We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ross Stout a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ross, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My purpose was found through finding my identity. That can be a tricky thing. I was placed in many different scenarios in many different atmospheres and in each place I had a ton of failure, along with success. It was my failures of trying to be something that I am not designed to be that have led me to being the person that I can be proud of and then extend my expertise that I have developed over the years to others and help them in their journey. My purpose is to be the best husband, father, son, friend, mentor, coach, real estate advisor, etc. that I can be. Exercising my “best” in these areas is purposeful because I define successful leader/person as someone who exemplifies servanthood. I still miss the mark every day, but my leadership is servant leadership, in my home and in my business. I fail all the time, but that is my purpose. To serve other to the best of my ability and help lead in a fashion that brings about joy, peace, and a desire to grow.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am focused on leading a large real estate team that stretches all over California and developing strategies to meet buyers, sellers, and agents with excellent service and expertise to help them level up in the real estate journey. The most exciting thing about where we are at right now is the ability to grow. In October of 2023 I left an independent brokerage with two agents to serve the Greater Palm Springs area in Southern California. Today, I have 100 agents under contract with my team working from San Diego to north of the Bay Area all working leads while learning to become the best version of themselves they can be for their clients and their sphere of influence. My 5 year goal was to have five locations of the Stout Team across California all producing $100,000,000 in sales production. In year one, we were able to be in our five locations and they are all trending towards meeting the sales goal mark by Year 3. Our culture and brand are one in that we are a family style team that is agent centric at the core and we strive to meet the needs of our clients and also our team members. There is no deal to big or too small for us to work and we are actively working towards reaching more people so their real estate transactions can become seamless and painless.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I was able to use the skills I used from my upbringing to create a unique space for my skills to shine. First, my understanding of the general workings of homes design as served me well. I grew up on a job site and had a father that is an architect, contractor, and interior designer. This helped shape my knowledge of construction, high end finish schedules, and how to operate with high end clients. Second, I was a college and professional baseball player from 2002-20010. This really allowed me to become a self starter and I learned how to interact with all different types of people and learned how to be a leader of a team. Lastly, I became a husband and a father. This made it apparent that I didn’t want to sell homes, I had to sell homes. My family is my ultimate reason and being in this business has allowed me to spend a lot of time with them.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am looking to collaborate with agents who are looking for a way to put rocket fuel in their business. New agents, agents who need lead flow, or agents who like to be part of a team. With the way my team is set up, we can help take agents to the next level if they are ready to commit to the processes we put before them.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @rossdstout @stout_team_exp
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ross.stout.3/
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