Building a Real Estate Team: What Athletes Know That Agents Don’t w/ Brad Noll | Episode 97
Release Date: 02/06/2025
Real Producers
Most people dream of breaking into luxury real estate, imagining a glamorous life of lavish parties, jaw-dropping listings, and red-carpet moments. They see the glossy Instagram photos, the million-dollar deals, and the VIP lifestyle. But what they don’t see is the grit, sacrifice, and relentless hustle behind the scenes. The truth is, success in luxury real estate isn’t just about "looking the part", it’s about building the skills, relationships, and experiences that get you in the right rooms. And yes, sometimes that means “faking it till you make it”, but in the right...
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In real estate, success often feels like it's just out of reach. We see others climbing to new heights, owning multiple properties, building vast networks, and achieving financial freedom, but rarely do we hear about the risks they took to get there. The truth is, we all want success without understanding the sacrifices and risks successful people face. It's easy to envy their achievements without recognizing the challenges that come with the journey. But here's the reality: without risks, you won't learn. Growth in real estate (and life, for that matter) is all about stepping outside of...
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On this podcast, we’ve seen many traits and habits that lead to real estate success. Of course, drive, discipline, and sales mastery are necessary if you want to build an awesome business and legacy. But the exceptional agents we feature on this show have another thing in common. Their ability to withstand temporary pain in the pursuit of long-term growth. That pain takes on many forms: being vulnerable about where your business is bleeding. Receiving and applying feedback. Not focusing on flashy accolades like GCI and rather prioritizing net profit. Using...
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Success in real estate—or any sales-driven business—isn’t just about chasing leads. It’s about cultivating real relationships and intentionally putting yourself in the right rooms. Because let’s face it: leads can get you in the door, but relationships are what keep you in the game. The environments we choose to step into can radically accelerate our growth. Being in the right rooms—whether that’s a mastermind, a networking event, or a simple lunch with other top producers—can unlock opportunities we may never have uncovered on our own. You get to learn from people who are a...
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In some jobs, being authentic and outspoken on social media can get you fired. But in real estate, that authenticity could be the thing that separates you from cookie cutter agents and gets you hired by buyers and sellers. That was Ryan Cecil’s experience. After getting fired for her social media content, she found that real estate agents who show their personality attract more clients. Her online marketing and community-building efforts have created a highly successful real estate trajectory, going from $5 million in sales to $16.8 million in just a few years. Ryan’s...
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In real estate, many agents who decide to build teams are focused on what the team will do for them. It’s often about using leverage for the team leader to achieve what they personally want. Maybe that’s why the industry has so many problems around perception and professionalism. What would happen if a leader built around the concept of how they impact others and focused on the “why” of their people? You get a solid culture, a ton of production, and an environment they’ll never want to leave. That’s what Erin Krueger built in Nashville. Her team is built so well...
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Most businesses and entrepreneurs are laser focused on building brands that appeal to the consumer. They spend a ton of money on getting Instagram followers and going viral, but to no avail. What they don’t realize is that there’s a better (and less expensive) way to get in front of the consumer - and that’s through real estate agents. One relationship with a top producing agent in your city could be worth millions. Instead of trying to win consumers one-for-one, the right agent could lead you to their database of thousands of clients and customers. Industries like...
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In real estate, agents wear many hats. We’re marketers, advisors, entrepreneurs, and salespeople, but one important role we tend to overlook is community builders. We’re in a unique position to influence and inspire people, using homeownership to close the wealth gap. It’s easy to focus on what real estate can do for us, but we can’t lose sight of what it does for our communities. Through real estate ownership, many people have been able to change the trajectory of their lives and step into financial freedom. That’s why a real estate transaction has so much emotion attached to it....
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Horses and human beings during a real estate transaction are a lot alike - they need to be handled with emotional intelligence. Purchasing or selling a home is a high stakes scenario with a lot of money and emotion on the line. Just like horses are sensitive to the emotions of their riders, consumers are sensitive to the emotions of their agent. Unfortunately, a lot of deals go south and people get hurt because agents lack the EQ required for things to go smoothly. In order to be great agents, we have to apply level-headedness to our transactions, and avoid showing strong emotions...
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“Invest in real estate, it’s the true path to wealth” they say. That’s not the whole story. True wealth doesn’t come from simply racking up assets, but by building business enterprises that produce passive income. So while buying up single-family, multi-family, short-term rentals and other investments is a big piece of the puzzle, that’s only step one. To fully experience the power of real estate, we have to take it a step further, and run those investments like a business. The challenge is: most people (even real estate agents) get so caught up in earning...
info_outlineIn real estate today, starting a team is considered the ultimate competitive advantage. The problem is, team leaders don’t have the right framework for a healthy team culture.
There’s a reason why some of the best teams are run by former athletes or coaches. That’s because sport is the ultimate training ground for a job like real estate. Athletes and coaches come into the business with the secret weapon already baked into their behavior. In sport, being the best isn’t about talent alone. It’s about developing yourself until you make a quantum leap.
Real estate leaders and agents alike make one mistake: they think the quantum leaps will happen without the development phase, but that’s impossible.
Before we can even think of greatness, we have to build the foundation. Development is all about doing the work, messing up, and mastering the necessary skills. Once we put enough time into that, the achievement and production will follow.
How do we know we’re ready to build a team? What can we learn from athletes and the people who coach them?
In this episode, I’m joined by top producing broker/owner, leader and former college athlete, Brad Noll. He shares what the industry gets wrong about building teams, and how we can do it right.
You shouldn’t start a team until you know why otherwise you’re just going to hire a bunch of super expensive assistants. -Brad Noll
Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
- The wrong reasons to start a team
Starting real estate has become the default for agents who get a little bit of success. How do you avoid ending up with a bunch of expensive assistants?
- Quantum leaps don’t show up in production first
We all want to achieve at a high level. In this instant gratification world, do we doom ourselves by trying to achieve faster than our development?
- Lessons from a college athlete and coach
There are so many things about playing sports that translate into a successful real estate career. How did sport help Brad win in real estate?
Guest Bio
Brad Noll is a top producing agent and team owner. Since 2003, The Noll Team has been helping people in the Fort Wayne area find the freedom to live the lifestyle they want. Brad entered real estate after college having been inspired by his grandfather who had worked in real estate for 55 years. As a former college basketball player and coach, Brad Noll uses his background in sports to lead his team and develop his agents.
Website: https://www.thenollteam.com/
About Your Host
Remington Ramsey is a dynamic keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and visionary in the world of real estate. As the creator of "Real Producers", a widely acclaimed magazine connecting top agents and industry leaders, Remington has built an impressive platform dedicated to celebrating and elevating the real estate community. With a passion for motivating and mentoring, he’s shared stages with some of the biggest names in business, helping professionals break through barriers and reach new heights. When he’s not busy being a real estate guru, Remington is known for his contagious energy, practical wisdom, and a good dose of humor—because let’s face it, navigating life and business requires both grit and a sense of humor. With multiple successful ventures under his belt and a reputation for engaging storytelling, he has the rare ability to make even the driest industry stats sound exciting.
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