B U S I N E S S F O O D & D R I N K N I G H T L I F E S T Y L E S H O P S

AD

DIS

ON

TH

E M

AG

AZ

IN

E o

f the

NO

RT

H D

AL

LA

S C

OR

RI

DO

R

OC

T/N

OV

20

17

T H E M A G A Z I N E

o f t h e N O R T H D A L L A S

C O R R I D O R

Oct/Nov

STEAKING THEIR CLAIMHOW STEAK HOUSES IN THE CORRIDOR UNIQUELY PREPARE YOUR STEAK

PREVIEW OF 2018 AUTO

MODELS

SHOPPING CHOICES IN

THE CORRIDOR

CUT + COLOR + STYLE FOR

FALL

Sooner Nation Returns to Addison

A D D I S O N T h e M a g a z i n e o f t h e N o r t h D a l l a s C o r r i d o r O CT/ N OV 2 0 1 7 3 7

bızP O I N T

CC O N F U C I U S O N C E S A I D , “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.”

In history, the ancient Chinese philosopher is said to have been one of the most successful influencers of Chinese government and cultural development. Even now, his thoughts and teachings continually seem to crop up in boardrooms, classrooms and the homes of ordinary people. In the same vein, throughout his life, Bill Gates has shared many insights on his success in becoming one of the most powerful figures in business.

“It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”— Bill Gates

Failure is everywhere. It’s a part of humanity, and to be afraid to fail is almost as bad as never trying. The great names in history that society looks to and leans on for inspirational guidance didn’t succeed from the start.

There were trials, and there were errors. The

Streamlining the System Ben Caballero’s climb to the top

BY EMILY ESLECK

3 8 O C T/ N OV 2 0 1 7 A D D I S O N T h e M a g a z i n e o f t h e N o r t h D a l l a s C o r r i d o r

B I Z P O I N T

E V E R Y O N E S T A R T S S O M E W H E R EAt age 21, Caballero obtained his real estate

broker license, and from there he built himself from the ground up and zoomed through the industry without ever having worked for anyone. He said that besides summer work in high school and serving time in the Air Force, he’s never had a boss.

Caballero, a first-generation Cuban, moved to Dallas from Florida one week after his 21st birthday. Dropped into Texas with no friends, no business contacts, and little education above high school, he had to make a way for himself in the city.

“I had a wife, just $500 in my bank account, my mother’s car, and the certainty that I would be a millionaire before I was 30,” Caballero said.

Now, he’s held chief executive officer or president titles in the real estate business as a broker, apartment locating company head, home and apartment builder, and land developer, all in the Dallas area.

Much like the idyllic figures in history, Ben Caballero wasn’t afraid of failure.

“What some consider a failure, I see as an opportunity to learn about myself, about life, and what not to do,” Caballero said regarding his level of success. “To me the cost of failure is payment for the knowledge gained.”

the learning curve.” Caballero holds the 2016 No. 1 ranking in

two categories: number of real estate sales transactions and cumulative transaction (dollar) volume.

But he didn’t just hit the top of the charts in 2016. He’s ranked No. 1 in those categories for the last five years.

Not only did he total 3,556 home sales in 2016, but he also brought in $1,444 billion in volume. He is the first and only agent in U.S. history to ever exceed the $1 billion mark for residential sales transaction volume in a single year.

In 2016, he broke his previous record of $1,022 billion that he set the year before.

So how did he do it?

inventor of the lightbulb, one of the greatest inventions ever created, came from humble beginnings and rose to success only after trying over and over again.

“Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don’t.” — Thomas A. Edison

Today, businessmen around the country hope to achieve what these notable figures have. One of Addison’s own, Ben Caballero of HomesUSA.com, has made his mark on the real estate industry, and it didn’t come without hard work and perseverance.

To him, being ranked No. 1 in the United States by The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends was never a conscious objective. He attributes his climb to the top of the nation’s industry leaderboard to his recognition of a need and having the ability to fill it in a unique way. He said his intense drive to create and to find better ways to do something makes him never satisfied with the current process in place.

“When I have an idea, I get really excited about it, even if I don’t know everything I need to be successful yet,” he explained. “But my excitement can usually carry me through the obstacles I encounter and help me overcome

Ranked No. 1 in the United States by The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends– Ben Caballero, HomesUSA.com

BEN CABALLERO

STATS

$1,444 BIN 2016 , BUT HE ALSO BROUGHT IN $1,444 BILLION IN VOLUME

$1 BHE IS THE FIRST AND ONLY AGENT IN U.S. HISTORY TO EVER EXCEED THE $1 BILLION MARK FOR RESIDENTIAL SALES TRANSACTION VOLUME IN A SINGLE YEAR.

$1,022IN 2016, HE BROKE HIS PREVIOUS RECORD OF $1,022 BILLION THAT HE SET THE YEAR BEFORE3556 TOTAL

HOME SALES IN 2016

A D D I S O N T h e M a g a z i n e o f t h e N o r t h D a l l a s C o r r i d o r O CT/ N OV 2 0 1 7 3 9

B I Z P O I N T

Working diligently to improve his business and expand his client base, he explained the only real business struggle he has now is that technology takes more time to develop than he would like.

B U I L D I N G A C O M P A N Y Starting out, he said his first goal was

to just make an honest living. His initial idea of HomesUSA.com that inspired him approximately 20 years ago transformed into a service and, later, a platform.

Caballero kept learning and refining until it developed into the powerful platform it is today.

HomesUSA.com combines technology, processes and expertise to save home builders time and money - which these days, is like finding gold in a deep, dark mine.

The platform is an MLS interface for builders that also provides professional photography and forwards leads from Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, Homes.com and other real estate portals. It serves Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Abilene.

As HomesUSA.com CEO and president, Ca b a l l e r o h a s wo n m u l t i p l e awa r d s including the Inman 2013 Innovator Award, 2014 Pinnacle Award for Real Estate Entrepreneurship presented by Keller Williams Realty, Inman’s The Real Estate Influencers Award of 2017, and 2017 Swanepoel Power 200 Trendsetter. He was also a finalist for the Inman 2016 Innovator Award.

Despite all his success, Caballero says he has a hard time feeling superior to other real estate professionals in the industry.

“I’m not always successful, but I don’t need to be. No one bats a thousand,” he said.

Four individuals, including Caballero, make up the leadership team who collaborate closely to call the shots for HomesUSA.com.

As Caballero explains it, many people who are individually successful are not successful in building an organization.

He adds that developing a successful team requires the ability to lead, teach and motivate others, as well as having patience and being responsible for the success of your employees.

When Caballero isn’t working with HomesUSA.com, he finds himself at the gym and occasionally at Cowboys, Mustangs and Mavericks games.

Since moving from Florida, he’s been an Addison man. From living on Surveyor and working on Westgrove Drive during the late ’80s and early ’90s to moving his office to Sunbelt Drive in 2012—only approximately

500 feet from his previous office—Caballero remembers when the Addison City bird was the crane, and as he specifies, not the mammal but the construction kind.

“When I was building homes in Carrollton in the ’70s, I had the privilege of watching Addison grow from a town where the only restaurant was at the Addison Airport, and Belt Line was a two-lane blacktop road,” Caballero reminisced. “I love Addison.”

I N D U S T R Y E X P E C T A T I O N S A N D A D V I C E Caballero recently attended an industry

conference where experts said real estate agents should look for a national housing slowdown in 2019 or 2020.

Moving forward, he said Texas is well-positioned geographically, economically and politically.

He thinks the Lone Star State should fare better than other parts of the country.

To make sure he’s ahead of the curve, Caballero constantly generates new ideas and efficient new ways of completing tasks that could help consumers. He said he’s currently working on an exciting new project that includes learning new skills.

“If you’ve stopped growing, there must be a reason,” he said. “It’s time to have an honest discussion with yourself to determine why you aren’t growing. We are our own worst enemy. We know ourselves better than anyone, and only we can use our weaknesses with maximum effect.”

Caballero advises to begin asking yourself tough questions without making excuses or blaming the economy or others: Why are you in the business? Do you like it? Do you have a burning desire to achieve success? Are you utilizing the knowledge or ability you have that applies to your career?

“Realize people are not all motivated by the same thing and not everyone thinks like you,” Caballero said.

The freedom to dream and create is at the core of America's foundation. But if work is not enjoyable and fulfilling, Caballero explains, it will be difficult to make money and succeed.

“If you work to achieve recognition or respect so you can feel important, your achievements will be hollow,” he said. “If you work because you love the work, and you love the work because you are helping to make a better world, then you very likely will have money, recognition and the respect of others, but most importantly, you will be happy.”

Best Cigar LoungeIn Dallas

ddi

972-934-2467cigarloungeatchamberlains.com

5334 Beltline Road, A son

ATTENTION REALTORS!

Want your newestlistings seen?

With our print and digital packages you will be able to reach our readers, web visitors and the inboxes of potential home buyers every week!

For information, contact Sharla DeFrancisco at214-696-9525 x1 or

sharla@hamcpublishing.com