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

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#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

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https://www.homeguys.com/

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#RealEstate #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #RealEstateInvesting

This episode is a re-upload from our podcast archives, recorded quite a while back but still packed with valuable conversation.

In this throwback episode, Ben Allgeyer sits down with James Kolde for an in-depth discussion covering James’ experiences, insights, and perspective at the time. Ben leads the conversation, asking thoughtful questions and letting James dive deep into his story and lessons learned.

While this episode was recorded years ago, many of the topics and takeaways remain relevant today. Whether you’re a long-time listener or discovering this conversation for the first time, we’re excited to bring it back from the vault.

🎧 Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for more new episodes alongside these classic throwbacks.

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Connect with our team here: homeguys.com

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#RealEstate #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #RealEstateInvesting

In this live session, Jaden and Paul answer real questions live from the audience about selling houses, the Home Guys process, and what happens behind the scenes after a property is purchased.

No scripts, no filters, just honest, real-time answers to the questions homeowners and investors actually ask.

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

🔗 Connect With Us

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#RealEstate #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #RealEstateInvesting

In this episode, James and Jaden take listeners inside a real deal they’re actively analyzing. Using photos from a house they’re considering buying, they break down what stands out, what raises red flags, and what opportunities they see for adding value.

From layout and condition to renovation ideas and potential pitfalls, they walk through how experienced investors look at a property before making an offer. You’ll hear what they would change, what they’d keep, and how small details in photos can signal bigger issues—or hidden upside.

Whether you’re new to real estate or already investing, this episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how to evaluate a property and think strategically before pulling the trigger.

Listen in to learn:

What to look for in listing photos (and what photos don’t show)

How James and Jaden evaluate risk vs. opportunity

Renovation ideas they’d consider to increase value

Common mistakes buyers make when analyzing properties

How investors think differently than traditional buyers

👉 Want more real estate insights like this?
Follow the podcast, share this episode with someone thinking about investing, and connect with us on social media for behind-the-scenes content, deals, and upcoming live Q&As.

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

🔗 Connect With Us

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#RealEstate #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #RealEstateInvesting

In this episode, James and Jaden dive into two of the hottest and most misunderstood topics in real estate right now: the rise of the 50-year mortgage and the growing opportunities in commercial property investing.

They break down what a 50-year mortgage actually is, who it might help, the potential risks, and how it could reshape affordability in today’s market. Then, the conversation shifts into commercial real estate—what new investors need to know, how to evaluate deals, and why commercial properties can be a powerful path to long-term wealth.

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, an aspiring investor, or someone curious about where the market is headed, this episode offers practical insights, honest takes, and plenty of real-world perspective from the Minnesota Home Guys.

If you find this episode valuable, make sure to follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who wants to level up their real estate knowledge.

🔗 Connect With Us

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

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TikTok:
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📲 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:
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#RealEstate #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #RealEstateInvesting

In this special episode, James welcomes a very important guest—his daughter, Maddie. Together, they dive into what many young people see as the biggest barriers to buying a home today: high prices, tough markets, student debt, and the belief that owning a home is something only older adults can achieve.

Maddie shares her own journey of becoming a homeowner at just 19 years old, breaking down the steps she took, the mindset shifts that helped her, and the practical strategies she used to make it possible. From budgeting and discipline to seeking the right guidance, she proves that the path to home ownership is challenging—but not impossible.

This episode is an inspiring, eye-opening conversation for young listeners who feel home ownership is out of reach, as well as parents who want to understand the financial realities facing the next generation.

If you enjoy the episode, be sure to follow the podcast, leave a review, and share this conversation with someone who needs a little inspiration on their home ownership journey.

📲 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:
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TikTok:
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#RealEstate #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #RealEstateInvesting

In this episode, we’re breaking down something most business owners avoid talking about… your numbers and your systems.
Because at the end of the day, the truth is simple:

👉 If you’re not tracking your KPIs… you’re guessing.
👉 If you don’t have SOPs… you’re winging it.
👉 And if you’re doing both… your business is running YOU.

We dive into the exact metrics we track every single week, how we use them to make decisions, and the systems we’ve built to keep the wheels on when things get crazy. This isn’t theory, it’s the real stuff that keeps our business alive and growing.

Inside this episode:

• The KPIs every business should be tracking (yes, even if you think you’re too small)
• What happens when you stop relying on your “gut” and start listening to your data
• Why SOPs are the secret to staying consistent and scaling without losing your mind
• Real stories from our own business: what worked, what didn’t, and what we changed
• How KPIs + SOPs actually work together to fix problems faster

If you're trying to run a real business — not a hobby, not organized chaos, not “hope marketing” — this episode is for you.

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

TikTok:
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#RealEstate #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Mentorship #RealEstateInvesting