David Kurz on Building a Real Estate Business That Grows Beyond Your Local Market

Host 00:00

Do good ethical business. But like that kind of a behavior is something that can make relationships last a lifetime.

Host1 00:07

If the phone is there, it still says, I'm not interested in what you're trying to talk to me about.

Host 00:12

Contributing to other people with little to no expectations are the ones that are the most successful.

Host1 00:18

People don't listen. Get out of your book. How can I help somebody else's business grow with no benefit to me?

Host 00:24

What up, everybody? Grant wise. Welcome back to the Partner Profit Podcast. Today I'm pumped for the conversation. I get to connect with a very longtime friend, somebody I've done a lot of work with, traveled to Miami many Miami many times to speak for. We've done a lot of cool stuff together. Mr. David Adam Curves. What up, David? Thanks for being on the show with me.

Host1 00:44

Excited to be here, man. Thank you for the invite.

Host 00:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't say this when we first got on, but I like the hat.

Host1 00:50

Thank you. I uh I bought it one day because I so I got inspired by Judaism, believe it or not. One day I went on on Chat GPT and I was like, where do Jews buy their hats? Right. And so it gave me this uh store in New York. When I went to the store in New York, they had all cool hats. Like they make Jamie Foxx's hat. You know what I mean? So so I picked this one up and I wore it like twice only. And then after I wore it the two times, everyone was like, yo, where's the hat? And I kind of got stuck. So I wear it all the time now.

Host 01:23

There we go. It looks good on you, man.

Host1 01:24

Thanks, man.

Host 01:25

For the people that are listening that don't know much about you, give us a little bit of the backstory. How did you get to where you are today?

Host1 01:30

So, man, you know, born and raised in New York, I live in Miami now. When I was 19, I left to the United States Marine Corps, became a weapons tech specialist, uh, shooting coach for the Marine Corps, had two different MOSs or jobs. And uh when I got out of the Marine Corps, I really didn't know what to do. I had a few jobs. I got hired by a guy named George Waldenberg, who owns a company called Corpac Steel Products. And this guy was incredible. He taught me sales. You know, I remember when he hired me, he goes, I'm not hiring you because you have experience because you obviously have none. But you were in the Marine Corps for nine years. I feel like you'll do the job and do it well and be disciplined about it. And he wasn't wrong. You know, I took it seriously. I was his top guy on the floor for many years, but I was always doing real estate part-time because my cousin at the time, she was a mortgage broker. She still is, but at that time, you know, coming home, she was a mortgage broker. She was living in a beautiful condo with like Miami Bay views on Miami Beach. She was driving a big BMW 7 seriously. I was like, all right, dude, like talk to me about what you do, right? Like, yeah, I like this job and all, but I want you. What are you doing? And she said, you know, she goes, Look, Dave, you've always had a talent of like talking to people and connecting with people ever since you were a kid. So you don't want to do what I do. You should go get your real estate license. You know, she said, mortgages is kind of like behind the computer with a bunch of numbers. Real estate sales is being with people and connecting with them and helping them with the transaction. So I went and did that and uh made a transition into real estate, been doing it since that's 21 years now, brother.

Host 03:02

That's awesome. So I always like to ask this question, I like to get it in from your perspective. And I I've watched you, you've been very successful. Everybody, every entrepreneur has their highs and lows, and you know, I've got my scars and I know you got yours. But you've always seemed to just go produce no matter what it is that you're focused on. And I know a big part of that is probably relationships. How do you turn those relationships into revenue so successfully?

Host1 03:27

I've been trying to coach this to a lot of people for many years, but people don't listen. Like get out of your bubble, right? Like, just you know, because so we're we're taught that real estate is a local business. And it is, in a sense. In a sense, I think with technology, we pass that bucket, right? Like, you know, I could sell a house in California. Doesn't mean I'm in California, just means I can refer to an agent over there, I could stay on top of the transaction, I can communicate with the client, I can advise and help the best I can without you know knowing California laws, right? And they can actually do the transaction. So I'm not limited to my bubble anymore. And as soon as I realized that, many years ago, I started traveling and meeting people and going places and you know, going to California, going to New York, going to Texas, going to masterminds, going to closing table, going, you know, hosting my own events, right? Which you've come and talked at at many of my events, right? Like, you know, first time I put together my own conference, we have 450 people show up, right? And these are all new relationships. And I think it's very much based on the opportunity that's presented to you, right? A lot of people burn those opportunities. They meet new people and then they forget about these people. And I think I've made it a mission to always stay relevant in communication, check on people, see how they're doing, pay attention to them on social, comment on their stuff, you know, and so I can know a little bit about them, you know, and and also stay in communication, stay in perfect touch. And also, and I'll say this do good, ethical business. Doesn't always mean that the people you do business with are going to be ethical and good, but at least you know you were good and ethical in the process. And when you do that and you prove that time and time and time again, well, people begin to trust you, right? And then you refer somebody business. I call you up, hey Grant, you know, I got somebody I want you to meet, and I do it, and you're like, damn, that was really cool, right? Like, you know, it connects, and then you go, well, next time something's happening in Miami, I'm gonna call Dave because you know, he's always pointing me to somebody. And it just you have to create those types of relationships. And what I like to ask myself over the last year, I would say that I've really kind of honed this down. How can I help somebody else's business grow with no benefit to me? I think when you ask that question enough times of enough people, people just want to work with you and make sure it benefits you too, right? Like you don't come in selfish and egotistical and harsh. You come in with, dude, how can I help you grow? And now the conversation is a little different, right? Like people I trust, I can call you, Grant, and say, Hey, Grant, how can I help you grow? And how can we do something together to create some business together so we can both grow? Because you don't mind if I grow. It's funny enough, so many people out there they care if the other person grows. Like it's like, well, wait a minute, are you gonna make money if I make money? Well, who cares? As long as you're making money, right? So I think it has a lot to do with trust and intention.

Host 06:33

It's been a central theme in a lot of the conversations I've had on this topic, giving. And I I find it fascinating is that the people that are just focused on contributing to other people with little to no expectations are the ones that are the most successful. What do you think that is? Why do you think why do you think there is a correlation there?

Host1 06:52

You know, that you can call it what you want, yin yin yang, or you know, what the Bible says about it or anything, but the what the real truth is when you come from true contribution, meaning you expect nothing out of it. You're just doing good by the world, right? You're doing good by people, and you help somebody make a change in their lives. It's something that someone can never forget. If you do that enough times and in abundance, then you have an abundant amount of people that will never forget the impact you had in their lives. And so they'll look out for you naturally, not because they feel like they owe you, because they don't owe you anything because you didn't expect anything, but naturally they'll think of you or follow you on social or see you building something and show up to your Zoom when you're presenting something new because they want to know. And in their heads, they're thinking, can I use what Grant is showing me, or can I help Grant grow? Right? Like who can I share this with? And it's and it becomes just a natural thing. And and it's hard to say this out loud because right, it almost sounds like you're expecting that natural thing to happen, but you know, you just kind of gotta go at it. And I can't tell you how many events I've done at no cost or that did nothing for me. That actually cost me a flight and hotel, right? Like, you know, and how many things I've done for people, how many times I've picked up my phone, how much free coaching advice I've given, how many free videos I've done, how many Mondays I did kickoffs, how many Thursdays I did coaching classes for years and years and years and years. And I think that that has now over years of impact without nothing. Like there was never a close at the end of my videos. Like there were, you know, almost never was there a I won't say never, almost never was there a now. If you sign up for my thing, you'll get more, right? Like it was seriously like, hey, come to my training, it's open to everybody. Like, I'm just doing this. And I think that that's impactful uh for a lot of people. And again, once you create a pact in abundance, then you have an abundant amount of people thinking about you. And when people think about you and they think about the impact that you've had in their lives, it's game changer for you. People don't feel like they owe you, but they want to give you something.

Host 09:06

That kind of like law reciprocity feel, right?

Host1 09:09

Of course. It's it's you know, what you give, you'll get at the end of the day, right? You give shit, you'll get shit back.

Host 09:16

I get that there's maybe not a lot of strategy. I'm sure you know some people are like, okay, I kind of have a way that I work with people if if I get into relationship, if I get into connection, but I'm gonna just give, I'm gonna contribute, I'm gonna try to help as many people as I possibly can. And I I'm trusting that it's gonna come back to me. I think that's a great philosophy in life. I think that the secret to living is giving, like Mr. Tony Robbins says. But I'm curious, is there strategy for you in identifying who you want to partner with? Like, how do you know who you want to get in a relationship for a lot of the stuff that you do? Are is there a target that you've got? Is there is there some you know pro farm farmer on a whiteboard that's like, okay, I'm gonna go try to connect with as many of these people as I can. How how do you navigate that?

Host1 09:59

Yeah, I think uh for a long time, Grant, I didn't have that. For a long time, it was just like whoever wanted to do business with me, I would explore the opportunity. I was the guy that always said, if you say no to a conversation, you're dumb. Like, you know what I mean? If somebody calls you and says, hey, dude, I'd like to have a conversation with you about an opportunity and you don't take that phone call, like, dude, who knows what you just lost, right? Recently, I I would say like November, December time frame, I was sitting with my wife and we were talking, and I said, I'm gonna make 2026 more purposeful, and I'm actually gonna scale back some, and I'm going to be very selective of who gets my energy and my time and my voice. And that was a big thing for me. And so now I'm starting to say no a couple more times than I ever did before. It's so hard, but also like I also feel like the world isn't dictating my calendar anymore. And so I've done some things like I don't you don't even know this, but I shut down my entire coaching program. Yeah, my academy is shut down, the school accounts community shut down, you know, close to a thousand people in there. My assistant spent all day deleting people so we can get rid of the school account. Like we just we got rid of everything completely because it wasn't where my time and energy needed to be. Simply as that. And being able to recognize that was a big deal for me. Uh, my Monday kickoff calls for a very long time. I did Monday kickoff calls at 8:30 in the morning, said, you know, Eastern Standard Time. Done. Uh, every other Thursday. Uh for about three years, I did a coaching class every Thursday. Then I switched it up to every other Thursday, done. Not doing it anymore.

unknown 11:37

Right.

Host1 11:38

And and so now I want to be very selective about who I do things like this with, not for anything other than the sanity of my own time and the template of my business today.

Host 11:53

There's clarity breathes momentum, right? There's a lot of power in being clear on what you do and don't want. It's very hard for people like you and I, because I know I get I get in there, I'm like, yeah, but, yeah, but yeah, but yeah, but what's the impact on you been since you've made those decisions? I'm interested to know.

Host1 12:11

Hard to say still, but for me, the impact for me personally has been I'm having better conversations, I'm having more meaningful conversations, and I'm staying away from the stuff that takes me down. And all of a sudden, I kind of have so much more time, great. Yeah, right. Like, probably more energy too. Oh my god, like I have more time, more energy. You know, there was a time where I would get like seven, eight requests for a podcast like this, right? And I, you know, you you know, you know, you do four or five of these in a day, and you go home just mentally done. Yeah, like there's no lifting here, like we're not construction workers, right? But like mentally done, and I'm not doing that anymore, right? Like, I'm being very, very particular about you know who gets my voice and energy now. And so for me, it's been a game changer, but I would say it still has yet to see what it does for the community that I serve. Yeah, right, because it's too soon.

Host 13:10

I got a chance yesterday, it was an amazing interview. I got to interview Marcus Collius, who was the original founder of Magnum Nutraceuticals, which is one of the larger supplement companies in North America. And he got to exit a few years ago, and this is something that he was very particular about. He's like, I protect my energy at all costs. He's like, if I get too many, you know, if Grant's the good guy and Doug's the energy drag, he's like, if I get too many Dugs on my calendar, he's like, one Doug will take away like four hours of energy. Whereas one Grant, which is the example he was using, that'll give me eight hours of energy. And he's like, you gotta be, he's like, I'm just so protective. Um, what has been your strategy for identifying, like, yes, I want this, no, I don't want that from a relationship standpoint?

Host1 13:56

Very much focused on what I'm doing in my life right now. So if you don't fall into that bucket, if you will, um, then I don't want to waste your time or mine. I'm being respectful to you as well, right? Because you spending 30 minutes with me pitching something that doesn't fall into my energy right now, I'm supposed to say no at the end. And if I know I'm gonna say no at the end prior to our meeting, I'd rather be respectful and not waste your time. Let you book somebody who might say yes, right? And so I think you know, for me, it's really been, and it's hard to say, like, I'm not you have to earn between this much and this much, right? You ever seen the the Facebook? If you make more than $200,000 a year, I can help you get fit, right? Like, yeah, you know, and that's not we've seen the same ads. Yeah, that's not that's not how I'm figuring my avatar out. I think my avatar is the person who wants to do something significant in the areas that I'm hyper-focused on right now. And if that's cool, then let's have a conversation and let's create something great, you know?

Host 15:00

I go back to what I said in you know, somewhat of our introduction. You've always been a guy that I've seen is building large organizations, and you've done it in a few silos in real estate. I'm curious, you know, we talked a little bit about relationships, like how do you maintain your successful relationship so that those organizations just keep growing in the different areas?

Host1 15:19

The same way you would maintain your relationship with your spouse. No different. It's communication is key, right? Giving shit about the other person is key, caring about their growth no matter what they do. You know, if someone leaves your organization, if you're the type of leader that gets upset and like bans them from everything, you're not gonna last very long. You'll do okay right now. But the longevity is not there, right? You know, if somebody comes to me from my organization and says, Hey, Dave, I want to, you know, I found something new and I think it's attractive to me, dude. I do not burn that bridge. You know, congratulations, anything you need from me, I'm still there. You know, go check it out. Listen, by the way, if the grass isn't greener over there, come back to where you've been watering it, you know? Like, you know, and and and I have those honest conversations with people. And then some people, you know, people leave your organization, they're afraid to talk to you about it, so they just leave secretly, you know, and then make an announcement on Facebook. I call them up, right? I call them up, not to bitch them out, but to hey, what happened? Why'd you leave? My first thing out of my mouth is, hey, I'm calling to congratulate you on your move, man. And then, of course, at some point I ask, what made you move so we can make some changes and you know become better at what we do, you know, and and ask for permission. Am I am I okay to continue to chat with you every once in a while, check up on you, see how you're doing? Get to know people, get to know about their kids, their families, get to know about what they're doing, you know, track them on social media, like it's okay, be a spy, right? Like, you know, but but care, also care. Like, this is not um it's not mythology, it's actually caring about other people.

Host 16:55

I think people can overcomplicate that, like, you know, relationships. Like, well, it's really not. If you just are genuinely interested in people and you care and you're curious, and you, you know, it's so easy. I felt bad because we were talking and I had somebody text me when we first got on, and I picked up my phone. I was like, What am I doing? Like, I gotta put my phone down, I need to give all my attention to Dave. But like that kind of a behavior is something that can make relationships last a lifetime. It's just a genuine care and compassion for people.

Host1 17:20

Huge phones, like I get together with somebody and I keep it in my pocket.

Host 17:26

Instead of leaving mine in the truck, man. I've started leaving that's even that's a box on Sundays, leaving the thing in the bar.

Host1 17:31

Yes, vibrating and your brain is going, Oh my god, there's a message coming.

Host 17:36

I've been like deleting. Well, you know me, like I I kind of went off the grid for a couple of years recently to build, and I I like put everything away. I deleted everything. I I deleted all the apps off my phone, I put it all away. Now I've had to kind of reintroduce some of that back in my life because I'm you know, I've got a goal, a mission, and a purpose. But it's uh it's fascinating how much attention you can give to somebody when you you've got this thing that's not you know trying to distract it somewhere else.

Host1 17:58

Yeah, not distracting you. You know, I was that guy though. I was like somebody would be in a meeting, and then I'd be like get a message and I'd check in, look up some. You know, my wife you guys doing that, you know? And then somebody else taught me, like, I said, okay, cool, I'm just gonna put it on the table and put it face down, right? And then somebody else taught me, I said, Hey, if the phone is there, it still says, I'm not interested in what you're trying to talk to me about. So so I started leaving it in my pocket so no one sees it. And if it vibrates, my brain is not in euphoric place anymore. Where, like, you know, because it's euphoria, it's it's my phone is vibrating. Oh, somebody's messaging. It's like getting lights, right? And so, so I don't it vibrates, I don't even feel it sometimes. Like, I don't just don't answer to it because I want to tently be in the conversation that I'm in, which also has made me a better connector, it's made me a better interviewer, right? It's made me a better person at a listing appointment, right? Like, you know, it's made me better at my podcast, like intently listening to what somebody is saying when you've invited them into your space. That's important.

Host 19:05

I think we're all kind of learning as a as like a multi-tier generation, meaning like millennials and gen X and whatever, whatever all of the whatever all those things are. It's like you saw this like progressive move toward technology, and now with the rise of AI and all the stuff that's happening, I'm almost seeing like this progressive move back to a place where we don't have these things on us at all times. I know that I've like become Alive mine. I recently, I didn't really ever think about it. I've heard about this app called Brick or something like that, where you can basically like deactivate your phone. But I recently just started like putting that thing on do not disturb and leaving it at like the other side of the office or the house mind-blown the level of productivity from just doing simple something so simple like that. It's crazy. I only have time for a couple more questions. I want to ask you. I, you know, obviously I know about a few of the ventures that you're a part of, but what do you kind of look for in a good partnership and a good venture that like really gets your interest with all of the stuff that you've got going on in the real estate and real estate adjacent sectors?

Host1 20:09

Obviously, we still have our real estate team, and and I'm growing my organization with LPT. And and we've done an incredible job with that. We're about to blow up Canada, which is incredible. You know, when I own my own brokerage, never in a million years did I think I would have like things happening in Canada that had to do with me somehow, right? But you know, I digress. I have a great partnership and joint venture, and and I'm a partner at a title company, and I have a great opportunity with mortgage and branches and et cetera, right? What I will say is that both of those businesses I've done business with for the last decade. And so one of the most important things that I'm looking for is can you provide good service? So this is what I'll say. Like, you know, if you're trying to create a partnership with somebody or trying to create something, rather than immediately ask, how can we partner and how can we make money together? Send a couple deals that way. See how they operate. Like, how do you how do you know you're jumping in bed with somebody that does a great job at service, right? So send some deals. Like you're gonna connect with a mortgage broker that's gonna give you a branch opportunity, send them some deals first, right? And understand what type of business you can get from them and what type of customer service and communication and all that good stuff. You want to create a venture with a title company, then connect with that title company and say, hey, listen, I'm interested in creating a joint venture. However, I want to understand how you guys operate. So I'm gonna start sending you a few deals. Let's go through four, five, six deals before we start talking about a venture. And if you don't like or you have issues during that process, it's not somebody you want to partner with. And, you know, because that's once you partner with them, you stamp your name on that. You know, yeah, it's their name, you know, like like the title company I'm with is New World Title, PRMG, the Pers team, LPT, like. Those are all other names, but I put my name on that when I said, Hey, come do this with me. Right. And so that's that's the biggest piece, I think. The biggest piece is really understanding if the person that you're gonna partner with is gonna do good, ethical business. That's a big piece for me. Like that's huge for me.

Host 22:18

You know, that's do you do you look for things that are like adjacent to what you're already doing? So it's not much of a distraction, it's more of like a compliment to what you've got going on.

Host1 22:26

I'm gonna say yes and no. And the reason I would say yes and no is because for a very long time it's always been that, right? It has to complement my real estate business because I don't want to deter from what's going on. Right now, my wife and I are exploring purchasing some businesses. So we're looking at a nail salon, we're looking at a fitness center, we're looking at a couple different things, and so those things we're gonna be, they're completely not real estate, right? Related. But we're also looking at businesses that don't require us to be there 24-7, like nail salon, but with a paid manager on site, like gym, but with a paid gym manager on site, right? Like so that I can stop by once or twice a week and go, hey, how's it going? Do the paperwork, do the payroll, check the money, like all that. You know what I mean? And so, you know, coin laundry type stuff. Everybody always talks about laundry because it's a don't have to be there type of business, right? So that's what we're focusing on because the other stuff is within the realm of my real estate world, right? So it's real estate sales, real estate mortgages, real estate title, like real estate insurance. Like this, this is what we do.

Host 23:32

Man, this has been a great conversation. I want to respect your time. I always like to wrap up with this question. What is the number one way that we, as the listeners of the Partner Profit Podcast, can partner with you? How can we help you grow your businesses?

Host1 23:43

Listen, I I'm doing some amazing stuff with title and mortgage. I know you guys are doing amazing stuff with your platform and connecting people and creating partnerships. You know, I think the opportunity is there for everyone if everyone pays attention. And what I mean by that is, you know, for the last two years, I've been harping at real estate agents. The real estate market is tough. I understand that. I get it. So give yourself a raise. Rather than just focus on your real estate sale, position yourself to be able to do that sale and earn money from the ancillary businesses you're already referring business to. And that's what I'm doing with mortgage and title, right? Like my avatar for mortgage is if you close more than if you're closing an average of two buyers a month, I want to get you paid on the mortgage side. If you're doing a certain number, I won't put it out there, but if you have a team or a brokerage and you're doing a certain number, I want to give you a branch. Your own branch with an entire national operations behind it, right? So you don't have to actually run it. You can if you want to and make it grow, but you don't have to actually run it. But now when you refer business, you're referring business to a business you partially own. And you're not running operations, and you don't have to deal with the day-to-day, and you don't have to hire and fire loan officers or like what a great opportunity for you to have an investment in something. And all it takes is for you to keep doing real estate business. And so I keep I've been harping at agents for the last couple of years, like, oh, but I have my lender and I love him. I get that, but also like you're complaining because you're not closing enough deals. So rather than make five grand on one deal, hoping that the market goes up so you could do three deals, on that one deal, instead of making five, make 12, right? And is that gonna hurt you? No, that's not gonna hurt. Like, it doesn't hurt anybody, grant, right? Like you're winning, and also the business that you partnered with is winning because they now have you in their lives, right? And you have them in their lives, and now you have this great opportunity. Doing the same thing with title, doing the same thing with homeowners, uh, homeowners insurance. Like all of it, it's all the same thing. So now it's all about like when I meet a real estate agent, first question I ask them is how can I help you make more money?

Host 25:59

Love it. We'll make sure that um we link up the ways that people can connect with you. If you're in real estate or if you know somebody in real estate, highly, highly, highly recommend they just connect them with David. Man, I appreciate this conversation so much. It's been awesome. Good to see you and uh excited about what the future holds for you. And um, yeah, just appreciative. So thank you.

Host1 26:19

Brad, thank you for always uh for your appreciation and and your professionalism. And uh excited to see this out there, man.

Host 26:26

Yeah, yeah. I appreciate it, man. All right, thank you all for continuing to listen to the Partner Profit Podcast. This has been another epic conversation. I'll see you on the next one. Peace.