More Than More

How to Build a Business Plan That (Actually) Works

BUILD A BETTER BUSINESS | Business planning can be a challenge for agents - especially if you're unsure how to connect your business's growth and development to long-term life goals. Angela discusses business planning with Dylan and how to work backward from big lifetime, 10-year, and 3-year goals. They also dig into practical planning strategies for the 4 main areas of a real estate business: leads, systems, team, and money. 
Resources Discussed: Business Planning for Long-Term Goals and  Business Planning Worksheet. To access these resources, go to c21forge.com/business-planning. 
Stay tuned for more episodes and resources to help you build a better business plan. 

Know Thyself (Shine Series)

The ancient Greeks believed one of life's most important rules was to "know thyself." Dylan talks to Tami Hicks and Teske Vance about self-awareness and how their journeys of growth have impacted their lives, businesses, and relationships. They dig into the effectiveness of personality assessments, self-acceptance, and how "knowing thyself" can help driven entrepreneurs find peace. 
Speakers:
Dylan de Bruin, Broker/Co-Owner
Tami Hicks, Top Agent & Broker in Ames, IA
Teske Vance, Top Agent in Ankeny, IA
Welcome to the Shine Series. Join us biweekly for a new discussion about the discoveries and disciplines in Gino Wickman's book Shine and how entrepreneurs can apply these learnings to their lives and businesses.
Tami Hicks has been a licensed real estate agent since 1998. She was a charter member of C21 Signature Real Estate and is the broker of the Ames office. She is a top producer who works primarily in the Ames market and is a former winner of the Signature Award. 
Teske Vance has been a licensed real estate agent since 2020 and is a top producer in the Des Moines and Ankeny areas. She is also the New Agent Success Manager for C21 Signature Real Estate and a winner of the Improve & Innovate Staff Award. 
 

Raising the Bar: Taylor Swaney

What does it take to go "all in"? Travis sits down with Taylor Swaney, a top producer in Oelwein, IA, to chat about her journey from mortgage lender to new agent to top producer with CENTURY 21 in just under three years. Learn about the mindset and systems she's developed as a business owner and entrepreneur.
Speakers:
Travis Bushaw, Director of Sales
Taylor Swaney, top agent in Oelwein, IA
Taylor Swaney has been a licensed real estate agent since 2021 and works primarily in the Oelwein, IA area. She is also a New Agent Success Coach for new C21SRE agents in the Oelwein office. 

Survival to Stability: Money (Build a Business)

BUILD A BETTER BUSINESS | Money is one of the most important parts of your business but it’s also what most people understand the least. Most agents spend their entire careers in ‘Survival’ because they lack the understanding, systems and plan to build a profitable business.
After teaching the first round of our new money education series, Angela spoke to three agents who attended. Listen in as Angela, Teske Vance, Michelle Erickson and Amy Simpson discuss taking control of lead generation, separating personal and business finances, managing home finances, how to save for taxes, and finding insurance as a self-employed contractor.
You can find the Survival to Stability: Money workbook and the additional resources at c21forge.com/money. 
Speakers:
Angela Fisher, Director of Development
Teske Vance, New Agent Success Manager
Michelle Erickson, Agent in Cedar Rapids, IA
Amy Simpson, Agent in Ankeny, IA
Michelle Erickson has been a licensed real estate agent since 2022. She is a member of the McAbee Real Estate Team and primarily serves the Cedar Rapids area.
Amy Simpson has been a licensed real estate agent since 2023. She is a member of the Rob Wheeler Real Estate Team and primarily serves the Ankeny area.

From New Agents to Top Producers (Success Stories)

RELENTLESS ON THE RISE | The first two years of real estate are "make it or break it" for new agents. Only a small percentage of people rise to the challenge and even fewer become top producers in such a short time. Listen in as Teske talks to Nicole Leusink, Erica Bushaw and Olivia Hopkins about how they became top agents at C21SRE in their first two years. They discuss the habits and mindsets they developed to achieve it and the advice they'd share with other new agents. 
Speakers:
Teske Vance, New Agent Success Manager
Nicole Leusink, Top Agent in Ames, IA
Erica Bushaw, Top Agent in Oelwein, IA
Olivia Hopkins, Top Agent in Pella, IA
Nicole Leusink has been a licensed real estate agent since 2022 and works primarily in the Ames area. She is a Jason Mickelson Real Estate Team member and the 2023 recipient of the Rookie of the Year Award.
Erica Bushaw has been a licensed real estate agent since 2023 and works primarily in the Oelwein area. 
Olivia Hopkins has been a licensed real estate agent since 2023 and works primarily in the Pella area in both residential and commercial real estate. She is also a New Agent Success Coach for new C21SRE agents in the Pella office.

The Ideal Team Player: Hiring Humble, Hungry, Smart

THE BACKSTAGE | An ideal team player is someone humble (low ego), hungry (hard-working), and smart (people skills). These traits create collaborative, high-performing people who are productive and more enjoyable to work with. Dylan, Anna and Vic discuss the traits of an ideal team player, how each of these traits might be developed, how we look for and hire people with these traits, and how to measure these traits in ourselves. 
The resources, interview questions, and self-assessments are available at c21forge.com/team-toolbox. 
Speakers:
Dylan de Bruin, Broker/Co-Owner
Anna Culbertson, Director of Operations
Vic Stefansen, Director of Culture, Care, and Connection

More Than More: Give Joy Holiday Gift Shop

The holiday season can be a difficult time of year for families experiencing financial hardship. Chris and Sarah Chiaramonte created Give Joy, a nonprofit holiday gift shop, to empower parents to own their gift-giving while being able to purchase gifts at a significant discount. Chris shares the history of their shop and how to get involved. 
Give Joy is a Des Moines-based holiday gift shop for parents to choose, purchase & wrap gifts for their children. All toys will be sold at 90% off retail price to families who need financial help. The store empowers parents to own their own gift-giving experience for their family. All proceeds from the shop go toward neighborhood fridges in Des Moines. 
If you'd like to help impact local families, check out the links below. 
Donate via Venmo: @givejoy-desmoines
Shop Amazon wishlist: https://amzn.to/3Z4czz3
Shop Target wishlist: https://bit.ly/4err6cA
Questions? Email Sarah Chiaramonte at sarah.chiaramonte@gmail.com. 

Take Time Off (Shine Series)

Take time off - easier said than done, especially for driven entrepreneurs. Join Dylan, Jared and Jessica as they discuss the reality of trying to schedule time off in the fast-paced world of real estate. They dig into how they've made time for their families, what time off means for them and how it's looked different throughout their careers, how they've handled burnout, and what it means to actually rest. 
Speakers:
Dylan de Bruin, Broker/Co-Owner
Jared Van Cleave, Top Agent in Ames, IA
Jessica Gilligan, Top Agent in Ankeny, IA
Welcome to the Shine Series. Join us each week for a new discussion about the discoveries and disciplines in Gino Wickman's book Shine and how entrepreneurs can apply these learnings to their lives and businesses.
Jared Van Cleave has been a licensed agent since 2009 and works primarily in the Ames area. He leads the Van Cleave Real Estate Team, is a top producer in Iowa, and is a former recipient of the Signature Award.
Jessica Gilligan has been a licensed agent since 2016 and works primarily in the Ankeny and Des Moines areas. She is a top producer in Iowa and is a former recipient of the Signature Award.

10-Year Thinking (Shine Series)

How do we shift our thinking from the short-term to the long-term? Join Dylan, Ethan and Gina as they discuss their journeys and personal experiences with short-term thinking and their progress in developing 10-year-thinking patterns. They dig into the impact on mindset, how it shows up in their personal lives with family and loved ones, and how to balance short-term planning with long-term thinking.
Speakers:
Dylan de Bruin, Broker/Co-Owner
Ethan Hokel, Top Agent in Ankeny, IA
Gina Swanson, Top Agent in Urbandale, IA
Welcome to the Shine Series. Join us each week for a new discussion about the discoveries and disciplines in Gino Wickman's book Shine and how entrepreneurs can apply these learnings to their lives and businesses.
Ethan Hokel has been a licensed agent since 2015 and works primarily in Des Moines and Huxley. He leads the Hokel Real Estate Team, is a nationally-ranked producer, and is a former recipient of both the Rookie of the Year Award and the Signature Award.
Gina Swanson has been a licensed agent since 2014 and works primarily in the Des Moines area. She leads the Gina Swanson Real Estate Team, is a nationally-ranked producer, and is a former recipient of the Rookie of the Year Award.

Our Non-Negotiables with Vic Stefansen

We all deserve a safe and encouraging place to work - to earn a living, to support our families, and to grow. To ensure our workplace is this, we have a few "non-negotiables" that are essential expectations of each team member. Join Dylan and Vic as they discuss our non-negotiables:
Show up on time
Finish what you start
Do what you say
Say 'please' and 'thank you'
Relationships come first
Handle all conflict with the goal of restoration
The cohesion of the team is our priority
Tell the truth in all things 
 
Welcome to the Core Values Series! Our Signature Culture is the "secret sauce" that makes this organization so unique. We believe that the sky is the limit when we put others first and that work is something we get to do, so we might as well make it fun. Our core values define how we think and act and how our team members thrive. Join us as we dig into each of our core values with different staff members.