Biography

Joshua’s ambition to succeed was instilled into his personality from the very beginning — a work ethic that served as a foundation for a set of behaviors that would allow him to excel professionally when he entered the world of real estate, shortly after graduating college with a dual major in philosophy and organizational psychology, early, at the age of 21. 

The first few years in the business saw Joshua and his team take the Atlanta market by storm. Spurred on by training with Mike Ferry, they employed a strict, transactional approach of cold-calling, door knocking, and getting in on the ground floor of the hottest new neighborhoods, and closing, closing, closing.  

All that changed when the market took a turn for the worse in late 2007. His business had been growing quickly (2006 ended with 220 transactions, but enough overhead to barely turn a profit), and when things got tight, Joshua had to make some hard decisions. His growing staff was reduced to a skeleton crew that focused on the soon dominant REO (foreclosure) segment. 

And while his team managed to turn a decent profit through the darkest days of the Great Recession, being an anonymous cog in that hardhearted machine was a soul-crushing experience. Four years later, Joshua came out the other side wondering if this was still the business he wanted to be in. If he was going to stay on board, his approach had to be different, with less time getting clients to sign the dotted line, and more time getting to know his client's hopes and dreams. 

A chance encounter. Joshua stumbled across an interview between real estate “guru” Joe Stumpf and the poet David Whyte. The two were discussing this idea of radical simplicity, personal responsibility and a relationship-driven “by-referral-only” business model — an idea that put genuine, sustainable relationships (with self and others) above everything else. The idea resonated deeply with Joshua — a close-knit upbringing as a “military brat” had already ensured a sensibility for the importance of family and the virtues of self-discipline — and listening in on that conversation between Joe and David filled in all the rest. 

Thus began a year-long period of curious reflection that provided Joshua with the inspiration to join "By Referral Only" and commit to the deep work of re-inventing himself and his business. Between 2012 and 2018, Joshua worked with Joe and the tools provided in both the By Referral Only and Brovance communities on a variety of levels; soaking in everything he could about the philosophies of sustainable, repeatable success. In between periods of deep learning, Joshua implemented several cornerstone strategies that continue to serve him to this day:  

• The Before Unit. First, he and his small (by design) team of five adopted an innovative system that allowed them to generate and convert a steady flow of new buyer and seller prospects with a carefully choreographed, internet “funnel” that boasts strong returns on their marketing dollars.  
• The During Unit. Next, he meticulously selected, trained and coached a leader who now oversees, and consistently delivers, a referable experience to both his buyer and seller clients — a “turn-key touchpoint” methodology that delivers high-touch, personalized perks and truly world-class service, from the “Initial Consultation” all the way through 90 days after Closing Celebration.  
• The After Unit. The final stage of this process was the establishment and continued availability of a true concierge mindset — all the resources and attention necessary to ensure the acquisition and retention of a core “tribe” of 150 devoted past clients — fueled by the BIG VISION whereby those 150 close clients and friends will each refer his unique, high-attention brand of service to (at least) one new client, every year.  

The By Referral Only philosophy had taken a front-and-center position in Joshua’s team by the time he decided to take on yet another highly intensive period of radical reinvention starting early in 2018. Joshua was one of the first to commit himself to the deeply involved 56-day experience called the “6 Significant Habits” that lie at the core of many of Joe’s teachings: a set of sustainable rituals, routines and invaluable principles that serve as the personal base for professional success — a refined expression of the "deep work” that helped Joshua move his business from a barely surviving, cash-strapped, hand-to-mouth enterprise to a significant, self-sustaining entity within only six years. From there he took a deep-dive into another habit-building arena with the “Referral Ignite Fast Pass Coaching and Accountability” With Joe as his personal mentor (and the help of “Pearsons Law”), over the course of two 56-day experiences Joshua revisited the referral-getting strategies that had been working for years, and fine-tuned them to a razor-sharp edge.  

It doesn’t end here. After years of close collaboration and a set of skills acquired through direct coaching and mentorship under Joe, employed and working in spades, Joshua is now taking the opportunity to coach (alongside Joe) other real estate professionals, helping them to recalibrate their habits, rituals, routines, and mindsets to live their best life.  

Joshua is eager to share the methods he’s acquired with other By Referral Only members in the form of customized, one-on-one coaching experiences. The goal? To zero in on the vision, skills, inspiration, tools and execution necessary to master the “6 Significant Habits” and to “Ignite” your referral business. If strategically moving into success, exceeding your goals, and most of all, increasing personal and professional happiness sounds like the foundation for a striving business, please reach out to Joshua for a 15 minute call to discover your next best steps.