The Collective Genius Podcast

In this episode of the Collective Genius Podcast, host Leanne Barnes sits down with Josh Stech—Stanford-educated entrepreneur, CG founding member, and one of the most prolific builders in the real estate investing space. Josh's journey reads like a masterclass in spotting white space: from fixing and flipping in Las Vegas, to co-founding Lending Home and scaling it to over 15% national market share and a $1 billion valuation, to building ventures that help everyday investors access the same wealth-building tools that changed his family's trajectory. This episode goes well beyond business biography. Josh unpacks the strategic thinking behind every major pivot—why he left Lending Home at its peak, how the SoFi business model shaped his thinking, why focus is the most underrated growth lever, and how AI is about to reshape real estate in ways most investors aren't prepared for. He also shares two ventures—Just Be the Bank and Access Insiders—that open the door to private lending and early-stage investing for anyone ready to level up.   Timeline Summary [0:46] – Welcome and intro to Josh Stech, founding CG member and entrepreneur [3:08] – How a CG meeting 15 years ago led to the first private loan that changed Josh's family's trajectory [4:20] – Stanford, economics, and why Josh chose flipping over private equity right out of school [6:09] – From 220 flips to 1,000+ loans in three years: recognizing a superpower in capital raising [7:22] – The lending landscape in 2013: a massively fragmented market with no dominant player [10:11] – The honors thesis on the subprime crisis that pointed Josh toward real estate investing [12:08] – Lending Home: bootstrapped vs. venture capital and what it felt like to build a unicorn [13:42] – The Mike Cagney / SoFi model that inspired Josh to think about serving one customer broadly [17:49] – The real cost of expanding your surface area: complexity compounds faster than revenue [28:05] – The biggest opportunity in real estate right now: folding AI into your business [29:09] – Why smaller brands are about to disappear from AI search results—and what to do about it [29:31] – AI for inside sales, voice models, and inspection tech: what Josh is testing right now [31:37] – Just Be the Bank: the two-and-a-half-day course teaching private lending from scratch [33:04] – Access Insiders: the alternative investment club doing early-stage venture deals [35:24] – The passive income continuum: flipping → rentals → lending → lending funds [37:26] – Foreclosure reality check: why the risk most people fear almost never happens [39:14] – What Josh is most excited about heading into 2026—and it's not business   5 Key Takeaways Find Your Leverage, Then Follow It – Josh pivoted from flipping to lending the moment he realized raising capital was his superpower. Knowing where you have unfair advantage changes everything. Serve One Customer Broadly, Not One Product to Everyone – The SoFi model: find the right customer and surround them with everything they need over time. Focus Is a Feature, Not a Limitation – Lending Home grew to $800M months after Josh left—largely because they stayed in their lane. Expanding surface area multiplies complexity, not just revenue. AI Is the Biggest Opportunity in Real Estate Right Now – From dominating LLM search results to voice-based sales and AI-powered inspections, the window to get ahead is open—but closing fast. Private Lending Is the Most Scalable Path to Passive Income – One borrower can generate 100 loans. The underwriting bar is lower, foreclosure rates are under 1%, and the checks just come in.   Links & Resources Just Be the Bank – Two-and-a-half-day private lending course + book (Amazon #1 bestseller): justbethebank.com/genius (exclusive resource page for CG podcast listeners) Access Insiders – Alternative investment and early-stage venture club (run with Josh's father) ExploreCG.com – Learn more about the Collective Genius community   If Josh's story sparked something for you—whether it's the lending path, the AI opportunity, or just the reminder that there's always a bigger game to play—share this episode with someone who's ready to think at a different level. And if you want to be in the room with builders like Josh, head to ExploreCG.com to learn more and apply.

In this CG Live episode recorded at our Q1 event in Dallas, Texas, I sit down with CG Premier member Ryan Weimer — a Boise, Idaho-based real estate investor who signed 200 deals in 2025 and then discovered he lost nearly 1,000 more. His main stage presentation stopped the room, and for good reason: the data he brought was something most investors are too afraid to look at. Ryan walks through exactly how his team uncovered 998 missed deals in a single year — all sitting in their own CRM — and what it revealed about their hiring, their lead management, and their leadership. We dig into how he reframed that painful number as an opportunity for his team, why attacking your database beats spending more on marketing, and how the shift from sales company to data company is now changing the way they hire, manage, and grow. If you've ever wondered how much money is sitting untouched in your CRM, this episode will wake you up.   Timeline Summary [0:23] – Live from Dallas at the CG Q1 Premier and CEO event [0:50] – Introducing Ryan Weimer and the presentation that stopped the room [1:07] – How Ryan came into this meeting knowing the data — and still got slapped by it again [1:51] – The market shift: recalibrating from the Boise boom years to doing the real work [2:15] – The number: 998 missed deals in 2025 in a market of just over a million people [2:34] – Context: 200 signed deals, nearly 1,000 lost — five times more missed than won [3:21] – Why this means you don't need a second market — you need to mine what you already have [3:44] – Their CRM only represents 2% of all housing units in Idaho — the pie is enormous [4:31] – How AI and property sales tracking made it possible to identify every missed deal [5:09] – Breaking down the 998: off-market sales they had in their CRM, both inbound and outbound leads [6:00] – Nearly half of the 998 were sitting in the "new" bucket — never contacted beyond initial reach [7:20] – Four pain points every investor is facing: leads, appointments, conversions, and closing [8:40] – Calculating the real cost: $39M in lost revenue and $5M in missed team commissions [9:32] – Two major realizations: drastically under-hired and a total failure of leadership [9:52] – Lead managers had no consistent system for attacking the database — all different answers [10:09] – "People need to be reminded more than they need to be taught" [10:56] – How Ryan took ownership before pointing fingers at the team [11:34] – Reframing missed deals as opportunity: showing the team what's in it for them [12:13] – The shift in team buy-in: from chasing visionary optimism to trusting the data [13:03] – Breaking through the $5M ceiling and building a culture around visible opportunity [14:08] – The real fix isn't more marketing spend — it's better sales ops [14:46] – Why pressing the easy button on marketing digs a deeper hole in profitability [15:11] – How attacking your CRM can take a 3X ROAS to a 5X without spending another dollar [15:30] – Being afraid to look at the skeletons in your CRM — and why you have to anyway [16:10] – Most contracts aren't one-call closes — only about 3 out of 10 are signed on the first appointment [17:35] – The transition: from real estate marketing company to real estate data company [17:56] – What a great CRM makes possible: hiring data-minded operators like Tory to run the numbers full-time [18:19] – Using AI to let the cream rise to the top of a large database and identify who's most likely to sell [19:03] – How the data changes your recruiting pitch — and why top sales talent leans in when they hear it [19:59] – The cycle every growing investor needs: sales, marketing, data — in that order [21:00] – How data removes the blame game between sales and marketing and creates real accountability [21:45] – Sales contests as a 0-to-1 tool for boosting sales ops without overhauling your CRM [22:09] – Using missed deal data to coach high-performing but hard-to-manage acquisitions reps [23:25] – Leadership has to shift from yelling to coaching — especially with today's workforce [25:06] – 2026 update: 108 missed deals in 9 weeks, on pace to cut annual losses by 37% [25:27] – It's not about being perfect — incremental improvement in this industry means millions   Key Takeaways The Opportunity Is Already in Your CRM Ryan's team had 998 missed deals sitting in their own database. Before spending more on marketing, audit what you already have — the gold is there. Under-Hiring Is a Silent Revenue Killer One of the biggest contributors to missed deals was simply not having enough people to follow up. If your lead volume outpaces your headcount, you're leaving money on the table daily. Leadership Failure Shows Up in the Data When your lead managers all describe their day differently, that's not a training problem — it's a leadership problem. Systems and reminders matter more than one-time training. Frame Missed Deals as Opportunity, Not Failure Ryan didn't go to his team and say "we lost 1,000 deals." He showed them $5M in missed commissions and asked what they were going to do about it. That framing changes everything. Data Transforms How You Hire and Lead When you can show a recruit exactly how many people you helped, how much opportunity exists, and where the gaps are — the best candidates lean in. Data turns recruiting into a competitive advantage.   Links & Resources Follow Ryan on Instagram: @realryanweimer Explore CG Membership: https://www.explorecg.com   Closing Remark If this episode made you want to open your CRM and start auditing what's been sitting there, take a moment to rate, follow, and review the Collective Genius Podcast. And if you're ready to be in a room with operators like Ryan, visit https://www.explorecg.com and apply today.

In this episode of the Collective Genius Podcast, host Leanne Barnes sits down with leadership coach and longtime CG collaborator Annie Yatch—founder of Northstar Leadership—for a conversation that goes well beyond the typical real estate investing playbook. Annie brings a uniquely powerful background: a counterterrorism master's from Georgetown, work with the Defense Intelligence Agency, and years spent backward-engineering the leadership systems of Navy SEAL teams to apply them to entrepreneurial businesses. What Annie found after working with thousands of entrepreneurs is that the biggest obstacle to scaling isn't leads, marketing, or even hiring—it's leadership gaps. In this episode, she walks through all five, with a deep dive into the delegation gap and a practical five-step framework any entrepreneur can start using immediately. From trauma patterns that quietly cap your revenue to the nervous system habits that keep you in grind mode, this episode is a masterclass in the inner work that makes outer scale possible. Timeline Summary [1:30] – Welcome and intro to Annie Yatch and Northstar Leadership [4:20] – Annie's two focus areas: leader development and couples in business [6:48] – Overview of the five leadership gaps every entrepreneur needs to address [7:49] – Gap 1: The delegation gap and why quick handoffs fail [8:53] – Gap 2: The feedback gap and why criticism kills team motivation [9:19] – Gap 3: The planning gap and why entrepreneurs don't contingency plan with their teams [10:03] – Gap 4: The nervous system gap and how grind culture destroys decision-making [12:28] – Gap 5: The trauma gap and how your 7-year-old self may be running your business [14:38] – How Annie's framework was born from working with Navy SEAL teams [16:26] – Why the entrepreneur's own trauma pattern derails even well-trained teams [19:07] – The five-step delegation framework: an overview [20:02] – Annie's story: 120 guests, five trash bags in the lobby, and the lesson it taught her [21:29] – Step 1: Awareness — why it has to be personal to the individual, not the company [25:05] – Step 2: Standard of performance — your common sense is actually your genius [29:49] – Step 3: Power to act — walking your team through contingency planning in advance [31:30] – Step 4: Personal commitment — getting an explicit yes with a deadline attached [37:44] – Step 5: Feedback and requests for support — asking what's missing before they get stuck [41:42] – Why "people problems" are usually delegation and management problems in disguise [44:17] – Can someone who's "not good at delegation" actually learn it? Annie's answer [47:48] – The story of a client who couldn't break $2M for five years—and why [52:42] – Marriage in Millions and the Authority Shift: Annie's core programs [54:00] – Final advice: slow down to speed up, and build your business from your ideal day first   5 Key Takeaways Your Common Sense Is Your Genius – Anything that feels obvious to you as an entrepreneur must be spoken, documented, and trained. Your team cannot meet a standard they've never been shown. Delegation Is a Five-Step Process, Not a Handoff – Awareness, standard of performance, power to act, personal commitment, and feedback. Skip any step and you're setting your team up to fail. The Trauma Gap Is Real—and It Has a Revenue Ceiling – Unresolved personal history quietly caps how much you can earn and lead. Many entrepreneurs can't break $2–3M until this is addressed. Your Nervous System Affects Your Leadership – If you feel guilty resting, can't sleep, or can't stop grinding, your nervous system is dysregulated—and it's affecting how you show up for your team. Slow Down to Speed Up – Build your business from your ideal day, not the other way around. The most successful entrepreneurs protect time for thinking, planning, and vision—before they can afford to.   Links & Resources Northstar Leadership / Reinvention XO – Annie's full resource hub: reinventionxo.com Marriage in Millions – Program for couples in real estate and business together The Authority Shift – Group program for breaking through subconscious wealth barriers Annie on Instagram: @reinvention.xo.annie (DMs open and responded to) ExploreCG.com – Learn more about the Collective Genius community   If this episode opened your eyes to the leadership gaps that might be quietly holding your business back, share it with a fellow entrepreneur—real estate or otherwise. These lessons apply across every industry. And if you're ready to be in the room with leaders like Annie, head over to ExploreCG.com to learn more and apply.

In this CG Live episode recorded at our Q1 event in Dallas, Texas, I sit down with CG Premier member Shadi Tamimi, a Central Florida-based real estate investor doing roughly 100 deals a year through wholesaling and flipping. Shadi recently presented in one of our breakout rooms on a topic that doesn't get nearly enough attention — fallout rate — and shares what he uncovered when his team went looking for the real source of the problem. We dig into the gaps between acquisitions and disposition that quietly killed deals, why celebrating a signed contract too early is one of the most dangerous habits a team can have, and how a mindset shift around serving the seller — not chasing the contract — transformed his close rates. Shadi also opens up about his own challenges on stage, including his early learnings with television advertising, and shares one of the most memorable seller stories you'll hear this year. If you're losing deals after the contract is signed and not sure why, this episode is for you.   Timeline Summary [0:23] – Live from Dallas at the CG Q1 Premier and CEO event [0:48] – Introducing Shadi Tamimi: Orlando-based investor, ~100 deals per year [1:06] – Business breakdown: 75% wholesaling/novations, 25% flips [1:38] – How Shadi started virtual across multiple metros and tightened his market focus [2:36] – Why he pivoted to Ocala and manufactured homes as an affordability play [3:24] – The four pain points driving this event: leads, appointments, contracts, and fallout [4:40] – What Shadi presented on: reducing fallout rate and getting contracts to the closing table [5:20] – Fallout was above 50% — and the team was blaming the wrong people [6:04] – The real gaps: seller expectations not set properly on novation deals [6:23] – The fix: adding a flowchart and required initials on DocuSign disclosures [7:14] – Why transparency matters: sellers sell a home once or twice; we do this every day [7:59] – The second gap: contract quality and how they were measuring the wrong win [8:25] – Celebrating signed contracts before they close — why that's like celebrating in the first quarter [8:48] – Tracking contract quality by acquisitions rep and coaching to trends before they become problems [9:31] – The mindset shift: stop telling your team to "get a contract" — tell them to serve the seller [10:10] – How that one phrase change produced results within the same week [10:41] – Core values in action: empathy, intention, and serving others first [11:08] – Elevating the whole industry by focusing on true service over the transaction [12:08] – How every team member — especially lead managers — is impacting far more people than they realize [13:40] – Shadi's most memorable seller story: a cancer patient, a $40,000 offer, and a text six months later [15:33] – How Shadi came to CG with his own challenges and the power of showing vulnerability on stage [16:10] – Being open about what went wrong and helping others avoid the same mistakes [16:47] – Shadi's challenge on stage: getting feedback on television advertising [17:13] – Key takeaway from the room: creative is the most important variable in TV, not the spend [17:54] – The value of learning from someone who just went through what you're about to try [18:22] – The three-legged stool of inbound marketing: direct mail, PPC, and television [19:04] – Pat Martin's TV journey: three months of doubt before it became their highest-converting channel [19:29] – Why a conversation with someone who just figured it out is worth more than any course [20:27] – What CG has meant to Shadi since joining in early 2024 [21:03] – Feeling lost and alone before finding a community built on giving, not selling [21:32] – How CG and the people in this room have impacted his business tenfold   Key Takeaways Don't Celebrate the Contract — Celebrate the Close Signing a contract is step one, not the finish line. Tracking quality over quantity at the contract stage is what actually drives revenue. Fallout Starts Way Before Disposition Most fallout issues trace back to gaps in acquisitions — unclear seller expectations, poor disclosure, or weak contract quality. Fix it upstream before it becomes disposition's problem. Serve the Seller and the Contract Will Follow When your acquisitions team focuses on solving the seller's problem instead of chasing a signature, close rates go up. The mindset shift is simple, and the results are immediate. Vulnerability on Stage Pays Off Sharing what went wrong is more valuable than showing off what went right. Multiple people in Shadi's breakout said they were in the exact same position — and walked away with a roadmap. The Room Is the Shortcut Whether it's TV advertising or any other new channel, finding someone who just went through it — and can share what not to do — is worth more than months of trial and error.   Links & Resources Follow Shadi on Instagram: @shadi.tamimi Email Shadi: [email protected] Explore CG Membership: https://www.explorecg.com   Closing Remark If this episode challenged how you think about fallout, seller service, and what it actually means to close a deal, take a moment to rate, follow, and review the Collective Genius Podcast. And if you're ready to be in a room with operators like Shadi, visit https://www.explorecg.com and apply today.