Former team leader and current broker-owner Mark Spain sits down with Samantha DeBianchi to talk about switching franchises, starting his own independent brokerage and more.

Some highlights from the interview:

  • “I think sometimes you just have that inner voice that tells you what you need to do.”
  • “The magic number is probably around 50, 60 transactions, to hire your first assistant.”
  • “I like when someone is inexperienced because they learn the business the right way.”
  • “My ‘chip’ is I’m very competitive. I like to win.”
  • “My mentor told me one time — and it probably sounds a little harsh — ‘Hey, you can’t fix people. You fire them.'”
  • “You can coach people up 10, 20 percent, but that’s probably all you’re going to do.”
  • “If I’m a slack person, the people around me are going to be slack.”
  • “If you reach all your goals all the time, you’re not setting them high enough.”
  • “This business is a time suck, and if you allow it to, it will suck the life out of you.”
  • “If at any point in a conversation conflict arises — pick up the phone. Solve it.”
  • “You need to pick your friends carefully. It’s a negative world we live in at times; try to insulate yourself.”
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