Tony Hanson and Lucas Mudrey, co-founders of Paracle (a Greek word meaning “to come alongside, to advise, and to counsel”), provide an energetic and highly tactical blueprint for building a successful brokerage.
The company spans the Carolinas with five offices and over 400 agents, generating approximately $1 billion in annual sales.
Mudrey, a former attorney, and Hanson, a real estate veteran, built the company with a lead generation-focused model, spending approximately $500,000 per month to acquire highly predictable business. They chose this approach specifically to eliminate the “yo-yo” effect and inconsistencies associated with relying solely on agents’ sphere of influence (SOI).
Watch or listen to the full episode to hear more about their massive lead generation model, their obsession with calculating hourly agent worth, and their full tech stack, including BrokerBot, used to eliminate administrative “dumb tax” and ensure consistent agent success.
Highlights
The core of Paracle’s operational philosophy is the “Rhino Mindset” — a framework that categorizes people as either “rhinos” (charging massively after goals and taking immediate action) or “cows” (blaming others and avoiding action). They instill this culture on Day 1 by asking recruits to read Rhinoceros Success. Hanson says he can tell whether the agent will be a fit for their culture based on how they respond.
They teach agents to calculate their worth, breaking down a $1 million income into $520 an hour to highlight the cost of “cow activities” (non-revenue-producing tasks). They aggressively charged through the 2020-2023 market downturn, which Hanson calls the “separation season,” leading to 30 percent year-over-year growth.
Paracle’s system is built to minimize the administrative burden (“dumb tax”) and maximize lead conversion. Their tech stack includes Follow Up Boss, Maverick RE and specialized tools like Texting Betty. A major innovation is their deployment of BrokerBot, an AI system that houses all company forms, compliance and training to answer redundant agent questions instantly, freeing leaders for coaching.
Mudrey challenges the industry’s focus on pre-qualification, arguing that it is “rude” and that every inbound lead is a “relationship opportunity,” worth a potential $120,000 lifetime value.
Their final advice for scaling is to prioritize the culture and people — human capital, not money.
Connect with Tony Hanson on LinkedIn. Learn more about Paracle on Instagram, Facebook or at paraclerealty.com.
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James Dwiggins is the Co-CEO of NextHome, Inc. and co-host of Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered.
Keith Robinson is the Co-CEO of NextHome, Inc. and co-host of Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered.
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