Brian Buffini started a real estate team before teams were a thing. Back in 1992. Back before brokerages had any idea what to do with a team.

Today, Buffini & Company coaches and trains agents, team leaders, and broker owners around the world.

All along, Brian’s viewed teams as “the future of real estate.” But team leadership isn’t for everyone and aspirations for a mega team aren’t necessary.

Brian was kind enough to be a guest on our show as I was a guest at his Buffini Coaching live event to share decades of insights, experience, and influence.

With a live audience of hundreds of real estate professionals, Brian sat down with me to share what it took to sell 100 homes in a year in the late 80s, why teams emerged, who should (and shouldn’t) build a team, what the main team models are, where “Death Valley” is for team leaders, what leaders must stay focused on and watch out for ... and much more!

A HUGE thank you to Brian and his entire team for welcoming me into their community in such an open and sincere way!

Watch or listen for Brian Buffini’s insights into:

• Leading and managing yourself
• What it took to sell 100 homes/year in the late 1980s with one assistant
• Why and how he started a team in the early 1990s (and why he struggled initially)
• Why he’s long viewed teams as “the future of real estate” and who teams are best for
• Why referring out excess business is a good first step toward a team
• How to find your first assistant
• What other stages of team maturity look like and the key to finding your right size (spoiler: 4-7 is a sweet spot)
• Why 80% of agents should keep selling (perhaps with a team to support them)
• What the hardest thing about real estate is (and what mistakes that leads to)
• How to restore connection with the people and relationships that matter most (your customers and your team)
• A leadership lesson from NFL and NASCAR champion Joe Gibbs

At the end, learn about A and B teams, hotel soaps and sewing kits, and the power of ohana and the ocean.

Connect with Brian Buffini:
→ https://www.instagram.com/brian_buffini/
→ https://www.instagram.com/buffiniandco
→ https://www.buffini.com/solutions/realstrengths/
→ https://www.buffini.com/solutions/blitz/

Connect with Real Estate Team OS
→ https://www.realestateteamos.com
→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos
→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

What happens when you invest so deeply in your people that they could leave today and find success starting their own business?

The most likely outcome: they stay and you continue growing together.
But the more common path: a more transactional approach for fear they’ll leave you.

Jon Cheplak returns to Real Estate Team OS to explain why he thinks 90% of real estate team leaders shouldn’t be team leaders and to share what the 10% have in common.

Jon’s been in the seat himself and he and his partners coach top-performing team leaders and operations leaders (many you’ve met here on the show).

Scaling on principles, rather than on personality.

Pouring into people without fear, limitation, or calculation.

Developing people first and businesses second.

Walking the talk as the key to leadership.

Improving your copywriting and storytelling.

Jon shares all that and more in a great conversation to set you up for a successful year ahead.

Watch or listen for Jon’s insights into:

• Why community is so desirable and powerful right now
• How principles scale and why personality doesn’t
• His four core principles, his eight core values, and the difference between them
• The three ways to get people to take action
• The two ways to give people attention and why fear holds team leaders back from both
• Why 90% of team leaders shouldn’t be team leaders and four criteria to help you know for your yourself
• Two ways to find your operations leader and one way NOT to (spoiler: look inside your team)
• Why you’re already a better copywriter than you think, how and why to get better at it, plus the difference between marketing and sales

At the end, learn about pitchforking manure and the risk and payoff of committing to a 375-acre ranch.

Four principles Jon lives by:
→ Personal responsibility, accountability, commitment, contribution

Eight values Jon lives by:
→ Fun, love, dignity, respect, humility, vulnerability, transparency, volunteerism

Mentioned in this episode:
→ FUBCON Session with Jon Cheplak https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/jon-cheplak-real-estate-teams-traditional-brokerages
→ 084 Living in the Leads with Lauren Bowen https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/real-estate-leads-systems-tools-increase-conversion-lauren-bowen-lpt-realty
→ 037 Prospecting for Listings with Greg Harrelson https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/real-estate-prospecting-listings-greg-harrelson
→ 082 Making Your First Operations Hire with Camila Rivera https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/team-leader-guide-making-your-first-operations-hire-camila-rivera
→ Inside Whissel Realty Group https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCJiXNo93cVqQmwl4tTOQYebBkBoL6ipz

Connect with Jon Cheplak
→ https://www.facebook.com/joncheplak/

Connect with Real Estate Team OS
→ https://www.realestateteamos.com
→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos
→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/

We’re kicking off the calendar year in a familiar way on Real Estate Team OS - with Lauren Bowen sharing practical tips on lead sources and lead conversion for the third year in a row!

A thoughtful and generous expert on this topic, Lauren now serves as SVP of Lead Generation and Conversion for LPT Realty. In the role, she consults with teams of all sizes. In this episode, she shares what she’s learning and teaching!

For 2026, Lauren delivers for you a simple process to improve lead conversion and ROI, the most common issues she sees in the databases of small, medium, and large sized teams, specific tech recommendations by team size, the what, who, why, and how of “living in the leads,” and other ways to drive big results with incremental improvements.

Watch or listen for the Jon Cheplak-inspired mantra: tiny hinges swing big doors.

Watch or listen for Lauren’s insights into:

• The value of getting clear on your purpose
• How she developed an expertise in lead sources and lead conversion, one small step at a time
• A simple process to improve lead follow up (do this right now)
• Why and how she became SVP of Lead Generation and Conversion with LPT Realty after a decade with Robert Slack Real Estate
• The most common issue when she gets into a team leader’s CRM and database and how to solve it (note: the ROI of PPC)
• Primary issues team leaders and ops leaders face by team size
• Specific tech for retargeting, texting, database, and accountability by team size
• The what, who, how, and why of “living in the leads”
• What’s never changed about lead conversion in the decade she’s been in the business

At the end, learn about Magic basketball, frivolous chickens, and physical books.

Mentioned in this episode:
→ Ep 011 Lauren Bowen on 16 Lead Sources for 800 Agents https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/lauren-bowen-robert-slack-coo-lead-sources-team-leaders
→ Ep 051 Lauren Bowen on Lead Quality vs Lead Quantity https://www.realestateteamos.com/episode/real-estate-lead-source-quality-quantity-lauren-bowen-robert-slack
→ Techtember and Julia O’Buckley: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCJiXNo93cVoSlXhdFv_RC9V8G5tUw1QX
→ FUBCON Sessions and Jon Cheplak: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCJiXNo93cVopyNz34nrcV-kVacpWjvAm

Connect with Lauren Bowen:
→ Email: Lauren.Bowen at LPT dot com
→ Call or text: (352) 843 3434

Connect with Real Estate Team OS:
→ https://www.realestateteamos.com
→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos
→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/