Ep. 122 - Driving Business (Literally.) - Road to PMRE 2026 #1 w/ Dustin McKibben

In this episode, Reed sits down with Dustin McKibben, Founder and CEO of Art Home Photo, to break down what’s actually working right now when it comes to scaling a real estate media business. They talk through key takeaways from the Cancun PMRE retreat, including how operators are thinking about growth, hiring, and staying competitive. The conversation dives into Dustin’s approach to using VAs not just for backend tasks but for sales and client communication, along with how he sources and trains them. They also get into how content is directly leading to new hires and building out the team in unexpected ways. And in one of the more unique strategies, Dustin shares how wrapped Prius work cars have turned into a consistent, real-world marketing channel that actually drives new business.It's time to start thinking about PMRE 2026! Go to pmreconference.com for all the details on PMRE 2026, which is November 17-19th at Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Early Bird tickets go on sale May 19th! The Photography and Media for Real Estate conference will be better than ever this year! Upmarket is proud to be the official podcast of PMRE!Upmarket Pod is once again, beyond excited to partner with iGUIDE to bring you our exclusive Road to PMRE 2026 series of Upmarket episodes. SWEEPSTAKES ALERT - iGUIDE and their Tour to PMRE is giving away THREE (!!!!!!) ALL-EXPENSES PAID TRIPS TO PMRE 2026!!!!! That's right, one lucky winner will be drawn in June, one in August and one in September to win a PMRE ticket, travel and accommodation, all compliments of the fine folks at iGUIDE. To enter, all you need to do is follow @go_iguide and @upmarketpod on Instagram. Then, go to goiguide.com/pmre and enter your email address and you'll be entered in the drawing.NOTE If you have already bought a ticket and/or booked travel to PMRE and win the sweepstakes, iGUIDE will reimburse you for money spent.Follow the pod on Instagram at @upmarketpod.The Presenting Sponsor of Upmarket is Fotello, an AI media platform built to snap, upload, and deliver. Pricing starts at $12 per listing, with human revisions available within six hours. To get started, visit https://fotello.co/?via=upmarket and use the coupon code 50UP to get 50% off your first monthly subscription.Another amazing sponsor is iGUIDE, which helps real estate professionals capture spaces fast and with industry-leading accuracy. Their PLANIX Pro camera delivers trusted measurements, with no subscriptions and priced per project. Options like iGUIDE Instant provide a clean 3D tour and interactive floor plan in minutes, starting at $7.99. Learn more at goiguide.com or @go_iguide.Another sponsor is HDPhotoHub, the all-in-one platform for ordering, scheduling, and delivering complete marketing kits, from video reels to print. With pay-per-listing pricing, transparent terms, and industry-leading integrations, HDPhotoHub helps you build the workflow you actually want. Visit HDPhotoHub.com and use code Upmarket to get your first 15 full deliveries free.Another amazing sponsor of Upmarket is SecondFloor, the fastest way to create a finished floor plan. It's so fast that you can deliver the finished floor plan while you are still on-site! Not only that, but you can get UNLIMITED floor plans for one low monthly fee. We love SecondFloor and you can go to secondfloorapp.com/upmarket and any new subscriber will get a one-month free trial.Our Action Items are sponsored by PixlCRM, where you can scale your real estate photography business through automation. It's an all-in-one business and marketing platform that complements your current delivery app. If you go to pixlcrm.com/upmarket you can get a 30-day risk-free trial!