April Williams joined REAL in 2022, left for a traditional brokerage, and came back about a year later. In this episode she tells Amy and Joe exactly why.

It started the night she sat down with her business coach and finally looked at what she was paying her brokerage. "I sat there and cried." April is a broker, team leader and coach in the Greater Toronto Area, and she walks through what she gained by leaving, what she missed (the stock options and the fees), and why she came back.

They also get into why so many agents never run the numbers on their own brokerage, the "I'm not in it for the money" line, and April's advice for newer agents: get a mentor or join a team. Then Joe ranks the four reasons he loves REAL, and April ranks them too.

If you've ever wondered whether your brokerage is actually worth what you pay, this one's for you.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Cold open

0:26 Welcome April Williams

0:57 Why April joined REAL, left, and came back

1:58 "I sat there and cried": what she was paying her brokerage

2:21 Royal LePage, a sub-brokerage, then a boutique

4:36 Why REAL's model made sense: fees, cloud, stock

5:07 Why don't agents evaluate their brokerage?

6:06 Run your business like a business

7:10 The "I'm not in it for the money" trump card

9:16 So why did she leave?

11:04 A band-aid or a long-term solution?

13:24 What brought her back: stock options and fees

14:22 Is your brokerage the solution or the complement?

15:07 Paying 50%, and why new agents should join a team

16:39 Joe's car trade-in analogy

18:28 Get a mentor or join a team

19:39 Stepping on the scale

21:00 What keeps agents stuck: comfort

22:08 The real cost of running a business

22:51 Heart decisions and business decisions

24:25 Zone of genius: automate and delegate

25:47 Ranking REAL: economics, technology, culture, opportunity

27:28 How April uses the stock plan

29:08 Infinite Pipeline Mastery and Build

30:36 The thirst trap market

32:13 Thank you, April

🚀 Book a confidential conversation: https://calendly.com/timewithjoeherrera/business-strategy-session

👥 Connect with April: @_aprilwilliams_ +1 (416) 994-2591 · april@getlotus.ca

👥 Connect with Joe: @joeherrera +1 (702) 328-7653

👥 Connect with Amy: @amyyoungren_ +1 (416) 624-8854

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If there were such a thing as the Amy & Joe Show Oscars, this would be it. One of the most overlooked parts of being at REAL is who you get to build with, so in this episode Amy and Joe shout out six partners who are crushing it: Betsy Tinervin, Raquel Quinet, Shaleni Henriquez, Erin Ethridge, Ryan Wykes and Philip Kang. Raquel came to REAL as a solo agent and now has a sponsorship network of over 500 agents. Shaleni just passed 55 agents at REAL. Ryan is about to hit 500 in his network.

Then they get practical. Expansion was "virtually impossible" for Amy at Keller Williams, and REAL's province-wide model let her grow North Group across Ontario's Golden Horseshoe. They also explain why their network of team leaders works like a coaching organization with no coaching fees and no paywall.

If you're a team leader or brokerage owner looking for people to build with, or you're already at REAL and want to know who to follow, this one's for you.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

0:00 — Cold open

0:12 — Welcome to the Amy & Joe Show Oscars

0:27 — The partners you'd never get outside of REAL

1:07 — Betsy Tinervin: Realtorize Academy and the sales, marketing & AI trifecta

2:24 — Raquel Quinet: from solo agent to 500+ agents

3:17 — Shaleni Henriquez and We Rise Collective

4:02 — Erin Ethridge: the Phoenix team leader you should be following

5:25 — Ryan Wykes: MBA, Sales Genius, and nearly 500 agents

6:57 — Philip Kang: "Jump out of the plane and build a parachute on the way down"

8:15 — From six-month check-ins to real partnership

9:24 — "The poster child of failed expansion at Keller Williams"

10:45 — How REAL let North Group expand across Ontario

11:15 — A coaching organization with no coaching fees

12:12 — No paywall: "We don't have to have a Stripe account"

12:57 — Outro

🚀 Book a confidential conversation: https://calendly.com/timewithjoeherrera/business-strategy-session

👥 Connect with Joe: @joeherrera +1 (702) 328-7653

👥 Connect with Amy: @amyyoungren_ ‭+1 (416) 624-8854‬

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“Real is an MLM.” “There’s no support.” “It’s a discount brokerage.” Amy and Joe have heard every myth about REAL, and they believed some of them before they joined. In this episode they take on seven of the most common ones with real numbers. Only 14% of REAL’s 37,000 agents have ever sponsored a single agent. REAL ranked #3 in North America for per-agent production. And 60% of the revenue agents generate goes back to the agents.

If you’re a team leader or broker who’s heard the rumors and wants the facts, or you’re already at REAL and want a better answer next time someone asks, this one’s for you.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Cold open
0:11 — Busting the myths we believed before joining REAL
0:55 — Myth #1: REAL is an MLM / pyramid scheme
1:31 — Every brokerage model already pays the people above you
2:21 — “You know who hates democracies? Dictators.”
3:07 — “I don’t have a problem with pyramids. I have a problem with schemes.”
3:57 — Who actually loses under revenue share
4:20 — Myth #2: A cloud brokerage means no support
4:39 — The Truman Show and the brick-and-mortar bubble
5:03 — Peer-to-peer support with team leaders across North America
6:07 — Myth #3: REAL agents aren’t serious producers
6:25 — #3 in North America for per-agent production
7:17 — Myth #4: Agents join so they can stop producing and live off rev share
7:27 — Only 14% of agents have sponsored even one agent
7:57 — Why the other 86% love it anyway
8:28 — Myth #5: REAL is a discount brokerage
10:04 — “They pay me to be there”
10:39 — Judge a brokerage by value, not cost
10:59 — Myth #6: The REAL brand isn’t strong enough
12:00 — Your agent brand matters more than your brokerage
13:27 — “We just bought RE/MAX”
14:11 — Myth #7: REAL agents won’t stop talking about REAL
16:54 — Five years in and more passionate than ever
17:57 — Be proud of where you hang your license
19:17 — Outro

🚀 Book a confidential conversation: https://calendly.com/timewithjoeherrera/business-strategy-session

👥 Connect with Joe: @joeherrera +1 (702) 328-7653
👥 Connect with Amy: @amyyoungren_ ‭+1 (416) 624-8854‬

🏘️ Join our free Skool community with unlimited training and resources: https://www.skool.com/untdcommunity

New episodes weekly.