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As established industry veterans, it’s hard to imagine that Fredrik Eklund and John Gomes of Eklund | The Gomes team of Douglas Elliman still have a lot to learn over the course of their careers.
But as the market’s turmoil over the past two years rocked the industry, Eklund and Gomez found themselves learning a valuable lesson: You can’t put all your eggs in one basket.
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“There are opportunities coming up all over the country that we wouldn’t be able to take advantage of if we stayed in New York where we started,” Gomez told host Lockhart Steele during an Inman Connect Miami panel on Tuesday. These opportunities. “Look at what happened in Texas, look at what’s still happening in Florida. I wonder, what would our business be if we didn’t go out and expand?”
Last summer, Eklund and his family moved from Los Angeles to Miami to expand the team’s operations.
“So I think brokers really need to look further ahead and really think more about the national market in order to protect themselves from any economic downturn,” Gomez concluded.
Eklund | Julia Spillman, CEO of Gomes Team, clarified that Gomes Team has approximately 100 agents with 13 offices in 5 states.
Over the past four years, the team has traded an average of approximately $4 billion per year, and this year aims to exceed $5 billion. Eklund said part of that goal is for each agent on the team to achieve at least $1 million in annual revenue.
“I think what we do is beautiful, I think it’s a little bit anti-team, there’s just one team leader and there’s other people, and the idea is that we’re a constellation, and the brighter the constellation, the brighter each star gets. , I think it’s something we’re very proud of, and I think it’s been a very successful model for us,” Spearman said.
Eklund and Gomez met as young agents two decades ago when Gomez sold a client two of the first new development buildings Eklund represented during his time as a Core Realtor. apartment. After having lunch with Core founder Shaun Osher, Gomes eventually joined the company. After getting a spot in Eklund’s nearby office and seeing firsthand how overwhelmed he was with his job, Gomez realized they could make a great team.
“We had a partnership; we worked together,” Gomez said. “I can help you, I can grow this, and honestly, I had no idea it was going to be like this.”
The pair then recalled how Julia later entered the picture, “the line between the E and the G,” as Eklund puts it.
“It’s like winning the lottery,” Eklund said. “For us, looking for a business partner is 1 + 1 equals 10. It was not without friction, there were a lot of arguments in the beginning, but we became friends.
“Friendship and business are not the same thing, but they go hand in hand,” Eklund continued. “I don’t know if friendship would be the same without business or vice versa. I’m sure that without friendship, business wouldn’t exist.
Looking back on the time Eklund spent with Gomez and Spearman, as well as the time he spent with his own family, he’s surprised by the lopsided balance but also realizes the impact it had on the business and their friendship. What a contribution.
“When you run a business, it’s like you give your soul, you give up a lot in life, but you also gain a lot. So who you choose as your husband, your wife, your business partner, that’s very, very important , and not easy to find.
Eklund and Gomez were still performing at the top of their respective markets before Juilliard came on to get the pair organized, but Eklund noted it was “chaotic.” That was eight years ago.
Steele noted that in 2022, the industry was a bit surprised when Eklund and Gomez decided to re-sign Douglas Elliman, as players including Ryan Serhant Other big names in the industry began to break out on their own.
“I think it was a big decision to leave where I was and start my own company,” Eklund said. “For us, it’s a natural thing. We couldn’t do what we do without Douglas Elliman because we rely on them for the infrastructure and legal aspects. In new developments , we have a pipeline; we probably have about 15-17 projects in the market at any given time across the country.
He added that there is currently a boom in new development in New York and Miami, and they would not be able to handle the business themselves without the support of Douglas Elliman. He added that the best thing for customers is to have great support and manpower behind the company.
“We really love what we do and the people we work with,” Spearman said. “And I think [being our own firm] A lot will change. So, until then, what exactly are we doing this for?
Gomez added that the power of co-branding with the Douglas Elliman brand, which has been around since the early 1900s, also provides a huge boost to the team’s credibility.
When it comes to the value of aligning with established brands versus forming a new agency, Eklund added: “The numbers speak for themselves.”
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