Top Workplaces 2023: Anvil defies slowdown, expands family of agents

The team at Anvil Real Estate in Laguna Hills is having no trouble working deals and selling homes, contrary to a market that’s seen inventory plummet amid soaring rates and prices.

The key, says principal Dan Smith, is putting each team member first, ahead of the profit.

Smith, who’s Anvil’s co-founder and captain of culture, decided early in the 2023 sales slump that keeping his team on the calls would help everyone.

“If we can help our agents make more money, we’ll be more profitable,” Smith says, rather than “how can I make more money off of my agents.”

To make it so, Smith and his wife and co-founder, Melody Smith, started a profit-sharing plan at Anvil.

“Here’s a piece of the company profit back to the agents for participating,” he says. Increased productivity, Smith suspected, would actually make the whole team more profitable.

That combination has put Anvil back in the winners’ circle for the second time, a coup for a company that’s just two years into the 16-year-old Top Workplaces program.

Employees in the survey commended Smith and the management team for helping everyone feel part of the team.

“Anvil knows we’re human, have our own lives but also pushes us to be the best Realtors we can be,” wrote one employee. “No company is perfect but Anvil really makes me feel like I’m in the best place, and I’m not leaving!”

“The captain of culture gives it his all to make sure every one of his agents succeeds,” wrote another.

Smith spoke to us about what has helped keep Anvil’s work culture positive and moving forward in a time when sales are at their slowest pace in 36 years.

Q: Is your market pretty specific to South Orange County?

We’ve actually expanded really, but yes, our market is very specific to Orange County. We have grown and we are in north Orange County as well. And we’re opening an office in Los Angeles, too. And we have an office in San Diego already.

How are you able to expand when so many brokerages are contracting?

We are experiencing growth because our full-time agents and not the non-hobbyists are coming to the business.

Q: So that means you’ve been hiring.

We’ve probably done 300 interviews this year, but only brought on 20 agents. Because 180-ish just weren’t the right fit. Because too many people wanted to do this part-time. This wasn’t going to be their career. So, I’m looking for people who want this to be their full-time job. We hire right. With that kind of ethic, I’m not fighting the normal 1099 (contractor) or a “side hustle” mentality.

Q: We’re reading a lot about how unaffordable homes are now. Your job as the captain of culture must be a lot harder today, right?

Yeah, it’s become a lot more difficult to be a successful real estate agent because there’s a lot less buyers who can qualify.

(Homeowners) want to sell but it’s hard for them to get in with something else. And a 3% reduction in transactions across the board makes it tougher for real estate agents. Four out of every 10 transactions isn’t even there anymore, right?

So it has been difficult for the agents and at times challenging for them, and that’s where the captain of culture comes in. I’m constantly reminding them to look at the bright side, remember that in every adversity they face there’s opportunity as other agents leave the business.

Q: How do you maintain your positivity with sales agents out in the field or working from home?

We’ve adjusted and pivoted probably a couple of times this year. It just depends on the ebb and flow of the market. We do about 25% of our meetings in person and about 25% on Zoom only. And the other 50% of them are usually hybrid meeting. Agents can choose.

Q: And how do you keep the energy high in such a demanding market?

Sometimes it’s a hard struggle for me. I have to be very good at manufacturing energy, manufacturing emotion on those harder days. It just means I have to dig deeper and find it because that’s my job. I don’t sell real estate anymore. So I’m not double-dipping and having to go out and sell a house and then come back and motivate. So I don’t get the luxury of saying, “Oh, I’m having a rough day.”

Q: And what does the captain of culture tell his people when the going gets rough?

When we talk about time management, there are always two things that need to be put onto their time calendar — family and their business. We’re very big on having balance, very big on making sure that you spend quality family time with your loved ones. We are a huge proponent of having the right balance.

Q: And does that investment on work-life balance come back to you?

The most rewarding thing about being the captain of culture is I feel the team’s trust on a daily basis, and that helps keep us all going.

Anvil Real Estate

Founded: 2020

Headquarters: Laguna Hills

Industry: real estate

OC employees: 62

Website: anvilreinc.com

Quote: “The most rewarding thing about being the captain of culture is I feel the team’s trust on a daily basis, and that helps keep us all going.” Dan Smith, co-founder of Anvil Real Estate