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Welcome to Action Solves Everything, the show for those who want to stop overthinking and start producing. I'm your host, Alex Montagno, broker, leader, and founder of Lockstep Realty. Around here, we believe movement creates momentum, clarity comes from doing, and the agents who take action are the ones who win. Every episode is built to help you grow your skills, your confidence, and your career. Now let's get to work. Awesome. Thank you so much for joining today. We've got one of my favorite people in the industry, Drew Schrader. He is the founder of MatchLink Realty and he's been in the business over 20 years. He's helped nearly 1,000 clients in that time. And look, if you don't know Drew, you're going to want to tune in today and catch up with this one. So Drew, what's up, man? How's it going? It's going well. You got, you got really excited there for that intro. Oh, well, look, man, we gotta, we gotta hook him in somehow. But what do you, uh, tell the, tell the listeners a little bit about you and, and tell us what you're working on? Yeah, so, uh, I am a husband to Liz Lindsay, I'm a dad to Grayson, Sullivan, and Addison, and I'm a realtor to many. I was lucky to find my career path in 2003. Looks like we got a little auto Zoom action. And started this career at age 22, and now I'm 44. So that's a very long time. Although I remember those days where I was going to TJ Maxx with my mom and wearing a shirt and tie every day at age 22, and now I'm a little bit more relaxed. Did you, did you buy the shirt and tie that came in a box? No, it was more my mom is my sense of style, now Lindsay is. And we would just, we called it corporate Christmas. We'd go and I mean, gosh, I felt like I could get in and out of there a shirt and tie combination for $20. And I was always selling up to my potential clients. So, I felt like showing up, you know, the moment you care is the moments you prepare. So, I wanted to be the most prepped I could be for any meeting. All my friends were poor and right out of college, and so no one was buying houses. So that's kind of how it all started though. Yeah. So look, I think there's folks that will tune in and listen to this that will be at every different journey. There'll be folks that have been alongside you and been in this 20 years with you, and then there'll be somebody that maybe just started today. And so how do you get from 2003 Drew, newly licensed, shirt and tie, to the Drew of today who runs MatchLink and has such an incredible impact in our industry? Uh, I think the secret weapon is just the, the daily routine. And, um, I always say it's consistency over intensity. Uh, so I'm getting up— I know that real estate, the banks open around 9 o'clock every morning. So back in the day, and still today, if I don't have to run carpool for the kids I'm the first person to the office to drink out of the shiny, professionally cleaned drinking fountain. And that's going to be the determining factor of my success if I can just get in the office, get in the routine, no distractions. And that's where I can do my best work. So I think after doing that and then consistency over time, it just compounds. And over time, you just the results begin to happen. When did you— so 2003, you start, you're showing up, you're rolling your sleeves up, you're working hard. When did you realize you were on to something and you had a real opportunity to make a career out of this as opposed to a hobby or anything like that? I think when I— I've had a lot of mentors. So Julie Getty Danham's one. She was my professional mom, if you will. And I saw how she was able to take the most important things in her life and always find time for them and put them in the schedule first and just always seemed to have this fun energy and enthusiasm about her. And so I kind of mimicked that. So, you know, at 22 years old, I'm playing in a, in a basketball league at Lawrence North High School, and I became the official thirst quencher of the SBL. We had a website back then and I put my face where anytime anyone would log in and see when they played and they'd see Century 21 Drew Schrader. And then I'd bring Gatorade. I do an open house every Sunday. So that was a consistent thing for me. And then I'd bring the Gatorades and water bottles. And I just, I've always tried to just make everything I do better. I want to be the person that almost lights up the room or people are excited to see me when I walk into the room versus they're glad I left. So, I look at now, it's just like the exact same thing. You schedule the family stuff first. What's on the Honey Drew list, as I call it, that Lindsay gives me. And what do I need to do for her? How can I show up for her and how can I show up for my kids? You know, I'm so proud of you. There's been many times where I've texted you and you're like, hey, I gotta go, I'm picking up the kids right now, let me, let me text you back later, let me text you tomorrow. So it's like, you gotta have those boundaries. And what I was probably gonna text you at the time was not that important. So, um, you know, applaud you for doing it because I know you're doing a great job with, you know, raising your family. Yeah. Look, I remember when we brought the kids home, I was doing a, I was working on a real estate deal. Daniel was in the trenches for me and he called and he's like, dude, we got this deal on the ropes. He, the client wants to talk to you. And the client's become a friend of mine and a friend of our families. And it was just like, at that moment I realized like the dad I wanted to be, the husband that I was committed to be, and the business person that I had always been. Could no longer— like, that couldn't fit together. And so as part of how we— when I realized, like, when I'm home, I got to be home. When I'm in the trenches, I got to be there. And like, that's what is deserving of the people that I work with every day. So like, look, I remember coming over to eXp with you in 2018 and learning very quickly, like, here's my family, and everything that you were doing and still do is intertwined with them. It wasn't like my work family's over here and then my family at home is over here and they were totally separate. So, there was intentional integration of everything. And it's this concept of work-life balance. And look, I think balance, there is no such thing. Nothing ever really sits right in the pendulum like that. But I think your skill of work-life integration is something that you've mastered and do really well. And I think it's what makes people connect so well with you. Yeah, that's Bob Schrader, who you know is the last all-conference shortstop for Tony Hinkle, your alma mater. But he says, "When choosing one's life, life's mate will determine 90% of your happiness or misery in life." And Lindsay's the best decision that I've ever made. Hopefully you're watching this, babe, or will. And I think it's just she does such a good job running the household and freeing me up to do what I like to do on the business side. She's licensed, as you know, so she's a part of what we're doing. She's a great reflection of me. But to your point of what you just said, I want to be the coach. I want to be there for my kids. I don't want to miss a game. There's no amount of houses that I could sell that I would trade for that. Like, so, um, that's why I started a team, and I started with Drew Co Realty. And basically, uh, I did everything myself. Um, I actually went to the Masters a few years ago in, uh, 2018, uh, and they don't allow cell phones, and I came back to so many missed messages. I couldn't serve my clients to what the standard that I wanted to because I did everything. I didn't have a transaction coordinator. I didn't have social media help. I didn't have really anyone. I didn't have a team. And so it was all reliant on me. And so that was when I started Druco Realty. And I got to a point where I didn't want my name in it. You know, these agents— so Daniel, for your example, Daniel should have been able to field that call. They should have probably never even wanted Alex's help. Like, there's a business— when you're a team leader, they should not be referring business to Drew Schrader. They should be referring business to the standard that Drew Schrader has maybe helped the agents learn or grow to. So right now, I'm just focused on making sure that my standard of service— and I'm trying to create the best client experience possible, that my standard of service is felt with all of our MatchLink agents. And it's so great that I don't even have to be in the room or I don't have to be on those phone calls. And so they have the relationship with the client and they can— what would Drew do? You know, there's no bracelets like out yet, but maybe it would be. And so that's kind of why I started a team, because times my my most important thing to do right now. And I, I can't be the best dad and husband if I'm doing all the things for everyone. And the clients suffer too. So, um, but you've taught me a ton with just hiring the right people and surrounding your people, surrounding yourself with all the support, um, to deliver, um, and, you know, hire people that are better than you in certain areas. Yeah, it's a, it's a hard race to run, um, when you do it particularly by yourself. And I think what's fun is like when you and I started working together in, in '18 and sitting in an office together, it's like I was a don't look at my homework, I can do this by myself, I don't want a ton of help. And I, if I take time talking to somebody in our industry, I'm taking away from the time that I would have with like friends and things like that. And so I was the the quote-unquote pit bull, and you were the golden retriever that was teaching me like the value of those relationships and what they can do in the industry when you start like reaching out and connecting better with people. But what I was always fascinated with was like how much you were able to, like how hard you were able to run for as long as you could by yourself. Um, so like seeing the growth that Matchlink has experienced alongside, like not only from like the number of transactions and the people you guys get to help, but the agents that are in the room. And I think with that, and I would be curious, like, what is that doing for you today? And then after you like hammer into that, I'd love to hear just like what a day in the life of Drew looks like as a whole, like dad, husband, agent, friend, all that stuff. Oh my gosh. Okay. You're going to have to remind me of the questions. Yeah. Yeah. First question being like, How did you get— like, what does it feel like today running your operation? And like, how did you get here and realize that you need to do it? And then how did you make those decisions? Let's start with that. I feel like I'm the luckiest person on the planet. I have, uh, worked so hard, um, on just becoming a successful agent. And successful, I would say, the first half of the year, or first half of my career, was more inward, like I gotta go grow Drew, I need to get the experience, I need to grow the GCI. I thought awards were everything, and I'd say I switched to being more of an agent of significance, and I think about legacy, and I think about reducing the failure rate in our industry because it's very hard. And I think about the next generation, you know, those things— bank accounts can fluctuate up and down, but if I can help an agent work through a scenario, uh, personally or professionally, you know, we're not just trying to be— we're, we're not trying to be the best team. There's always going to be some— somebody like Lockstep selling more than us. But if we can be the best, like, people or be the best that we can be, like— and that's not, that's not to throw you under the bus. You're just, you're incredible. But I'm just like, that's not what we talk about. I— there's so many different— I want to help the, these agents at Matchlink that we've essentially handpicked. It's all been organic, organic growth and help them with different things, you know, different levels, different devils. Everyone has something else, some reason why they're a part of the team, and we just want to help them. You know, we came up with MatchLink because I'm— we're trying to match buyers and sellers, uh, with the perfect house, you know, for them and be the lifelong link before, during, and after the transaction. And it's just so much fun, uh, with what I'm able to see when the advice or something that they've taken from me and they've put their own spin on it and they've owned it. You know, all these agents, they're— I was telling them this morning in our meeting, they're a collective group on, you know, that could do this business by themselves, but they choose to be a part of us because of the proven blueprint that it's let's be intentional with the relationships that we already have in front of us. Like, forget about how long you've been in the business. Think about who you've been your entire life, uh, and that's what you should be focused on. Um, so when— yeah, when did you think— like, when do you think, like, that change shifted for you from, like, recognition and awards? Because I think at some point I saw somewhere $32 million you were top on the IBJ or top 5 or top 2 in the IBJ. When I met you, look, I think I would go back to this. When I had met you, it was like from an outsider perspective, you were doing an incredible amount of business every year. You had 3 kids, you had a happy life, and you were really gracious and grateful with your time. And you were very appreciative of what the industry had given back to you. And so, when I looked you and I joined forces at eXp, it was like, well, this guy is ahead of where I want to be. And so I believe it's surrounding yourself with— if you're the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, it was like, this is the next step for me because he has things that I want and he's doing things that I want to accomplish so I could learn from him. But I'd be curious for you when you went from awards and significance to this other side of you that is so gracious and generous with all of your knowledge and time. Uh, I would say, uh, probably once I started getting the awards. So that would have been third or fourth or fifth year. I mean, at the previous company, and I never liked going and getting trophies. I, I joke that my mom can have my trophies. Uh, She is so proud of me and will tell you that she's proud of me. But they built the foundation of, you know, who I am and who I've become. And I've always just looked at it as awards or things that I've done in the past. And I'm focused on what am I doing today and where am I going in the future. And so I think when I came to eXp, you know, I loved my previous spot. Realty group companies, and it was Century 21, Prudential, and Berkshire Hathaway. And then I just saw a better opportunity where my value to the brokerage could be communicated back to me. And I'm not just talking from, you know, a monetary standpoint. I'm— I was the go-giver. I felt like I helped a lot of other agents and went out of my way around the office Um, and I said, man, I could go to eXp. This is a, an agent-owned cloud-based brokerage, and I could lock arms with other agents like yourself, uh, and you learn together. Uh, to your point earlier, I feel like the one thing I'm most proud of what you've done is your whole mindset of it's not us versus them, meaning you as the buyer's agent and them as the listing agent or vice versa. It's we are both realtors, we have a buyer and a seller. Let's get everybody in the same boat. Let's start rowing in the right direction. And if you do that and there's this flow, that's how you're able to sell 75 houses as an individual agent, and I have friends across all brokerages. I'm colorblind when it comes to brokerage. I don't care who you are, there's great agents at every place and there's duds at every place. So I just— and like, so maybe I've taught you a little bit about that, but you've taught me. I've let you go build your team first and you had a transaction coordinator before I ever did. We shared one at the beginning of the career, and then you were like, all right, I got to take her back and figure it out, which was the best thing you could have ever done for me, because then I was used to having that person. And then I remember her saying, well, Alex never asked me to do it this way. And I'm like, I'm not the same person as Alex. I'll make you do— I'm the most random person there is. Alex is a lot more regimented and a lot more focused. So, um, so yeah, I just, uh, we, we always have done things differently, but the results have always been, you know, great for our clients. Yeah, let's, um, let's talk about your transition to eXp, um, because I think it's a fun thing to talk about because you've been a pioneer in the Indianapolis market and been an intricate force in, in evolving it. Take us back when you made the move and, and tell us what it's done for you today and your family ultimately. Um, okay, so this was— I was at the same company for 15 years. The brokerage changed 3 different times. I had the same office for all 15 years. Again, was a happy agent. Most agents leave because they think it's their broker's fault, but really they need to look internally and say, what should I have done differently? Um, but I was happy and, uh, I just saw a better way, a better model for me that I could teach the things that I wanted to do and teach it my way and help impact other people. And if I was always wanting to— I could sell more houses today if I wanted to. I'm sure you could do the same thing, but I think it's fun to bring people along the journey with you. So I learned about eXp through an agent down in Louisville, Kentucky, and once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it. And I left a place that I was at for 15 years and it was very hard. There were so many relationships there, tears. And I mean, I grew up there and I always believe, like, bloom where you're planted, like the grass is greener where you water it. And this was just a whole different way of thinking. This was more entrepreneurial and I believe in myself, so I feel like eXp is a place where you can bet on yourself. And so I made the move in 2 weeks. And so I hear the— I— there's a lot of agents that, that I talk to about maybe making the move, and they waffle back and forth a lot. And I'm like, trust me, there's no way that you experienced all the things that I did at my previous brokerage, and I— how don't you get this? But everyone makes decisions you know, differently. So, um, but we did that. And then, uh, there was only, I think, 3 people in the MyBoard system, and which is our local MLS. And I remember talking to you on the phone and telling you, you were one of the very first people that I talked to, and you couldn't believe it, thought I was starting my own brokerage. But this was just me doing the exact same thing that I've always done. I'm not the broker, I'm not the the managing broker. A lot of people think I am, but yeah, I mean, you're a big part of the reason why we have 150 agents and we're the most productive group of eXp Realtors in Indiana. And what has it done for my family? I mean, a lot monetarily and given me so much of my time back. And it's just my heart, like I've been able to— like my purpose, I guess, has been able to be seen. Like I said earlier, I just love— I just had an agent. I just had lunch with one of our agents and just so proud of him. And he's taken things that I've helped him and He's put them into action. So I don't know if you want me to get into specifics on anything. If you're comfortable, it'd be cool, but it's not a big deal. So I no longer live in this house, but I did pay off our old house with the eXp stock. So that was something that could not have happened at the previous brokerage. I've always believed that I'd rather have the whole or half of a watermelon than the full grape. So meaning this is a great model. If I can bring agents over and help them and they can help bring other people and bring their friends. And I got paid on 666 closings last, last year. I mean, that's incredible for not having a single dollar put into It's just sweat equity. So it's just incredible if you think about it. And I know you're feeling probably

similar things as well. [Speaker: 24:42

TREY_LOCKERBIE] Yeah. I think what's so interesting is I think real estate as a whole right now is challenging. Executing a real estate transaction beginning to end with a client is as challenging as it's been since I got in the business in 2012. The access to information that your clients have, the documentation, the information share, the lawsuits, the negativity, the social media, whatever the information is, it's just harder. And what I think is so interesting is I have more fun every single day around our real estate team than I ever did in my biggest years of 2018, 2019 when I was like a solo agent doing 70 houses a year. And I remember how stressed and leveraged I was. and I remember what it was like to be around me where I'm in my phone 24/7, always available because you have to be to do that many deals. And I think what's fun now is people— I'm thinking of an agent right now who works at another brokerage and she called me before Christmas and was like, "Hey, I'm drowning. I see all the content you put out. Can we just sit down and talk?" And when I started in the business in '12 and all the way up into '13,'14, '15, That didn't exist brokerage to brokerage. It was like, you wear this color, we wear this color, there is no merger in the middle. And I think what's happened now is like, because collaboration is a core value of eXp and it has become a pillar of something I believe in every single day, it's more fun. So like, you go sit across the table from somebody you may not have spent time with and you get to learn what matters to them as people. And then You can help them say,"Hey, look, if that matters to you, why do you choose this instead of that all the time?" Because show me your calendar, I'll show you your priorities. It's out there and you can have real impacts on people. So whether it's teaching somebody how to hire somebody or to do more transactions or to understand what leverage is in scale of business, there's a million ways to do this. And it doesn't just have to be crank a deal, get a check, buy a lead, get a check, whatever that is. And so, real estate has a totally different feel now than it did when I got in the business, but it's a lot more fun. And it's like your peers become your friends because you can actually play an impact on their business. And recently, I had a conversation with somebody and I was talking about these masterminds I host every single month. And they were just like, what other brokerage does this? Yeah. Like, who else does that? And I was like, I don't know. And it's just a different— it's just more enjoyable. It's easier to be happy. And the relationships that you're now building make the deals you actually do do easier and better. For sure. Have you seen those Christmas ornaments that I have made? Yes. Oh, yeah. My mother-in-law is Carol Heider. Shout out to Carol, Cece. She is so talented. And she, when Grayson was probably 3, so this is probably 10 years ago, she, for Christmas, gave me a portrait of my firstborn child. And I'm like, oh, this is incredible. And then I'm thinking, Cece, could you do houses? And she's like, yeah, I bet I could. I was like, I just sold this listing. Would you put this on an ornament for me? And this has become now a system that every time we sell a listing, it's bittersweet when someone sells their house, when they move, when they close that chapter and move to the next house. They might have raised their kids in that house. There's memories in there. Like, there's definitely a personal touch to residential real estate. And I have shared this with many different agents, and, uh, Carol does ornaments for numerous Compass agents, Keller Williams agents, Century 21 agents, other eXp agents, agents across the country with eXp. I've spoken at a lot of events, and there are people that will send her It's same thing with baby orders. Like, there's a baby boom going on. So I love doing monogram burp cloth bib and onesies. When I see anybody that has touched my life in a positive manner, boom, CeCe, send it to her. And then she sends me a bill at the end of the month. It's like, that's the joy. That is the money that I spend back, you know, on the people, on the relationships that matter the most. But it's been fun for me to have friends, have respect with lots of agents just in our industry as a whole, and to see them spreading it amongst their people as well. To your point, what you just said. Yeah, dude, I love that. Um, I'd ask a question. What is the day of the life of Drew Schrader? I was just about to go there. So yeah, like, let's hit on that. So, uh, 5/29 is when I was I was

born May 29th, so 5: 30:12

29 is when the alarm goes off. I have an Oura Ring, so I'm always tracking my sleep. I'm not a huge data nerd, but I like to know if I'm sleeping well or not. And if I feel like sometimes, you know, I will hit the snooze button. The snooze button is probably 6 o'clock. Okay, so I get a half hour more sleep, but Coffee. And then to you, your credit, you've got me on— I could go into AI and see how many days it's been since April 20th, but I have not missed a day of cold plunging. What that's done for me, aside from the health effects, being more alert, and I feel like I don't have to drink as much coffee and my joints being 44 and playing lots of tennis, Uh, there's just— and I worked out yesterday, you'd be proud of that. Uh, Grayson had to have somebody 16 or older to go to the gym, so he tricked me into going to work out. I don't, I don't have a six-pack. I don't, uh, not yet. Uh, I like to mix in a sauna if I have the time because sometimes I get up even earlier than

5: 31:28

29. Um, but, uh, then it's my day to take the kids to school. Um, Tuesdays and Thursday I don't have to take the kids to school. So then

I've organized 6: 31:39

30 AM tennis, and I've got a group of guys, and I, I'm the social chairman of it all. And we play an hour and a half of tennis, and then everyone else goes on to, to work. But, um, it's either I have to take carpool to, to help the, the kids, and we carpool with my niece and nephew, so that's fun, and I love just the time, all the games that I get to play with them on the ride. And we were playing name that tune this morning, and we were talking about— and this is sidebar on big time, but we're going to Dominican Republic for spring break. You ever heard the song Justin Bieber, "Baby"? Well, Ludacris comes in, and I'm like, girls, you are so good at— this is Lane and Addie— you're so good at singing the Justin part. I can't go that high, but what if Uncle D just comes out of nowhere and just, I learned this Ludacris rap. And I mean, I feel like we could just totally blow the doors off of this karaoke place. I don't even know if it's going to have it in Dominican, but it's just fun for me to be who I am with them. And then, gosh, I love them so much. I just always tell them to be the kindest kids at St. Louis de Montfort, and off, off they go. And then, uh, our office is not too far from there. Um, I needed an office even though eXp's cloud-based, just, just to go to, to have the team a central location for the team. And we followed up on a bunch of prospecting things that upcoming listings and whatnot. And I sent you that AI song I've been, which is phenomenal, by the way. Oh my gosh, it's so good. Well, I want to revolutionize the way that we do our sold. So Renee Renoso and Brady Simpson just sold, had closings. So I've got little rap songs that you'll be seeing. It'll be like Pleasant Run, but then there'll be some— there'll be a rap guy talking about Renee Renoso sold on Pleasant Run. It sounds so much better than that. But yeah, Brady's got a little country twang, but So that's just like the things that give me energy and my unique way of promoting, helping somebody else. I'd so much rather talk about somebody else than myself. So some of this stuff is hard for me to talk about, but we had a team meeting, then we went to the Vicious Biscuit for lunch and had just another agent meeting, and then we hop on and Let's see, there's family. We got family stuff. Sully's got a flag football game that Drew will probably take him to. And, um, I just— we got a, uh, our kids go to a Catholic school nearby, and I created a way to give back to a lot of the parents that, uh, give so much to our school. And so I started the Cardinal Couples Classic, which is a euchre night. And so I got to push that out today and invite them to that. And, you know, it's just like I said, it's take advantage or be— not take advantage, but be intentional with what is important to you and let people know what you do along the way and do things that are not your job. I know I'm going to every football game, but I'm not the football coach. So how can I help the football program? Well, I skipped church one day and I started— I learned how to film or learn how to fly the drone. So now I went and I got— we have a Huddle account at school and I upload these drone clips and then the coaches can make the team better and they call me the X factor. And then I like taking the clips. And so when I see You know, there's a kid named Robert Hughes and I send, send a text to Robert's parents and that he scored a touchdown and maybe the mom wasn't there and then the dad was there. So I then this memory lives forever with the drone. So it's like making your mark wherever you're at and getting involved is how I feel like I've grown it, grown my business. It's built trust. It's, uh, I think the secret to this whole— it's not— it's more of a service job than it is a sales job, but I think it's making people feel comfortable, uh, and once you make them feel comfortable and you can take like a cold connection and turn it into a warmer one, that's where the magic really happens. Yeah, it goes back to that what you said earlier about just making things better than when you found it. Um, talk a little bit about like what's coming down the pipe at Matchlink. Um, you talked a lot about handpicking some of your growth around your principles and foundation, the things that are important to you guys, the standards you've built. What are some of those standards and, and what's next for you guys at Matchlink? Yeah, um, I think I just want to help communicate the agent's story, uh, better. And so we have a team around around us that we're focused on doing more of that, more social media, more, um, we call it the story letter. When we meet with someone for the first time, it kind of, it's almost like a personal brochure. Uh, I don't want to tell people how many million I've sold. I'd rather let them know who I am as a dad and a husband. And, uh, in there it tells a little bit about my professional experience, but I think it again is professionally done. And so I think sending that ahead of each meeting is something that's really been important for me to do. And I think we talk about just continuing to look at all aspects of our lives spiritual, financial, health, social, relationships, all of these different things. And everyone has different benchmarks and different goals. And I feel like it's when we do goal setting, it's like, it's not what Drew wants for you. It's what you want. So success is getting what you want. So I think if somebody tells me that, you know, just as a, coach or as a team leader, if somebody tells me they want to sell $20 million, well, then I think I have the permission. Then I watch a lot of like Nick Saban leadership. He hears a guy wants to go to the pros, well, then he's got him. So then you can remind that agent that this is your goal, not my goal for you, and it helps motivate them. So I think it's just trying to help them become the best version of themselves and I think helping serve 100 families is always going to be a benchmark for us. And I think we have the right pieces in place to, again, organically grow our organization. I don't want every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a real estate license. It has to be the right person. I have a funny story about that I want to share. Yeah, real quick. I met with a guy who was an agent and he was asking about Lockstep and eXp. And I think at the time I probably had 15 agents at Lockstep, something like that. And he goes, "I don't understand why you don't have more." And I was like, "Well, can you say more on that?" And he's like,"This value prop's great and all these things are awesome. I don't understand why you don't have more people that work here." And I was like, "Hey, I have a question." At the time, you worked at FC Tucker. And I said, "How many agents are in your office?" And he's like, "80." And I was like, "How many of the agents in the office sell all the real estate in the office?" And he goes, "8." And I was like, "Everyone at Lockstep is a contributor to our numbers and our metrics and our success. Every single person. It is a requirement. You either contribute at that front, you contribute to the culture, and you do the job at the highest level." And that to me is like the difference in this industry. So to hear that, um, is like music to my ears where it's like, not everybody can be a part of Matchlink. Yeah, no, that's exactly it. And like, if I can't have a beer on a beach with you or I can't play golf with you, you're not my person. So, um, I think it's, again, it's, you gotta be a self-starter. You gotta be coachable. Uh, you gotta be willing to work. Not just in the business, but on the business. And I think it might be a— it's not a get-rich-quick by any means, but it is a will-get-rich-quick program if you follow it and you follow the blueprint of just what I've been able to do. Because I feel like it's such a— referrals are the lifeblood of our business and We don't buy leads, but I know that that's just not my thing. I kind of say, hey guys, we're Chick-fil-A, we sell chicken sandwiches. Other people might be buying leads and I think that's great, but we're Chick-fil-A, we only do chicken sandwiches. So that's what I, what I say when someone wants to— no one's really pressed the lead thing. They like this. So means they fit in line with— correct— what you're looking for. Yeah, I love that. What else, dude? What else you want to hit on? Uh, how— what made you start the podcast? Um, an identity shift of like who I used to be versus who I wanted to be. And so when I looked at who I was becoming as, um, a leader of Lockstep with some of the events I was doing, it was like, I want to give agents an opportunity to tell their story a bit better. And I want to be an inspiration and an opportunity for somebody that's maybe like, I think so often when people look at success, they look at where that person is at in the journey and they say it's unrelatable or it's unattainable, or I don't want that. But the reality is everybody has an entire journey along the way that oftentimes people never get access to. And so I wanted to give folks on the other end of the camera here an opportunity to say, hey, look, there was a day when I was the first guy getting a drink out of the drinking fountain every day. And that's a controllable factor. And around our industry, the failure rate is super high. I saw a metric recently, it's like the average agent sells 4 houses a year. And so that is an awful standard for our industry as a whole. And so It's like, how many vessels can you create that pump out information to anybody that helps them? Your line is to, I want to decrease the failure rate in our industry. And my thought is, I just want to be somebody when they look at me, it's like, Alex played an impact to my real estate career. Or when I listen to this podcast, Drew said this and it helped me become that. I just want to be the vessel. And I saw a Simon Sinek speech last year. It's an old one. And he talked about what is your mechanism to deliver the message? And it's like real estate is my mechanism to help agents become the best version of themselves. And that goes through everything. That's like whether it's spouse, it's partner, it's dad, it's realtor, it's friend, it's your health, things like that. This just is another mechanism that can create content that people can listen to. So that was kind of the thought behind it. And podcasts are a really easy way to communicate and build fruitful relationships through the screen. So I've had some folks here where it's like, I don't have the relationship with them that I have with you, but I learn a ton about them. And then it's like, let's get together. And a couple years ago, I was on Steve Robbins' podcast, The Private Conversation with Steve Robbins, and I'd never met him. Walked in, I had a blast talking to him, and him and I've spent a ton of time together since. We get together about once a quarter, He's been insanely supportive and helpful to my business. And it's like, I have a friend because of this. And so it's like just relationship growing, it's education and inspiration for folks that listen. And it's an opportunity for folks like you to share your story with more folks. Yeah. What's your favorite thing about being a dad? Oh man. I think what's been— like my kids are 3 and a half now. They're almost 4 actually. And like seeing them come into their own personalities has been fun. I got home from the gym today and Willa's laying on the floor with 3 blankets around her, her stuffed animals, this board that she plays with, and Michael's jumping on our bed and Maureen's in the shower. And I'm like, "What are you guys doing in here?" And they're like, "Dad." And so it's just like that type of stuff is really enjoyable. And the other thing I would say is just perspective to everything. The old me like lived and died by every little thing that happened every single day. And I think the person I am today, it's like I'm pretty flatlined. I'm pretty numb. I get real excited about stuff and I can get frustrated with stuff, but I return to a center ground much faster than I ever used to do that. Yeah. You walk in and it's, you don't, you could add a really rough day, bad appraisal, terrible inspection response situation. Whatever it may be. And then you walk in and the kids don't care. They're just like, yeah, do you want to go shoot baskets? Of course I do. Well, to the other side of it, mom doesn't know how to make nachos. That's Addie's thing. And Lindsey's like, how do you make nachos? I mean, there's some, I'm like, Lindsey, it's really tough. Let me tell you. Yeah, of course you want me to do it. So, well, what's interesting too is like you could have the best of days. And my kids probably enjoy hearing that, or my wife loves hearing when I have a great day, but it also doesn't matter. It's like they need you for what they need you for in that moment. And if that was your purpose, I have the

3 goals I always talk about: 47:00

recession-proof business, present husband, present dad. When you look at success as the measurable of the attitude or the energy you're going to have when you get home, it really doesn't matter. It's like, are you being present? Are you here? Are you helpful? Do you care? So that's been a huge learning curve. But I have one question that I always wrap this up with. There's two things. One, where can folks find you on your social channels? @drew@matchlinkrealty. Should know this. Let's see, Drew_Matchlink_Reality. Perfect. And then Drew Schrader. Schrader. Don't be a traitor, vote for Schrader so that anyone that's my true friend knows how to pronounce it. Love that. And then the last question, this is a podcast about being an action taker. And so when you look at folks that maybe are struggling to move or struggling to get energy towards something, maybe afraid or what, or just struggling, what advice do you have for them to just start something? Just get moving. Yeah, I think it's intentional action solves everything. So I think when you're setting your goals and you know where you want to go, it's, you know, on that pathway, if you, if you will, like, there's things that you've taught me where it's like, I forget what it is, but it's like, Drew, if it doesn't improve, save me time, if it doesn't improve my health, if it doesn't make me money, if it doesn't give me energy, I'm not going to do it. So, I think it's important to raise the standard on when you say yes to things and when you say no to things. But I think it's taking action and intentional action is basically looking at all, writing out goals and then figuring out a pathway of how to get there and then executing on it each day. And just know that it doesn't need to be a complete 180. It is more just incremental, consistent, you know, tweaks here and there. And I'm always reinventing myself and I'm trying to do something to serve others, make someone else's day brighter. I'm sure you remember I used to look up 3 random celebrities and put your face and I'd create this graphic and be like, Ronald Reagan, John— and I'm not going to say all presidents— Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan and Alex Montagno, 4 of my favorite people, all a year older today. Happy birthday, Alex. I used to do that all the time. Now I'm going to— I'm going to be wishing people happy birthday with my AI jingles. So I think that it sticks with people, and I just think the longer I've been in this business, I realize never let a compliment go unsaid and let people know. There's a lost art. I write an intentional letter every single day with someone that I've met with or someone that I've maybe seen, read about them in the paper, or I don't read about people in the paper, but see them online, see a life event. And I think it's just letting everyone in your ecosystem know how much you truly care about them. And I think once you do that, then you feel like your cup is filled and they feel like you're appreciated and life is just better that way. Man, I love that. Drew, you're a special friend, man. I am so grateful for this time together and I can't wait for this to get produced and out there for everybody. Thanks for all your time today and congrats on your success, my friend. Thank you, sir. Take care. Thanks for listening to Action Solves Everything. If today's episode pushed you, challenged you, or helped you even take one step forward, send it to someone else who needs that same nudge. We all get better when we grow together. And if you're looking for a partnership that actually believes in coaching, collaboration, accountability, and actually becoming the best version of yourself, shoot me a message online at all social handles @AlexMontagano. That's Alex Montagano. Remember, success rewards the ones who move. Take action, and I'll see you on the next episode.