The conventional real estate model is built on a “grow or die” mentality. If you’re not scaling fast, recruiting a ton of agents, and running a massive team, you’re falling behind…or so the industry says.

But what if growth is the very thing that burns you out?

Melissa Ricks saw the pressure to build a mega team, start a brokerage, and grow at all costs, and walked the other way.

While most team leaders were chasing volume and headcount, Melissa was doing something radical: fighting to stay small.

And it worked. She built a wildly efficient, deeply intentional team, and in her highest-producing year, sold 210 homes as the only agent on her team.

No revolving door of recruits. No burnout. Just a business rooted in service, systems, and sanity.

In this episode, Melissa shares what she saw in the traditional model that made her reject it, and how she built a business that supports her life, not the other way around.

Things You’ll Learn In This Episode

-The turnover trap

Team leaders are constantly working hard to reduce agent turnover. Is the model (not the agents) the real problem?

-The burnout-proof model you’ve never heard of

What does it look like to close 200+ deals and still protect your peace, your family, and your joy?

-Pour into people

The problem with real estate’s obsession with numbers and scale is that people often get lost in the shuffle. Why does Melissa focus more on the people than the production?

-Stop outsourcing your happiness to your volume So many team leaders are miserable because they are chasing numbers. How do we determine if this model aligns with us? How do we redefine success for ourselves?

Guest Bio

Melissa Ricks is a full-time agent servicing sellers and buyers in NE Florida. She specializes in first-time home buyers, military and retirement relocations, new construction and sellers in all circumstances. The MRE Dream Team provides 5-star customer service with weekly updates to all parties involved for a smooth transaction. Since 2016, Melissa Ricks has served families in the greater NE Florida region and takes pride in providing 5-star experiences, as well as providing peace of mind during the process of selling and buying for all of her clients. She has been fortunate to sell several hundred homes over the years and is honored to be a part of the top 1% of Real Estate professionals in her market. Follow @melissaricksexperience on Instagram.

About Your Hosts

Hosted by Josh Rogers and Kelly Melody, co-founders of F3 Home Team, the #1 Large Real Estate Team in Northeast Florida for the past two years. After being let down by the conventional real estate team model, Josh and Kelly set out to build a team with their own vision - where their key values of Faith, Family, and Freedom guide everything they do. By keeping their team intentional, focused, and lean, they can work with agents they love, have fun every day, and still hit all their financial goals. Now, they’ve expanded their vision to include helping other team leaders achieve the same thing.

Follow the Lean & Mean Real Estate Team on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app so you get the latest episodes! If the show has been helpful, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts —or simply tell a friend about the show. Each time you share the show, you are potentially changing someone’s life!