Stay Paid Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: How This Broker Built 200 Agents WITHOUT Traditional Recruiting | Mark Perkins, CEO of Pivot Realty
Release Date: January 12, 2026
Host: Luke Acree
Guest: Mark Perkins, CEO/Founder, Pivot Realty Group

Overview:

This episode features a candid and deep-dive conversation with Mark Perkins, founder and CEO of Pivot Realty Group. Mark shares the unique journey of building his brokerage to 200 agents—entirely by cultivating new agents, not by recruiting existing talent from competitors. The discussion covers the pitfalls of traditional real estate models, the importance of people-centric leadership, how culture and mission drive long-term success, and practical advice for agents and brokers looking to build meaningful businesses.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Making the Ask

• Mark reached out to Luke via Instagram, which led to their meeting and this podcast episode.
• Advice: “You don’t receive if you don’t ask... Most people are way too—I don’t want to call it scared or lazy—they just don’t even do the ask.” (Luke, 02:03)
• Mark shares that cold outreach, while intimidating, is crucial, even at high levels of success: “I don’t think there’s a way to eliminate those [fearful] thoughts sometimes.” (Mark, 03:57)

2. Building Pivot Realty: The Model & Mission

• Origin Story: Pivot was intentionally not named after Mark but instead designed around the concept of change and putting agents at the center.
• Mark’s take: Agents didn’t feel valued at big-name brokerages that were “just about the transaction and about the revenue and about the money.” (06:08)
• The pivotal lesson: “The moment you hire someone else, it has to be about them more than me.” (Mark, 05:00)

3. Balancing People and Profit in Brokerage

• Mark advocates integration versus balance: “If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, there’s no switch to flip off at five o’clock.” (08:09)
• Pivot Realty plays a long game, focusing on career-long agent success rather than quarterly profits (09:28).
• Mark avoids debt and quick returns, allowing for strategic long-term choices.

4. Offering Real, Not Just Advertised, Value

• Mark admits: “I don’t think we’re displaying [our service mindset] enough... but this service mindset, there’s nothing that’s not on the table to help change somebody’s life.” (12:26, 12:44)
• The leadership team is composed of agents who rose from within the company; Mark and team interact daily with double-digit agents (13:04).

5. Infinite Game & Defining Success

• Referencing Simon Sinek’s Infinite Game, Luke and Mark agree on setting the “game” you want to play and making decisions accordingly.
• Mark: “I’m not playing the Wall Street game.” (14:50)
• Coaching and leadership are critical: “If you’re going to scale a business and be that plugged in culturally, you have to develop more talent.” (14:53)

6. Teams, Culture, and Agent Accountability

• Mark argues that real estate’s team model is often inward-focused: “You shouldn’t start a team that other people join to serve you... They think you’re going to help them.” (15:05)
• The brokerage must develop and support agents—a responsibility many brokerages have abdicated in favor of quarterly profits (16:12).

7. Success Ratios and the ‘Middle 60%’

• Mark discusses the 80/20 rule in agent performance, emphasizing that “the middle 60%...just haven’t found great leaders that pour into them.” (21:26)
• The biggest opportunity for impact is with agents doing 2-3 deals/year, not top or bottom performers (22:08).
• Scalability Challenge: “How do you scale impact?” (23:51)

8. Tech, Scaling, and True Brokerage Impact

• Even with free access to top-tier platforms (e.g., KVCore), adoption rates are low. “17% adoption rate inside my brokerage.” (33:31)
• Mark is exploring how group coaching, pods, and eventually tech-based accountability can scale culture and impact beyond one-on-one interactions (24:43).

9. The Pain and Reality of Entrepreneurship

• Mark addresses losing top producers: “The company was too much about me... I had to build it into a professional company where the bigger idea of the culture was, they matter.” (27:09)
• The importance of clear standards, accountability, and enforcing ‘who we are’ as a firm (29:53).

10. Recruiting Stance and Why Agents Jump Firms

• Mark’s contrarian stance: He does not believe in traditional agent recruiting. “There’s really successful people at every place. You don’t have to come work with me to win.” (30:30)
• The majority of successful agents stay put; brokerage switches rarely serve client interests and are often about short-term personal gain (31:27).
• Mark stresses that fulfillment comes from service and personal development, not just the highest commission or split.

11. The Real Traps New Agents Fall Into

• Why agents fail: “No one was honest with them at the start—this business is about business development, prospecting, marketing and branding. The real career is you’ve got to go get the business.” (38:10 - 38:36)

12. Would Mark Do It Again?

• Frankly, “I wouldn’t do it again.” He would have made more money, less stress as a solo top-producing agent, but acknowledges that significance and legacy come from serving others (39:46).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Overcoming Fear of Rejection:

  “I don’t think there’s a way to eliminate those thoughts sometimes. No matter the level of success that you have. And so what you have to do is you just have to do the work.”
  — Mark Perkins (03:57)

• On the Agency Model:

  “The moment that you hire someone else...my belief was it has to be about them more than me.”
  — Mark Perkins (05:00)

• On Defining Success:

  “What is the game I’m playing? I’m not playing the Wall Street game.”
  — Mark Perkins (14:50)

• On Teams and Leadership:

  “You shouldn’t start a team that other people join you to serve you...they only join your team when they’re struggling or when they think they can improve by being around you.”
  — Mark Perkins (15:05)

• On Scaling Culture:

  “The challenge is, how do you scale impact?...if we can build an app-based system where they’re interacting with our brokerage, with our culture, with the actionable items, almost like an adventure book...that’s how we scale.”
  — Mark Perkins (24:43)

• On Losing Top Producers:

  “The company was too much about me...I had to build it into a professional company where the bigger idea of the culture was they matter.”
  — Mark Perkins (27:09)

• On Recruiting and Loyalty:

  “There’s successful people at every brokerage. You don’t have to come work with me to win.”
  — Mark Perkins (30:30)

• Would He Do It Again?:

  “I wouldn’t do it again...the discipline I have as an individual, I would have been number one as a realtor...I would have probably been worth three times what I am now...but the path we’re on will eventually be exponential...It’s worth it. Even though I wouldn’t go back, I’d go back and tell the guy, make it a little easier.”
  — Mark Perkins (39:46, 44:44)

• On Significance:

  “If you want a life of significance, it comes to a life of service.”
  — Luke Acree (43:30)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:11] – Overcoming the fear of outreach and rejection
• [05:00] – Decision to build an agent-centered company; naming Pivot
• [09:28] – Playing the long game; ignoring short-term financial metrics
• [14:50] – Framing business as an "infinite game"
• [15:03] – Brokerages must develop people, not just focus on profits
• [21:26] – Most potential is in the “middle 60%” agents
• [24:43] – How technology might scale agent support and discipline
• [27:09] – The pain of losing top producers and evolving organizational culture
• [30:30] – Why Mark does not recruit top agents and his view on brokerage loyalty
• [38:10] – Why most agents fail: lack of preparation and real training
• [39:46] – The honest answer: “I wouldn’t do it again” and the sacrifices required
• [43:30] – Defining success as significance and service

Conclusion & Takeaways

Action Item (Luke’s Challenge):
“Sit down and ask: Who am I treating just as a number, and why?...Find the people in your life...and see who you need to treat as a person and help take to the next level.” (47:55)

Summary:
Mark Perkins’ journey with Pivot Realty is a blueprint for those interested in building with purpose, focusing on people rather than just profits. His advice challenges prevailing industry norms, reminding brokers and agents that sustainable success comes from service, culture, and real human connection, not tech platforms or commission splits. Leadership is about making others the hero in their story—and about being honest about the sacrifices needed to build something meaningful.

Connect with Mark Perkins & Pivot Realty

• Website: pivotrealty.com
• Podcast: The Necessary Entrepreneur
• Social Media: Search for Mark Perkins or Pivot Realty on major platforms

For more action-driven guidance, visit Stay Paid Podcast.

This summary omits unrelated sections, advertisements, and intro/outro content to focus solely on the substance of the interview.