Things Grow Where Our Minds Go, Success Secrets from Serial Entrepreneur and Former CEO of Keller Williams, Chris Heller

This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Chris Heller. Chris is the former CEO of Keller Williams Realty International. Chris has been a driving force and innovator in the real estate industry for over 3 decades and personally has sold over 3400 homes and ranked top 10 in the USA year after year. He’s currently the Chief Real Estate Officer of OJO Labs, where he is shaping partner strategies, creating a cohesive structure and adoption between real estate professionals, consumers, and OJO.

But I didn’t ask Chris on to talk about how to sell homes, although we may get into some topics around that. No, I asked him to come on to discuss how he built his incredible businesses and to discuss his best-selling book, Dominant Thoughts – Things Grow Where Our Minds Go. ​

https://chrisheller.co/

When Chris was a sophomore in college, his dad called him up and told he was going to get his real estate license and work selling time shares in Lake Tahoe for the summer. He was super introverted. He was thrown into the deep end, but he quickly became very good at it. He then moved to San Diego where he bought his first real estate. He got burned out going to school part-time working 7 days a week selling time-shares. He then got into working in marketing. Eventually, he started a company with his roommate. Within 6 months, he had 40 employees. They were growing fast and moved into an office space. Within 6 months of that, they were out of business? His roommate/business partner had gotten into drugs and became an addict. It was dysfunctional and Chris had to get out. He did. It was 1989 and a real-estate broker whom he had met previously reached out to see if he wanted to sell homes. He took to gig and ended up being rookie of the year and never looked back. He went on to become one of Top 10 agents in the country out of 30,000+. He then went to Keller Williams and became a top agent there. He moved into leadership building out their international business. He didn’t know what he was doing but figured it out and made it successful. They then asked him to be CEO of the company, which he did. He left in 2017.

He met another self-made billionaire, the founder of Loan Depot and after meeting with him multiple times, he was asked to be the CEO of a new company funded by Loan Depot. He started on the board at OJO Labs and eventually moved over to be CEO.

You recently published Dominant Thoughts. Talk to us about our conditioning and the way we think determining our results…

• 90% of what it takes to be successful is how we think, how we approach things, and how we react to things.
• The strength of your mind is critical to succeed in life.

Rules for Winning and Rules for Life – can you give us some of those?

• Under promise and over deliver. When you do this, you set yourself and the client up for success.
• Do the RIGHT thing. In all areas of life, even when it is painful, hard, or not what everyone else is doing.
• Find the joy in everything you do.
• Do not worry what others think. Do not let what others think take you off your path or keep you from doing the right thing.

Best advice on how to train the brain and develop thought patterns to handle adversity?

• Chris used affirmations and visualizations to train his mind.
• “I’m never down. I’m either up or getting up.”
• Nothing forges steel like fire. Adversity and getting through prepares you and helps you to handle more of it.
• We all have fear. The issue is whether we let it control us or not. Move through your fear very fast. Acknowledge it, feel, but then move through it to the other side.
• The stronger the mindset, the better we are.
• How do you develop a strong mindset? Minimize negative inputs and maximize positive inputs.
• Don’t spend time with people who are negative or sap energy from you. Spend as much time as possible with those that challenge you and make you better and fill you with energy.
• Strong body, strong mind. When we are physically in a good place, we are better equipped to deal with adversity.
• Be proud to earn your stripes.

You talk about the one thing you can control to make the biggest difference in success, what is it?

• The honest answer is that there is more than one thing, but it is most important to show up mentally and emotionally prepared to take on the things you need to take on.
• Being present and not letting your mind be run by fears or insecurities.
• You also must develop discipline. Discipline is a muscle to be built. Your ability to follow a schedule and be disciplined day in and out helps to achieve mastery.
• The more discipline we are in area of life, the better that are of life.

Principles for making decisions. What should people consider?

• 2 pieces.
• The first is why are we making the decision?
• The second is what are we getting out of it?
• You have to think through what the best outcome is for all involved.
• It is also importantly how quickly we can learn to make good decisions.
• Learning to make quick decisions and deal with potential consequences, is important. There typically never a “perfect decision.”

What are some of the principles you’ve used to build great businesses?

• Lead by example.
• Being authentic and true to yourself.
• People appreciate the truth – whether is good or bad news.
• Help your people and don’t be afraid to stretch them to help develop them. Empower them – even when they don’t think they are capable.

Where do you see the real estate market going over the next 2 years and what opportunities do you see that people should look for?

• Markets always go through cycles.
• The next cycle is a downward trend after a 10-year uptrend with the last 2 years being almost turbocharged.
• In the next stage, there be more inventory, the velocity of sales will slow and there will be price pressure to go down. This creates opportunities for buyers and sellers. But where we have been in a seller’s market, things will shift.
• Things are relative. If a seller is selling their house for less, then they are buying a new house for less, etc.
• No one knows how much things will adjust, but we must be prepared for things to change and look for opportunities.

 

Best Quote: 90% of what it takes to be successful is how we think, how we approach things, and how we react to things...

 

Chris's Misfit 3:

1. Don't be emotionally attached to the outcome. Be committed.
2. Tell the truth. Simple, but important for all areas of life. There is never a good reason not to do it. Keep your integrity.
3. Always be working on your “2 E’s,” your effectiveness and efficiency. Where can you be more effective and more efficient.

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