Why a Podcast, Topics to Discuss and More | LeadingLane Podcast | Trailer Episode

Welcome to the Leading Lane podcast for Real Estate Pros by Real Estate Pros, with your hosts, Ashley Frederick and Stephen Burch. If you're looking for an honest, authentic, and raw perspective, you found it.

All right, so here we are. First podcast episode one is. Here we go. So how about we first start with this? Who in the hell is Ashley Frederick?

Oh, that's me. So, Ashley Frederick, I am in central Wisconsin, so I always do my little mitten. And you're in the middle of the mitten, which is what Wisconsin shaped like a little mitten.

Perfect.

And broker. Owner of a local real estate company and been in real estate for 11 years now.

Awesome. Fantastic. So I'll let you first say, why are we here? Why are we doing this podcast? What in the world are we doing?

Right? Because there's like a hundred million podcasts out right now. I think you could be pulled in any directions. But I think that what we were talking about is there's just so much to real estate, and I think you could turn at every level. But I also think that, you know, with life and things, the way that they turn, things can turn negative. And for me, like, I like to listen to podcasts that are entertaining, are uplifting, or really just make me think outside the box. Like, I mean, I have been in real estate for 10 years, but I never thought about that. And I think that as we share things, right, like, knowledge is power. So if we're sharing these things with everyone or getting other people's ideas, it just makes us all better. Agents, leaders, people. And then really, that makes us all interact with each other better, do our businesses better. I mean, that's what I think that I'd love to have people take away from it, but I want to hear more about Stephen Burch. Cool.

Well, I'm Steve Burch. Stephen Burch. And I am from Kansas in the middle of Midwest America. And like Ashley, you know, a first. Let me be very clear in this disclaimer is I was completely resistant from doing a podcast just because it is kind of the hot topic right now. And I, you know, I think there's obviously some great things that are out there, but my goal is to really bring just different perspective of what it really does take to run a business, like making sure people know that, yes, there is success. However, it takes a lot of freaking work behind the scenes that people. People truly don't ever see. So it looks all glamorous and fun, you know, on social media or what they put on the reality TV shows.

But, I mean, it Just happened overnight, right?

Oh, yeah, yeah. You just have a sign and we make ten grand every. Every time we. We get a sell, like, super freaking easy. That is not the case. But honestly, you know, like, yeah, we both are in real estate and we both are, you know, have our own companies. But I think that in sharing with the world that it's more than just real estate. And I think that what we're wanting to share is, yeah, we can talk about transactions, we can talk about running companies, but it's the real life shit that happens in, you know, every single day that we deal with. You know, for me, it was the battle of overcoming the things that, you know, the bullshit stories that I was telling myself that nobody wants to listen to me. And, you know, I. I'm here kind of stuck in the. And I don't mean stuck, but stuck in the Midwest and literally a box in Kansas. And, you know, I got shut down constantly and trying to be a leader within our community and, like, it just was tiring. But then realizing that I do have a voice, I do have a message to be able to share with other people. And my goal is to really help inspire other people that are out there. Let it be. If you're battling with your own internal struggles or if it is really in real estate, as, you know, sales, or if it really is running a company, even if it's not even anything pertaining to real estate at all. So my goal is just at least help bring some light in, hopefully laughter and some real, real shit that people don't like to talk about. So, yeah, I'm pretty stoked about this, honestly. So once I remove that this is a. Not a podcast is. But I'm talking to a friend. This is like just having, you know, a cup of. Cup of coffee and just shooting the shit.

Well, and I think that there's like so many hard topics or topics that we don't talk about enough, whether it's real estate and leadership, you know, in your community, that doesn't matter if you're in real estate or not. You know, you might have struggles with the way that people treat you at work, you know, and you're not even in real estate. And I think that just being able to have open discussions and, you know, we don't have. Have the right answers, but as long as we're having those. That dialogue, you know, and that's where I hope that people will chime in and, you know, give thoughts and opinions or ask more questions. But I think you're right. It's really Just all encompassing of real estate or not. But we're all humans. We all, I think, strive to do better and you know, want to be, you know, led in that direction. And sometimes I know people are stuck in spots, whether it's their work or at, at home. And I think, you know, if they have a light or maybe someone that they know is going to help, you know, push them. And we've all had our people that are in slumps and, you know, you just kind of have to keep pushing them and you know, this can be an avenue for that.

Right. And I think it's able to be able to share that. You know, we both have some fantastic stories. We, we both have had some turbulence in life and struggles. Right. Like starting from, with our company, we had $5,000 in our account and that was $5,000 for personal bills and for the brokerage itself. And so, you know, looking back and letting people know that you can do it, you can truly achieve whatever you put your mind to. And you know, like, if we can be able to help the struggle just a little bit, then I think that this is a huge success. Even if it's just one person that's out there listening to us every week, then, you know, I'm happy to be able to help that person. So let's maybe share, like how did we meet? Where did, how did we make that connection?

I think it was in St. Louis. Yes, yes. And I think you had put on like a broker owner page that you were hanging out downtown St. Louis, if anybody was in town. And I was like, well, we opened our business, you know, two weeks before COVID happened and shut down the world. So same thing. We were like, oh, we just made the worst decision ever. And so we couldn't go to a conference for I think almost two years. So we didn't. Hadn't met anybody else. So guess we'll go see who this Steven guy is. And yeah, met you and you and Ryan and then kind of just started seeing each each other whenever there'd be a conference.

Yeah.

And you're always so open to sharing information that, you know, sometimes when I'd come across in the network be like, that Steven guy might be able to answer that question. And then, yeah, I think just always conferences, we'd always reconnect. And then we happened to go to our mastermind May of this year. We spent a whole week together. Lots of fun stories.

Maybe some we shouldn't share.

Yeah, I would agree. But I think through that week, like, it was interesting that to see like, how willing we were to push one another and challenge one another, which, let's be honest, like, that's what real friends do. Like, they'll call you out on your BS and be like, yeah, okay, anyway, moving on. So what are you going to do about that? And I think that we found that connection very quickly, and it's blossomed since then.

Yeah. I think I need to share the story about when we met in St. Louis. We were out at that outside little stadium, you know, type of thing. And I think we were inside a bar. Like, I mean, it was like an inside, outside type of thing, right. And we were texting, like, where we were, and all of a sudden, like, this, the sun was in my eyes. Here comes up this beautiful blonde woman. And I was like, who is this freaking model? Like, I can't talk. Like, surely she's not coming to talk to me.

Like, never heard this story. So I find this interesting.

Yeah. As my, as, you know, Ryan, my husband, was there with me. We're like, dang, who's this girl? And then isn't this when Ben was there, too? And here comes Ben, another big, beautiful man. Right. Like, I was like, God, like, this is the most beautiful couple in the freaking world. So. But yeah, we, we, I think we instantly connected, really, from the beginning that we, we met and as we learned more about each other, you know, and I have a lot of similarities. It's kind of, kind of scary. The most recent one is when I was decorating the Christmas tree, right. I asked Ryan, my husband, to help me put the ornaments on, and he obviously did not put them on correctly. So apparently he texted Ben that he can't even decorate a Christmas tree properly. And apparently Ben had the same type of experience with Ashley about the not placing the ornaments properly on the Christmas tree.

They go inside the Christmas tree, not on the outside, people.

I, I, I mean, I, I don't understand. Like, it's like out here just hanging and dangling, and it looks like it's barely hanging on for life. Like, let's give it a little support in there. So, yeah. Anyways, it's so funny that the things that we, we text and talk about and conversate about how I think it.

Was the other one that was like, I think I'm gonna, We were in Chicago, and then I think I text message you, like, I'm gonna get a massage when I get home. And then you, like, took a screenshot if you were looking for masseuse at the same exact time.

Yeah. Like, get out of my Mind, Right? So. But I think it's so great to. To be able to have the dynamic that we have of. I mean, you hit the nail on the head of being able to call each other on their BS and pushing to the next level, not allowing each other to just settle for mediocrity. One of the. The phrases that you use all the time that I absolutely love is the, you know, the center of excellence. And, you know, we really strive to continue to grow, not only ourselves, but the people around us. And that you have to have people and surround yourself, you know, around people that are like that, not allowing us to say, oh, I'm going to try, you know, what are you actually going to do? What is the execution that you're going to be able to get there? And the other great part about it is you're not afraid to say, what can I do to help? Right. And I think that as a leader, you do have to be able to make sure that, yeah, you're challenging people to be able to strive for their center of excellence, but you have to be right there with them and pull up the boots and walk through the mud with them and make sure that they know that they're not alone. And that brings us back to why I think we're here doing this podcast.

Well, and I think it goes to. It's not just work, right? I mean, like, you spend eight hours plus, you know, or more with your co workers, colleagues, you know, in any field, and life isn't always easy. So I think it's a matter too of, you know, when you're a leader or just a coworker, being able to recognize when someone isn't, you know, maybe on their game or that they're struggling. Because, you know, let's be honest, times can be really tough for people. And it is really that matter of just like, are you okay? Do you need something? And it doesn't matter if it's at the office or not, you know, like, do you need a ride home tonight? You know, just whatever that is. I think it's really important for us to be aware of, you know, our people. And that does help bring them up. Right? Because maybe they haven't had somebody in their lives before that have been a positive impact or have been willing to be like, hey, this isn't right. Like, you know, something's off. Let's talk about it. How can I help you? And I think if we can, if everyone could open those doors, like, just imagine how much things are probably, you know, flow better.

Absolutely. And you Know, the, the thing that I've always experienced, and I don't know if you have experienced this before or not, but you know, the leaders that I've had, the only time I ever really hear from them is when something's wrong. And to me, that's not leadership. That's. That's a role. That's what you. They have to do to fulfill the role, I guess. But in leadership, it doesn't matter your title, it's truly making sure that you're reaching out to your people in touching those lives and trying to help in any way that you possibly can to again empower and lift them up and embrace them. And a lot of times we don't see our own potential in ourselves. You know, I know that there's things that, like, I know that I never thought that I would ever be doing, but you have pushed me to, you know, to challenge me to step out of my element and step out of my comfort zone. And that's exactly what, what I think that good humans, it's not even leaders, it's just good humans in helping one another out. And I feel like the world right now, what we live in, is already daunting enough that we don't have to bring any more just crazy drama to the table or trauma to the table. You can save that for the llama. Isn't that the phrase? Save the drama for the llama. But be able to help one another. So, yeah. So how about you tell me a little bit about. I think the first time I saw you on stage, your title was the only Realtor in the room, or the title of the session was Only Realtor in the room.

That was the second one.

Second one. What was the first one? My bad.

The first one was the impact over income.

Ooh, okay, that's even better. Let's start with that. What was that about?

So that one. So that must have been 20, 21. So in the midst of COVID crazy market and no inventory, which obviously we're still struggling with today, I'd say it's a little bit better today, but not quite like it was. But I think at that time I was like, how many people have like five houses for sale in their market? Because at that time, actually probably still now we have more realtors than we do houses for sale. And so my big thing was that we had this know, open 10 acre parcel in the middle of town in a really established neighborhood. And a developer that had owned it had since retired and was looking to sell it. And it was like a Three year battle to get people to understand the need of housing, that it doesn't cost $150,000 to build a house, what that looks like. And so I worked really closely with the city planner, city developer to have the city actually purchase that lot, develop it into 23 lots, and then start the process. So the first time I spoke about it was just, you know, kind of what that looked like. All the uphill battles, I'll be honest, young, blonde female in rural USA kicking up some shit. Didn't always go over well. But, you know, when you're passionate about something, you know you're going to follow that anyway, even if you're the only voice in the room, you have to. And I think it was kind of that battle of, you can tell me no. One of the, the developer actually was like, gosh, it sounds like you can't take no for an answer. And, and really it is. Like when someone tells me no, I can't. I mean, I can't wait to prove them wrong. So they told me no originally. And now we have a subdivision and there are currently five houses in there right now, a couple other, you know, spec homes that are being done. So that was the first time that I really spoke.

Awesome. And then, so then the second time was the being the only realtor in the room. Tell me about that.

So that actually came out of like, many people know Lee Brown and a very well known realtor in North Carolina. She's fantastic. Written some great books or whatnot. I went to one of her speaking courses and you're trying to like, hone down on what your title would be. And we came across like only realtor in the room. And that actually resonated back to the first time in that all of these discussions or questions, you know, other realtors had the opportunity to come and express their concerns, et cetera. And like, nobody did. But it looks so much more than that. Like, people that know me know that I'm deeply entrenched in our community. And it's, it's not for show, it's not for that. It's because I truly believe, like, that is part of being in real estate is helping your community and whatever that looks like. But I think it's just me as a human nature person, like, I just always want to be helping someone in some fashion. So my husband and I have just made a practice of showing up. So whether it's fundraisers, whether it's, you know, somebody's, you know, dog was missing, you know, all kinds of events and what I just kept on finding was that, you know, many times I was the only realtor there and I was never going there for, for business. But it is what it is. You know, when people want to know what's going on in the real estate market, you just tend to be the one that they, you know, get attracted to. And I think that that's led to a lot of the successes today is that I'm seeing, you know, and people know that you're gonna, you're gonna show up. So I, you know, just tell people. They don't think they understand. It's not even just like right in life, like just for your friends, like it's a matter of showing up. Sometimes it's that simple text message like, hey, been thinking about you. Hope all is well. You know, because we get so busy with day to day activities. So the form of like showing up, you know, we can have a whole topic about that. But yeah, only in the only realtor. And they're like, you'd be shocked. You know, I still like to this day go there and I understand, like people have families and I still say even though I don't have children, I still have family. So whenever I tell people like they're like, oh, do you have kids? And I say no. Oh, well, then you should be able to, you know, help me whenever you want. So I do have a family. It might just only be my husband, but. And my cat Mittens, which I'm surprised she hasn't popped in here yet, you know, but I think just the fact of showing up again, like people just don't understand or I don't think they understand just being seen. They might not even ever have met you, but the fact that they just keep on seeing you and then when that time comes that they do need an expert, like you're just top of mind because they've been seeing you.

Something so simple by showing up and how huge of an impact that can have on your business. And the reason why I wanted you to bring up those times that I've seen you on stage is really the titles and the topics I think are very similar things to what we're going to be bringing to this podcast. I know you and I have had multiple discussions and about, you know, the race topic being the diversity in real estate and how the challenges are. And we actually have a guest that I'm super excited about bringing on here in a couple of weeks. So we want to talk about things that are real and have a real impact again. Let it be for real. Estate or not. But what are some of the things topic wise that we can give our listeners some, some kind of glimpse of what's to come from us?

There's so many, I think the list is up to like 200. I felt like it's been like this brain dump of every time you come across something, whether it's real estate or not. I'm like, oh, that'd be a great topic. And you keep on adding it. I think some of the, you know, big ones and I, you know, it's, it's talked about a lot. But like time management, I feel like that's a really big one that people talk about. But I don't feel like people really ever give like true helpful hints, you know, like it's not just a matter of like, you know, do this and do that, like how that actually works or like, you know, notifications. Right. Like I just told an agent yesterday that I don't get email notifications on my phone and the look on her face was priceless, you know, so things like that and you know, that's, I'm sure that's a hot topic that people love to discuss. Like how do you not get notifications on your phone? But it's a matter of, right, like you have to show up for yourself even when you're setting yourself as a priority. And what I was telling someone yesterday was that like, when I get into my email, I want to be present for my email, right? I want to be able to respond, etc. You know, but we have all kinds of like tips and tools of things that now you can, you know, star emails and they go to a task list and like to give people just those little hints. I think, you know, you tell me about that and I think I've given it to like four other people and they were like, oh my gosh, this makes my life so much easier. So if we give people just those little tips to make everyday mundane, you know, activities that much smoother, I think that's what we're here for. I think time management was a really good one and I think probably because we're, you know, at the new year, coming to the new year goals. And again that's such a big topic and so many people have to talk about it. But we're in business review right now, so for me it's top of mind. And one thing I always encourage people like in a leadership role too is that goals shouldn't just be about business. Right? So a lot of my part of what I'm Going over with agents is like, what are your personal goals? What are your family goals? What are your community goals? What are your financial goals? And I think that, you know, that's something too that I think you and I have talked about that people don't talk a lot about finances. I think that like money is a taboo situation and I don't think that it should be. Because I wish that when I was like in my 20s, somebody would have had these discussions with me. It would have helped a lot of problems. But you know what I mean, if we can help people like again, whether they're in real estate or not, like, how are you doing those things? You know, where, where can you get help? Where are those resources so that maybe people don't have the same struggles that we had along the way?

Yeah, absolutely. What about you?

What are your like top three?

Yeah, I had to pull up the list because we started, you know, when we first started we were like, what do we really even talk about? And then as we develop this shared drive of like all these different topics, we're like, holy heck. Like there's a lot right. For me, it's being able to like, I love systems and automations, right, like being efficient as we possibly can. But I really want to share the, the struggles that I've, you know, overcome and have to, to help other individuals that are out there. But pulling this up, it's doing things like understanding about like MSAs, Marketing Service Agreements, how you can help with your overhead and be smart and you know, understanding. I hear it all the freaking time as a broker that the only way to be able to, to grow and scale your business is you have to recruit. Like, yeah, I do think that you have to recruit, don't get me wrong. But that is not the number one thing that you have to be able to do. You have to be able to create a foundation first. You have to be able to have yourself first and have the stability before you can bring anybody else on and truly grow. And you can assign, you know, all the different assets and seats and license on wall that you want to be able to do. But are you going to be as profitable and have that revenue that you're looking to go? I don't think so.

Yeah, I mean I think it's always right, quality over quantity, absolute freaking lutely.

But going over different things of, you know, I'm a firm believer of, you know, commission structures. They don't all have to be the same. They don't have to be the same across the board. They do need to be fair. But they, we are so fixated on having to have one structure.

Like, when you saw mine, you were like, I've never seen that before.

Right. Which I thought was fantastic. And we're going to implement so sharing those ideas with one another and seeing if there's a better way, you know, we can implement it into our business and our life. You know, I, I know one of the things that you're going to push me to do, which I'll go ahead and just rip the band aid off, is share, you know, like, my sexuality and being able to being in the Midwest and not conforming against every or, you know, being with everybody else, the box that they think that I should be, it's really growing and developing myself. And again, I want to make sure that we impact other people that are out there. We have so many different things on, on this list that, I mean, we can go on and on and on. But really what we're doing here today is we just wanted to give you a quick little introduction of who we are, what we're wanting to bring to the table and making sure that you know that if you like us, you want to listen more to us, then go ahead and like and do all the fun things that you're supposed to do. But more importantly, we're not here. At least I'm not here. I don't think you are either. But we're not here for, you know, huge growth on getting people to watch this podcast and be famous or anything. What we really want to do is hear from you, the listeners. What are some of the topics that, you know, you want to hear and learn about? What are some things that you're currently struggling with that we can, you know, talk about? Maybe you're somebody that you want to jump on with us as a guest. And so we can have these true, real, raw discussions, very much like race or the diversity aspect of things. So we're here for you at the end of the day and we want to know what you would like to listen to us talk about. So I'm pretty stoked about having this podcast. We're coming up on time. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart to, to that you're actually listening. You made it this far. Congratulations. But I am even more stoked to have a, a great co host here that is absolutely phenomenal. And I think that we both, and I will say we both have a lot to be able to share. And you and I kind of just have that back and forth charisma. If you will, that I think some.

People want to actually think that we were like an old married couple if they didn't know better that we both had spouses.

That would be really sweet.

I am would be we wouldn't be together anyway. But I am so excited. I just think like you've talked about, even if you can change one person's view on something or help them with something that are struggling in their business or lives, I think that's really what we're here for. And yes, you don't give yourself enough credit, but you have done tremendous for you and your team and your community, and I'm excited for you to share that throughout our journey together.

Here we go. So thank you all for listening today and stay tuned for the next one. See y' all soon.

Bye.

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