Building Relationships & Scaling Your Business in Real Estate: My Interview on the Northern Vibes Podcast

Jerad Larkin
Aug 12
5 min read

Question we’re answering: How do you build a successful, scalable real estate business from scratch - even when you don’t know anyone in your market?

Quick answer: It’s all about consistency, community, and finding the activities you genuinely love. When you combine your passions with strategic networking, value-driven education, and modern tools like AI, you can grow faster, avoid burnout, and create lasting success.

From Ski Slopes to Title Insurance

If you told me 15 years ago that I’d be known as the Mile High Title Guy in Denver real estate, I probably would’ve laughed. My early years weren’t spent networking at real estate events - they were spent on snowy mountains.

I grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York, with a strong family connection to real estate. Both of my parents were commercial real estate brokers, so my first jobs involved answering phones, making flyers, and doing marketing work for their business. Real estate was in my DNA, but I didn’t know if it was my career path.

I came to Colorado because of competitive skiing - freeride, halfpipe, rails, jumps - the works. Colorado was the place for winter sports, and I fell in love with the lifestyle. But after college at the University of Denver (finance degree in hand), I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.

The Backpacking Chapter That Changed Everything

After getting married in Aspen, my wife and I decided to hit pause on “normal life” and explore. We bought one-way tickets to Lisbon, Portugal, and spent about a year backpacking across Europe, living out of our backpacks and soaking up as many experiences as possible.

The trip’s goal was to figure out what we wanted to do with our lives. Truth be told, I didn’t come back with a crystal - clear plan - but I did return with a fresh perspective.

How I Discovered Title Insurance (and My Niche)

Back in the States, I found myself at a party in Los Angeles where a family friend mentioned I should sell title insurance. My immediate response: “What’s title insurance?”

After some Googling, I found the D.C. Title Guy, Wade Vanderbilt, who had built a business model around combining title insurance with marketing consulting. That clicked for me. I loved real estate, I loved marketing - why not bring those together here in Denver?

So, the Mile High Title Guy was born.

Breaking Into the Denver Market Without a Network

Here’s the hard truth: I wasn’t from Colorado, I didn’t know anyone, and I was in an industry built entirely on relationships.

Back in 2017, there weren’t many title reps teaching classes, offering marketing strategies, or doing more than dropping off bagels. My pitch of “let me teach and support your business” was met with skepticism. But I knew if I could combine education with genuine value, I could create my own lane.

The early days were filled with long hours, low income, and plenty of rejection. I tried cold calls, pop-bys, gift baskets - you name it. Many didn’t work. But I discovered that teaching classes felt natural to me, and people responded well to it. I leaned in, expanded my topics, and slowly built a reputation.

Consistency: The Key to Long-Term Success

I often share this with new title reps, agents, and loan officers: it takes time. In my case, about 18 months in, I seriously thought I might get fired. The results weren’t matching the effort yet. But the seeds I had planted - those relationships, classes, and community events - started to bloom.

Consistency is unglamorous, but it’s the compound effect that matters. One deal a month can turn into three. One attendee at an event can become a client who sends five referrals. It’s slow at first, but if you stay in the game, the momentum builds.

A Day in the Life: Chaos, Coffee, and Client Meetings

People often think self-employed salespeople “make their own schedule.” That’s true - but it also means we have to fit work around family and life, which often means early mornings, late nights, and a calendar stacked with back-to-back meetings.

For me, mornings start with the gym and helping my wife wrangle our three young kids (twins who are two and a four-year-old). From there, my day might include:

A morning coffee meeting with a managing broker
Hosting a lunch-and-learn
Back-to-back Zoom consultations
An afternoon client meeting
Wrapping up with event planning or marketing work

After dinner and family time, I often spend late evenings catching up on emails, texts, and researching new AI tools.

Why I’m All-In on AI and Automation

One of the biggest challenges in scaling any sales career is avoiding burnout. You can’t do it all manually forever. That’s why I’ve embraced:

Virtual assistants (VAs) to offload administrative work
AI tools like ChatGPT to speed up content creation and marketing
Automation systems for follow-up and event management

These tools give me back hours each week, allowing me to spend more time building relationships and teaching.

Finding Your Zone of Genius

In real estate, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to lead generation. Some people love cold calling; others thrive at open houses. I’ve learned that your business grows fastest when you double down on the things you enjoy and are good at.

For me, that’s teaching. Standing in front of a room, sharing practical marketing and business strategies, and answering real questions - that’s where I thrive. And because I enjoy it, I do it consistently, which in turn creates business opportunities.

Community First, Business Second

I’ve hosted everything from dodgeball tournaments to backyard BBQs to Rockies games. The point isn’t to sell - it’s to bring people together. When you create genuine connections and community, the business follows naturally.

Events have also been a way for me to stand out in an industry where many relationships are purely transactional. I want people to walk away from an event thinking, “That was fun, I learned something, and I’d like to work with Jerad again.”

Learn how Mile High Title Guy, Jerad Larkin, built a thriving Denver real estate business from scratch. In this Northern Vibes Podcast interview, Jerad shares lessons on consistency, community, AI, and scaling without burnout.

Lessons for Real Estate Professionals

Whether you’re an agent, lender, or title rep, here are my takeaways from the last eight years:

Be patient. It takes time for relationships to pay off.
Stay consistent. Even when it feels like nothing’s happening, keep showing up.
Find your lane. Lean into the activities you enjoy and can sustain.
Provide value first. Education and community-building come before the sales pitch.
Leverage tools. AI, automation, and VAs can help you scale without burning out.

Final Thoughts

The Northern Vibes Podcast interview was a chance to share not just my story, but the strategies and mindset that have helped me build a sustainable business in a competitive market.

If you’re in real estate and looking for ways to grow, I encourage you to explore different avenues until you find the one that feels natural - and then go all in.

Listen to the Episode on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-relationships-and-scaling-business-with/id1805854555?i=1000721151327

Listen to the Episode on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/5nPYAxPzt5BbWIGWIJ1wyo?si=4ff9815271a74944