Episode 157: Scaling Without the Chase: Courtney Gauchman on Running Real Estate Like a Business

Some real estate teams are growing even in down markets. And that is not because they have doubled headcount or dumped money into leads, but because they have doubled down on data, service, and systems.

That is exactly what Courtney Gauchman, COO at Wilson Group in Massachusetts, has helped her team do. With a background in the beauty industry and over a decade of operational leadership, Courtney now leads the systems and strategy that have fueled the Wilson Group’s growth, despite navigating one of the toughest markets in recent years.

And what is her approach?

Track everything, but focus only on what moves the needle. From managing three full-time operations staff to building custom dashboards in Sisu, Courtney ensures every agent has clarity on where their business comes from and how to grow it. “We basically attribute the 88 percent growth during three of the hardest years in real estate to the fact that we use Sisu,” says Courtney.

In this episode, Brian sits down with Courtney to talk about what it takes to run a referral-based real estate business, how to keep agents productive without burnout, and why they are starting to build an operations-as-a-service company for agents who do not want to manage staff. They also discuss how operational clarity impacts culture, conversion, and client experience!

Top Takeaways:

(1:38) From salon management to real estate ops 

(4:14) Why are salon pros thriving in real estate? 

(6:40) Building a business vs. slinging homes

(8:14) Growing 88% through post-sale follow-up

(9:26) Sisu dashboards built for ROI

(12:00) Deep conversations over cold calls 

(14:34) $70M+ in referral-based volume

(15:43) Setting the referral expectation early

(18:57) Building a referral system inside Sisu

(22:42) Custom accountability for agent success 

(26:43) Turning rental data into buyer leads

(31:41) Building an ops-as-a-service model from Sisu

(35:50)  Reviewing past data to guide marketing

 

If you are still guessing where your next deal will come from, this one is worth a listen.

 

About Courtney Gauchman

Courtney Gauchman is the COO of the Wilson Group, a Keller Williams team based in Massachusetts. She brings 12 years of operations experience and a background in real estate sales. At Wilson Group, she leads the development of systems that support both clients and agents. Outside of work, she enjoys family time, outdoor activities, and experimenting with espresso martinis.

 

Connect with Courtney:

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