Podcast Summary: The Entrepreneur DNA

Episode: "Scaling a $4B Real Estate Empire from Behind the Scenes"

Guest: Julia Spillman, CEO of the Eklund Gomes Group
Host: Justin Colby
Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights Julia Spillman, CEO and integral force behind the Eklund Gomes Group, one of the leading real estate teams known from "Million Dollar Listing" fame. Podcast host Justin Colby delves into Julia’s journey—her approach to scaling a multi-billion dollar real estate empire, fostering dynamic personal branding, breaking gender stereotypes, and the realities of leadership “behind the scenes.” Julia shares insights on sustaining excellence, lessons from expansion, building a powerhouse team, and delivering advice for up-and-coming women in business.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Reality Behind High-Profile Success (01:47–04:56)

• Hard Work above Glamour: Julia emphasizes that despite public glitz and TV representation, consistent hard work is the backbone of their sustained top performance.
  • “What sets us apart is I really believe no one can outwork us.” (Julia, 02:33)
• Pressure of Being Number One: Reaching the top increases pressure as "everyone's coming for you," necessitating constant reinvention.
  • “Just because you're number one, I think it actually makes it harder year over year because, you know, everybody's coming for you.” (Julia, 02:53)
• Personal Reinvention: Importance of personal growth and self-improvement to drive organizational growth, reflecting on health, anti-aging, and self-care as key to her leadership stamina.

Personal Branding & Evolution of the Eklund Gomes Group (05:29–09:30)

• Julia’s Journey: Started a decade ago in new developments, then pitched expanding into resale, now constituting over 50% of their business.
  • “[Resale] now represents over 50% of our business. It’s very much a feeder system.” (Julia, 06:37)
• Diversification Strategy: Emphasizes treating the business as a “diversified portfolio,” adapting to seasonal and geographic shifts (e.g., Miami vs. New York market cycles).
• Expansion Challenges: National expansion brought heavy challenges, including losing and later regaining top agents, and learning from the process as they pioneered a model others now follow.

The Realities and Commitments of Scaling (Growth, Operations, Team Building) (11:50–13:50)

• ‘Spend Money to Make Money’: Acknowledges the risks and financial investments of expansion—operating without a blueprint, managing opportunity loss, and fully committing to ventures.
  • “You got to spend money to make money…very difficult to put a lot of money behind something that there's no proven track history of.” (Julia, 11:53)
• Team and Talent Retention: Emotional impact of agents leaving during tough times — and pride in them returning as the vision materialized.
• Gaining Confidence from Experience: “I had no business running John and Fred's business 10 years ago. Now I feel incredibly confident.” (Julia, 13:38)

Power of Personal Branding & Media Leverage (14:53–19:01)

• Branding through TV: Julia explores the pros and cons of shows like "Million Dollar Listing" and "Selling Sunset," leveraging them as marketing vehicles while maintaining authenticity.
• From Kentucky Roots to NYC CEO: Shares her “unlikely” path from rural Kentucky, emphasizing that TV was a launching platform, but business infrastructure and systems made it into a billion-dollar reality.
• From Production to Management: Julia no longer does personal production—her focus is operational excellence, maximizing efficiency for the group and supporting 90+ agents with new technologies and AI.

Internal Dynamics & Leadership Style (21:16–23:58)

• Leadership Role: Julia likens her role to a “talent manager,” ensuring Eklund and Gomes work efficiently, supporting agents to maximize production.
• The Eklund-Gomes Dynamic: Describes herself as the “slash” between Eklund and Gomes: "I keep them together, and I separate them as well." (Julia, 21:26)
• Company Culture: Family-like atmosphere, valuing vulnerability and unity, blending corporate structure with creative flexibility.

Content Creation & Modern Brand Growth (25:22–31:31)

• Content as a Job: The full-time nature of content creation for real estate professionals and the importance of authenticity in videos and social media.
• Storytelling for Connection: Advises agents to tell their stories—personal branding is more compelling than just posting listings.
• Changing Perception of Real Estate: Credits media exposure with inspiring a new generation to consider real estate as a first-choice career.

Navigating Gender and Leadership (32:56–39:37)

• Female CEO Perspective: Openly addresses challenges, discrimination, and unique advantages of being a woman at the top, especially when interacting with high-powered (often male) clients.
  • “A woman definitely can [push a billionaire]. … There’s a grace and a tasteful way to deliver anything.” (Julia, 33:20)
• Owning Her Authenticity: From her plainspoken Kentucky roots to her approachability, Julia embraces her background, quirks, and even her imperfect grammar as part of her leadership style.
• Mentoring and Paying It Forward: Intentionally cultivates women leaders in her organization and advocates for opening doors that weren’t opened for her.

Advice for the Next Generation (41:14–45:44)

• Curiosity & Humility: Major advice is to “be curious,” ask for learning opportunities, and don’t approach with “what’s in it for me” mentality.
  • “The number one thing was I was curious… I never asked any of them for anything. I just wanted the knowledge.” (Julia, 34:57)
• Team over Solo: Strong advocacy for joining teams early in one’s career for mentorship, learning, and opportunity layering.
• Betting on Yourself: Julia worked for ten years without a salary, viewing her contribution as an investment.
  • “For 10 years, literally, not a dollar of salary. Because for me, my statement was, I'm betting on myself.” (Julia, 45:13)
• Testing for Character: Reveals her “tests” for applicants: follow-through and kindness to all staff trumps credentials.

Building Endurance and Discipline (53:22–56:55)

• Runway and Discipline: The compound value of discipline and providing oneself with “enough runway to do the work” to become your best version.
  • “You have to give yourself enough runway to do the work to become your version of you.” (Justin, 53:04)
• Calendar as a Secret Weapon: Julia’s obsessive calendar/time-blocking as a secret to juggling massive responsibilities and maintaining proactivity.

Scalability & False Myths about Big Success (57:06–59:35)

• Scale is About Systems and Team: Even at $4B, they rely on systems and the same business principles as smaller agents—just amplified.
• Transactional Myths: Most deals are mid-range, not headline-grabbing $50M closings; building a book means serving all clients, not just chasing high-profile deals.
• Longevity Through Service: “Do the damn work.” Building long-term relationships from smaller transactions leads to big-league loyalty.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On What Makes the Group Unique:
  “No one can outwork us… And just because you're number one, I think it makes it even harder year over year because everybody's coming for you.” (Julia, 02:33)
• On Reinvention:
  “We've got to stay on the top of the marketing, on the business strategy, on the development world, on what we're offering our clients.” (Julia, 02:53)
• On Being a Woman in the Industry:
  “I think one of the greatest things is being a woman in this industry… if done correctly, a grace and a tasteful way to deliver anything… the Ego never interacts with us.” (Julia, 33:20)
• On Betting on Yourself:
  “For 10 years, literally, not a dollar of salary… I’m betting on myself. And if you benefit from it, I’m going to benefit from it… and if you do the work, you will get rewarded for it.” (Julia, 45:13; 45:44)
• On Authentic Leadership:
  “You're the same person, just with a really big job title. And it made me really proud.” (Julia, 48:45)
• On Team Culture:
  “We are our own family. … It does sound cheesy, but it's very real.” (Julia, 23:10)
• On Content & Brand:
  “If you can find an authentic way to really showcase who you are… it’s really like this concept of how do you tell your story.” (Julia, 25:48)
• On Endurance:
  “You have to give yourself enough runway to do the work to become your version of you.” (Justin, 53:04)
• On Daily Discipline:
  “My calendar…is like my actual love language." (Julia, 56:00)
• On the Team’s Diversity:
  “Our organization represents a little bit of like the chips on the shoulders … all three of us, you know, in every single way, were the underdog.” (Julia, 52:19)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:47] Host intro, origins of Eklund Gomes’ behind-the-scenes success
• [02:53] Pressure of being at the top and how to keep innovating
• [05:29] Julia's career journey; launching new business arms
• [09:05] The risks and lessons from national expansion
• [14:53] Impact of TV/branding, industry perceptions
• [19:22] Julia's role as operational CEO vs. producership
• [21:26] Team & partnership dynamics between Eklund, Gomes, and Spillman
• [25:22] The full-time job of content creation in modern real estate
• [32:56] Open discussion of gender, leadership, and bias in business
• [41:39] Advice and mentorship for young women and new agents
• [45:13] The importance of patience, investment, and betting on oneself
• [53:22] On discipline, calendar organization, and how to build endurance
• [57:32] Debunking myths about luxury real estate and scaling up

Conclusion & Takeaways

This episode is a masterclass in the realities of success beyond the spotlight—where relentless work, willingness to evolve, betting on yourself, and leading with authenticity are the cornerstones of truly scaling a business. Julia Spillman's career arc is both inspiring and instructive, particularly for women and underdogs who don’t see themselves reflected in the classic mold of power.

For listeners: Whether just starting out or a seasoned professional, the lessons here—around discipline, storytelling, humility, and purposeful leadership—apply to any entrepreneurial journey.