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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New episodes weekly.

“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

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New episodes weekly.

Most agents treat their brokerage like a ferry boat: a way to get from point A (a transaction) to point B (a commission check). Joe Herrera makes the case that REAL is a cruise ship, an economic platform where the same work that closes a deal can also build profitability, ownership, and wealth in ways a traditional brokerage never pays you for.

If you're a team leader or broker weighing a move, or already at REAL and not using everything you're paying for, this one's for you.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

0:00 — Intro

0:12 — Who this is for: movers and current Real agents

0:33 — The problem: brokerage as point A to point B

0:57 — Agents create all the income and get paid once

1:46 — Does your brokerage pay you for the growth you create?

1:58 — The cruise ship analogy

2:46 — They treated a cruise ship like a ferry boat

3:29 — Why Real is the cruise ship, not the ferry

4:04 — Real isn't a traditional brokerage. It's an economic platform.

4:34 — The ways you get compensated beyond the commission

4:53 — Revenue share: 60% of revenue back to agents

5:51 — Ownership: you become an owner in the company

6:24 — One Real Mortgage: originate your own loans

6:50 — One Real Title: profit around the transaction

7:37 — The real question to ask yourself: "Because at Real, you are."

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

👥 Connect with Joe: @joeherrera

👥 Connect with Amy: @amyyoungren_

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New episodes weekly.

Most people won't tell you this: Real Broker isn't for everyone.

Joe Herrera and Amy Youngren get brutally honest about who Real is NOT for — the agents, teams, and brokers who don't succeed here, and exactly why. If you're cost-obsessed, allergic to revenue share, or expecting leads to magically appear the day you switch, watch this before you make a move. They break down the four pillars of Real (opportunity, culture, technology, economics), why value beats cost every single time, and the number one mistake brokers make when they come over. No hype. No "trust me bro." Just the real economics.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Do NOT join Real unless…
0:47 — Who is Real NOT for?
1:11 — The agents Real won't work for
2:22 — Cost vs. value: the mindset that decides everything
3:00 — The four pillars of Real
3:29 — Why cheap brokerages trap you in a fishbowl
5:37 — Revenue share: why some agents can't get past it
6:56 — When Real doesn't work for team leaders and brokers
7:17 — Why brokers have to grow to win
8:16 — Why brokers who don't grow fail
10:54 — Joe's own failure: Red Rock Real Estate
11:57 — Why a weak value proposition kills teams
13:14 — 95% of attraction comes from 3% of agents
13:41 — Why "trust me bro" recruiters fail you
14:09 — Who you should actually talk to about Real
15:28 — The conversation you have to be willing to have
15:46 — Real isn't a unicorn

🚀 Book a Real discovery call: https://amyyoungren.com/connect

👥 Connect with Amy: @amyyoungren_
👥 Connect with Joe: @joeherrera

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New episodes weekly.

🎵 Music licensed through Soundstripe. License: 2JIGE3GXGQ1GPOGJ

Why Real's technology has become the reason agents stay — and how AI is changing the game.

Joe Herrera and Amy Youngren break down the tech behind Real's growth: why owning your own proprietary tech beats the white-labeled tools every brokerage promises, how it let them cut a full-time salary from their P&L, and why the tech itself has become a retention machine. Then they get into Leo and AI: what it takes off your plate, where it can't replace you, and how it turns listing photos into video in seconds.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Intro
2:37 — Why owning your own tech changes everything
4:48 — The tech that keeps agents from leaving
7:57 — Leo and the role of AI in real estate
10:36 — The future of the CRM
11:41 — Letting AI take routine tasks off your plate
13:06 — Where AI can't replace the human touch
13:44 — Turning listing photos into AI video, fast
15:03 — Fast and free vs. slow and expensive

🚀 Book a Real discovery call: https://amyyoungren.com/connect

👥 Connect with Amy: @amyyoungren_
👥 Connect with Joe: @joeherrera

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New episodes weekly.

🎵 Music licensed through Soundstripe. License: 2JIGE3GXGQ1GPOGJ

Stacking done right, and the partnership mistakes that follow you forever.

Joe Herrera and Amy Youngren break down "stacking" at Real: how naming the right sponsor can make your move twice as profitable, why you can never undo it once it's set, and the legal and relationship pitfalls that sink most partnerships. Plus the power of co-sponsorship and how to build WITH people, not FOR them.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Intro
2:06 — The economics of stacking and sponsorship
3:27 — Legal and long-term considerations
5:58 — Common mistakes in network building
7:58 — Why clear agreements beat expectations
11:04 — Long-term relationships and growth
14:07 — The power of co-sponsorship + final advice

🚀 Book a Real discovery call: https://amyyoungren.com/connect

👥 Connect with Amy: @amyyoungren_
👥 Connect with Joe: @joeherrera

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

New episodes weekly.

🎵 Music licensed through Soundstripe. License: 2JIGE3GXGQ1GPOGJ

How revenue share actually works, and who it does (and doesn't) pay off for.

Joe Herrera and Amy Youngren break down the real economics of revenue share: why it's the most profitable model in real estate, why production is the only attraction tool that works, and the honest "unless" cases where it won't move the needle for you.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Intro
2:16 — The economics of revenue share for agents and teams
4:19 — Why production is the ultimate attraction tool
5:21 — The role of collaboration
7:25 — Growth strategies for brokerages and teams
9:09 — The profit margins behind revenue share
11:12 — Scaling your business with revenue share
13:16 — Run your numbers: growth trajectories
14:17 — Final takeaways

🚀 Book a Real discovery call: https://amyyoungren.com/connect

👥 Connect with Amy: @amyyoungren_
👥 Connect with Joe: @joeherrera

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

New episodes weekly.

🎵 Music licensed through Soundstripe. License: 2JIGE3GXGQ1GPOGJ