About Facebook, Lab Coat Agents, Tristan Ahumada, Nick Baldwin, groups
In an industry as cutthroat as real estate, it can be difficult to get your peers to open up about their expertise, even if they’re not direct competitors. But for Nick Baldwin and Tristan Ahumada, sharing what’s working for your business makes you stronger, not weaker.
To run a successful business, you have to simultaneously think at a high level and get your hands dirty.
— NICK BALDWIN
Both active Realtors with successful real estate businesses on opposite coasts, Nick and Tristan realized they shared the same goal of helping agents and brokers understand today’s digital tools and strategies. With that in mind, they teamed up to start Lab Coat Agents, a community of real estate professionals taking their businesses to the next level, and helping others do the same.
“To run a successful business, you have to simultaneously think at a high level and get your hands dirty,” Nick told us. “We try to get the group every day to think bigger and we try in our businesses to think bigger, but at the same time, we’re right in the trenches. I think if you’re doing that, you’re on the right track.”
Lab Coat Agents’ balance of big ideas and ground-level focus has proven incredibly popular among real estate professionals. In less than two years, Lab Coat Agents has grown to include over 27,000 members. From the original Facebook group, to blogs, courses, and more, Lab Coat Agents pushes agents and brokers to share their stories, ask tough questions, and try new tools and tactics for generating business and nurturing leads.
While Lab Coat Agents thrives on the openness and engagement of its members, many agents feel uncomfortable exposing their struggles and taking risks on experiments that may fail. For Tristan, however, it’s the key to success. “Don’t be scared to test [things] out, even if you’re doing them wrong,” Tristan said. “A lot of people get scared, they’re like, ‘I’m not doing this right and I look like an idiot.’ It’s better to look like an idiot than not try it at all.”
In this interview, Nick and Tristan discuss the importance of a website, the value of leads from portals like Zillow, and why giving away your expertise actually hones your competitive edge.
– Matt & Seth
