The Millionaire Real Estate Agent Podcast

Episode 112: Build a Real Estate Team That Gives You Peace with Shelby Ryburn

Host: Jason Abrams (A)
Guest: Shelby Ryburn (B), Moore Real Estate Group
Date: December 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent Podcast dives deep into the systems, culture, and leadership philosophy behind the Moore Real Estate Group—one of Sacramento and Tahoe’s top real estate teams. Host Jason Abrams interviews team leader Shelby Ryburn, who shares her journey from college dropout to industry powerhouse, and the simple-yet-powerful framework her team uses to achieve both outstanding production (210+ units and $135M+ yearly volume) and true peace of mind.

Shelby and Jason dissect how clarity, process, and standards foster predictable results and a peaceful, productive business—without the chaos and burnout so common in real estate.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shelby’s Path to Real Estate Success

• From College Dropout to Industry Leader (02:14–07:27)

  • Shelby started at Azusa Pacific University on a music scholarship but found college uninspiring.
  • Her curiosity and hunger to learn flourished in the real world—starting at a property management company at age 20.
  • “In college… nothing made sense to me because I couldn’t figure out what it was leading to. But once I got myself in a work environment, I didn’t want to just know how to answer the phones. I wanted to know what that person was doing and how…” (05:13–05:34, Shelby)
  • Rose quickly, running a regional office by age 24.

• Corporate Experience Shapes Her Team Model (07:40–11:28)

  • Transitioned to a large financial services firm, learned the power of accountability and metrics (“the path is in the math”).
  • Drove key results through daily accountability: “My managing partner was like, I want you to text me your metrics every day. And to be honest with you, Jason, us entrepreneurs don’t really like accountability.” (09:33–09:51, Shelby)
  • Learned that clear process and expectations—in recruiting and performance—drive sustainable results and peace.

2. The Peace-Process-Predictability Framework

• Predicatability = Peace (10:54–15:44)
  • “I learned that it’s easy to succeed when you know what the process is and when you attach metrics, and that gives you predictability, which gives you peace.” (09:49–10:10, Shelby)
  • Busyness isn’t business: Without a clear, trusted path, realtors default to unsustainable overwork.
    • “Busyness doesn’t mean business.” (11:27, Jason quoting Gary Keller)
• Lessons from Burnout
  • Shelby shares the dangers of hustle without boundaries—health consequences, stress, and the importance of effective leverage and support.
  • Recruiting lessons: Multi-step interview processes are as important for agents as they are for staff. “You would never get married without first dating someone, so why would you have an agent join your team not knowing whether they're in alignment with the expectations and the culture?” (13:31–13:44, Shelby)

3. Attracting & Selecting the Right Agents

• The Power of Telling Your Story (15:44–17:41)

  • Attraction starts with sharing your unique value—culture, reviews, impact.
    • Moore Real Estate Group uses client reviews (385+ five-star), team videos, and stories about giving back (e.g., bi-annual team service trips to Mexico).
    • “People still join people… So the question is: what story does your company tell?” (17:09, Shelby)
  • Not everyone is a fit: “We are for the people who align with who we are.” (17:37, Shelby)

• Selection via Multi-Step Interviews (19:22–20:34)

  • Extensive interviewing screens for culture and drive. “I try to talk people out of joining us as I navigate through the process…” (19:32, Shelby)
  • “We coach to standards and people… We have standards of production here.” (19:50, Shelby)

• Coaching and the 45/9 Standard (20:34–23:20)

  • Shelby reverse engineers production goals for every agent, then translates them into actionable daily inputs (how many contacts a day).
  • Example: Katie’s leap from 5 to 37 deals in a year by focusing on “45/9” (45 dials, 9 contacts per day).

  “If I see you at the grocery store three months from now on aisle nine, and I say, ‘Hey, how do you win?’ The answer needs to be 45.9… Let go of the outcome, just focus on the process.” (22:07–22:35, Shelby)

4. Standards, Coaching, and Accountability

• Coaching Approach: Standards First, Person Second (23:23–26:46)

  • Shelby balances support with challenge:
    • “The perfect coach is a balance of challenge and support.” (25:07, Shelby)
    • Performance = Potential - Interference; addressing both numbers and human needs.
    • Adapting coaching style to the person’s condition—sometimes the “standard” isn’t the right conversation that day.

• Lead Measures, Not Lag Measures (26:46–29:51)

  • Focus on activity and process, not just the outcome. “Extraordinary pressure on the lead measure… and you’re not talking much about the lag measure unless it’s just not happening over a period of time.” (26:46, Jason)
  • Weekly 1-on-1 coaching for all agents, even veterans.
  • “If you meet someone for five, ten minutes, even a half hour once, and then you decide that you want to work together, I just don’t think that you’ve uncovered how to properly coach someone.” (29:25, Shelby)

5. Maintaining Culture & Managing Team Size

• Optimal Team Size for High Touch and Profitability (27:47–28:16)
  • “For us, 10 to 15 producing agents is our sweet spot. But I don’t think we have a goal to do much more than that.” (27:50, Shelby)
  • They prioritize tight culture and development over scaled headcount.

6. Raising Standards After the Fact

• What to Do with a ‘Glob’ Team (30:08–31:43)
  • It’s never too late to reset standards, even if your operation has become disorganized.
  • Concrete example: When the market shifted in 2022, Moore Real Estate Group increased contact requirements from 9 to 20 daily, reframing standards as a gift to protect agents’ success.

    “…Don’t be afraid to create standards, even if you never have, because you have to remember that that’s for them. If I’m not thinking about what is required to keep them in the business… then I’m thinking of accountability in the wrong way.” (30:47–31:25, Shelby)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Process equals predictability, which ultimately gives peace.” — Jason Abrams (01:11)
• “You date after you get married or you date before you get married. And typically you have more sustainability and longevity when you choose to date before you get married…” — Shelby Ryburn (14:28)
• “The person or team with the best story wins.” — Jason Abrams (32:35)
• “We coach because we love people. But if we love people, we have to coach. And coaching means holding them in reality long enough to appreciate their circumstance…” — Jason Abrams (34:14)
• “When you set standards, it’s not to them; it's for them. Standards are the gift that allow people to maximize their potential. I thought that was sheer brilliance.” — Jason Abrams (33:44)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Section | |---------------|------------------------------------------------| | 00:59 | Setting the Theme: Peace through Process | | 02:13 | Shelby’s Early Journey in Real Estate | | 07:40 | Learning Corporate Systems & Accountability | | 10:54 | “The Path Is in the Math” & Burnout Lessons | | 13:31 | Recruiting & Multi-Step Selection Philosophy | | 15:44 | How to Attract: Story, Culture, Impact | | 19:22 | How to Select: Multi-Step Process & Standards | | 20:34 | Coaching to Activity Metrics (“The 45/9 Rule”) | | 23:23 | Coaching Philosophy: Challenge & Support | | 26:46 | The Simplicity of Attract, Select, Accountability| | 27:47 | Ideal Team Size & Maintaining Culture | | 29:51 | The Power/Need for Relationship in Selection | | 30:08 | Raising Standards in an Undisciplined Team | | 32:35 | Wrap-up: Best Story Wins; Standards are for Them|

Shelby’s Simple 3-Step Model for Building a Peaceful, Productive Real Estate Team

1. Attract
   • Clarify your story and culture; use reputation, results, and evidence (reviews, charity work, market dominance).
2. Select
   • Multi-step selection process for every role.
   • Don’t rush; weed out poor fits up front. Build deep relationships for “permission to coach.”
3. Accountability
   • Work backwards from agent’s financial/life goals.
   • Reverse-engineer the activity (calls/contacts) needed.
   • Focus on lead measures (inputs, not just results).
   • Weekly coaching forever, balancing support with challenge.
   • Standards are set “for them, not to them.”

Final Takeaways

• The most peaceful, successful organizations are those where everyone knows the plan, the expectations, and why they matter.
• Raising standards is a gift to your people—not an imposition.
• The best coaching combines numbers and humanity; hold people to the math, but never forget the person.

“We coach because we love people. But if we love people, we have to coach.” (34:10, Jason Abrams)

For additional notes and a PDF summary, visit mreanotes.com.