Grid Presents: The None Size Fits All Podcast | A podcast about real estate tech, marketing and strategy.

Seasons Greetings from None Size Fits All! Season 2, Episode 9 features the beloved icon of Christmas, Santa Claus, with Jon Boller returning as host.   In this episode Santa and Boller discuss the origins of Santa’s entrepreneurship into the field of Christmas gift giving and what has made him so successful. Santa stresses the importance of infrastructure and how it has allowed him to scale his operation without sacrificing efficiency.   Santa also reveals to Boller some of his tricks for gaining access to houses without chimneys, how he placates aggressive dogs, and things that will help you remain on the “Nice List.” Happy holidays from all of us here at Grid Consulting, enjoy!   What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode: How Saint Nick created the infrastructure that allows him to currently focus primarily on PR What caused Santa to pursue entrepreneurship and how he became a world leader in the Christmas industry Why Santa views Amazon as his biggest competitor regarding delivering packages at scale What treats you can leave for Santa that will help keep you on the “Nice List” What makes the North Pole a great location for Santa’s headquarters What the estimated projection curve for naughty vs nice reveals about humankind How Santa fits into the big business model in relation to Amazon Why Santa believes in the importance of teamwork, motivation, and delegation of tasks Why Santa does not see himself retiring, ever

Welcome back for Season 2, Episode 8 of None Size Fits All. This week’s episode features Stacy Taubman, the Founder and CEO of Rise collaborative Workspace, and your host, Jon Boller.   In this episode Boller and Taubman discuss how co-working spaces, like RISE Collaborative, are helping new businesses expand and succeed on higher levels by building communities that provide social capital for entrepreneurs. Taubman stresses the importance of facilitating new connections within a growing community to ensure its self-perpetuating, lasting success.   Taubman also shares with Boller her vision and mission to empower women of all generations. She explains how she accomplishes this by being a thought leader who creates invaluable networks of people, and resources, for entrepreneurial women in her co-working spaces. Boller and Taubman agree, co-working spaces promote trust and this can be highly beneficial for a growing business.   What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode: How Taubman anticipates RISE Collaborative expanding on a national and international level in the future. How Taubman’s first company, Girls Dream Big, motivated her to evolve and pursue new opportunities, like RISE Collaborative. How co-working spaces like Galvanize, WeWork, and the Riveter all offer unique traits that appeal to different purposes, and different people. What makes the culture at RISE Collaborative different from other co-working spaces is their focus on empowering women by creating a community that facilitates intersection and productivity. Why RISE Collaborative incorporates large open spaces and lots of natural light to provide a crossover between a work and a home environment. How Taubman’s role as the host is often to introduce and make real connections between members in order to build a strong, valuable community. How Taubman plans to scale her business by attracting like minded people to represent her in additional co-working spaces across the country. Why access to social capital is one of the main reasons people are choosing to base their businesses out of co-working spaces. How RISE Collaborative has given Taubman the opportunity to change the world, touch lives, and create social capital for women by bringing members together and promoting their success. How RISE Collaborative is unique in the way they strive for industry exclusivity within their workspaces in order to facilitate rapid growth and promote trust between businesses.

Welcome back for Season 2, Episode 7 of None Size Fits All. This week’s episode features tech expert David Gibbons, and your host, Jon Boller.   Boller and Gibbons discuss historical moments in Amazon’s, Google’s, and Zillow’s past, highlighting Gibbons’ role as an integral member of each company’s development team at the time. Gibbons emphasizes the importance of social media in a growing business and how it helps to effectively make customer service more efficient on a large scale.   Boller and Gibbons also discuss artificial intelligence and its practical applications in contemporary business models with a focus on aiding workflow and anticipating customer needs. They highlight the I buyer model and how it is able to provide variety and limitless variations in expanding business markets.   What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode: How Google functions are mostly AI, even though it may not be obvious How Google’s culture promotes the independent function of satellite offices at a superior level Spencer Rascoff’s adaptable vision for an early Zillow, according to Boller and Gibbons Why Drew Myers pushed for heavy social media interaction during the early years of Zillow, and how it helped the company to grow and succeed About Gibbons’ and Lloyd Frink’s experience with online platforms and their ability to streamline efficiency and effectiveness in customer service while working at Zillow How Zillow managed to stay one step ahead of market innovations by utilizing their Zestimate algorithm to determine market value on a home Why the role of social media coordinator in an organization in increasingly complex and more difficult than you would expect How humility plays a key role in effective customer service and social media branding Why the I buyer business model is a viable competitor, according to Gibbons How real estate and technology play an important role in improving the world, as reflected in Gibbons’ articles published on Geek Estate Intelligence aiding workflow allows the system to anticipate needs on a large scale in a more comprehensive manner The importance of removing inefficiencies in a  company faster than adding new functions to prevent bloating Why Amazon sets the bar for optimization of workflow How empowering the seller has created a new, bold market in real estate Why and how Gibbons sees blockchain as a dominant force in the future How entrepreneurs spend a significant amount of time convincing society of a need for their product in the USA, and how this differs abroad How blockchain serves as the internet of assets by bringing capital productivity to the asset itself Gibbons’ plans for logically applying his research on AI and the consciousness of time and reality in future markets and endeavors

None Size Fits All returns with Season 2, Episode 6 hosted by Jon Boller. This week’s episode features digital marketing, training, and business development expert Joe Keating.   Boller and Keating discuss important aspects of business development with a focus on opportunity, training, and leadership. They examine the intersection of these traits along with the importance and privilege of gaining trust from your audience to ensure lasting power in any market.   Throughout the podcast both Keating and Boller talk about their shared belief that time is an asset. How you choose to spend your time matters and this helps motivate Keating as he explores his professional options targeted at a more meaningful purpose.     What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode: How Keating divides his time to create his ideal work-life balance. How the role of executive coach can be tailored to benefit any professional through communication and advice. How business evolution leads to a shift in what drives the bottom line, and different goals overall. The role of backend analytics in relation to how investments are working. Trust is a privilege earned by businesses that creates opportunity. Why you should be conscious of the amount of time you spend on social media, and your personal screen time overall. How a team can help facilitate cohesion in a large company at scale. The importance of training and its ability to consistently provide value. Why training should be tailored to the audience and viewed as an investment in current and future leaders. How and why qualitative feedback should become part of a company’s cultural norm, particularly with leaders. What kinds of motivators inspire people to take work related risks resulting in a more meaningful purpose.

Welcome back for Season 2, Episode 5 of None Size Fits All, hosted by Jon Boller. Today’s episode features Kelly and Ryan Bibza both of whom are small business owners based out of Grove City, Pennsylvania. Ryan is a Realtor/Owner with Bonner and Bibza Realty. Kelly is the Owner of Dress Well Be Well, a fashion and wellness blog.   The Bibzas talk with Boller about the importance of support and inspiration in a power couple, especially while they both grow their new businesses. The Bibzas also share how they have accomplished so much in a short time, giving a lot of the credit to Boller and Grid Consulting’s unique approach to taking businesses to the next level.   Boller and the Bibzas discuss the value of giving up control over certain aspects of a growing business while scaling yourself and the business as a whole. They also talk about how this is difficult, but ultimately beneficial.   What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode: How Kelly came to focus on a holistic lifestyle as a means to prolonged health and wellness. The importance of finding a work life balance and the logistics of being in a couple while both partners are focusing on growing a small business. How Boller has helped the Bibzas take their businesses to the next level by providing innovative tools and a unique perspective. Boller and Ryan’s perspective on what makes a great leader beyond honesty, integrity, and hard work. How Kelly focuses on planning as a strategy to get ahead. Why data is critical for getting things accomplished. Why scaling your personal responsibilities leads to growth. The value of authenticity and what it means to Kelly and her brand’s voice. Why a road map and a clear vision is the foundation of Ryan’s business and its success. How strength and courage is sparked through support from a  loved one.

Welcome back for Season 2, Episode 4 of None Size Fits All, hosted by Jon Boller. Today’s episode features the Owner and CEO of Intentionalist.com, Laura Clise.     Clise reveals to Boller where the idea for her company originated and how she turned her idea into a reality. She offers her insights on responsible business models that emphasize not only how they impact the planet, but how they can improve people’s lives overall.   Boller and Clise discuss how the future holds a middle ground for convenience and conscious spending, it isn’t always about making things faster and cheaper. They also examine mutually beneficial intersections of Intentionalist and the real estate community.   What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode: Clise explains how Intentionalist sprung from the idea that we as consumers can make a difference in our communities through the money we spend in our everyday lives. How businesses can acknowledge the risks and opportunities associated with social, environmental, and economic impact responsibly. How Intentionalist’s business directory differs from Yelp and other online business directories by highlighting local, veteran, and minority owned businesses. Clise explains the importance of knowing who you are supporting in relation to positive intention. How Intentionalist can benefit the real estate community through a more comprehensive understanding of the neighborhood’s culture. Intentionalist enables more personal, client specific closing gifts that promote the community where they conduct business. Clise’s view on why the story behind a business matters to consumers. The value of mindful spending compared to convenience in consumer sales according to Clise. Clise’s perspective on encouraging civic and philanthropic engagement of the tech workforce to mitigate the negative consequences of rapid city growth caused by their growing presence. How corporate lunch stipends would encourage community engagement for businesses in new neighborhoods. What the future holds for Intentionalist: direct corporate partnerships, weeklong campaigns for intentional spending, and holiday gift guides that promote a positive impact on people’s lives and the planet.

Welcome back for Season 2, Episode 3 of None Size Fits All. In today’s episode Jon Boller talks with Compass Managing Broker Robert Ott about his philosophy on the real estate industry, leadership, and agent success in relation to brokerages.   According to Ott, a shift is needed. We need to start focusing on proper training and agent education to ensure individual long term success for buyers and agents alike. Many agents are never given the tools they need to procure a successful business, and Ott aims to change this problem through expansion of his business.   Ott and Boller also discuss what, and who makes a good leader based on their personal experiences in leadership roles.   What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode: Ott emphasizes the importance of people over commissions and explains why he works with high quality competitors. Ott shares his interview process for prospective team members and what types of priorities make a good agent. How maintaining good client relations enables long term success. Ott’s perspective on how he got a reputation for being great at training agents how to succeed Why Ott believes one of the main problems with the real estate industry today is the structure of the brokerage. High agent turnover rates are promoted by the failing structure of brokerages. Compass’ goal is to provide the tools for success and positive growth. What drives Ott to constantly take risks. Are leaders made? Or are they born into it? Ott’s goal of building satellite offices and a school. The role of an assistant in enabling higher productivity of an agent. Technology’s place in a changing real estate industry. Ott’s view on the future of the real estate industry as a whole. Operating expenses of an agent and how they affect success.

Welcome back for Season 2, Episode 2 of None Size Fits All, hosted by Jon Boller. Today’s episode features the Owner of RE/MAX Vision, Matt Delhougne.   Boller and Delhougne explore what makes Delhougne’s team so different and successful. A focus on work-life balance combined with the right people, systems, and processes provides his team with the tools necessary to sell 80-120 homes per month. His team is one of the highest producing brokerages in the entire country.   Delhougne also offers advice on growing your business, and how to know it’s the right time for you to expand. He focuses on personal relationships and the importance of being present in all aspects of your life as a means to success overall.   What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode: Delhougne discusses his company’s culture that includes an open door policy, showing up, and sharing ideas. How having roll call for lead distribution enables his agents to have a life outside of real estate. Delhougne’s advice to managing brokers who wish to get out of production. The importance of having the right processes, systems, and people in place for a brokerage’s success. When and why a solo agent should consider expanding into a team. Why Delhougne chooses to have an Inside Sales Agent (ISA) team. The role of disruption in the real estate industry and how it continues to change. Delhougne’s thoughts on the iBuyer phenomenon and discount brokerages. Recommendations on how to become a successful agent when you first enter the industry. Why real estate is a lifestyle, not just a job, and the importance of being “all in.” Delhougne on how exceptional service makes his team different. The importance of timing in regards to new ideas and their success. The real estate industry is dynamic, it changes every 3-6 months and Delhougne predicts exponential change in the future.

Welcome back for the first episode of None Size Fits All season two. This season Jon Boller will be hosting a variety of guests as they share their knowledge and expertise on technology, real estate, building businesses, and entrepreneurialism. Episode one features the founder and CEO of Opcity, Ben Rubenstein.   Boller talks with Rubenstein about the key features of scaling Yodle and Opcity, two companies built by Rubenstein, and how this information can be used to benefit other new businesses. According to Rubenstein, a strong foundation with a positive company culture is the first step to growing a small business. He also discusses the importance of specialization of work, division of labor, and focusing on the consumer as a means to success.   What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode: A growing company requires a strong foundation to maintain success at scale. Rubenstein’s experience growing his previous company Yodle. Infrastructure and a strong company culture enables you to scale your business effectively. How Opcity leverages agent accountability to produce an effective product. Scale provides a huge advantage for companies. Lead generation should focus on optimizing returns, not the speed of the return. Division of labor and specialization of work allows you to focus on your strengths. Focus on lead conversion, not lead generation. Why it is important to focus on what is best for the consumer. How and why Opcity rewards agents with higher customer satisfaction ratings. The industry wins when the agent and consumer wins. Being a tech focused brokerage is an absolute necessity. Rubenstein’s opinion on the future of the real estate industry as a whole.

Why are you here? Have you ever taken a moment to consider what you’re pursuing in this life, or what you want your personal legend to be? If you’ve ever read The Alchemist, you know how the protagonist realizes there are all these things that start working for you when you’re pursuing the thing you’re meant to do. It's like, somehow, the world starts to guide you. That’s what Jon is going to discuss today. He dives into where the term "personal legend" comes from and what it means, how it relates to everything you do, and how to put yourself on the path toward finding it. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2N8Wb8U 

What’s the best way for a team leader to route leads fairly? It’s such a common question, but Jon is here to explain why it’s the wrong question. Think about it: when you submit your information as a consumer—on Uber, Lyft, Amazon, etc.—you expect the company to figure out how to get you the product or service regardless of who’s going to do it. It's the same in real estate, and it’s important to think about things from the standpoint of the consumer’s expectations, not necessarily from the standpoint of what the agent wants.  Now, you can still figure out how to keep things fair, but that's not where your priorities should lie. Listen in to hear Jon break down how to make sure your consumer is happy, while also balancing the needs of your agents. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2KPckyz 

There are a lot of differing opinions on how to track your ROI so Jon focuses on explaining a few of the many tracking methods and sharing his recommendations and tips for doing it the right way. He will discuss lead sourcing, the different types of lead sources and where you can buy leads. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2AOyukD

If you’ve ever posed a question to a Facebook group, then you’ve seen firsthand all the conflicting advice out there. That is especially true of a particular subject that’s been getting people riled up in the real estate industry lately: portals. Every once in a while, you'll see people who are having success, but more often you'll see those who'll insist you should cold call instead of putting money into portals. So who should you listen to? In this episode, Jon gives his take on the subject. He explains why it's best to take all the advice out there with a grain of salt, and what everyone in real estate should be focusing on in order to be successful—regardless of what may or may not work for other people. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2KbcXlM 

When trying to make decisions for your life or business, do you find yourself focusing heavily on the risks involved in making changes? This episode, Jon will talk about how to break out of your comfort zone by pursuing innovation rather than safety. He goes over and explains some main blocks that keep you from taking risks – like fear and criticism – and why they shouldn’t stop you. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2v5oPjs

There are a lot of different marketing strategies out there but today, Jon will be talking specifically about performance marketing and how to leverage it in the best way to get your business growing. People throw heaps of money at marketing without really tracking it (or tracking it incorrectly). He’ll explain why it’s so difficult to track your marketing investments but also show how to track it properly in order to eventually build systems that can actually forecast what you’re going to get from your investments. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2NXwOIe

There's a ton of disruption in real estate right now, and with so much venture capital coming in, we have to be ready for the very real possibility that the big tech companies will move into this space—and soon. It’s only a matter of time before Amazon, Facebook, or Google (or all three) get involved in the industry, and if you’re not fearful that this will happen, you're not paying attention. The FANG stocks basically look at every single industry where there’s a potential upside and say, “we need to be there.” And the truth is, nothing is stopping them from coming into real estate. In this episode, Jon shares his predictions for what’s coming with these companies in the industry. The way he sees it, it’s not a question of if they'll move into real estate; it’s a question of when—and whether or not you’ll be ready. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2KRh0I9 

It goes without saying that trying to build a new team, grow an existing team, or build a product or company from scratch is no easy task. Not only do you have to plan how to get where you want to go, but you also have to ensure that the people you're working with are on the same page so they can help you. But while there are bound to be few bumps along the way, there are certain things you can do to smooth out the process as you grow. In this episode, Jon breaks down the keys to success when it comes to building from the ground up. Listen in to hear his advice for scaling, how to avoid common issues that come up once your team reaches a certain size, and what you need to be tracking in order to keep your business on the right path. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2tGVPil 

When you’re running large teams and lots of leads, it can be a challenge to control the quality of service you’re providing. You have to make sure your response time is up to par, ensure people are happy, and keep conversions high. But at the end of the day, all of this comes down to one major factor that you can and should control: capacity. You have to know how many leads your team can support and make sure you’re not giving people more than they can handle, because if you’re going over that crucial limit, your level of service will start to diminish. And if that happens, it’s not your employees’ fault—it’s yours. So how do you make sure that you’re not overextending your team? Listen in for Jon’s advice on this key subject and keep your quality of service up to your ideal standards. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: http://bit.ly/2Kd2Yk5 

Consumer expectations are evolving in today’s on-demand economy, and it's up to businesses to keep up. People expect timely responses, great service, and an effort to make things right if a product or service falls short. As a result, a major part of meeting expectations is taking the time to ask how things went using customer satisfaction ratings. We see this everywhere nowadays—just think about the feedback requests that pop up on your phone every time you take an Uber. And there’s a reason for that: not only do customer satisfaction questions help ensure companies are providing the ideal experience, but they also provide tremendous value to business owners. So what does this mean for real estate? Listen in to hear Jon's take on the inevitable changes coming to the industry, as well as his challenge to those in the business. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2yiS07y

In case you haven’t heard, there’s been a big announcement in real estate that’s going to change the way we do leads. Zillow recently made the switch from lead generation to connections, now choosing to focus on ensuring consumers get a timely response. The goal is to deliver higher quality leads to agents while also ensuring a great experience for consumers looking to connect with agents, but it comes with its own set of potential challenges. In this episode, Jon discusses the specifics of this new approach and what it means for advertisers and consumers. Listen in to hear the benefits and potential downfalls of this change, as well as how it could impact buying and selling leads across the industry. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2LIBKi9

What makes a great leader? It’s a simple question, yet plenty of people in leadership roles don’t seem to have a solid grasp on what it takes to create a successful team or a scalable business. In this episode, Jon breaks down how to do both.  It's all about defining the “North Star” for your team, creating the vision, and holding people accountable for executing on that vision. Listen in to learn the crucial aspects of effective leadership, as well as the important steps any leader should take to ensure employee success. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2kOvASk

Welcome to the first episode of the None Size Fits All Podcast with your host, Jon Boller. Every week, Jon will share what’s happening in the real estate industry, advice for increasing your profit margins, and more. In this opening episode, Jon talks about lead distribution and why it's so important to take a detailed look at the way you’re dividing things up. If you're not regularly analyzing your data and making adjustments, you could be dealing with major missed opportunities. Listen in to learn how tracking your leads not only allows you to optimize your return on investment, but also creates accountability among your team members. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2skDh6O