In this episode, Jaden is out, so James sits down with special guests Paul and his wife, Jen, to discuss big changes happening within the company, the power of having the right team, and how James and Jen manage to work together every day.

Key Discussion Points:

Empowering the Team:
Paul, who has been with the company for about three years, recently shifted from Vice President of Dispositions to overseeing both dispositions and acquisitions, with all acquisition agents now reporting to him. This change was made to empower the team and has resulted in two to three times the average number of deals being closed this week. Paul notes that the sales team now has the confidence and power to "pull the trigger" when needed, reducing bottlenecking.

The Power of Personalities:
The guests discuss the importance of personality assessments for ensuring the right people are in the right positions. Paul, a promoter, and James, a maverick, have complementary skills: James generates ideas, while Paul focuses on implementation and promotion. The team has found that a good mix of personalities allows them to play off each other, making the group work well together.

The Hybrid Role of Office Operations:
Jen, who was the first hire and has been with the company since day one, is the VP of Office Operations. She explains her initial "hybrid" role included being the bookkeeper, transaction coordinator, managing leads, and doing financials—everything behind the scenes. Her current role involves running office operations and ensuring that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are in place for every department, which James calls "the Home Guys way." Jen is the integrator, while James and Jaden are the visionaries.

Working with Your Spouse:
James and Jen, who have been married for 25 years, share advice on balancing a marriage and working together. Key to their success is respect and appreciation for each other's skills, setting boundaries, and knowing when to "shut it off." James also shares the best marriage advice he ever received: honesty is the key to a good marriage.

If you're looking to streamline your business, empower your team, or just curious about how we make our marriage work in the office, this episode is a must-watch!

📲 Interested in learning more about licensing or mentorship?
Connect with our team here: homeguys.com/yt

🔗 Connect With Us

Website:
https://www.homeguys.com/yt

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/minnesotahomeguys/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570489073765

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRZdKG4PO88XSeXOTet05A

TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@homeguys_usa

#RealEstate #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #RealEstateInvesting

In this episode, we cover real estate business growth, leadership development, hiring strategy, and marketing at scale — including lessons from live events, real-world hiring decisions, and long-term SEO investments.

James shares his experience speaking at Investor Fuel Live in Dallas, overcoming his fear of public speaking, and why being pushed by the right community matters. He also talks about upcoming events and reflects on his unique journey, including his time overseas as a volunteer firefighter in Iraq and his final day in the fire service.

What We Cover in This Episode

Travel, Speaking & Personal Growth
- Speaking at Investor Fuel Live in Dallas
- Overcoming the fear of public speaking
- The role of high-level masterminds in personal growth
- Upcoming event in Spring Hill, Tennessee hosted by Bill Allen
- James’ personal story as a volunteer firefighter overseas and why he made that sacrifice

Hiring & Scaling a Real Estate Business
- Why feeling overwhelmed is often a sign it’s time to hire
-When to hire your first acquisitions agent
-The importance of hiring and training before hitting a breaking point
-Early hires that made the biggest impact (admin + inside sales)
-Why five appointments per week is the “sweet spot” per acquisitions rep
-Building strong follow-up systems early to avoid wasting leads

Leads, Marketing & Technology
-Switching CRMs from Podio and PowerBI to Pete.io
-How seasonality affects real estate markets like Minnesota
-Exploring national TV advertising and lead monetization strategies
-Why national advertising can be significantly cheaper than local ads
-Handling national leads through partnerships and brokerages
-Using multiple websites for local and national lead flow

SEO & Long-Term Strategy
-Why SEO is critical for long-term real estate lead generation
-The importance of domain age, trust, and user behavior
-An eight-year, seven-figure investment in SEO
-The value of owning an established, trusted domain
-Providing partners with systems and SOPs so they don’t have to reinvent the wheel

This episode is packed with real-world insights for real estate investors, wholesalers, and business owners focused on scaling systems, making smarter hires, and thinking long-term.

📲 Interested in learning more about licensing or mentorship?
Connect with our team here: homeguys.com/yt

🔗 Connect With Us

Website:
https://www.homeguys.com/yt

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/minnesotahomeguys/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570489073765

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRZdKG4PO88XSeXOTet05A

TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@homeguys_usa

#RealEstate #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #RealEstateInvesting

This week’s episode is a re-upload from our podcast archives, originally recorded some time ago, but still extremely relevant for real estate investors, wholesalers, and small business owners looking to scale their operations.

In this episode, we break down how fractional leadership and data-driven marketing systems can help real estate businesses grow without the overhead of full-time executive hires.

What Real Estate Investors & Business Owners Will Learn:

Fractional COO & CFO for Real Estate Businesses
- When to hire a fractional COO vs a full-time COO
- Using a COO to implement systems, processes, and EOS / Traction
- Preparing a real estate business to scale beyond $1M in revenue
- How a fractional CFO supports bookkeeping, accounting, tax strategy, and forecasting
- Transitioning internal team members into leadership roles

Real Estate Lead Generation & Pay-Per-Lead Services
- How pay-per-lead real estate marketing works
- Pros and cons of buying motivated seller leads
- Why lead quality varies and how bidding systems affect cost
- How to properly test pay-per-lead services with real data
- Insights from “Need to Sell My House Fast” lead platforms

Motivated Seller Data & List Building
- Using pre-foreclosure lists and courthouse data
- Testing data providers like Leadvine
- Differences between manually sourced data vs resold lists
- Reducing wasted spend on low-quality real estate leads

Follow-Up Systems & KPIs
- Building a No Lead Left Behind follow-up system
- Multi-touch follow-up strategies for motivated sellers
- Using VAs and agents to maximize contact rates
- Incentivizing acquisitions agents through appointment ownership
- Tracking marketing performance with real-time KPIs and CRM dashboards

Even though this episode comes from the archives, the strategies discussed are still highly effective for anyone running or scaling a real estate investing business today.

🎧 If you’re focused on lead generation, operations, or scaling your real estate company, this throwback episode is packed with value.

📲 Interested in learning more about licensing or mentorship?
Connect with our team here: homeguys.com

🔗 Connect With Us

Website:
https://www.homeguys.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/minnesotahomeguys/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570489073765

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRZdKG4PO88XSeXOTet05A

TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@homeguys_usa

#RealEstate #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #RealEstateInvesting