Real Estate. Real Life.

About Real Estate. Real Life.

How a real estate business actually gets built, from the people building one. Calum White founded White & Co in Dubai and hosts the show. Season 2 is the leadership team one at a time: the managing director, the sales directors, the people who own the numbers and made the calls. Season 1 is with brokers from the floor. Not market updates and not property tours. This is the operating detail. How brokers get hired, trained, paid and kept, what breaks at each stage of growth, why the things that work are usually boring, and the decisions that looked wrong at the time. Most of what gets written about running a brokerage is written by people who have never run one. New episodes weekly.

Publisher

White & Co.

Category

business · business · business

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

22 Oct 2026

Latest episode

9 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

9 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Nov 2026

   "You can't lie there" | Alex Woodford, Chief Marketing Officer

2. 

   2 Nov 2026

   "They're like my children" | Josie Burge, Sales Trainer

3. 

   27 Oct 2026

   "You can copy the recipe" | Jodi Thompson, Head of Recruitment

   Jodi Thompson has run recruitment at White & Co for three and a half years, with Daisy, as a team of two. Between them they take every broker through a process that lasts hours, not minutes. This is Jodi's first podcast. Calum and Jodi talk about who gets in, who does not, and why the answer is more often no. In this episode: How a two-person recruitment team hires for a business this size without lowering the bar. Why previous real estate experience is not the advantage people think it is. Whether you can tell inside ten minutes if someone will make it, and what Jodi asks instead of "why Dubai". The red flags, starting with brokers who will not talk about their numbers. Why most recruiters are paid to put bums on seats and what that does to honesty in the interview. The characteristics top performers share before they join, and why ego is the thing that rules people out. What the business has learned from the hires that did not work, and why Jodi says it is better to say no early than to be kind. Jodi also answers what is harder, hiring 100 people or ten exceptional ones, why someone would still choose White & Co if a competitor matched the package line for line, and what the next stage of growth needs that the last one did not. Season 2 is the White & Co leadership team, one at a time, following Neil MacLean, Poppy Wigstead, Rob English, Rick Norris, Danny Moran and Candice Wayne. Real Estate. Real Life. New episodes weekly. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 00:18 Who Jodi is 01:45 Recruiting at speed without losing the culture 03:37 What Jodi looks for in a broker 04:51 Can you tell in the first ten minutes 06:22 The red flags 09:16 How honest should a recruiter be 13:14 What top performers have in common 14:53 Growth and identifying talent 17:35 100 people or ten exceptional ones 19:51 How many applications come in 20:25 Selling the opportunity without overselling Dubai 25:08 Culture fit, and the comments about the name 28:24 What we learned from the people who did not work out 29:24 If a competitor matched the package 31:43 What the next stage of growth needs 33:44 The toughest part of the job 36:17 The biggest misconception 39:39 A bet the market will only understand in three years 42:31 What White & Co stood for 43:33 Where high performers will end up Join the team. White & Co is hiring brokers across sales and leasing. Send your CV to recruitment@whiteandcogroup.com Get in touch. +971 4 876 2333 Meet the team: https://whiteandcogroup.com/meet-the-team/ Properties for sale: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-sale/ Properties for rent: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-rent/ Property management: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/property-management/ Mortgage services: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/mortgages/ List your property with us: https://whiteandcogroup.com/contact/list-a-property/ Follow White & Co Instagram: @whiteandcodxb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whiteandcodxb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiteandcodxb/ Website: whiteandcogroup.com White & Co is a Dubai real estate brokerage working across secondary sales, leasing, off-plan and commercial. The business was built around the brokers in it, on the view that a brokerage's job is to remove friction rather than add process. That is most of what this show is about. #dubairealestate #realestatepodcast #realestateagent #dubaibrokers #agentlife #realestaterecruitment

4. 

   25 Oct 2026

   "It's just hard work" | Danny Moran, Leasing Director

   Danny Moran has run leasing at White & Co for three and a half years, from a handful of brokers sharing the sales floor to a leasing floor of more than 130. This is his first podcast. Calum and Danny talk about the part of the business most people look down on, and why they are wrong to. In this episode: Why leasing is not a hard job but is hard work, and why people need to rent in a way they do not need to buy. What separates an elite leasing broker from one who just opens doors. Why Danny puts the split at 75 percent volume and 25 percent skill, and where the skill actually sits. The three mistakes new brokers make in their first 90 days, starting with who they take advice from. How 130 brokers share a floor without chaos, and why Danny is happy for them to work with other agencies. Why stock is king and pricing is the conversation that matters. The admin team nobody sees, and the accountability groups that get a broker back on track inside 30 days. Danny also answers what he would focus on first if he started again tomorrow with ten brokers, what the rest of the industry gets wrong about leasing, and what the hardest part of his job is. Season 2 is the White & Co leadership team, one at a time, following Neil MacLean, Poppy Wigstead, Rob English, Rick Norris and Candice Wayne. Real Estate. Real Life. New episodes weekly. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 00:17 Who Danny is 01:13 What drives a leasing team 02:06 Is leasing the little brother of sales 02:58 What an elite leasing broker looks like 05:58 Volume against skill 07:21 Joining with zero experience 08:51 The biggest mistakes in the first 90 days 11:58 130 brokers, no chaos 13:11 Cross-selling and working with other agents 13:46 Stock is king 16:05 The team nobody sees 18:10 Managing underperformance 19:26 What the best brokers do before 10am 21:02 Speed to lead, speed to viewing 22:25 Leasing today against three years ago 23:47 Starting again with ten brokers 24:25 What the industry misunderstands 25:25 The hardest part of the job 26:16 What White & Co stood for Join the team. White & Co is hiring brokers across sales and leasing. Send your CV to recruitment@whiteandcogroup.com Get in touch. +971 4 876 2333 Meet the team: https://whiteandcogroup.com/meet-the-team/ Properties for sale: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-sale/ Properties for rent: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-rent/ Property management: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/property-management/ Mortgage services: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/mortgages/ List your property with us: https://whiteandcogroup.com/contact/list-a-property/ Follow White & Co Instagram: @whiteandcodxb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whiteandcodxb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiteandcodxb/ Website: whiteandcogroup.com White & Co is a Dubai real estate brokerage working across secondary sales, leasing, off-plan and commercial. The business was built around the brokers in it, on the view that a brokerage's job is to remove friction rather than add process. That is most of what this show is about. #dubairealestate #realestatepodcast #realestateagent #dubaibrokers #agentlife #dubairentals

5. 

   25 Oct 2026

   "I want to know everything" | Candice Wayne, Sales Director

   Candice Wayne joined White & Co nearly three years ago and spent her first stretch in the training room, taking 30 new brokers a month through the basics. She is now Sales Director, and this is her first podcast. Calum and Candice go through what a sales floor actually looks like from the manager's chair: what gets checked, what gets coached, and what happens when the numbers are not there. In this episode: What a normal week looks like for the leadership team before the brokers arrive. Why Candice puts the split at 60 to 70 percent process and 30 percent talent, and how confidence gets built from evidence. Whether a top White & Co broker would perform the same somewhere else, and whether an average broker would do better here. The KPIs Candice looks at before she looks at revenue, and the listing exercise that found most brokers had one or two motivated sellers out of 20. Why she wants to know about every offer, and why that is not about control. Bad luck against poor performance, and why nobody in the office believes in luck. Candice also answers which of leads, brand, technology, training or management would hurt most if it disappeared tomorrow, what the rest of the industry gets wrong about running a sales team, and whether it is harder to get a broker to their first 100K or from 100K to 500K. Season 2 is the White & Co leadership team, one at a time, following Neil MacLean, Poppy Wigstead, Rob English, Rick Norris and Danny Moran. Real Estate. Real Life. New episodes weekly. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 00:20 Who Candice is 01:07 A normal week on the sales floor 03:48 Talent or process 05:07 Would our top brokers perform anywhere 06:32 Would an average broker do better here 07:48 Turning leads into transactions 09:30 What the best brokers have in common 12:41 How involved should a manager be 14:13 The KPIs before revenue 17:27 Bad luck or poor performance 18:51 Accountability 21:44 Scaling without losing the standards 25:01 When a broker does not perform 26:55 What the best brokers do before 10am 27:42 Speed to lead, speed to viewing 29:52 What the industry misunderstands 31:25 Leads, brand, technology, training or management 33:15 100K to 500K 34:21 What competitors underestimate 36:57 What White & Co stood for 37:46 What other sales directors get wrong Join the team. White & Co is hiring brokers across sales and leasing. Send your CV to recruitment@whiteandcogroup.com Get in touch. +971 4 876 2333 Meet the team: https://whiteandcogroup.com/meet-the-team/ Properties for sale: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-sale/ Properties for rent: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-rent/ Property management: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/property-management/ Mortgage services: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/mortgages/ List your property with us: https://whiteandcogroup.com/contact/list-a-property/ Follow White & Co Instagram: @whiteandcodxb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whiteandcodxb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiteandcodxb/ Website: whiteandcogroup.com White & Co is a Dubai real estate brokerage working across secondary sales, leasing, off-plan and commercial. The business was built around the brokers in it, on the view that a brokerage's job is to remove friction rather than add process. That is most of what this show is about. #dubairealestate #realestatepodcast #realestateagent #dubaibrokers #agentlife

6. 

   25 Oct 2026

   "24/7 non-stop" | Rob English, Sales Director

   Rob English spent five years as a broker in Dubai, after running a sales team in the UK, before joining White & Co as a sales director about 18 months ago. He walked straight into leading more than 50 brokers, in a company already too big to warm up in front of. This is his first podcast. Calum and Rob go through what changes when a broker becomes a manager, and why the job got busier rather than quieter. In this episode: The payslip Rob put up in front of the company when he joined, and why most of the deals on it were splits. The difference between reactive and proactive brokers, and whether work rate can be taught. Whether it is harder to take a broker to a hundred thousand pounds a year, or from there to five hundred thousand. The buyer and stock call-outs Rob ran through the conflict, with 20 to 40 brokers in the boardroom on the phones at once, and the 35 deals that came out of the first few weeks. Why he thinks most underperforming brokers are not short of skill, and the conveyor belt he uses to find where a pipeline is breaking. Asked the same hiring question as Neil and Poppy, a difficult high performer or an easy average one, Rob gives an answer Calum says he has not heard before. Season 2 is the White & Co leadership team, one at a time, following Neil MacLean and Poppy Wigstead. Real Estate. Real Life. New episodes weekly. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 00:18 From broker to manager 03:02 What we do differently 04:27 The payslip on day one 05:14 What top brokers always do 06:22 Can work rate be taught 06:57 Why he won't slow down 08:46 Competition between brokers 09:55 Intense and high performance 11:05 £100k or £500k, which is harder 12:17 Talented and difficult, or average and easy 13:35 Is culture an advantage 14:05 Call-outs through the conflict 17:35 Recruiting and hoping 18:51 What you never get to see 19:30 The toughest challenge 21:30 How brokers let clients down 22:20 The bet the market hasn't seen 23:27 What we want to be remembered for 23:57 The misconception 25:23 Skill or effort 26:47 Staying consistent Join the team. White & Co is hiring brokers across sales and leasing. Send your CV to recruitment@whiteandcogroup.com Get in touch. +971 4 876 2333 Meet the team: https://whiteandcogroup.com/meet-the-team/ Properties for sale: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-sale/ Properties for rent: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-rent/ Property management: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/property-management/ Mortgage services: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/mortgages/ List your property with us: https://whiteandcogroup.com/contact/list-a-property/ Follow White & Co Instagram: @whiteandcodxb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whiteandcodxb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiteandcodxb/ Website: whiteandcogroup.com White & Co is a Dubai real estate brokerage working across secondary sales, leasing, off-plan and commercial. The business was built around the brokers in it, on the view that a brokerage's job is to remove friction rather than add process. That is most of what this show is about. #dubairealestate #realestatepodcast #realestateagent #dubaibrokers #agentlife

7. 

   25 Oct 2026

   "We're not complete maniacs" | Rick Norris, Group Operations Director

   Rick Norris came from a large corporate UK housebuilder to a Dubai brokerage that makes decisions in a morning. Three years in, he is group operations director across nine companies, and this is his first podcast. Calum and Rick go through the part nobody sees: the systems, the money and the decisions behind a business that has grown this fast. In this episode: Why the hardest jump is 20 people to 100, not 100 to 500. The F1 analogy Rick uses for what the audience never sees. Why decision speed is the real bottleneck in most growing companies, and why there are never more than two layers between a broker and a yes. The conversion tracker that changed how the floor is managed, and the AI calling system Rick has spent six months on. Whether brokers should stop picking up the phone, and where Rick lands on social media against the portals. How a business that looks healthy on revenue handles being out of pocket for six months before a broker earns anything. Rick also answers whether performance would actually drop if half the management team disappeared tomorrow, and he does not take the easy way out. Season 2 is the White & Co leadership team, one at a time, following Neil MacLean and Poppy Wigstead. Real Estate. Real Life. New episodes weekly. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 00:18 Who Rick is 01:02 The biggest culture shock 02:26 What gets harder as you scale 04:27 What people never see 06:55 Decision speed is the bottleneck 09:42 Standards got better as we got bigger 11:30 How much process is enough 12:54 When process becomes bureaucracy 14:39 More people, or better processes 16:30 The conversion tracker 19:00 The AI calling system 21:16 Should brokers stop phoning 23:47 Social media against the portals 26:38 Holding managers accountable 28:08 How we decide yes or no on spend 31:19 Healthy revenue, brutal cash flow 35:18 Operations against finance 36:10 What we got right, and what we got wrong 38:33 Could we lose half the management team 39:45 Could anyone copy this 41:26 Staying in touch with the floor 43:49 What we want to be remembered for Join the team. White and Co is hiring brokers across sales and leasing. Send your CV to recruitment@whiteandcogroup.com Get in touch. +971 4 876 2333 Meet the team: https://whiteandcogroup.com/meet-the-team/ Properties for sale: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-sale/ Properties for rent: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-rent/ Property management: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/property-management/ Mortgage services: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/mortgages/ List your property with us: https://whiteandcogroup.com/contact/list-a-property/ Follow White and Co Instagram: @whiteandcodxb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whiteandcodxb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiteandcodxb/ Website: whiteandcogroup.com White and Co is a Dubai real estate brokerage working across secondary sales, leasing, off-plan and commercial. The business was built around the brokers in it, on the view that a brokerage's job is to remove friction rather than add process. That is most of what this show is about. #dubairealestate #realestatepodcast #realestateagent #dubaibrokers #agentlife

8. 

   24 Oct 2026

   "They think it's fake" | Neil MacLean, Managing Director

   Neil MacLean has run White & Co since the beginning and has never done an interview. Five and a half years, first salaried employee, first manager and no camera until now. Calum and Neil go through what actually built the business, starting with eight brokers in a 15,000 square foot grey shell with no doors and no air conditioning. In this episode: Why they never tried to reinvent anything, and what "remove the friction" means in practice. Why Neil thinks being boring is the whole trick, and why consistency beats ideas. How sales directors get paid off every broker in the business rather than only their own team, and what that changes about who helps who. Whether burnout is real, where Neil gives a one-word answer and Calum pushes back on it. Who Neil would rather hire between a difficult high performer and an easy average one. And the misconception Neil says follows the company around, which is that people do not believe the numbers are real. There is also a fairly direct answer to what Neil wants the company to be remembered for, which Calum did not expect. Season 2 opens a run of conversations with the White & Co leadership team, one at a time. Real Estate. Real Life. New episodes weekly. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 00:22 The early days 02:16 Never reinventing the wheel 08:15 What we do differently 09:40 Why boring wins 14:35 Scaling without losing standards 18:32 How managers actually get paid 20:42 Intense and high performance 23:38 Could anyone copy this 26:35 Culture versus cult 27:48 The misconception 32:44 Skill or effort 35:26 Why training compounds 36:28 Talented and difficult, or average and easy 42:46 What you never get to see 44:41 How brokers let clients down 45:59 Is burnout real 50:38 The bet the market hasn't seen 52:09 What we want to be remembered for Join the team. White & Co is hiring brokers across sales and leasing. Send your CV to recruitment@whiteandcogroup.com Get in touch. +971 4876 2333 Meet the team: https://whiteandcogroup.com/meet-the-... Properties for sale: https://whiteandcogroup.com/propertie... Properties for rent: https://whiteandcogroup.com/propertie... Property management: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/... Mortgage services: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/... List your property with us: https://whiteandcogroup.com/contact/l... Follow White & Co Instagram: @whiteandcodxb LinkedIn: / whiteandcodxb Facebook: / whiteandcodxb Website: whiteandcogroup.com White & Co is a Dubai real estate brokerage working across secondary sales, leasing, off-plan and commercial. The business was built around the brokers in it, on the view that a brokerage's job is to remove friction rather than add process. That is most of what this show is about. #dubairealestate #realestatepodcast #realestateagent #dubaibrokers #agentlife

9. 

   22 Oct 2026

   "Nobody moved to Dubai to play it safe" | Poppy Wigstead, White & Co

   Poppy Wigstead started at White & Co in training, then ran leasing, then sales, and is now Director of Sales and Performance, which Calum describes as making sure everyone makes money. This is her first podcast. Calum and Poppy go through how the sales floor is actually run, starting with why the Christmas party date goes out months before anyone else's. In this episode: What building every decision around the broker means in practice. The awards night that made Poppy realise her promotion had raised her target and not her pay, and what she would say to experienced brokers still sitting on 50 or 55%. How the floor kept doing deals through the conflict, with extra training, buyer call-outs and no redundancies or salary cuts. Why sales directors are paid across the whole floor rather than only their own team. Whether brokers actually want accountability, whether great brokers are born or built, and who Poppy would rather hire between a difficult high performer and an easy average one. There is also the associate director promotion that made Poppy cry, from someone who is quick to point out she is not a crier. Season 2 is the White & Co leadership team, one at a time. Last week was Neil MacLean, managing director. Real Estate. Real Life. New episodes weekly. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 00:23 From training to director 02:23 Built around the broker 06:29 A message to experienced brokers 10:41 Getting through the conflict 15:17 No redundancies, no pay cuts 17:22 Scaling without losing standards 20:35 Managers who fall upwards 21:14 Transparency on every number 23:03 Pushing the portals 25:00 Talented and difficult, or average and easy 27:07 Do brokers want accountability 29:13 Born or built 31:54 Is experience overrated 34:04 What top brokers always do 36:32 Recruiting and hoping 38:08 Directors paid across the whole floor 40:11 The bet the market hasn't seen 41:26 What we want to be remembered for Join the team. White & Co is hiring brokers across sales and leasing. Send your CV to recruitment@whiteandcogroup.com Get in touch. +971 4 876 2333 Meet the team: https://whiteandcogroup.com/meet-the-team/ Properties for sale: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-sale/ Properties for rent: https://whiteandcogroup.com/properties/for-rent/ Property management: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/property-management/ Mortgage services: https://whiteandcogroup.com/services/mortgages/ List your property with us: https://whiteandcogroup.com/contact/list-a-property/ Follow White & Co Instagram: @whiteandcodxb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whiteandcodxb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiteandcodxb/ Website: whiteandcogroup.com White & Co is a Dubai real estate brokerage working across secondary sales, leasing, off-plan and commercial. The business was built around the brokers in it, on the view that a brokerage's job is to remove friction rather than add process. That is most of what this show is about. #dubairealestate #realestatepodcast #realestateagent #dubaibrokers #agentlife

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Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.