The Pickleball League That Built a $40 Million Business
Release Date: 06/18/2026
Turn 15 Conversations into 80 Closings
Ninja Selling Podcast
Eric Thompson interviews Gavin Vargas of Windermere Group One in Richland, Washington, who shares the mindset and habits behind building an 80-plus transaction business in a market of just 65,000 people. After attending his first Ninja Installation at age 21, Gavin steadily built his business by committing to the Ninja system, and in 2026 is on pace for his first $100,000 month. Gavin credits his success to three things: mastering his mindset, maintaining consistent live flow, and treating everyone in his business as a relationship rather than a transaction. His goal is 15 live interviews per...
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The Power of Going All In
Ninja Selling Podcast
Eric Thompson interviews D.J. Farris of Nashville, Tennessee, who shares the mindset shift that led to his first $100,000 month after nearly 20 years in real estate. While D.J. had experienced success throughout his career, he realized he had never fully committed to becoming the best Realtor he could be. Instead, he viewed real estate as something temporary while waiting for “something bigger.” Everything changed at the beginning of 2026. Through Ninja 90 and coaching with Steve Mandelson, D.J. embraced a new identity, committed fully to his business, and eliminated distractions that...
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Where Books Find New Homes
Ninja Selling Podcast
Eric Thompson interviews Alexis Pinter of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who shares the relationship-building strategies that helped her achieve her entire 2026 income goal by mid-June. After 12 years in real estate and two and a half years of coaching with Tracy Peterson-Nienaber, Alexis has built a business centered on authentic live flow, creative client events, and meaningful personal touches. Her signature strategy is a quarterly book swap, where clients, friends, family, and community members gather around a shared love of reading. The event naturally attracts like-minded people, creates new...
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Take a Month Off Without Losing Momentum
Ninja Selling Podcast
In this episode, Eric Thompson interviews Sumina Bhatti of Austin, Texas, about how to take a truly restorative vacation without sacrificing your real estate business. Sumina shares a practical framework she has developed over years of travel, including trips lasting several weeks to several months, while maintaining strong client service and business momentum. The key is preparation. Sumina explains that successful time away begins with deciding what kind of trip you want to take: fully disconnected, partially working, or fully working from another location. Once that decision is made,...
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The Pickleball League That Built a $40 Million Business
Ninja Selling Podcast
Rob Nelson interviews Greg Roeder of Fort Collins, Colorado, who shares how he built a thriving real estate business by creating community around his passions rather than relying on traditional prospecting. A pivotal moment came when he invited a struggling homeowner to join a pickleball game, helping him realize he could offer more than real estate services—he could create meaningful connections. Greg began organizing what he calls strategic gatherings and signature events, including pickleball leagues, wellness events, coffee tastings, and other experiences that bring people together...
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Premium Service = Premium Fees
Ninja Selling Podcast
Eric Thompson interviews Cyndi Olmstead, owner of Consi Realtors in Oldsmar, Florida, about two powerful business strategies: networking like a Ninja and offering premium service for a premium fee. Cyndi shares how she built a thriving real estate business from scratch after relocating to Florida without an existing sphere. By intentionally immersing herself in networking groups and later refining her focus to the most productive relationships, she created a strong referral-based business and achieved her best year yet. A major component of Cyndi’s success is her innovative use of real...
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Obsessed with Results - the Ninja Installation Evolves
Ninja Selling Podcast
In this bonus episode, Rob Nelson and Larry Kendall reflect on the evolution of Ninja Selling and announce a major change to Ninja training. Larry explains that The Group Real Estate served as the original testing ground for the systems that eventually became the buyer process, seller process, and Ninja Nine. A key theme is that most agents do not struggle because they lack knowledge. They struggle because they fail to consistently apply what they already know. While the Ninja Installation has long been praised as transformational, Ninja found that many agents needed additional accountability...
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Why Does Time Feel So Fast?
Ninja Selling Podcast
Rob Nelson and Peter Parnegg explore a question many people are asking: why does it feel like time is moving faster than ever? Rather than concluding that time itself has changed, they suggest that our perception of time has shifted because of how we spend our attention and energy. The conversation examines how distractions, obligations, and a lack of intentionality can create the feeling that life is speeding by. Peter reflects on how many professionals have become disconnected from where their time actually goes. He argues that the solution is not finding more time, but becoming more...
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When One Sentence Changes Your Life
Ninja Selling Podcast
Eric Thompson interviews longtime Realtor and Ninja, Brenda Fortna of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Brenda shares how a single sentence completely transformed her mindset, her business, and her life: “What if it all went right?” After stepping away from coaching and slipping into a mindset that quietly suggested her best years might be behind her, Brenda heard that phrase on a Ninja podcast and immediately adopted it as her new lens for life. What followed was a dramatic shift in both mindset and action. Brenda began preparing more intentionally for appointments, saying yes to opportunities she...
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Engage Your Agents With Anniversary Reviews
Ninja Selling Podcast
In this episode, Eric Thompson interviews Arwa Armstrong of Heritage First Realty in Wichita, Kansas, along with her coach, Tracy Peterson-Nienaber, to explore how leaders can keep agents engaged, productive, and bought into a company culture. The centerpiece of the conversation is Heritage First’s annual anniversary review process, a highly intentional one-on-one meeting system designed to strengthen relationships, support agent growth, and improve retention. Arwa explains that each anniversary review is a face-to-face meeting held around the agent’s joining anniversary. Using a...
info_outlineRob Nelson interviews Greg Roeder of Fort Collins, Colorado, who shares how he built a thriving real estate business by creating community around his passions rather than relying on traditional prospecting. A pivotal moment came when he invited a struggling homeowner to join a pickleball game, helping him realize he could offer more than real estate services—he could create meaningful connections.
Greg began organizing what he calls strategic gatherings and signature events, including pickleball leagues, wellness events, coffee tastings, and other experiences that bring people together around shared interests. These gatherings naturally deepen relationships, generate referrals, and make live flow inevitable. He complements these events with highly targeted content and newsletters designed specifically for his ideal clients.
Over three years, Greg grew his business from roughly $12 million in volume to $40 million while becoming one of the most recognized luxury agents in his market. His story demonstrates that when you build authentic community and create value beyond real estate, business growth follows naturally.
Key Takeaways
The best prospecting often starts with your passions, not traditional networking
Strategic gatherings create natural opportunities for relationship building and referrals
People connect more deeply through shared experiences than through real estate conversations
Content should be designed for your ideal client, not for the masses
Combining authentic live flow with targeted auto flow creates powerful momentum
Building community positions you as the trusted hub of a growing network
Memorable Quotes
“I could be more than somebody who just lists and sells houses.”
“Stop trying to serve everyone.”
“You need to find your people.”
“The first time I’d laughed in six months.”
“Why are we waiting for somebody else to create it?”
“You have to occupy the real estate portion of their brain.”
Links:
- Website: https://ninjaselling.com/ninja-podcast/
- Email: TSW@NinjaSelling.com
- Phone: 1-800-254-1650
- Podcast Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/TheNinjaSellingPodcast
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NinjaSelling
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninjasellingofficial/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ninjaselling
- Upcoming Public Ninja Installations: https://NinjaSelling.com/events/list/?tribe_eventcategory%5B0%5D=183&tribe__ecp_custom_2%5B0%5D=Public
- Ninja Coaching: http://www.NinjaSelling.com/course/ninja-coaching/
- Greg Roeder: https://www.sellingfortcollins.com/