In 2016, at just 27 years old, Brian Erhahon took the helm as team leader at one of Keller Williams’ busiest market centers. In two years, he has built the Southern California office from 153 to 233 agents and was even named a “30 Under 30” rising star of real estate by REALTOR® Magazine. His ability to achieve – a result of hard work, a love for learning, and investing in others – has proven contagious. Under Erhahon’s leadership, North Tustin is now the ninth top-producing office among all companies, and his associates closed more than $244 million in 2018, an increase of $70 million.
Within the Keller Williams model, a team leader is a top producer who has a proven track record of success. In addition to driving growth of the market center, this individual works directly with the top 20 percent of producers to help them increase their production.
“I believe Keller Williams is for everybody,” Erhahon says. “It’s going to give you a bigger platform. The best part is that you’re around great people who want to see you succeed.”
Erhahon’s Path to Leadership
Born in London to Nigerian parents, Erhahon moved with his family to the United States before he was 2 years old. While attending California State University, Fullerton, he went from packing boxes at UPS to a full-time career in real estate – fitting in showings and appointments between classes in 2010. Erhahon was fueled by the same grit and determination he’d witnessed in his father, also a real estate agent, over the years.
Erhahon began by nurturing important habits and skills: phone prospecting for hours each day and studying the careers of top Keller Williams agents. By the time he graduated, the 23-year-old was making a six-figure income and producing more than the majority of agents at his office.
Even with notable success under his belt, Erhahon was hyperaware of personal and professional stagnation. So, anytime he felt like he wasn’t progressing to the next level, he would pour his energy and time into Keller Williams’ trainings, such as Ignite and BOLD.
It was in the classroom that he encountered the concept that your business grows to the extent that you do. “I learned that and it changed my life,” Erhahon recalls. “Since then, I’ve been on a never-ending journey to learn, grow, and help others along the way.”
Erhahon went on to read 50 more leadership and business books that year, joined Keller Williams Young Professionals, and hired a KW MAPS Coach. His combined experience of studying and learning – and being with Keller Williams for the entirety of his career – helped him feel ready once he was tapped to take on the team leader role.
Infusing Value in Others
Erhahon’s ethos is to put more value into himself so that he can provide more value to his nearly 233 North Tustin agents. He inspires by casting a clear vision for culture and goals while maintaining good energy. Never forgetting that he’s built his career by learning from Keller Williams leaders, Erhahon pays it forward by regularly bringing some of the company’s top 50 producers to speak at his office. More than 200 people have attended these events.
“There are only a few areas in real estate that you can feel comfortable going to a top producer and asking them what they do,” he says. “At KW – that’s our environment.”
One of Erhahon’s main objectives is to gain an intimate understanding of what agents would like to accomplish so he can help them level up. He runs numbers, consults with agents individually, recommends resources and is training agents to be successful through Keller Williams technology. And, because it’s tempting to become satisfied with fewer units in Southern California where each closing yields higher volume, Erhahon follows Keller Williams’ playbook of pushing people to stretch their thinking and increase their number of transactions.
According to Regional Director Madison Offenhauser, this style has created an environment of personal and professional growth. “Brian is a high-energy, results-focused leader,” Offenhauser says.
“He leads by example – lead generating every day with his agents – and he truly cares about their success and holds them accountable to their goals.”
Success By the Book
Erhahon is a fan of running a systems-based and model-driven office. Agents have integrated tools such as the award-winning AI-powered personal assistant Kelle, Referrals, and trend reports into their business. And soon, Command will be the backbone of their office. The smart CRM will provide agents with integrated applications so they can run their operations with ease.
“I am passionate about helping new agents and top producers alike find success in this digital world. They are thrilled about the tech advancements we are making,” he says.
Mathew Thomas, a top-producing agent in the North Tustin office, says that while Erhahon might be young, he’s energetic – showing up early and “always working” – and he knows the Keller Williams systems and models very well, which Thomas says complements his own years of experience. “I look up to him and how he runs his team and motivates people to do more,” Thomas adds. “He goes by the book and proves that’s the best way to go – to follow the system.”
Now 30 years old, Erhahon still exudes the same passion that helped him years ago when he was balancing college classes with selling houses – the heart that got him where he is today.
“My endgame is to help others avoid complacency so their lives can expand,” Erhahon says. “It’s an honor to be a part of the process.”