Podcast Summary:

Second in Command with Cameron Herold
Episode 533 – Block & Associates Realty COO Inaas Arabi: Why Most CEOs Fail at Real Scalability Now
Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Savannah Brewer (for Cameron Herold)
Guest: Inaas Arabi, COO of Block & Associates Realty

Overview

In this episode, Savannah Brewer interviews Inaas Arabi, Chief Operating Officer of Block & Associates Realty, a real estate and property management firm operating in the greater Atlanta and North Carolina markets. Inaas shares his journey transitioning from senior leadership roles at large, well-known companies to taking on his first formal COO position at a smaller but rapidly growing company. The conversation offers a deep dive into the challenges of scaling operations, the necessity of building scalable models, the value of specialized teams (pods), and the critical importance of building a trusted advisory board. Inaas provides actionable strategies and practical advice for COOs and company leaders seeking to achieve true, sustainable scalability.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why CEOs Struggle with Scalability (Starts ~[04:21])

• Many CEOs are focused on growth but fail to recognize the foundational need for operational scalability.
• Inaas: “A lot of CEOs, with all the love of my heart, they want to grow… but a lot of them don’t recognize that they have to scale to be ready for growth, right? You can’t just grow. You have to be ready to be able to grow with your scale.” ([06:40])
• Operational excellence must be established before scaling; otherwise, service and results deteriorate as the company grows.
• Inaas emphasizes the alignment he found with Block & Associates’ leadership on prioritizing both growth and operational excellence.

2. Transitioning from Big Corporations to a Smaller Company (Starts ~[08:54])

• Inaas previously held leadership roles at giants like Zillow, RealPage, and American Homes for Rent, overseeing much larger teams and budgets.
• At Block & Associates, the impact of every leadership decision is immediately visible at the company-wide level, which is both exciting and challenging.
• Inaas: “Every decision you make makes the biggest impact on the entire projection or trajectory of the company.” ([10:38])
• Transition required much deeper due diligence around available resources, financial health, and specifics of company infrastructure than in prior corporate roles.

3. Diagnosing and Redesigning for Scalability (Starts ~[13:25])

• Upon joining, Inaas conducted a rigorous operational audit to identify bottlenecks and readiness for scale.
• The legacy “property manager-centric” model was not scalable; operational knowledge and client relationships were person-dependent and easily lost.
• The solution was developing a “pod structure,” splitting responsibilities among specialized roles (asset manager, maintenance coordinator, tenant coordinator) per portfolio.
• This model improves scalability, continuity, and service quality while allowing much faster onboarding/hiring and clearly delineated KPIs.

Memorable Explanation:
“We redesigned the setup where we are what we call a pod structure company… three people on a pod manage a portfolio of houses, each responsible for one aspect of the business… It’s easier to be put together compared to just doubling the number of property managers.” – Inaas ([18:30])

4. Specialization & Hiring for Pod Teams (Starts ~[24:36])

• The pod structure de-risks turnover, sharpens accountability, and allows for more targeted hiring.
• Inaas: “If one of them walked, you only need to hire one out of three, not the entire pod.” ([25:19])
• Each role within the pod requires a distinct skill set, so hiring is highly focused (e.g., maintenance = problem-solving and vendor management; tenant coordinator = people and communication skills; asset manager = financial acumen).

On Team Formation:
“It’s almost like a sniper approach compared to the shotgun approach, right?” – Inaas ([28:19])

• Simplifies setting and monitoring KPIs and holding team members accountable.
• High degree of role clarity for faster onboarding and performance management.

5. Balancing System Building with Embracing Chaos (Starts ~[30:30])

• Many CEOs get lost in process-building before any real need or data emerges.
• Inaas advocates accepting that some level of chaos is inevitable and necessary for growth.
• He urges leaders to build for the near term (3-6 months ahead), not perfection or a distant “10-year” future, and to iteratively refine systems as weaknesses are revealed in practice.

Quote:
“No system’s perfect. No human being is perfect. Of course, no operation is perfect. But what we have to be comfortable with is a certain level of error rates that you shouldn’t be going above and beyond… build for what comfort level you have with that error rate.” – Inaas ([31:20])

6. The Power and Role of a Trusted Advisory Board (Starts ~[35:15])

• Having an advisory board or personal mentors is crucial for revealing personal and operational blind spots.
• Advisors help keep strategy grounded, break down grand visions into actionable steps, and provide reality checks.
• Inaas: “Every successful person should have an advisor or several of them that could help bridge the gap for you and provide you assurances that you don’t have any blind spots.” ([42:02])
• Advisory boards for individuals (vs. startups) can include a mix of industry experts and cross-disciplinary mentors.

Personal Story:
“When I was building the model for Block, I talked it over with an advisor of mine and the first thing they asked was… how are you going to make up the difference in salary between one and three [people per pod]? … we changed slight things onto the model that allowed us to be effective financially.” – Inaas ([39:29])

7. Finding and Engaging Mentors (Starts ~[42:06]; deep dive at [47:41])

• Mentors often come from within your industry network or by proactively reaching out to relevant experts.
• For COOs especially, it’s lonely at the top—advice and feedback often need to come from outside the company.
• Advice: Be respectful of advisor’s time, take action on advice, and report back—otherwise, mentoring relationships stall.
• Paid mentorship/coaching or professional groups (e.g., COO Alliance) can be invaluable for real-time, relevant guidance.

Quote:
“One is be respectful of their time. Right. Especially if they’re doing it for free. And then number two, really, truly ask yourself if you are looking for a mentor to get better or if you’re just looking for a mentor to kind of check the box.” – Inaas ([47:47])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the difference in scaling small vs. big companies:
  “At Block… every decision you make makes the biggest impact on the entire projection or trajectory of the company.” ([10:38])
• On scalable models:
  “If you double the size of your company, you wake up next day and you don’t have a scalable model, you cannot maintain the same level of service for all of this added business… So that’s what drew me to the company.” ([06:30])
• On why pods work:
  “If one [pod member] walked, you only need to hire one out of three, not the entire pod.” ([25:19])
• On system-building:
  “You can never build for perfection. Nothing is perfect in life… Build for what comfort level you have with that error rate.” ([31:20])
• On the need for advisors:
  “You need someone to say, you’re great, you’re wonderful. But did you notice there is a blind spot right here that you’re not aware of?” ([38:30])
• On mentorship impact:
  “We all grow together. But then I get some people unwilling to do what we’re talking about… If you continue on doing that several times, you’ll find that those mentors are going to shy away from you.” ([47:47])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:21] – Why most CEOs fail at scalability; operational excellence needed for growth
• [08:54] – Transitioning from big company leadership to COO at Block & Associates
• [13:25] – Diagnosing readiness for scalability & redesigning process
• [17:03] – Shift from property manager-centric to pod structure
• [24:36] – The hiring and management logic behind pods
• [30:30] – System-building vs. embracing and managing chaos
• [35:15] – Building and leveraging a trusted advisory board
• [42:06] – How to find and get the most from mentors/advisors
• [47:41] – Best practices for mentorship relationships

Closing and Personal Insights

Inaas is focused on leading Block & Associates through its “third doubling” over the next 12-18 months—a personal and professional milestone—with a stretch goal for even more. He values personal achievements as much as professional, sharing his love of travel and a quest to visit all 50 states with his wife, connecting meaningful states with life milestones.

Closing Advice:
“I think every leader should have an advisory board… For a startup, the advisory board should be from within the industry. Absolutely… If you are personally trying to build your own advisory board, you can mix and match with people from different areas… so you have a well-rounded 360° around you to better yourself.” – Inaas ([43:00])

For more episodes and best practices from industry-leading COOs, visit COOAlliance.com.