What happens when your business is growing faster than your leadership can handle?
Christopher Fordinal, co-founder of Rise Real Estate, has experienced explosive growth—scaling from about 30 agents to roughly 600 agents across four states in just 2.5 years. But instead of simply pushing for more growth, Chris and his partner made a counterintuitive decision: slow down.
In this episode of Market Mavericks, Chris shares why sustainable business growth requires more than adding people and increasing revenue. At 100 agents, the founders realized they were becoming the bottleneck. By 250–300, they needed more empowered leaders. And at 500+, they recognized that hiring more “doers” wasn’t enough—they needed a strategy for multiplying leaders.
Chris also shares his unconventional hiring philosophy, including his “let me scare you” interview approach, why radical honesty and speed are non-negotiables, and how he distinguishes between the right person in the wrong seat and someone who violates the organization’s core values.
But this conversation goes beyond business.
As a man of faith, Chris sees his company as an opportunity to steward people well and live out his faith in the workplace. He draws surprising parallels between church planting and scaling teams—and shares how his ministry experience has shaped the way he leads.
Chris and Matthew also talk honestly about protecting marriage and family while building a rapidly growing company, including time-blocking, weekly planning with their wives, intentional date nights, and a monthly exercise based on the five love languages.
If you’re an entrepreneur, business owner, or leader trying to grow without sacrificing your people, your family, or what matters most, this conversation is for you.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
* Why sometimes the best move for business growth is to slow down
* How leadership needs change as an organization scales
* Why founders eventually have to stop being the person who does everything
* How to hire for culture, character, and leadership potential
* What a “let me scare you” interview looks like
* How faith can shape leadership in a non-Christian workplace
* How to protect marriage and family during seasons of rapid growth
* Why intentional systems matter in both business and relationships
* What it means to steward the opportunities and people God has entrusted to you
Guest: Chris Fordinal, Co-Founder of Rise Real Estate
This is a conversation about leadership, faith, business growth, family, and the courage to build something that lasts.
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You can subscribe to the podcast at https://matthewefird.com.
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