“Getting to hell yes is about solving problems and making sure you’re present as the alternative when the time comes.” – John Carlson
John Carlson didn’t get into multifamily through a strategic plan. He got there through a fax machine. After studying electrical engineering and working for a semiconductor company, he took a part-time leasing job at a Mark-Taylor community to pay bills. That part-time job became a twenty-year career. Now, as CEO, John leads one of the most respected operators in the country and it’s no accident. Mark-Taylor’s culture of excellence, learning, and listening has no slogan. It’s a system. And that system starts with something most tech vendors forget: getting buy-in from the people actually doing the work.
“If you’re going to solve a problem, that’s one thing. But you have to get buy-in from the teams. That’s what creates a support mechanism.” – John Carlson
John’s perspective flipped a switch for me. So many startups focus on selling to decision-makers at the top. Corporate buyers, asset managers, C-suite leaders but John made it clear: if you don’t win over the onsite teams, your rollout is dead on arrival. Buy-in isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s your infrastructure. It’s what gets you through the first twelve months, where everything’s bumpy and awkward. And at Mark-Taylor, those early opinions aren’t filtered through a survey, they’re part of the process. From pilots to full adoption, the site teams shape the solution.
“Transparency is not saying everything. It’s being vulnerable enough to listen and adjust.” – John Carlson
This was the turning point in our conversation. People often think transparency is about broadcasting more. But John reframed it as humility. At Mark-Taylor, they survey constantly but it’s not just data, it’s diagnosis. Are we actually solving the problems people care about? Are we empowering people to speak up and are we acting when they do? That kind of feedback loop doesn’t just build better products or policies. It builds trust. And without trust, there’s no “Hell Yes!” There’s just quiet resistance, slow rollouts and eventual churn.
“I want every employee to write a personal mission statement and if that connects with ours, they’re going to thrive here.” – John Carlson
I was blown away by this practice. Every new hire at Mark-Taylor starts by writing their own mission. Then they’re asked to compare it to the company’s: “Create exceptional communities that invite, inspire and feel like home.” If there’s alignment, it’s a great sign. If not, it may not be the right fit. That’s not just onboarding, it’s cultural due diligence. It creates clarity, autonomy and a shared language. And it proves that culture at Mark-Taylor isn’t an HR initiative, it’s a strategy.
“If you don’t treat your people like a five-star experience, don’t expect your residents to feel five stars.” – John Carlson
This principle echoes through every part of Mark-Taylor’s approach. They’re not selling units, they’re delivering a brand experience. That’s why turnover is low. That’s why 95% of their properties are rated 4.5 stars or higher. And that’s why when owners work with Mark-Taylor in one market, they beg them to expand into others. But John won’t do it unless the company can maintain its standards. That kind of restraint knowing when to say no is rare. And it’s exactly what makes them stand out.
Here’s what I’m walking away with:
- Internal selling is just as important as external sales. Win your teams or your rollout will stall.
- Transparency isn’t about volume. It’s about vulnerability and action.
- Culture is a system and you can build it intentionally, with rituals like personal mission statements.
- If your site teams don’t buy in, your software won’t stick. Period.
- Product-market fit is important, but company-market fit matters more. You need infrastructure to deliver excellence at scale.
John reminded me: Hell Yes! doesn’t come from pushing harder. It comes from aligning deeper. When the culture is right, the decisions get easier. And the results speak for themselves.
