There are very few people in this industry who don’t know Benn and Lani Rosales.

In our latest real estate tech interview, I’m talking to Benn, who, of course, is the Founder & CEO of AGBeat. I’ll wager a bet that many who read Geek Estate, also read AGBeat. I’ve known Benn a long, long time – back from when he was still working on his virtual brokerage, Single Point Realty (I’m not sure if a web presence still exists for it?). Our first phone call was late 2006, or maybe early 2007 – he can leave a comment if he remembers the specifics. As you know, Benn is a very established player in our industry, though not quite the public face he used to be — I suspect that’s because he’s spending more time moving AGBeat into various other verticals. That said, he has undoubtedly influenced many entrepreneurs entering our industry over the past 10 years in some form or another.

Without wasting anymore time, here’s a bit from Benn…

What do you do?

I am the CEO of AGBeat, but I wear a lot of hats. My biggest hat is growth hacking, and I’m the final say for sales, ads, strategy, so I have to know everything about our company at all times. I’m not a micromanager, but running a lean company requires constant involvement. I trust the people that work for me to make decisions, but I’m responsible for the brand.

Here’s how our company breaks down:

Why do you do what you do?

My “why” is selfish, really. It isn’t about money or I would have changed careers long ago! I absolutely love being the voice for the underdog and sustaining a bully pulpit to defend industry minorities. On a daily basis, giving tips, tricks, and advice on how to operate and grow a business is wildly fulfilling!

What are you most excited about right now?

This may sound silly, but I am excited that I finally have found a job description I can identify with – I’m a growth hacker. I’ve always been a growth hacker throughout my career, and I love that term, it makes me happy.

What’s next for you?

We have transitioned successfully into small business and entrepreneurship as a general focus rather than a single industry, although we still have an insanely popular real estate section. AG (pronounced “aye gee”) serves a much larger audience, so now, we’re mastering our brand and are currently converting the brand to The American Genius as the umbrella, like a paper you pick up with sections rather than a single fixed subject (although we’re still generally focused so consumers aren’t confused).

Next up is Millennials. There’s not a lot I can tell you about it right now, but it is something we have up our sleeve, and we’re working on in the background. We’ll let you know when it happens, but here’s a hint: it revolves around our already growing network.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

I’m extremely passionate about and involved in my faith and politics, and when I’m not working, I’m devoted to one or the other.

Thanks to Benn for sharing his motivations and current projects. If you’re interested in connecting with him further, you can find him on Oh Hey World and LinkedIn.

PS: If you are a passionate fan of AGBeat, you can express your love for them by joining the community page here (you’ll need to sign in, checkin to a city, and then visit the AGBeat url http://www.ohheyworld.com/communities/agbeat).

We’ll be featuring other real estate tech entrepreneurs in the coming weeks. If you are an entrepreneur in the real estate vertical (past or present), and want to be profiled, please sign up for an OHW account, and join the Geek Estate community — then shoot me an email (drew at ohheyworld).