The 150-Agent Real Estate Team Built with Zero Recruiting with Dylan Nonaka | Ep 083

Oct 21, 2025

Dylan Nonaka, leader of The Agency team in Hawaii, shares insights on building a thriving real estate team without traditional recruiting. He discusses his unique culture code that prioritizes family and relationships, fostering an abundance mindset and pay-it-forward attitude. Dylan emphasizes the importance of personal social media and consistent video content, focusing on education rather than entertainment. His philosophy of ‘who not how’ guides team expansion, and he highlights the role of strategic partnerships and a supportive team culture in their impressive growth.

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INSIGHT

Write A Culture Code First

Build a written culture code with mission, vision, and values before scaling.
Use it as the default decision framework for conflict and direction.

ANECDOTE

Family Origins Shaped The Team

Dylan started as part of a small family operation and wrote values to protect family relationships over profit.
That family-first origin became the enduring foundation as the team scaled.

ANECDOTE

Partners Instead Of Staff

The agency pays partners variable revenue shares instead of fixed salaries to keep costs variable.
That model attracted leaders focused on outcome rather than paycheck and scaled with growth.

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The Agency Team is the #1 real estate team in Hawaii. They recently achieved their first 100-unit month. They recently expanded beyond the islands to the mainland. They’ve grown to 150 agents.

And they’ve done it all with zero recruiting.

How? Attraction.

On day one, team leader Dylan Nonaka created a “culture code” that focuses on family and relationships and emphasizes the abundance mindset and pay-it-forward practice.

Two channels that help attract agents and clients to them: video and social media.
Two concepts you’ll hear in this episode: “your vibe attracts your tribe” and “who not how.”

Watch or listen to this conversation with Dylan for insights into:

The main elements of a strong team foundation
How he developed his culture code and how it’s benefitted the team since day one
How a few friends came together to create what’s become a 150-agent team
A key expense that grows as the business grows
The two cultural characteristics and two sources of agents that prevent him from having to do any outbound recruiting at all
Why he’ll always do his social media himself
When, why, and how he committed to consistently creating videos
Why his videos aren’t about entertainment or even lead generation
Why he looks at attribution, conversion rate, and ROI in a global way
How team members get involved in the YouTube channel
“Who Not How” as the philosophy for market expansion
How he found the person who started in a role he didn’t know he needed and who’s become COO

At the end, learn about Javelin Squad with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, about never paying for a haircut, about being forced to be fully present, and why “the devil lives in the white space.”

Mentioned in this episode:
→ https://whonothow.com/
→ https://unlockconference.com

Connect with Dylan Nonaka:
→ https://www.instagram.com/konabroker/
→ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNtK6ItXmpLIPB7FWUSsyyw

Connect with Real Estate Team OS:
→ https://www.realestateteamos.com
→ https://linktr.ee/realestateteamos
→ https://www.instagram.com/realestateteamos/