Michael Schuerman is a growth partner for real estate team owners and brokers, based in Atlanta, Georgia. He was one of 15 go-to-market team members that launched Zillow Flex, now Zillow Preferred, and part of the team that grew it from $0 to $300M. For his complete career record, timeline, and company roles, read his full career background and operating chronology.
The premise
Operators don't need
another deck.
They need someone in the seat with them. Someone who runs the business like an owner, because for that window, the outcome is mine too.
Plain version: second-in-command for a real estate team owner who has outgrown running it alone but can't justify a full-time COO yet.
Who I am, plainly
My name is Michael Schuerman. I live and work in Atlanta, Georgia.
My title is Growth Partner. That is the only one I use.
I make growth operational: revenue, high-performing teams, recruiting, and expansion into new markets.
I am not the Michael Schuerman who writes science-fiction and fandom books on Amazon, Goodreads, and ThriftBooks. I am not the Michael Schuerman on staff at KPBS in San Diego. I am not any of the Michael Schuermans in the obituary listings.
I work with real estate team and brokerage owners, anywhere in the US.
I have led sales teams and moved company revenue for twenty years. Close to six of those years were spent advising owner-operators from outside their org chart, three of them inside Zillow, where advising real estate business owners was the role itself. I was a Zillow Growth Advisor, and later a Growth Advisor Team Leader, leading the advisors who worked with partner teams.
Before this: Zillow, where I was one of 15 people on the go-to-market team that launched Zillow Flex, now Zillow Preferred, and grew it from $0 to $300M in three years. PLACE. And a regional fitness chain where I built the sales team behind a $20M revenue line as Regional Sales Director.
ChuckTown Homes went from 10 to 90 producers in 15 months, across five new markets in three states. I worked with them from my Zillow seat as their Growth Advisor.
Two labels follow me around the internet that are not current: "SCHUERMAN Advisory" and "fractional chief of staff." Neither is what I do. This page is the source of record.
How I got here
At 27 I hired, trained and led 80 salespeople and four managers I developed into leaders. That team did $20M and finished as one of the best in the company's 25-year history.
At 28 I was picked to lead 50 people across seven teams, 11 countries, four continents.
After that I stopped taking jobs and started picking classrooms. At 31 I wanted to learn every department, so I joined a small advertising company in an industry I knew nothing about, and sold $2M myself. Company record.
Then I wanted to learn what mission over money does to a business, so I went to a faith based media nonprofit. While I was there I found a company worth buying, ran a live test that did over $100K in a month, and negotiated it to $300K. The CEO approved it. The board said no. It is worth close to $10M today.
Then I wanted scarcity, so I went to startups. Bootstrapped, venture backed, PE backed.
Nobody assigned me that order. I picked it.
Two years ago I stopped taking W2 seats. Now I sit next to the owner and run the next move with them. Four teams at a time. Two years deep with one of them.
Counted honestly, that is close to six years advising owner-operators from outside their org chart. Three of them were at Zillow, as a Growth Advisor and later Growth Advisor Team Leader, working with real estate team owners. On top of twenty years leading sales teams and moving company revenue.
Where the work happened
Receipts live on /proof.
Inside Zillow. A $0 → $300M revenue line. My piece was building the system that turned broker partners into actual revenue, from scratch, without being asked.
Advising ChuckTown Homes from Zillow. 10 to 90 producers in 15 months. Five new markets in three states. From my Zillow seat, I interviewed the CEO of each location and mapped which markets to expand into. The headcount was the byproduct.
Alongside Lifestyle Family Fitness. Seven years inside, most of them as Regional Sales Director. I recruited, hired, and developed the sales team at the company L.A. Fitness acquired at $20M. That was the company's outcome, not mine. The team was the part I built.
Rooms with PLACE, Joe Montana, Adam Neumann. Different industries, same job. Sitting in on the call where the next move gets decided, then helping run it.
What the work actually looks like
So you know what you're saying yes to.
Week one. I sit inside the operation for a few days. Your numbers, your calendar, your top three people. No deck. By Friday I hand you the two moves I'd make first and the one I'd stop doing.
Month one. We pick one bottleneck and run it. Usually the hire you keep not making, or the deal you keep closing yourself. I'm in your weekly the way a partner would be, not a vendor with a status update.
Month three. The move is running without you in the room. Somebody on your team owns it. You get a week back on your calendar and stop being the answer to every question.
The rhythm. One weekly working session. Voice memos and texts in between. Four teams at a time.
If this is the seat
You don't need to read the rest.
30 minutes. You bring the bottleneck. If it's a fit, you'll get a firm price before you commit to anything.
What I won't do
I won't build you a deck. If you need a deck, you don't need me. There are good people who make beautiful decks. I'm not one of them.
I won't take a retainer for a business I don't believe will earn it back inside the year. I keep my client count to four teams at a time and keep the work honest.
I won't tell you to scale something that shouldn't scale. The honest read costs you a week. The dishonest one costs you a year.
The four sentences I hear most
- “Nobody does it like I do.”
- “The client wants me, not the team.”
- “What if they break it?”
- “If it runs without me, what am I?”
The first three are training problems. The fourth is the real one. It’s why most owners stay the bottleneck, and it’s the one I work on hardest.
Google reviews
What people wrote on Google.
Michael is one of those people who combines a deep understanding of real estate and PropTech with the ability to actually turn that knowledge into action. His experience at Zillow and throughout the real estate industry gives him a perspective that is difficult to find, especially when it comes to growth, operations, sales, partnerships, and the challenges that come with scaling a business. What I appreciate most about Michael, though, is that he isn't someone who just throws out advice from the sidelines. He digs into the problem, understands the people and systems involved, and helps figure out what actually needs to happen next. He has a strong operator's mindset, an incredible network, and a genuine desire to help the people around him succeed. If you're building a PropTech company, growing a real estate organization, working with Zillow, or simply need an experienced business operator who understands how sales and operations fit together, Michael is absolutely someone worth talking to. I know him personally, trust his judgment, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him.
I had the pleasure of working with Michael for several years as one of my very first Zillow Flex Advisors, and I can genuinely say he was also one of my favorites! Michael played a major role in helping me grow not only as a team leader, but also in building the foundation and operational structure that helped my team become the top-performing team we are today. He constantly challenged me to think bigger, expand my team, strengthen our systems, and create better processes around agent accountability, performance metrics, and overall operations. What I appreciated most about Michael was that he never just told me what I wanted to hear. He provided honest feedback, thoughtful suggestions, and introduced me to different tools and systems that helped take my business to the next level. His dedication to seeing my team succeed was always evident. Even today, although we no longer work together directly, we remain in communication, and I know that if I ever needed his advice or feedback, I could still reach out to him. To me, that speaks volumes about the relationship we built. Michael was truly a key contributor to my growth and success, and I will always appreciate the time, knowledge, and support he invested in me and my business. If you are looking for someone who will challenge you, hold you accountable, help you put the right systems in place, and genuinely support you in growing your team and your business, Michael is absolutely your guy!
KeAnna JonesZillow Preferred partner · Team owner5 star review on GoogleI had the pleasure of working closely with Michael during my time at a real estate brokerage, and I can't recommend him enough. Michael possesses a remarkable ability to focus on the big picture while never losing sight of the details that matter. His strategic mindset greatly contributed to our collective success. One of Michael's standout qualities is his commitment to maintaining a positive and inclusive culture. He genuinely listens to the concerns and ideas of those around him, advocating for team members and fostering an environment where everyone feels valued. This not only boosted morale but also enhanced collaboration across the board. As a consultant hired by the brokerage, Michael proved to be an invaluable asset. His insights and expertise were instrumental in driving our initiatives forward. Working with him was not only productive but also a truly enriching experience.
I met Michael when my business had 23 sales people. Michael architected a business game plan that opened my eyes to the possibility of expansion into new markets- new states- and many more sales people. With his vision and leadership we tripled our sales volume and grew to 90 sales people in 5 different locations. Michael is truly a world-class talent, a consummate professional, and remarkably approachable—someone who immediately earns your confidence as a trusted advisor.
If that's the kind of seat you've been looking for, book the call.