We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bryan Baylon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bryan below.

Alright, Bryan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about growing your team – how did you recruit the first few people, what was the process like, how’d you go about training and if you were to start over today would you have done anything differently?

Did your firm/practice have employees from day one? Or was it just you at the start?

When I entered the real estate industry as a Real Estate Agent, I had plenty of ambition, some life and career experience and dreams. A few months after I learned that an agent could build a team. I then Branded “The Baylon Group” as my team name when I was a solo agent a few months into my new career. I envisioned having a team of agents and being the leader of the team. This was long before I really knew what I was doing in the industry!

Talk to us about what it was like recruiting those first few team members, how did you find them, what was the interview process like, was there anything unusual or unconventional about your recruiting / training process?

I recall sitting down with my coach and having a vision board style coaching session. We did the numbers, projections and talked through my limiting beliefs for hours and numerous times. My fear was spending more on an employee than I have made in previous careers. I needed a mindset shift, expansion of my world and clarity. Also understanding the power of a team and leverage as well as faith to make my first hire. When I started interviewing, I simply followed the models that were given to me. My brokerage has a system for hiring, from a personality assessment to an interview model. We take our candidates through eight interviews that go in depth into a persons life. The feedback I get is that it is unlike any other interview process they have ever done. The depth of the process helps to truly vet the candidates and find the right fit for myself and the team.

If you were to starting today would you have done anything differently?

I would have tried to learn the models and adapt them as quickly as possible. I was building my business through creativity rather than proven systems and models. I had to get proficient in living the models before I could add creativity. That would have been a major shortcut to my learning curve and success. Other then that, I embrace the journey because it is highly rewarding, regardless of how long it takes to achieve success.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Before I entered the real estate field, I was a full time minster serving college students. I learned a significant amount about people, leadership, how to connect with a wide variety of personalities and ways of thinking and public speaking to name a few. Coincidentally, I tried real estate because it seemed to be something I could be good at. Looking back, it was less intentional and more of a discovery that my skills and strengths line up to enjoying real estate. The longer I am in real estate, the more confirmation that I have found a career that lines up with how I behave and my strengths.

The real estate market has been challenging in the past few years, and I serve my clients highlighting a few things. An intimate knowledge of the real estate market and advising our clients on current market conditions and options at any given time regarding their portfolios. Also we have a proven process and expertise in assisting those with purchasing or selling homes, providing high quality service and representation. Lastly, our team is a values based team where we serve with high ethical standards and doing the right thing.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In October 2018 I had closed four deals in that month and made the most money I ever had at one time. It would be until July 2019 when I would get my next transaction. Almost 10 months without a paycheck. I went through doubt, fear and pressure from family to get a job to make money until my real estate business started to get going. Throughout this time, I recall continuing to make calls and getting rejected. I tracked up to 100 people who had bought or sold homes without me that I was in contact, and a number of those was during these 10 months. I kept going, kept pushing and didn’t give up. I had made a decision that I was going to make it in this business, however long it takes. I had heard the number five years in the business and you’ll be over the hump. I just needed to make it to five years. At that point I was only 1-2 years into my career. July 2019 I had two close and the rest of the year made a livable salary. Even then, it wouldn’t be until 2021 (when I had people on my team) that I would see explosive growth.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Around the time I started my business, I had sold my house, my car and moved back in with my parents at 29 years old. I understood that I needed to be lean with my expenses to start. My parents did help initially to get it off the ground until I started making revenue. I enjoy sharing this story because I really didn’t want to move back in with my parents. My dad had joked when I went to college and moved into the dorms that I would be moving back in at 30 years old to my parents house. And sure enough I moved right back in around that age into the room I lived in senior year of high school. It was humbling. I was broke, had to borrow a car from my parents and live under their roof for the next four years! It was until August 2021 when I had moved out because I purchased my own home.

The big lesson here is when you do have income coming in or not is that expenses need to be lean. Until the business is at a level of continual abundance, keep costs as low as possible for both personal and business. Hold your expenses accountable to results and live significantly below your means at every level of income. This becomes a powerful advantage during a market shift, downturns in the business or unexpected circumstances. You can bullet proof your business by running your life and business lean financially.

Contact Info:

• Website: viewscottsdalephoenixhomes.com
• Instagram: @thebaylongroup
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBaylonGroup/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/bryanbaylon
• Youtube: youtube.com/c/bryanbaylon

Image Credits
I own all the photos.