Smart scaling: How Mike Heddle built a top team powered by data

• By Mike Heddle
• Posted Monday, Jan 05, 2026 12:21 pm

Smart scaling: How Mike Heddle built a top team powered by data

Over two decades in the field, Hamilton broker Mike Heddle has built his reputation on translating data into decisions that drive big results. As the founder of Heddle Real Estate, he’s led his team of five agents, one retired agent and a lean administrative staff to consistently surpass $70 million in annual sales and close more than 200 transactions each year. 

Heddle is known for being analytical yet pragmatic, someone who helps his team understand the numbers for greater insight into the realities of the market. That mindset has earned Heddle national recognition, including a place in Royal LePage’s Chairman’s Club for the top one per cent of the network, and the company’s highest honour, National Realtor of the Year in 2021.

Scaling from one assistant to a full team

When Heddle first earned his real estate licence in 2005, he treated it much like many new agents do, as a side pursuit. By 2008, it had become his full-time career. In 2015, he began to think about building something bigger than a one-person operation. 

That was the same year he was introduced to Kathleen Black, who was just launching her coaching company. “She’s celebrating her 10th year, which also coincides with my 10th year of coaching with her, so that’s kind of fun,” Heddle told Real Estate Magazine, days before heading off to trek the Cambodian jungle to raise funds for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation. 

Heddle started with a modest team; besides himself, he had one licensed assistant. According to Black, the first major shift came about two and a half years into their work together. 

The Heddle Group posted a 90 per cent increase in business in 2018, becoming a 250-deal-plus producer and selling its way into Royal LePage’s top one per cent. In the fall of 2020, they were tracking for 300, which included new sales. 

“That was a huge, 100 per cent improvement year over year,” said Black. That period marked a transition from a solo agent with some support to a leader with a growing team. “You have to make major shifts to do that—looking at how to train people, bring them on, support them, and structure the business,” Black says.

Rethinking compensation models

When Heddle first started team building, structuring compensation was one of his biggest challenges. Thinking outside of the traditional model was key to helping him grow, he said. “I wouldn’t be here today if I had gone with that 50/50 style model,” he said. “It’s just not profitable, or certainly the way I was running it wouldn’t have been profitable enough to withstand the test of time.” 

He adopted Black’s system, which can be adjusted to reflect market conditions. Black said her approach, which is designed to buffer tough markets, is intentionally different from standard practice in the industry. It’s based on four business pillars: cost of sale, salaries and management, ownership profit margins and goals, and finally, residuals. 

She said many team leaders don’t fully understand their numbers. This structure takes the full picture into account. “The industry often teaches people to look at their numbers in ways that aren’t accurate,” she explains. “They’re not accounting for gross sales, pay structures, expenses and actual profits. When we analyze the math, team leaders are often surprised. They realize they’re not profitable or couldn’t sustain the business if they sold less.”

Recruiting with intention

Recruitment was another area where Heddle reshaped his systems. He refers to his approach as a “knockdown” elimination, which allows him to focus on the strongest candidates who are left at the end. He said recruitment ads might generate 100 applications. Then, he uses a series of filters: an information session sometimes held on a Saturday morning, a math test, a credit check and an assignment where candidates share something not on their resume. “Of the 100, we already weeded out 95 per cent,” Heddle said. 

“I’m dealing with the top five per cent of doers, people that are action takers and will follow up and will show up and do what they say.” Black noted that his careful, data-driven approach reflects how he approaches all areas of growth. “Mike calls himself a ‘second-wave adopter,’” she said. “He waits long enough to see what’s working, gathers the data and then implements. He lets others iron out the kinks, and that’s pretty unique.”

Heddle said coaching has been vital in navigating the ups and downs of housing market trends. Admittedly, he isn’t an expert in sales scripts, so he relies on Black’s team to train his agents. He explains exercises like roleplaying prepare agents for not only seasonality, but also for challenging market conditions like most major Canadian cities are facing today.

Building — and sharing — proven systems

Black pointed to a key growth stage of Heddle’s brokerage when he built out data and systems within his platforms. “We spent about a year and a half doing a deep dive into processes and systems in his Follow Up Boss platform,” she said. That system-building allowed Heddle’s team to track performance in detail as he built up his agent count. 

“He could see all the data: number of calls, average conversion rates, email open rates, appointments booked versus met versus converted,” Black said. “It took his business to a completely different level.” 

Over time, Heddle has become a sought-after speaker at industry events, where he shares insights into the systems he’s perfected over the years. When he takes the stage, he aims to leave listeners with takeaways they can implement in their own business. “I try to give you the roadmap,” he says.

Slow and steady pace

Over the last ten years of working together, Heddle says he’s witnessed consistency on both sides, which has contributed to his and Black’s success. “There’s no shortcut,” he says. “It’s often a byproduct of a lot of hard work, staying consistent in your values and your messaging and the standard of service that you deliver to your clients.” 

Black said Heddle’s success is not just about production but about the empathetic way he approaches leadership. “He’s learned to delegate more, create autonomy and support for his team, and communicate more clearly about where the business needs to go. He does it calmly and empathetically — not ego-driven or aggressive, just factual.”

Looking ahead

Black says Heddle is now entering another phase. “He’s getting clear about his priorities and health, taking care of himself and growing the business beyond just his shoulders,” she said. “Many team leaders go through that. I’m excited for where he’s headed next.” 

Growth in production and agent count remains part of Heddle’s vision, and he said coaching will continue to play a central role. “We’re not looking for the quick fix,” he affirms. “It’s those routine, consistent, daily, monthly, annual habits or consistencies in coaching, business planning, onboarding, skill development....[READ MORE]