Media kit
For podcast hosts & press.
Bios at three lengths, topics I’m useful on, a headshot, and where to email. Everything on this page is copy-paste ready. If something you need isn’t here, just email.
Bios
Three lengths, copy-paste.
Short
~40 wordsMichael Schuerman is a growth partner for real estate team and brokerage owners, based in Atlanta. He 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. After that he was a Growth Advisor, and later a Growth Advisor Team Leader. He worked with ChuckTown Homes as their Zillow Growth Advisor as they grew from 10 to 90 producers.
Medium
~85 wordsMichael Schuerman is a growth partner for real estate team and brokerage owners. Track record: 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. After that he was a Growth Advisor, and later a Growth Advisor Team Leader. He worked with ChuckTown Homes as their Zillow Growth Advisor as they grew from 10 to 90 producers across five new markets in three states. He grew a residential real estate team from 60 agents to 120 in seven months. As National Director of Sales Operations at PLACE, he worked with the growth team as partners grew from 100 to 300+. Earlier, he built a $20M-a-year high-ticket sales team at a fitness company later acquired by L.A. Fitness. Based in Atlanta.
Long
~200 wordsMichael Schuerman is a growth partner for real estate team and brokerage owners. He builds recruiting and runs expansion into new markets. He 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, and scaled the partner training nationally when COVID hit. After that he was a Growth Advisor, and later a Growth Advisor Team Leader. He worked with ChuckTown Homes as their Zillow Growth Advisor as they grew from 10 to 90 producers across five new markets in three states. He grew a residential real estate team from 60 agents to 120 in seven months. As National Director of Sales Operations at PLACE, he worked with the growth team as partners grew from 100 to 300+. Earlier, he built a $20M-a-year high-ticket sales team at a fitness company later acquired by L.A. Fitness. Based in Atlanta. He writes a weekly note called Sunday Decisions.
Topics I’m useful on
What to bring me on for.
The Operating Partner seat
What it is, who needs it, and how it's different from a consultant, a fractional COO, or a Chief of Staff. Why founders under $20M usually hire the wrong one first.
Scaling a producer team from 10 to 90
The ChuckTown case: what actually breaks between 10 and 30, between 30 and 60, and between 60 and 90. What survives and what doesn't.
Inside Zillow Flex (now Preferred)
On the team that brought Flex to market. Built the in-person Atlanta partner training. Scaled it nationally when COVID hit. What partner teams still get wrong.
The cost of the call you keep not making
How to price the VP hire you've been avoiding, the customer at 40% concentration you haven't called, the underperformer you haven't moved on. Real numbers.
Owner-led vs family-owned vs owner-operated
Why the distinction matters for valuation, exit multiple, and the second-in-command decision. The 2–3x vs 5–7x EBITDA gap and how to close it.
Building the sales team that gets sold
What it took to build the sales team at the company L.A. Fitness acquired at $20M, and what acquirers actually underwrite when they buy one.
Suggested questions
If you want a starting point.
- 01What does an Operating Partner actually do in a week?
- 02How is that different from a consultant or a fractional COO?
- 03What's the moment a founder should stop being the seller?
- 04Walk me through the ChuckTown 10-to-90 story.
- 05What did Zillow Flex look like the day it launched?
- 06What's the call most founders keep putting off?
- 07How do you price something like this?
- 08What's the most expensive mistake owner-operators make around a sale?
Featured in
Previous appearances.
Growth Mindset
Founder-led businesses stall when every decision still routes through the owner. This talk covers how to build a leadership layer that can run the next phase without you in every room.
Delivered for Glorium Technologies.
Assets
Headshot & usage.
Cleared for editorial and podcast use. Credit line optional; if used: Michael Schuerman, Growth Partner.
Need a higher-resolution version, a different crop, or a square variant? Email and I’ll send it back the same day.
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