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Dear Billionaire

Dear Billionaire

Kelly Fore Dixon 69 Episodes Oct 8, 2026

Hosted by estate management expert Kelly Fore Dixon, this podcast addresses the challenges of luxury home management for high-net-worth homeowners, estate managers, and private service professionals. Each episode explores real stories, practical tools, and systems from Estate Management Systems to help listeners run their homes like five-star hotels. Topics include building trusted teams, streamlining operations, and maintaining peace of mind. The show emphasizes treating the home as a business to achieve balance and success at the billionaire level.

Episodes

How I Managed a Regenerative Ranch When I Knew Nothing About Ranching
How I Managed a Regenerative Ranch When I Knew Nothing About Ranching Oct 8, 2026 20:14 What would you do as an estate leader if you were tasked with managing a 2,000-acre regenerative ranch, but knew almost nothing about ranching?Despite having a background in landscape design rather than livestock or soil science, stepping into this role required quickly learning an entirely new vocabulary—from rotational grazing and paddocks to prescribed burns and wildlife management. Rather than
Why Informal Household Pay Creates Risk
Why Informal Household Pay Creates Risk Oct 1, 2026 07:30 When a household transitions from informal arrangements to professional estate management, solving a current staffing issue doesn't automatically erase past liabilities.Continuing the story of the Martin family and their housekeeper Claire, this episode of the Dear Billionaire podcast addresses a critical question many homeowners face: what happens to all those years of unpaid household payroll ta
What to Do With an Illegal Household Employee
What to Do With an Illegal Household Employee Sep 24, 2026 07:35 What happens when a professional audit reveals that a longtime housekeeper is not legally authorized to work in the United States? When the fictitious Martin family discovered their housekeeper Clare lacked proper work authorization, they were forced to confront the reality that an employee cannot legally keep their job without it.In this episode of the Dear Billionaire podcast, I break down two d
Are Your Household Employees Legal? If Not, Here's What You Need to Know
Are Your Household Employees Legal? If Not, Here's What You Need to Know Sep 17, 2026 12:50 Do you know whether everyone working in your home is legally authorized to work in the United States—or who verified their paperwork? In private households, hiring often happens informally through personal referrals. Before long, an informal arrangement turns into a full-time role, but without proper onboarding, work authorization verification, or payroll setup in place.Simply issuing a 1099 or pa
Permitting: You Can Afford to Do It Twice - But Why Would You Want To?
Permitting: You Can Afford to Do It Twice - But Why Would You Want To? Sep 4, 2026 10:41 When you have the financial resources to start a home improvement project immediately, waiting weeks or months for permits, HOA approvals, or engineering drawings can feel absolutely ridiculous. It is tempting to agree with a contractor who suggests skipping the bureaucracy to get the job done quickly.However, trying to save a few weeks upfront can expose you to years of long-term consequences. Sk
You Hired Household Staff - So Why Are You Still Managing the House?
You Hired Household Staff - So Why Are You Still Managing the House? Sep 1, 2026 10:15 You hired housekeepers, a house manager, and maybe even an estate manager to make your life easier—yet somehow, everyone is still coming to you with endless questions.This is the ultimate irony of expanding your household staff: without proper coordination, adding more people simply creates more employees for you to supervise and more decisions for you to make.When a household feels chaotic, it is
Six Questions Every Homeowner Should Ask Their Estate Leader in August
Six Questions Every Homeowner Should Ask Their Estate Leader in August Aug 5, 2026 06:15 Most people think the planning season begins in January. I don't. By January, you're already reacting. Budgets have been finalized, raises are being discussed, projects are underway, and everyone is trying to solve problems that should have been addressed months earlier.In my opinion, August is the beginning of next year.When I meet with homeowners and their Estate Leaders around this time of year
Why Your Home Wasn't "Visit Ready"
Why Your Home Wasn't "Visit Ready" Jul 31, 2026 10:08 Arriving at a secondary residence for a getaway with family or friends, only to find it isn't "visit ready," is a frustrating experience for any homeowner. While it’s easy to default to blaming the property manager, housekeeper, or estate manager, the real culprit is often an organizational design issue rather than a simple lapse in duty.Creating a seamless luxury experience requires homeowners to
The Missing Piece in Luxury Home Purchases
The Missing Piece in Luxury Home Purchases Jul 23, 2026 09:43 Imagine this...A family purchases a beautiful ski home in Aspen during the spring. Designers step in to transform the home, and the family decides to visit for the Labor Day weekend.Since this is a second home, the family believes there's no need to send the estate manager, the housekeeper, or the maintenance technician to prepare the house. (What could go wrong? It's a quick, informal weekend get
Why Conflicting Instructions Burn Out Estate Managers
Why Conflicting Instructions Burn Out Estate Managers Jul 16, 2026 05:35 One of the quickest ways to lose a great Estate Manager has very little to do with salary, benefits, or workload.It starts with this: One principal says yes. The other says no.Eventually, the Estate Manager becomes the middleman for a disagreement that was never theirs to resolve. Everyone becomes frustrated. And the principals wonder why decisions seem to stall.In this episode, I share how the be
Why Projects Always Cost More at Your Estate
Why Projects Always Cost More at Your Estate Jul 7, 2026 06:46 One of the most expensive phrases in estate operations is: "While we're at it, let's..."If you've worked in private service for any length of time, you've heard it.Before anyone realizes what's happened, a $50,000 project can become a $150,000 project.The problem isn't the additional work. It's that the project changes without anyone stopping to redefine the scope, budget, timeline, or approval pr
Fixing Estate and Family Office Communication Breakdowns
Fixing Estate and Family Office Communication Breakdowns Jun 29, 2026 07:11 One of the most common frustrations I hear from both Estate Managers and Family Offices sounds remarkably similar: "I thought someone told them." And yet somehow, nobody knew.The project went over budget. The timeline changed. The scope expanded. And the principal knew.But the family office was surprised. The Estate Manager was caught in the middle. And everyone believes they communicated. Because

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