Most real estate team leaders make leads their main recruitment tool. After all, what else could possibly convince someone to join your team?

But there’s a catch.

Building your entire recruitment model around leads is a short-term play with long-term consequences.

Lisa Ritter has seen it all. With decades in the business, she’s led large teams, scaled brokerages, and tested every model under the sun.

Here’s what she learned: A lean, lead-independent team will always outperform a lead-reliant one.

Lead-focused teams often attract the wrong kind of agent, the kind who wants results without the reps. Instead of developing professionals who know how to generate business and serve clients deeply, you create a revolving door of entitlement.

Worse, this model fuels the "used car salesman" stereotype our industry has struggled to shake. It’s transactional, and it sets everyone up to fail.

But there’s a better way.

In this episode, Lisa unpacks the traps most team leaders fall into, and shares how to build a team that thrives on purpose, not handouts.

Things You’ll Learn In This Episode

-Look for a white-hot why

Every potential recruit will tell you they are a hard worker, so how do you know if they’ll back it up with action?

-Entitled vs. inspired agents

Can making leads your main value prop actually sabotage your team’s culture?

-How to motivate (not micromanage) your agents

If you’re a team leader still in production, how do you pour into your people without overwhelming yourself?

Guest Bio

Lisa Ritter is a REALTOR®, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Results in Omaha, Nebraska, and co-leader of The Ritter Team. With over 20 years in the real estate industry, she has earned 13 "Best of Omaha" awards and holds prestigious designations including Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI). Lisa served as the 2015 President of the Nebraska REALTORS® Association and was appointed as a Nebraska Real Estate Commissioner in 2019. Known for her commitment to agent development and ethical leadership, Lisa is passionate about building sustainable real estate businesses that prioritize autonomy, purpose, and long-term success over dependency on leads. Find Lisa on Facebook.

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision, where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they’ve expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone’s life!

In real estate, buying leads is like opening Pandora’s box. Once you start, it’s almost impossible to stop, and it could ultimately wreck your team.

It starts with the best intentions. A few agents join your newly formed team, you design a cute logo, celebrate with brunches and merch, and dream of building an empire.

But when the agents don’t produce, the pressure kicks in, and you start buying leads, thinking it’s the simple solution.

Instead, it becomes the beginning of the end.

Suddenly, you’re bleeding cash every month, stuck micromanaging a team that resents being held accountable, and still can’t convert the leads you're paying for.

We’ve seen this story play out again and again. A well-meaning team leader builds something they end up resenting and regretting.

But here’s the truth: the real root of the issue isn’t the leads. Things went wrong before you bought that first lead.

How do we stop the downward spiral before it takes everything with it?

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on why most teams fail, how buying leads digs the hole deeper, and why solving the wrong problem is what truly sinks your team.

Things You’ll Learn in This Episode

-The hidden trap of starting a team
Forming a team feels great at first. How does it lead to resentment, financial loss, and burnout fast?

-Buying leads isn’t the solution, it’s the start of the downfall
What happens when you start paying for leads? Why does it only create more problems, expenses, and pressure?

-How “accountability” turns into micromanagement
When agents can’t convert leads, team leaders amp up the accountability. How does trying to “fix” your team become an exercise in control and resentment?

-The real problem you must solve to succeed
The problem in your business isn’t the leads, the production, or even your coaching. Why is the root of the problem the people you recruit?

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision, where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they’ve expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone’s life!

Most agents think starting a team will solve their problems. They have too many leads to service themselves and too little time for client-facing activities (or their families).

But here’s the truth: without the right systems in place first, a team won’t save you. It’ll sink you.

Chaos doesn’t scale; it spreads, and even the most talented agents and admin people will struggle in an environment without structure.

That’s why Marjorie Adam did it differently.

Before hiring a single agent, she dialed in her backend. She focused on systems, structure, and automation so that people can come in and thrive.

Most team leaders miss this step, and it always comes back to bite them.

If you’re not intentional about how you start a team, it will only create more work (and stress) for you.

How do we set up a strong foundation to scale our teams? What should we offload to those first hires?

In this episode, broker/owner, team leader, coach, and speaker Marjorie Adam breaks down why most teams fail and what you need before you even think about hiring.

Things You’ll Learn In This Episode

-Before you start recruiting

Team leaders complain about constant terrible hires, but could a lack of systems be the common denominator?

-The biggest mistake new team leaders make

Real estate agents who want to scale are often told to offload what they hate doing first. How does this set us up for failure?

-Automate, eliminate friction, and streamline your systems

Before we bring anyone onto our teams, we need systems and structure. Can AI do some of the heavy lifting?

Guest Bio

Marjorie Adam is the Principal Broker and Owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Pathways, REALTOR, and Team Lead. The driving force behind her team, she isn’t just a dedicated Realtor, but a business coach for Realtors nationwide, a loving mom, a devoted wife, and a local real estate expert with a knack for contract negotiation and strategic pricing strategies for both buyers and sellers. An esteemed speaker at real estate events nationally, Marjorie's expertise shines through in every transaction she handles. Her passion for real estate and commitment to excellence have earned her a well-deserved reputation as a go-to authority in the industry. Connect with Marjorie on LinkedIn. Follow @marjorieadamteamrealtors on Instagram.

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision - where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they’ve expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone’s life!

“Got a license? You’re in”. That’s the conventional real estate team model: bring on as many agents as possible and hope some turn into producers.

But here’s the catch: that model drains team leaders. It’s chaotic, joyless, and built on a revolving door of disappointment.

Shannon Gillette does things differently.

She got intentional about culture, refused to chase headcount, and built a team where one 1 agent = 40 applicants. And once they’re in, they stay.

No churn. No burnout. No sacrificing your sanity to grow.

Most team leaders think that leads are the only way to attract and retain talent.

Shannon proves you don’t need leads, you need vision, alignment, and leadership that actually means something. So how did she do it?

In this episode, Shannon Gillette, team leader of one of the top 10 teams in Arizona, national TV host, and speaker, shares how she built a thriving team without selling her soul to the standard model.

And she’s calling out the biggest lies about team leadership while she’s at it.

Things You’ll Learn In This Episode

-Don’t shortcut recruiting

Instead of recruiting tens of agents every year, Shannon’s team only brings on one or two every year. Why did she make this decision?

-The biggest lies about building a team

How does the stereotypical team model fail both leaders and the agents they bring on?

-Leads shouldn’t be your main value prop

Some agents are hesitant to build a team because they are worried about providing leads. Can you attract and retain agents without leads?

Guest Bio

Shannon Gillette is one of Arizona’s leading residential real estate agents and the leader of one of the top 10 teams in Arizona. She’s also a sought-after national speaker and TV host. She is recognized and admired for her extensive market knowledge, dynamic negotiating skills, strong work ethic, forward-thinking marketing, and her unparalleled service. Her innovative use of technology and video has earned her a well-respected reputation, not only with clients but amongst her peers throughout the industry. She maintains an impressive five-star review rating, and for Shannon, finding a client’s dream home is not her job; it’s her passion. Shannon has an impressive social media following and has been named as one of the top Realtors in the Country for her use of Instagram and video marketing to sell homes for top dollar, earning numerous awards for her achievements. Follow @shannon_gillette.

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision, where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they’ve expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone’s life!

The whole point of starting a real estate team is more freedom, more money, more leverage, and more time. But most agents we know end up with less of all of that.

They’re still doing all the deals, still grinding, still missing vacations, family time, and peace of mind.

And now they’re also micromanaging a team of agents who don’t convert, perform, or stay.

We’ve lived it. We’ve watched our friends live it. Maybe you’re living it too.

For years, we watched the “Red Book” model - the one that promised treasure - lead good agents straight into burnout.

There has to be a better way to do this.

That’s why we’re launching the Lean and Mean Real Estate Team podcast.

You don’t have to settle for flying solo forever.
You don’t have to become a stressed-out, resentful team leader.
You don’t have to choose between scaling and sanity.

You just need a better team model, one that fits you.

Why does the traditional model only set us up for failure? Can we build something more sustainable?

In this episode, we share why we started this podcast and how to ditch the traditional team model for something that works for you.

Things You’ll Learn In This Episode

-The true cost of building a traditional team

Agents build teams to improve their quality of life, but why do so many of us end up more stressed out, overworked, and overwhelmed?

-An outdated and insufficient model

The real estate team model most people follow is 22 years old. Is it still relevant to our post-COVID world?

-How to go from high turnover to high tenure

Agent retention is a metric most team leaders obsess over, but they can never quite hack it. Why does the traditional model only create a revolving door of real estate talent?

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision - where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they’ve expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone’s life!