Kasey Mock

As the
director of Farm
& Ranch at Keller Williams
Realty International (KWRI) and the
owner of Mock Ranches, Kasey Mock is a
man on the move.
“I don’t sit still very well, unless I’m hunting,” Mock,
who is a native of Kyle in Hays County, said. “While I love
the fast-pace and can’t imagine ever doing anything not
involving land, people and business, there are days I envy
mountain men just a bit. I love the solitude of leading a
pack train in the western mountains.”
Actually, it was his passion for the outdoors that
prompted Mock, in 2009, to found Fever Pursuit, a
consulting business designed to help landowners and
outfitters maximize trophy hunting opportunities. It was the
first company, in what has become a family of businesses,
created by the serial entrepreneur.
“At the time, I was working for [Texas AgriLife]
Extension, which gave me the opportunity to work directly
with a lot of landowners—and see what their needs were,”
Mock, a graduate of Tarleton State University, said. “Fever
Pursuit allowed me to fill in a niche in the marketplace, help
landowners and do what I love.”
Ranch real estate was a natural outgrowth of the initial
business.
“One day, as I was helping a landowner understand
the highest and best use of his property. It turned out the
landowner had used an agent to buy a small ranch, and the
agent had sold him the wrong one, prompting me to ask
myself, ‘Who’s the land professional here?’” Mock said.
“Because I was delivering experience and expertise, it
made sense that I should position myself to earn more than
a consulting fee, so I drew up a business plan with partners
to get into real estate.”
And, there was a natural synergy between the outdoors
enterprise and ranch real estate.
“Fever Pursuit is a sales funnel to the real estate
business,” Mock said. “It introduces us to landowners,
outfitters and their clients, all of whom have an interest
in land. Through our work in the hunting enterprise, our
clients learn to trust us, so when they need ranch real
estate they turn to us.”
In Mock’s world, there is no such thing as “one and
done,” so his team continues to serve clients after the sale.
“It’s not enough just to connect at the point of
sale,” Mock said. “My team and I have to deliver value
throughout a business relationship. It’s the only way clients
will give you permission to stay in front of them.”
One of Mock’s recent value-adds is a podcast called
Bucks To Business. During the hour-long segments, Mock
interviews entrepreneurs who have succeeded in outdoor-
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Kasey Mock:
A Man on the Move
WRITTEN BY LORIE A. WOODWARD
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based businesses. While there may be a few hunting stories
swapped, this is not a digital campfire. Instead, the guests share
the secrets of their business success.
“Our goal is to learn with our listeners,” Mock said. “It is a
win-win: it gives our guests a larger platform for their business
while expanding our network. Plus, because the information is
valuable, it creates an engaged community and another sales
funnel.”
At this writing, the podcasts are a relatively new addition.
In fact, the team is just completing its ninth episode, but the
segments are already gaining a foothold in the market. Without
spending a single dollar on promotion, more than 1,000 people
per episode have downloaded the broadcasts.
“It’s the long game and something different,” Mock said. “As
a young guy in the ranch real estate industry, I can either do
things the way that people have always done them or try to stir
it up. I’m a stirrer.”
The Keller-Williams Connection
Mock appreciates the positive power of mentoring.
“Throughout my life, I’ve been blessed to have good
coaches and mentors,” Mock said.
One of the most influential has been Gary Keller, COB and
co-founder of Keller Williams Realty, the largest real estate
company in the world. They met about six years ago.
“Gary’s success comes from investing in people,” Mock
said. “He likes people who think big and drive hard. Our lives
intersected when I was ready for my next opportunity.”
Mock had identified ranch real estate as his next business
arena and he asked Keller for his advice about getting into the
land brokerage business. Keller told Mock it was about time and
he then coached him through writing a business plan.
After that Mock met Mary Tennant, who was then serving
as President of KWRI. They, too, developed a mentoring
relationship. While Mock embraced the company’s philosophy
and respected the company’s top leadership, there was a
problem. KWRI was a residential company.
Unbeknownst to Mock, there was a group of highlyrespected
ranch brokers serving on a leadership council within
the company and working toward developing a farm and ranch
division. Mock joined the leadership council.
“KWRI was built on the principle that if it’s good for the agent
then it’s good for the company long-term,” Mock said. “We
followed suit in the farm and ranch division, asking ourselves:
How can we build a platform where agents would never want to
leave?”
As plans for the farm and ranch division were finalized, Keller
Williams asked Mock to lead the new division’s launch and then
stay on as its director. Mock seized the opportunity.
To give KW Farm & Ranch the attention it deserved, Mock
pulled back on his own business for a year. Then, he jumped
back into production with Mock Ranches, running a lean team
consisting of himself, a certified assistant and two referring
associates. This year, he will hire two full-time land specialists.
Mock Ranches is a Keller Williams Team, which gives the
boutique firm the power of the international giant’s marketing,
technology and training prowess. In 2015 for instance,
Training Magazine named Keller Williams as the “#1 Training
Organization in the World.”
“We can bring the resources of the largest real estate
company in the world to bear along with the personal service
that people expect when they are making what is generally the
largest expenditure in their lives,” Mock said. “It’s a winning
combination for everyone involved.”
Putting together a deal that is a win-win for everyone seated
at the table is important to Mock. For him, the best deals are not
always the biggest. One of his most memorable deals involved
two ranches and an agreement between neighbors. The sellers
hadn’t listed their property, but the buyers wanted to secure
it as a hedge against development in rapidly developing Hays
MOCK RANCHES
Mission, Values, Beliefs, Perspective
Mission: To build businesses that matter, with people we value, while helping
others realize their dreams.
Values: The Best IDEAS – Innovation, Determination, Entrepreneurship,
Accountability, Service
Beliefs: That great businesses are defined by amazing people with innovative ideas.
Perspective: A family of companies built on the foundations of faith, hard work
and innovation that services landowners, businesses and outdoor enthusiasts.
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County. Over time, Mock negotiated a deal where the sellers
were able to relocate and purchase a larger ranch and the
buyers added a key piece to their legacy ranch, on which they
established long-term conservation goals.
“We were able to help everyone involved ensure their land
legacy,” Mock said. “They each had a piece of Texas to call
their own—a place where their stewardship would leave a mark
for the future. It just doesn’t get much better than that.”
A Family of Businesses Built on Family
Hard work is Kasey Mock’s not-so secret ingredient for success.
“I had the best parents ever; they taught us value of hard
work while we were growing up on a small farm in Kyle,” Mock
said. “My twin brother and I had our first job outside of the family
when we were seven years old. We hoed cotton for a neighbor.”
The Mock twins and their younger sister spent their
formative years in livestock show rings. The trio wanted to be
competitive at the major shows, but their budget didn’t allow
them to buy the elite animals necessary to get the judge’s nod.
The youngsters assessed the assets of their small operation,
which included 80 Boer-cross goats, 15 sows and a handful of
show cattle.
Led by brother Kevin, they set out to learn the show industry
and put together brood stock that allowed them to produce
high-quality prospects. By the time his sister, who is four years
younger than the twins, made it to high school, the family team
was raising animals that consistently earned her spots in the
winner’s circle, including a Reserve Grand Champion at the
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and in the all-important
sales at every major livestock show in the state. In the process,
they also created a business that positioned Mock’s twin to go
to the top of that industry, producing champion livestock for
young people across the nation.
“In life, you can either see challenges or opportunities,”
Mock said. “You can wish for it or you can work for it. In our
family, working trumped wishing.”
After graduating from high school in nearby Kyle, Mock
headed to Stephenville. At Tarleton State University, he
earned his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Services and
Development, a degree designed to prepare students for
ag. careers in either teaching or outreach education such as
AgriLife Extension.
“Initially, I accepted a job in Extension and I learned a
lot about team management, scheduling and the resources
available to landowners,” Mock said. “But opportunities in
private land industries called more loudly and quickly got my
attention.”
Something, well actually, someone else had already gotten
his attention. When Mock was a senior, he was attending a Bible
study where he crossed paths with a freshman from Lometa
named Elizabeth Maddox.
“Although I didn’t know her very well, I was smart enough to
know that I couldn’t let her get away,” Mock said.
The young couple married and made their home in Hays
County. Elizabeth earned both her Bachelor’s degree and her
Master’s from nearby Texas State University. Today, though, she
is the work-at-home mother of two-year-old Maddox West who
will be joined by a baby sister in May.
“She’s the best mother I know,” Mock said. “My family
inspires me to deliver my best every day.”
While Mock is driven to be successful for his family and his
clients, he knows that success can be a two-edged sword if not
managed properly. To that end, he relies on a piece of wisdom
he received as part of the KWRI team: “what you focus on
expands.”
“Essentially, it is a reminder that as businesspeople we have
to focus only on the core activities that bring us closer to our
goals,” Mock said. “By keeping focused, you make the most of
your time, which in turn gives you time back to spend with the
people you cherish.”
When Mock isn’t building a business, he and Elizabeth serve
at their church and enjoy the outdoors together doing things
like backpacking and hunting elk in Colorado.
Mock said “I think about this daily—’If today were the last
day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’
- Steve Jobs. For me, the answer is yes.”
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