoration; it’s the reason a consumer chooses you over someone else. And yet in real estate, most agents are getting it wrong. Instead of building brands that create trust and meaning, agents confuse branding with vibing, content that looks flashy but has no real value. Vibing is the billboard with your production numbers, the Instagram post bragging about your income, the “just sold” selfie. It’s noise. And worse, it actually pushes clients away by...
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The Hard Conversations Real Estate Leaders Are Having Right Now w/ Holly Mabery
The 13% Podcast
If you’re a real estate leader, you already know: this isn’t just a tougher season, it’s a total reset. The playbook that worked in 2021, or even in 2024, doesn’t apply anymore. Transactions are down, costs are up, and you’ve had to make brutal calls. Cutting team members, letting go of support staff, going back to solo production just to keep the lights on. These are some of the challenges many are facing right now. In this market, it’s not just about scaling back, it’s about survival. The truth is: you’re not alone, and you’re not doing it wrong. Today’s...
info_outlineIn real estate, everyone talks about scale like it’s just a matter of adding agents or buying more leads. But the truth is, most leaders never really scale. They just build a bigger version of their own job.
They’re still carrying all the weight, doing all the production, and wondering why their team is failing to thrive.
The deeper problem is that most leaders confuse activity with growth. They chase five strategies at once, dabble in new lead sources, and hire quickly without clarity.
What they end up with is a revolving door of agents, wasted money, and no leverage.
True scale doesn’t come from more, it comes from clarity, courage, and consistency.
Most people in real estate never get past that breaking point. They burn out, retreat, or settle for mediocrity.
How do we shift our mind about scaling? How do we survive and thrive in the jungle that is the real estate business?
In this episode, we’re joined by real estate leader and coach, Alan Kushmakov. We dig into the real levers of growth in real estate. We also talk about why most agents are wasting their time chasing “one deal to cover the cost,” how courage and resilience separate the 13% who thrive from the 87% who disappear.
Guest Bio
Alan Kushmakov is a real estate leader, coach, and the CEO and Broker-Owner of Best Homes Real Estate. With over a decade in the industry, Alan has grown from solo agent to team leader to brokerage owner, building one of the fastest-growing independent brokerages in Arizona. His path wasn’t a straight line, after losing everything in the 2008 crash, he rebuilt in real estate, made every mistake possible in team building, and ultimately cracked the code on recruiting, retention, and scale. Today, Alan is known for helping agents and team leaders push past the breaking point that stops most people in real estate. He teaches leaders how to scale with clarity, courage, and systems that don’t collapse under pressure, drawing on his own lessons in resilience and growth. Connect with Alan on LinkedIn.
About Your Hosts
Lance Billingsley is a seasoned real estate professional with over a decade of experience in agent development and business coaching. Since January 2021, he has served as the Vice President of Agent Development at Navi Title Agency, where he leverages his extensive industry knowledge to mentor and support real estate agents. Before his tenure at Navi Title, Lance co-owned a top-performing real estate team at Realty ONE Group, achieving recognition as one of the company's top five teams. He also served as a business coach for Tom Ferry.
Dave Richards is a well-respected business coach working with CEOs, entrepreneurs, mortgage and real estate professionals, and others. With over 25+ years of executive leadership experience, he coaches and consults with the top professionals and organizations in their respective industries. Capitalizing on his certifications in Human Behavior, he specializes in building and optimizing high-performance teams and tackling difficult decisions that hold his clients back. He easily connects with entrepreneurs to help identify and communicate their vision, define their culture, and increase their profits and growth in today’s dynamic marketplace.
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