Agent Elite began in a tiny office in San Diego and is now an Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Company for both 2019 and 2020. For those who may not be familiar with Inc. 500 and 5000, this means that the revenue growth Agent Elite has shown in both 2019 and 2020, was enough to rank them in the top 500 companies in America (and #24 in California).
The Genesis
Justin Hancy, CEO and President, and Nick Reis, COO and Vice President, began Agent Elite and grew the company from into what it is today. Agent Elite is now an umbrella company offering the highest quality website developments and other real estate-centric tools and educational programs.
Hancy and Reis met through work over twenty years ago and lost touch through the years. Meeting at the gym and beginning to exercise together regularly resparked the friendship. Not often discussing work, when it eventually did come up, both men realized the the goals they shared.
Justin Hancy successfully had his own business doing website design for anyone and everyone for several years. Hancy enjoyed being his own boss and creating meaningful products at a fair price. Nick Reis had a successful career in sales and managerial positions in multiple real estate website companies. Reis has been in the industry for over seventeen years. He wanted to do something different within the industry but was waiting and watching to see the opportune moment.
Fast forward to the conversations the two were now having about work. The opportune moment presented itself and Reis pitched to Hancy the idea of working together to create a company. One that could make them both more money, but also fill the gap and become a solution to the issues they were both seeing in their respective industries.
The opportunity and the niche was there for Hancy and Reis to jump in and get started.
Getting Started
Providing not only a website but also coaching and support when it comes to funneling traffic and converting traffic to leads is a unique service that Agent Elite continues to offer. Both Hancy and Reis know that traffic equates to leads and agents want to know how to drive their leads and their business with their websites -- and Agent Elite was ready to show them.
Reis explains that goal became quickly much bigger than websites. That "teaching and educating agents on how to market and how to align" all aspects of traffic conversion and other technical functions and "funnel into one website" became the clear path to the top. Agent Elite includes all techniques into their service because they don't want agents to pay for what they can't guarantee.
The "engagement when it comes to agents spheres of influence" is the key driver here and this stronghold of that concept that Agent Elite began with, continues to pave their way.
The Vision
The vision and motivation for beginning Agent Elite is simple and to the point. Provide quality services to every real estate agent in terms of website development and marketing. Hancy and Reis see constantly that agents were/are being taken advantage of and have glitchy and unprofessional websites that were costing them a fortune.
Agent Elite's ethos is largely based on the premise of quality products and accessibility for every real estate agent in the pursuit of a strong digital presence. When asked what the initial goal was for Agent Elite, both state they "always want to create what's best for the clients and be sure it works." The irritation that other companies and developers "were giving out ten year old websites to these real estate agents" and the agents were "paying astronomical amounts of money for [them]" spurred the efforts to create a product rooted in integrity.
Hancy quips "I like to sleep at night," when asked about Agent Elite's websites and other products versus the competitors. This integrity and genuine care for the customer has served Agent Elite well and sets them apart. Because they "give the agents what they want without nickel and diming them and being able to provide a product and a service that is truly going to benefit them" (Reis).
Milestones
Sharing an office space and getting to work on garnering clients was just the beginning. After the first year of working together and working towards their collective vision; Hancy and Reis both quit their prospective other jobs when they realized they couldn't keep up with both. Realizing they were bringing in a decent income from the company, the pair knew they had something that was ready to become a launching pad.
Reis "always knew it was going to work" out. From the sales aspect he knew there was no difference from the corporate world he had come from and the new world of Agent Elite. The entrepreneurial spirit of "I can do this" is alive and well within Reis and Hancy. Their steadfast focus acts as a great propellent for the company and its success.
Hancy credits the ability to "turn [their] ship on a dime" because they knew what they could do and what they wanted as a factor that made their ability to grow as a company attainable. Being "one of the first to integrate SEO into the package and on the forefront of wordpress" doesn't hurt either when it comes to traction.
Major Decisions and Challenges
Growing a company is no small feat and challenges are inevitable. Both Justin and Nick don't seem to be phased by challenges or even really the concept of them in general. This confidence comes from the fact that the pair and their business has been able to adapt. Hancy says, "the fact that we're in the real estate industry and were able to quickly pivot to remote" helped during 2020 and the global pandemic. "There's a lot of hard work and a lot of luck" in the company's success and longevity thus far.
Reis, puts it more simply but the sentiment remains the same. They "aren't those two kids in a 200 square foot room anymore."
They've been preparing for this moment, this company, this success for their entire careers. The learning curve is always a challenge but with the background Hancy and Reis have -- it's less daunting.
Major decisions that have impacted the company are bringing in higher level employees, like directors of sales and customer service. The hiring of staff has really impacted them and the company. This allows their respective staff to run their divisions and let Hancy and Reis run the company from an aerial view.
2021 and beyond
No surprises here, Agent Elite has lofty goals when it comes to 2021 and beyond. Both Reis and Hancy are careful not to discuss goals outside of 2021. They're business savvy men who know that the ability to pivot is what's key to their success.
For 2021, Reis states they do "plan on almost doubling what [they've] done last year, doubling the amount of agents and prospects and growing the company by over 25%." Both Hancy and Reis know their growth margin is there but are confident 2021 is the year to excel at a much faster and higher rate "based on some of the new tools and features we're getting ready to launch."
Hancy notes that "moving into other verticals" instead of "being strictly selling to real estate agents." Not to mention, the education aspect that is currently offered through their site and will continue to be built upon.
There's no doubt that a lot of moving parts are at play here. But, that's where Hancy and Reis thrive -- and from the looks of it -- they're just getting started.
Have a comment, tip, or concern?
Thanks for reading Elite Informer! Here's more where that came from.