Stay Paid Podcast Episode Summary

Episode: How to Lead with Purpose and Build a People-First Brand
Guest: Craig Witt, CEO of EXIT Realty
Date: October 20, 2025
Hosts: Luke Acree & Josh Stike

Episode Overview

This episode explores what it takes to build and lead a people-first brand in the real estate industry, featuring insights from Craig Witt, the US CEO of EXIT Realty. The conversation covers leadership principles, balancing humility and confidence, fostering culture and accountability, leveraging brand purpose, navigating industry disruption, and forecasting the future of real estate. Witt draws from his journey (from franchise owner to CEO) to share actionable advice for agents, leaders, and entrepreneurs seeking sustainable success.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Leadership Lessons & Personal Growth

(Start – 07:03)

• Authenticity & Humility: Witt emphasizes not forgetting your roots and being able to look yourself in the mirror:

  • “Who are you as a person? Are you able to stand in front of a mirror and say, I love you and let's go crush it today?” (03:02 — Craig Witt)

• Surrounding Yourself with the Right People:

  • “The best thing that you can do as a leader is replace yourself with other people that share the vision that you have and they're willing to get up every day and fight for it and defend it.” (02:27 — Craig Witt)

• Mistakes as Growth:

  • “You cannot learn and grow without making mistakes… we make a lot of mistakes. I make a lot of mistakes every day, but I surround myself with people that I can call up and go, I did something I shouldn't have probably done. How do I get myself out of this? Or what would you recommend?” (04:42 — Craig Witt)

• Balancing Confidence and Curiosity:
  The importance of exuding competence rather than arrogance:

  • “What I'm looking for is competence... that exudes the confidence. When you know your material, when you know your company, when you're confident in who you are, it shows, right?” (06:02 — Craig Witt)

2. Letting Go & Effective Delegation

(07:03 – 09:12)

• Letting Go is Still a Challenge: Witt shares the difficulty in not doing everything himself:

  • “I do still struggle with it. I have a hard time letting go, you know, I have a hard time not doing… But you'll never grow if you try to do it by yourself. Right? You have to have other strong people around you doing that.” (07:24 — Craig Witt)

• Importance of Delegation:
  Delegating frees up mental space for strategic thinking:

  • “The more I delegate out, the more I can see the bigger picture. It gives me a clearer head to be able to think about the most critical events and the things that I need to think about when I'm not buried in the minutiae...” (08:08 — Craig Witt)

3. Accountability and Building Culture

(09:12 – 12:35)

• Handling Underperformers and Top Producers:
  Witt discusses expectations for all agents, regardless of results:

  • “I don't treat them any differently on the expectations that I have for them. A good manager of their calendar and a good manager of their priorities will show up at their meetings.” (10:41 — Craig Witt)
  • “A meeting is educational, inspirational and motivational. How do I get better? How do I treat others better? And how do I get myself straight so I can go out and do a better job?” (11:08 — Craig Witt)

• Repercussions & Accountability:

  • “If you don't make my meetings because I have something important to say... then maybe this isn't the right place for you to work. I don't believe that you should ever be held hostage by a top producing agent.” (11:57 — Craig Witt)

4. Brand Differentiation & Purpose

(12:35 – 17:14)

• The Power of Purpose:
  EXIT Realty was built on giving agents financial stability and building wealth through “single level residual income”:

  • “Our company was built on purpose... Instead of being transactional, be relational, transformational, right?” (14:29 — Craig Witt)

• Staying True to Your Brand:

  • “It’s staying true to who you are as a company, not letting the white noise around you of every other brand that launches around us.” (15:10 — Craig Witt)

• Customer Focus Over Profit:

  • “This is not about how rich can agents get. This is about how can we better serve our customer.” (15:54 — Craig Witt)

5. What Sustained Success Looks Like

(17:14 – 23:14)

• Retaining a Learner’s Mindset:

  • “I don't consider myself successful. That is success right there. That healthy paranoia, that wanting to get better every single day.” (18:22 – Luke Acree, reflecting on Craig Witt’s approach)

• Servant Leadership:

  • “The suit is a facade. It's what's underneath the suit. It's the human… it's the drive, it's the spirit, it's the relationships that you've got.” (19:01 — Craig Witt)

• Agent Attrition and the Challenge of the Industry:

  • “It's a fickle business… Agents want to come into this industry because they want to get rich. They want more free time… Once they get here, they're like, oh, I need a paycheck… No, you need to learn how to fish. You need to treat this business like you are the CEO of your own company.” (21:30 — Craig Witt)

6. Importance of Environment & Mindset

(23:14 – 27:21)

• The Impact of Environment:

  • “There's so much truth to, like your environment dictates your success and your environment of who you surround yourself with. And that physical presence of being next to people and next to people who elevate your temperature versus bring you down.” (23:14 — Luke Acree)

• Serving the Whole Person:

  • “Meet them where they're at. I think that we tend to forget that people have life outside of real estate or life outside of business... Get to know the agents in your office.” (24:50 — Craig Witt)
  • “The top agents are disciplined, they're driven... but even a top producer, if they get hurt tomorrow and can't work... Who's paying their bills?” (26:37 — Craig Witt)

7. The Future of Real Estate

(27:21 – 30:47)

• Witt’s Industry Forecast:

  • “Under all is land… Real estate will always be prevalent... The problem with rollup companies… the individual agent, employee becomes less significant in that scenario… the heart of the company goes out.” (28:10 — Craig Witt)
  • “My wish would be that we would reduce our agent count probably in the 500,000 agent mark. My wish is that NAR would get their arms around standardized practices for becoming a real estate professional. I'd like to see that because I think the standards can be raised in our industry.” (29:02 — Craig Witt)

• Role of Technology:

  • “They're only going to utilize AI to do their jobs more efficiently, but it won’t replace the real estate agent. There’s still a number of things that it takes for an agent to be humanized to help them through the process.” (29:49 — Craig Witt)

• Advice for Competitors:

  • “Keep the standards high… Help agents earn a better living by giving them the training, the education that they deserve so that we can better serve the customer.” (30:37 — Craig Witt)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Leadership: “Are you able to stand in front of a mirror and say, I love you and let's go crush it today?... Humility goes a long way.” (03:02, Craig Witt)

• On People-First Branding: “This is not about how rich can agents get. This is about how can we better serve our customer.” (15:54, Craig Witt)

• On Servant Leadership: “The suit is a facade. It's what's underneath the suit. It's the human… it's the heart, it's the drive, it’s the spirit...” (19:01, Craig Witt)

• On Success in Real Estate: “You need to treat this business like you are the CEO of your own company and you are going to build a business that you're going to sell someday. That's the mindset I want you to have. Not just being a sales agent.” (21:30, Craig Witt)

• On Industry Standards: “I'd like to see the standards raised… one exam with one set of syllabus, one career curriculum that will help put them on a path to success.” (29:02, Craig Witt)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction & Craig Witt’s Background — 00:00
• Principles of Leadership & Humility — 01:34–03:10
• Balancing Confidence and Openness — 03:13–07:03
• Delegation & Letting Go as a Leader — 07:03–09:12
• Accountability for Teams & Meetings — 09:12–12:35
• Differentiating Your Brand, Focus on Purpose — 12:35–17:14
• Maintaining Success & Servant Leadership — 17:14–23:14
• Environment and Human Connection — 23:14–27:21
• Future of Real Estate Industry — 27:21–30:47

Actionable Takeaways & Final Thoughts

• Define and Operate from a Clear Purpose: Both organizationally and on a personal level.
• Prioritize People Over Transactions: Build relationships and serve, rather than chase commissions.
• Lead by Example & with Humility: True leadership is about empowering and elevating others.
• Embrace Accountability: Standards matter for everyone, no matter their level.
• Prepare for Industry Evolution: Focus on raising industry standards, leveraging technology as a tool, and maintaining the human element.
• Invest in Continuous Learning & Environment: Surround yourself with driven individuals, and never stop seeking growth.

Connect with Craig Witt:

• Website: joinexitrealty.com
• Text: “Craig” to 85377 for his mobile business card
• Social Media: Google “Craig Witt EXIT Realty”

This episode offers a masterclass in purpose-driven leadership—valuable for anyone aiming to build not just a successful business, but one that lasts and lifts others along the way.