Multiply Your Success with Dr. Tom DuFore

278. Delivering Premium Service at Scale—Jason Waugh, President, Coldwell Banker

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How do you keep a premium service, premium, when you are a global company? How do you do it as a global franchise company with international franchisees? Our guest today is Jason Waugh, who shares with us insights on global franchising, the real estate market, and keeping the quality high with a premium global franchise brand. 

TODAY'S WIN-WIN:
"Don’t ever let anyone deter you from pursuing something you have a passion for."

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ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Jason Waugh serves as president of Coldwell Banker Affiliates for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. In this role, Waugh oversees the brand’s marketing, franchise sales and operations teams who support a network of almost 100,000 affiliated sales professionals in more than 2,700 offices across 47 countries and territories. 

Waugh previously served as CEO and president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Real Estate Professionals. Prior to his roles at Berkshire Hathaway, Waugh was partner at Synergy Sports Management in Greenville, South Carolina. Waugh brings a deep understanding of the industry in any market. He also possesses a keen understanding of franchise culture and is passionate about equipping brokers with best-in-class technology, marketing and services to deliver an unparalleled experience to consumers. 

ABOUT BIG SKY FRANCHISE TEAM:
This episode is powered by Big Sky Franchise Team. If you are ready to talk about franchising your business you can schedule your free, no-obligation, franchise consultation online at: https://bigskyfranchiseteam.com/.

The information provided in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered financial, legal, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified professional before making any business decisions. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host, Big Sky Franchise Team, or our affiliates. Additionally, this podcast may feature sponsors or advertisers, but any mention of products or services does not constitute an endorsement. Please do your own research before making any purchasing or business decisions.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the Multiply Your Success podcast, where each week we help growth-minded entrepreneurs and franchise leaders take the next step in their expansion journey. I'm your host, Tom Dufour, CEO of Big Sky Franchise Team. And as we open today, I'm wondering how you keep a premium service premium when you're a global company, and how do you do it as a global franchise company with international franchisees and team members all over the world? Well, our guest today is Jason Waugh, and he shares with us his insights on global franchising, the real estate market, and keeping the quality high with a premium global franchise brand. Now, Jason serves as the president of Coldwell Banker Affiliates for Coldwell Banker Real Estate. In this role, he oversees the brand's marketing, franchise sales, and operations teams to support a network of almost 100,000 affiliated sales professionals in more than 2,700 offices across 47 countries and territories. Now he previously served as the CEO and president of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Northwest Real Estate and Birkshire Hathaway Home Services Real Estate Professionals. He also possesses a keen understanding of franchise culture and is passionate about equipping brokers with best in-class technology, marketing, and services to deliver an unparalleled experience to consumers. You're going to love this interview, so let's go ahead and jump right into it. I appreciate the opportunity, Tom.

SPEAKER_01:

Jason Wong, I am president of Caldwinker Affiliates.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you so much for being here. And you have quite a system that you are responsible for spanning around the globe. And one of the things that is interesting that I think is worth maybe as a starting point is just to talk a little bit about this idea of delivering, especially in a franchise sense, this idea of delivering superior customer service across a global brand. And how are you able to do that or keep up with something like that?

SPEAKER_01:

Coldwell Bank has been in existence almost 120 years. So there's a lot of lessons learned over that period of time. But, you know, I'm super proud of the team that I've been able to join and work with. It's been almost two years since I've been at Coldwell Banker, and it's been a real joy, inherited a phenomenal team. And again, with that sort of history and legacy, and I would contend Cobalt Banker is the most iconic brand in real estate. There's a lot of lessons learned over time in navigating different markets and different economies. But I think at the core of everything, you have to have clarity around who you are and what you want to be to your customer. And then two, partner with the right people. So you alluded to this. We're in almost 50 countries and territories globally, about 600 or so franchisees domestically, and then a very large corporate-owned side of the business as well. So the footprint is pretty expansive, but I think it starts with clarity around purpose, clarity of who you are, and then partner with the right people. And we're not going to be the best fit for everyone. And that's okay. We just want to partner with everybody that's looking for what we have to offer, and we want everybody that wants a high-value proposition.

SPEAKER_00:

I've been in franchising my whole career, over 20 years at this point. And a common thing that I've heard over the years is people having concerns about franchising applied to a premium service or a premium product, where there's really a fear of this high quality deteriorating as you expand. And here you are doing it on a global scale with lots of people all around the world, different cultures, different languages, and yet you're still able to do it. So I'd love for you just to kind of hear your thought on how you help keep that premium quality or this excellence.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I think it starts with talent. You have talent that's committed to that, right? And so we have the best talent at our parent company, which is Enuare Real Estate, down through Caldwell Banker. And so it begins there and just a laser focus on creating an exceptional experience for your customer. So we do have one thing I've really been fixated in, you know, for lack of a better term, it's a rallying cry since I joined Caldwell Banker is how do you make a large network feel smaller and more interconnected? And I think every large enterprise struggles with that, or at least it's an opportunity to improve in that area, whether you're in financial services, insurance, you know, whatever industry you're in, the larger you get, it you can lose that connectivity. So we talk an awful lot about you know, is this activity or is this resource in alignment with making this network feel smaller and more interconnected? And so we place a premium on relationships and learning what our customers need, because not everybody needs or wants the exact same thing. So, you know, we certainly have to scale, but also be flexible and nimble enough to help folks achieve what they want to. So if you take, for example, we're running our third national campaign with Thursday Night Football and Amazon Prime. Well, we create these national campaigns, but for our local affiliates, they can take that national campaign and customize it for their local feel, their local market conditions, whatever messaging that they want or the brand that they want locally. So for us, begins with talent, clarity on who you are, and then really, you know, focus on the relationships and delivering the experience for the customer, whether they're domestic or international.

SPEAKER_00:

I'd love for you to just to maybe talk on these two different parts. One is recruiting franchisee talent. And then the second is supporting those franchisees and how they recruit their own local representatives and their local talent in their own market. So I'd love to hear your thoughts on that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I think anytime somebody's talking with us or they're searching some network to potentially invest in and partner with, they're doing so because they've identified a gap in their business or an opportunity or some area that they need to address. So our perspective is knowing that, do we provide the best solution for whatever that issue is that you're trying to address? So really understanding the needs and wants of our customers and being honest and self-aware enough to say, we we have the best solution for that, or maybe we don't. And so I think from a you know profile perspective of building out our franchise network, that's really it where it begins. If you know, people are engaging us because they recognize an opportunity that maybe isn't available going at it alone or on your own or as an independent. And for us, it's really understanding what is that need, what is that opportunity, what is that gap, what is that issue, and do we have the best solution available to them to solve that? So I think it's really that that simple in terms of you know building out our network and folks deciding whether to franchise with Caldwell Banker is the best solution for them. With respect to organic growth of helping our franchisees then grow and attract talent, that really gets back to that interconnected partnership. And so, how can we deliver and equip resources that they can cascade down and make available to their agents? And you know, we place a premium on professional development. So we have uh an extensive and exhaustive professional development program. We've certainly got a war chest of tech tools and resources. I think that the challenge in any franchise network is the franchisee also has to lean in and take advantage of the resources at their disposal. And sometimes we're victims of we have so many tools and resources, you know, where do you start and where do you pick from? But I think that, you know, you can get through that and navigate that process just with our business consultants, you know, start here, perfect that, add this, and then add that. So, you know, I think at the end of the day, it really is a partnership between franchisor and franchisee in terms of attracting talent and retaining talent.

SPEAKER_00:

You mentioned having lots of tools to choose from. And for an organization of your size, you have the ability to likely pursue any tools that would be of interest. Are there a few of these kinds of tools or strategies that you help implement or that your field coaches or business coaches, franchisee coaches would use and seen a big return in their support? You know, it's interesting.

SPEAKER_01:

People ask me what business I'm in, and I'll pose that question, you know, when I'm talking to, you know, agents and our affiliates. And oftentimes we're in the real estate business, we're in the people business, we're in the relationship business, and all of that is true. I prefer the use of acronyms, just easier for me to remember. I believe we're in the car business and not auto industry, but car stands for client acquisition and retention. So when we're looking at either growing or building internally resources and tools, or partnering with third parties, it has to answer that question. Is this resource, is this tool going to help our folks attract clients and retain clients? Because if it doesn't do that, then it doesn't need our time and attention and investment. And so we've got an exhaustive set of tools that address that, whether it's programs like Wealth Engine, where people can do research and find information if they want to really either break into that luxury space or they're already in that luxury space, you know, they can use that resource to find folks that fit that profile to continue to build relationships in their network. I alluded to our relationship with Thursday night football. We created a product called the MoveMeter, which analyzes certain components of a particular location. And, you know, people can match. If I want to see what it's like to live in Atlanta, which I believe you're in the Atlanta area, or I want to compare that to Seattle, this move meter matches those those cities up and generates some key data points to whether it's cost of living, you know, income, you know, those sort of things. And then certainly we have tools and resources that once you just hit the go button, it just automatically stays in touch with customers and people in your sphere of influence, which is you know, kind of like saying we have color copiers in our offices. Of course, you have those resources. If there are automated programs of high value to help inform consumers, then you know you're really missing the boat on resources. So, but everything we look at, everything that we evaluate, it's got to answer that question. Is this gonna help our folks attract clients and retain clients? If it does that, it's likely we're gonna make that investment.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, very, very well put. And the move meter is fantastic. I was not familiar with that. I actually have a good friend that as soon as we end, I will be messaging him and say, you have to check this out. He's debating between two cities right now or two very different areas across the country. And I'm going to be presenting this to him to help him in his decision.

SPEAKER_01:

I appreciate that. It's exclusive to Cobo Bankers, to the Cold Banker movement. I appreciate that, Tom.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, absolutely. We've been talking about global presence, and yet the beauty with franchising is you have local ownership in many of these markets. How have you found to help blend this idea of your brand consistency nationally, regionally, internationally, and then also providing the franchisee that flexibility? And my favorite things of franchising is a lifer in franchising is that local owner that can make rapid decisions for that local area. So I'd love to understand or hear a little bit about how you all do that.

SPEAKER_01:

We have this saying internally, freedom within a framework. And so certainly we want brand consistency in terms of our marks and look. But the people that we partner with, they want to be a premium provider and have a premium brand offering. So we don't get a lot of inconsistency there. And I think that's because you know, we've got a profile of the entrepreneur that we want to partner with. But you you bring up an excellent point. We understand and acknowledge this is their business. And we want them to own their business. We're in partnership with them. So our objective is how can we partner with you to help you achieve your goals and help you achieve your agents' goals? And so we focus on growth through those, you know, years, but we also want to bring that relationship and business partnership full circle and focus on succession planning and focus on succession planning early, just to prepare for the what if event, not just retirement, but we want to create hopefully a financial event at the end of their career, but also create continuity for the business asset, continuity for the agents, continuity for the employees, smooth transition from predecessor to successor in leadership. So we look at these relationships and these partnerships holistically from beginning to end. It's not just sign up, hey, we'll help you grow. You know, we certainly do that, want to continue to do that, but we also have the end game in mind because we want continuity for everybody, but also hopefully create a good financial event at the end for the owner. But it's, I think for us, it's just, I think place a premium on self-awareness. If I'm ever going to write a book, it's gonna be on self-awareness. And we're self-aware enough to know that we're in partnership with business owners that want the freedom and flexibility to grow their companies in the way they want to locally for themselves. It's so we've got, again, this freedom within a framework type of type of strategy.

SPEAKER_00:

The freedom within a framework, great, great explanation. One thing that I was thinking about in your brand, especially as a premium provider, we were talking about kind of this negative side of things or concern that oftentimes or fears that I have heard over the years that some people have in expanding a premium brand. And one thing I was curious about is how you manage or work with franchisees that maybe are not meeting the standard that you're expecting. So certainly you do the best you can to screen and bring in the best franchisees, and they try to bring in the best staff and team into their office. How do you kind of help manage that uh sometimes delicate situation?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, certainly you could you could uh look at the real estate industry the last three full years coming out of the prior decade, which was the greatest decade in the history of real estate. Really, the last two years of that decade, I would describe as unicorn years, years we'll probably never see in the industry again, to a pretty significant pivot to where we are today and that we've been navigating the last 36 months. And, you know, we've had to be, we've had to recognize the realities of the business and transaction count. And it is, you know, near where they were 30 years ago. And now, albeit if you navigated 2009, 10, and 11, which was units and prices collapse, this last 36 months really just been isolated to units. Prices have continued to appreciate or home values continue to appreciate. So a little bit different, but you still have to acknowledge the impact on a local business and operator and still, you know, folks, how fluid it is getting in the business versus getting out of the business. And then get that just boils down to a partnership. But it's having transparent, very vulnerable conversations between our senior growth consultants and their customer, which would be the franchise owner. And, you know, it's really about how do we partner together to weather any sort of market cycle. You know, we had, again, as an industry, a historic decade. Well, the trade-off is it's been, you know, three years that have been pretty complex and fluid and volatile. And you just, you know, you you partner with them and make sure that there's you know open lines of communication. Again, to your point, have those, you know, challenging, difficult conversations. But I believe, I believe every opportunity poses or every challenge poses an opportunity. And uh, you know, I like to say I'm I'm an optimist, but my optimism is rooted in reality, which is the data in in our business. So I just you know defer to data and often refer to it as it's our most valuable currency. So what's that that telling us? And you know, the market that we're in today, you know, two years ago, if somebody asked me what was a real estate market like, I could sit down, draft a narrative, and then I can travel any market in America, say the same words, and it would be applicable. It's returned back to a more normal real estate climate and environment where it's hyper-local conditions. What's happening in the Northeast is dramatically different than, say, Florida and Texas, which is different than the Pacific Northwest, which is where I am, which is different than Southern California. So, you know, you've got these kind of macro perspectives, but it really is you've got to be very, very hyper-local in today's market conditions. So I, you know, it's again with you know 600 or so entrepreneurs and and owners of a Coldwell Banker franchise, it's you just have to stay in constant contact and make sure that there is a a solution that's a win-win for everybody. And you know, sometimes it's just time to move on. And, you know, nothing wrong with that. You know, we we hate to see it, but if there is, you know, legitimate business reasons, and it it sometimes it's not just the market or the economy, it's just time. And or maybe there's no successor for the business. So it's it's just it boils down to simple communication, being vulnerable, being candid, being very transparent with you know the good and the bad.

SPEAKER_00:

How you see things changing, maybe from a real estate standpoint, generally from a national basis in the U.S. market, or what you see occurring in the franchise real estate market, or just anything that you're kind of seeing down the road here.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, here's here's what I know. So also I'll start with what I know. Most market contractions, if you look at history, most market contractions, and when I say contractions, either decline in units and prices, or one or the other primarily units, or flat conditions. And that's really the market that we've been in. I mean, there was a contraction and then it's just been flat. If you look at history, those market environments last, those cycles are three to four years long. If you look at 1980 to 1982, 1989 to 1991, 2008 to 2011, each of those were three to four years. We're three full years into this current cycle. So if history repeats itself, you know, we'd have another six, twelve, you know, eighteen, twenty-four months of the current cycle before transitioning to a new cycle, which would be an appreciating cycle. So I I trust that history will repeat itself. I think there's certainly the data would suggest that we're still in the short term going to continue to navigate some fluid and volatile uh and uncertain times. You look at the most recent jobs report. May and June were far worse than was originally reported. And so you got a three-month cycle of you know what's going on in the labor sector. Mortgage interest rates have fallen for four consecutive weeks, so that's a good thing. You look at, you know, six under six and a half seems to be the rate where more buyers enter the market than maybe have voluntarily been on the sidelines. And we're kind of right right there. It was average 30-year fixed last week was 6.58. So you look at 2024 when the market accelerated, it was you know, September ish when rates were at 6.5 and below. So we're right there. You know, you look at new construction and builder sentiment, you know, starts, uh, and I I focus on permits and starts as as far as those are the leading indicators to lag results. So I I believe that one history will repeat itself, and most of these type of market conditions last three to four years before the next cycle. And we all know real estate's cyclical. So I believe that we've got another, you know, year, certainly 20, the balance of 2025, and and you know, probably into 2026, where similar market conditions today and 2027 is probably the year where we see a noticeable change in in market movement.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, very good. Very good. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. And one question I always like to ask franchisors in particular is as you think about franchising and managing your brand, what advice might you give to an emerging franchisor?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I alluded to it in my opening comments. One, have clarity around who you are, what your business model is. And we're a high-value business model. I think in real estate, there's there's really two camps. Um, and there's no real new genius business model to our industry, even though there's been you know talk about that. I know I'm not accepting of that. I think you're high value or low-cost limited service. And it's it's just a business model. And and so I think as as a potential franchisee or as a potential franchise, it's clarity around your business model, who you are, who you want to be to your customer. What's the experience that you want to create and deliver? I think it starts there. And then number two, and I was just having this conversation with a newer franchisee last week. Be really disciplined to the profile of your customer. And it is okay to subscribe to the belief that you're not the right fit for everybody. You just need to attract everybody that wants what you have to offer. So clarity around purpose, clarity around your value proposition, your offerings and deliverables, and be disciplined to the profile that aligns with that model. Just stay the course. That that what I what I have seen and experienced when you start to become overly flexible and you start convincing yourself that it's okay to detour here or make this exception, sometimes it works out, but more times than not, you've created more challenges. And I think at the end of the day, being mindful of the most important thing is delivering and creating an exceptional experience for the customer. And anytime you deviate off your original intent and your focus, sometimes that you can compromise that experience and that will not end well.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, Jason, how can someone get in contact with you, learn more about what you're doing, check out what Coldwell Banker is up to? Great.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I appreciate that that question. Certainly, Coldwell Banker is all over the internet. Go to CaldwellBanker.com. If there's interest in franchising, you know, go down to the to the bottom and learn more. My you've got my email address. My cell number is 503-314-6015. Call me personally. You know, it's interesting. I always offer in every talk that I get, big or small, I offer my cell number. People write it out, and people are astonished at somebody, you know, at my position with just the the uh the size and scale of our network. But the reality of it is most people won't use it. But 503-314-6015 is my cell number. Call me, text me, you know, email me jason.wah at cbhome.com or go to calledwellbanker.com.

SPEAKER_00:

Perfect. Well, Jason, this is a great time in the show, and we make a transition. We ask every guest the same four questions before they go. And the first question we ask is have you had a miss or two on your journey and something you learned from it? 19 years old.

SPEAKER_01:

If I was, if I could be doing anything differently, and I'm I'm blessed. I have a career that I'm really fortunate to have, got a great family, you know, all of those things. I'm very, very fortunate. But if I could be doing anything different, I would be a college basketball coach. And so I went to college in law school at Pepperdine University in Southern California. I take a concepts of coaching class my sophomore year. It's a Tuesday, Thursday night class. The professor is a highly decorated coach in his respective sport, both as a player, as a coach, national championships, Olympic team, very, very highly decorated. I approach him and a great, great gentleman, class act. Walked up to him after class one Tuesday night, and I say to him, you know, I want to be a college basketball coach. What do I have to do to get there? And he says to me as as politely and as nice as he could, Jason, you're not playing college basketball. So it's probably not going to work out for you. I would pursue something else. And at 19, I wasn't confident enough to say to this highly decorated coach, you don't know what you're talking about. So, you know, fine. I uh pursued business. I went to law school, and again, it's all worked out. But that experience, not as a regret, but it's really served with my wife and I, we've got five daughters. Our oldest is leaving for college next week. But, you know, I've shared that story multiple times. And the takeaway from that is don't ever let anyone deter you from pursuing what you have a passion for. And, you know, get people that are supportive and behind you, you know, stay close to them. Those that don't believe it's possible, you know, just respectfully ignore them. Don't let anybody deter you from pursuing uh your passion. So that was, you know, not a regret, but it's it has served such a great life example for me that, you know, hopefully my kids are have listened, they're they're teenagers, so they've heard it. I don't know if they actually understand it yet, but hopefully they they do later in life. But that would be one example that just has always, when I've been asked uh that question or a variation of that question, that that story and example, I just always think of because it's just it has served me so well. And uh interestingly enough, we've got a Caldwell banker agent that lives and works in Malibu and has a relationship with this coach. So November of last year, so November 2024. So what is that? That would have been 93. That would have, I would have had that class, 93, 94. So we're talking 30 years later. I get a video of the two of them. And our Caldwell Banker agent, I had shared this story with him at some past event, and he happened to record this video with this coach 30 years later. He's like, you know, listen, uh, you know, Jason Wall is the president of Caldwell Banker now, and he was sharing a story how you just crushed his dreams 30 years earlier. And then the coach gets on there, Jason. I'm so sorry, but I'm so proud of all the things you've accomplished. So it was it was pretty cool when morning I woke up to that video via text. But that's again, just you know, follow your passion. Don't let anybody stand in the way or deter you from pursuing whatever it is you want to pursue.

SPEAKER_00:

What a full circle story. That's truly amazing. What a blessing to receive that video. Let's talk about a make or a highlight that you'd like to share.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, that's actually harder because there's so many of them, right? You know, both personally and professionally. But what's, you know, what I love about this business, and you've said the word multiple times, entrepreneurs. And I just have such a Deep respect for entrepreneurs. You know, there's a lot of risk that comes with that, but there's great reward too. And so, you know, to partner with folks that have taken on intentionally that risk and succeeded. I mean, there's just nothing like it to be, you know, a bystander or be in the co-pilot seat, if you will, of that experience. And I, you know, there's a gentleman in my former company, and we had what, we had these career nights. He he comes in and he grew up as a farmer, as a dairy farmer, and you know, multiple generations. And he comes into this event. I mean, dirty. Like he just came from the farm, got in this truck, and came to this event. And I and I always took the position, I'm gonna try to convince people from pursuing real estate sales. Because if they push back, that's the person I want. If they actually just were like, well, now that you put it that way, yeah, maybe I'll go pursue something else. Great. I saved them a lot of time. I saved us a lot of time. And I remember having a conversation with him. And so not only was his presentation and appearance was just not representative of our business and the asset class that we work in. You know, it was pretty poor eye contact and not, you know, great communication. And I respectfully said, thank you, thank you for you know coming tonight and learning more. Respectfully, I just don't believe that this is the right industry for you, and uh wish you well. Three weeks later, I get a call. I don't recognize the name, schedule the interview. It's the same gentleman comes in from three weeks earlier, but in a clean polo shirt, slacks, firm handshake, great eye contact. I mean, a totally different person. And I changed my mind. I hired him, and that would have been it's 2025. He's still at that firm, which you know, I left two years ago. And so that would have been 2023. There was he's been there at least 18 years and totally changed his his life, his financial, you know, status, everything. And, you know, it's those sort of experiences that I just got more than I can share of those experiences. But that's what this industry has afforded me is those opportunities to collaborate and partner and and help folks achieve levels of success that they never envisioned for themselves, right? I mean, it's that's just been phenomenal. I mean, I just, you know, my father said, and I always think about this, because the gentleman that brought him into the business used the same statement on him, and he used it on me. He said, if you want to impact lives, you can impact more lives running this company or in leadership than you can one transaction at a time. And for me, that really, you know, was what made me pursue leadership over, you know, production in this business was the impact on lives. And it's just afforded me so many wins and so many returns and continues to today. You know, that's why I love the franchise business because it's you know the best of all worlds. You've got these franchise owners that are taking on this risk and embracing this entrepreneurial spirit. But then they're also hiring all these other entrepreneurs that are agents for their company. So it's um it's just awesome. I got more wins than I know what to share.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, wonderful. What a great story. Thanks for sharing that. And let's talk about a multiplier that you've used to help multiply yourself as you've grown personally, professionally, organizations you've run.

SPEAKER_01:

There was an experience in 2013. I attended a John Maxwell leadership event in Orlando, Florida, a week long. That was life-changing for me. I mean, every speaker was dynamic. And I and I remember every single night returning to my hotel room, jotting down notes, and I would recap and summarize my day in email to my leadership team back in Portland in Seattle, just all about the life lessons and things that were applicable, whether it's personally or professionally, but also the commitments that I was making as a leader based on this event. And that's 12 years later. I still can't get enough of John Maxwell's content, but I'm always reminded of certain lessons learned there. And one of the key takeaways from that, for whatever reason, I was included in a much smaller group at a pre-event with with John. And we talked about work-life balance. And I remember that because we talk a lot about that, at least in real estate, how you balance, you know, and and it was really interesting his his take on that. It that's not achievable. It's more about there's just seasons of life, and every season has a beginning, middle, and end. And if you approach it that way, so in work, you know, there this is a season. And so there's a beginning, middle, and end to that season. So you really got to just be really disciplined to your routine, to your time management, to your priority management. But this, you know, this notion of this perfect work-life balance. I mean, there's a compromise and a and a trade-off in all of that. Whereas if you approach it, that this is just the season of life. I mean, it is so busy at work and the market, you know, has these opportunities, whether it's an emerger and acquisition opportunity or maybe it's a sale or, you know, whatever that that specific situation is, there's a beginning, middle, and end to that. But right now, I've got to focus and commit my time there. And it's just gonna eat up a lot of our time. But you know what? And my wife and I did this. We're we just booked a week in Cabo in October because I've got this event that we're preparing for our national conference in September. And it's getting a lot of time and attention because it needs to and it deserves it. But at the same time, it's gonna end. And, you know, we've booked a week in Cabo in October. So that was, you know, from a multiplier. I always reflect back on that week-long experience, the lessons learned from that, and try to, you know, just be mindful of those lessons learned. And then a second big takeaway of that was leadership is is about modeling the right behaviors. And so we often, I often just, am I modeling the right behavior? And if you do that, things just tend to multiply because they cascade down. And then your team models, you know, a certain behavior for their team. And it just has this cascading effect. So, you know, that event in 2013 was life-changing for me, continues to be things, lessons that I reflect on and be mindful of. And uh, one of my favorite, I start every morning, my team, the first thing that they hear from me every morning is an email titled Morning Mindset. And it's just a, you know, it's intended to be an inspirational quote. Just get in the right mindset from the get-go to set yourself up for success each day. And and so that's, you know, Monday through Friday, I give them a break from Jason on on Saturdays and Sundays. But one of my favorite quotes is by Dennis Mannering: attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching? And I think about modeling the right right behavior and is my attitude it's contagious. So is the attitude that I'm projecting right now worth catching? And I'm just mindful of those two things day in and day out, all day long. You know, just try to live by that. You know, listen, we all have our moments, we all have our times. Best thing you can do is unplug and separate yourself and regroup and and then re-engage in those moments. But, you know, modeling the right behavior, attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching. Two principles that I just really try to uh subscribe to, live by. And uh if you can execute that more times than not, good things tend to happen.

SPEAKER_00:

The final question we ask every guest, Jason, is what does success mean to you? You know, there's two lenses, right?

SPEAKER_01:

You have the selfless lens and you have the selfish lens. Selfishly, it's you know, creating a lifestyle and creating opportunity for your families and your children. I, you know, my wife and I have five five daughters, 18 to 12. Our oldest will be 19 at the end of next week and leaves for college on on Wednesday. And I wrote a college tuition check last week. And so the um just the ability to create opportunities for our children and live a certain lifestyle. We can if I can provide that, to me, that's that is success selfishly. Selflessly, it is about participating in some way that our folks are successful. I I there's so many, but I think about this this one gal that grew up pretty modest means, very blue-collared family, and she was working at a local family-friend brokerage, the first five years out of college. And she did a deal with one of my very experienced brokers, and my experienced broker came back and said, This gal's a winner. You've got to go reprove her. So I start the process. She made me work 10 full months until she joined my office and company. So either I'm not very good at it or she, you know, just needed some time. But I looked at her business today and what she's achieved and the financial freedom and independence from where she came, and knowing that, you know, she's reached goals and heights that she never even had for herself. I mean, those are I'm just surrounded by, you know, so many of those experiences and opportunities. That's what drives me every single day. And it's those successes. It's really the success that others have achieving whatever goals that they have. And I remember challenging a gentleman that I'm still very good friends with today, who was with our foreign company, still my former company is going on 35 years there. But he used to tell me when I first started working with him, you know, Jason, I want to make seven figures, I want an airplane, I want all this and that. And I I challenged that. I said, I don't believe that's what you want. And he's like, How dare you? Of course, it's exactly what I want. I said, I don't believe that. And he's like, Why would you not believe that? And I said, Because you show up, you're the first person every single day in the office, you hit the ground running, you make your calls, but at 12 o'clock, you're on your way to the golf course every single day. You show up in the office ready to go golfing. You do the work. But what you really want is you want to make enough money to then also have a Mercedes, but play golf every day. That's a great life. But all you're doing is setting yourself up for disappointment that you didn't hit that seven figures. You don't own an airplane. But your behaviors aren't really in alignment with those goals. So be honest about what you want. What you want is you want to make$500,000 and play golf every single day. That's a great life. And that's the life he's living. So, you know, again, success for me, looking through a selfless lens is about family and creating an opportunity, a selfless lens. It's about all the, you know, the wins and successes and participating in a way that, you know, you have these folks achieve levels of success that they didn't even have for themselves. And and they did all the work. And I don't want to ever take credit for that, but you know, being a co-pilot in that journey and process is what makes this business so rewarding. And that that's success to me. When you can put your head down on the pillow at night and know that people you've partnered with are have achieved, you know, levels of success that they didn't ever even have for themselves or envisioned for themselves, that's pretty rewarding.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, wonderful. Wonderful. Well, as we bring this to a close, Jason, is there anything you were hoping to share or get across that you haven't had a chance to yet?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you asked such great, compelling questions. I think we fleshed everything out. Uh, you know, I I will say if if real estate, being a real estate either agent or owner of a franchise, if you want a high-value business partner and a network of professionals that are committed to your success and subscribe to a belief that freedom within a framework, because you're the boss, you're the owner, you're the operator, it's your brand in your local market, Caldwell Banker is the company to partner with if you want a high-value business model. So give me a call.

SPEAKER_00:

Jason, thank you so much for a fantastic interview. And let's go ahead and jump into today's three key takeaways. So, takeaway number one is when he talked about franchising and having a premium brand. And he said for him, they're focused on creating a great customer experience. And they do that by having their focus on an acronym he described as CAR. For them, it's client acquisition and retention. And I liked how he also shared for an emerging franchise brand, he said you need to have that clarity on the purpose. And having that clarity allows you to maintain the brand quality that you're going for. So I think that's a great, great takeaway for keeping that brand premium. Takeaway number two is when he talked about keeping brand consistent locally and globally. And I loved that description he used of franchising, and he said it is freedom within a framework. Freedom within a framework. And so for those of you in the franchise world, I think that's a great way to describe this to potential franchisees and also to your current franchisees to remind them that franchising is freedom within a framework. Takeaway number three is when he described success. And I love that he broke it down into defining success through two different lenses or categories. He said the first one is selfish and what he wants to create, something that's personal for him. And the second is self-list. So the selfish lens and the self-list lens, and looking at it through both of those vantage points and what success is defined in both of those areas, not just one or the other. Now it's time for today's win-win. So today's win-win comes from when he talked about the myths when he was in college and he was 19 and had a coach or a teacher talk to him and kind of deterred him from pursuing something that he sought and that he wanted to accomplish and become. And he said for him, that lesson learned has served as a reminder for him, which is don't ever let anyone deter you from pursuing something you have a passion for. I loved when he said that. Don't ever let anyone deter you from pursuing something you have a passion for. And I would share that with each of you and folks tuning in here, whether you're thinking about franchising your business or buying a franchise or taking that next step in your career or for some personal goal that you have. I thought that was just a great win-win because don't let someone else's ideas deter you from something you have a passion for. And so that's the episode today, folks. Please make sure you subscribe to our podcast and give us a review, and we would greatly appreciate a five-star rating as well. And remember, if you or anyone you know might be ready to franchise their business or take their franchise company to the next level, please connect with us at BigSkyFranchise Team.com to schedule your free, no obligation consultation. Thanks for tuning in, and we look forward to having you back next week.

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Tom DuFore

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