Thinking About Starting a Team? Read This First.

You’ve reached the ceiling of what a solo agent can do. You’re juggling too many deals, fielding calls at all hours, and feeling the weight of every transaction. The logical next step? Start a team.

Sounds great in theory—more money, fewer hours, less stress, and the ability to offload the work you don’t love.

That’s the fantasy.

The reality?

You’ll likely work harder, make less, and feel more stress than ever before—unless you make the right shifts.

If you’re considering transitioning from rainmaker agent to team leader, stop and think through this decision carefully. A team isn’t a magic fix for burnout or a fast track to passive income. It’s a completely different business model requiring a new mindset, new habits, and new skills.

Here’s what you need to shift before you take the leap.

1. The Mindset Shift: From Star Player to Head Coach

As a solo agent, your success is a direct result of your talent, work ethic, and ability to close deals. You know what works, and you’re used to doing it yourself. That’s why you’re successful.

But running a team isn’t about you anymore.

You’re not the star player—you’re the head coach. Your job is to develop others, create a system that works without you, and lead in a way that makes everyone on the team better.

This means:

• Letting go of control (even when you think you can do it better and faster)
• Shifting your primary job from selling to building systems and processes
• Moving from transaction-based thinking to business-building thinking

The most successful team leaders understand this: the less the team depends on you, the more valuable it becomes.

If you’re not willing to make this shift—if you can’t imagine stepping out of the spotlight and letting your team run the business—you’re not ready to lead a team.

2. The Habit Shift: From Hustling to Systemizing

Great solo agents thrive on urgency. You jump from one fire to the next, moving fast and getting deals done.

That approach doesn’t scale.

A team without structure is just a collection of people working under your name. Without clear processes, you’ll find yourself micromanaging, constantly putting out fires, and frustrated that your team members don’t “get it.”

If you want a business that runs without constant intervention, you need:

• Clear systems for everything (lead generation, client experience, transaction management, marketing, etc.)
• Defined roles so everyone knows their job and how it fits into the bigger picture
• Accountability structures so you don’t have to police every detail

Without these habits, your team will be chaotic, inefficient, and more stressful than running solo.

3. The Skill Shift: From Selling to Leading

Most agents start a team because they’ve mastered the art of getting and closing deals.

But selling real estate and leading a team are two completely different skill sets.

As a team leader, you must master:

• Hiring and developing talent – You’re only as good as your people.
• Coaching and leadership – Your job is to make others successful.
• Financial management – Many team leaders make less money than they did as solo agents because they don’t track numbers properly.
• Strategic planning – If you don’t know where your team is headed, don’t expect your agents to stick around.

Most agents who struggle with teams fail because they never learned these skills. Being a great agent doesn’t make you a great leader. You have to develop yourself in this new role, or your team will always underperform.

Are You Ready?

Before you take the leap, ask yourself:
• Am I willing to let go of control and empower others?
• Do I have the patience to build and implement systems?
• Am I committed to developing leadership skills, not just sales skills?

If the answer is yes, you might be ready to make the shift.

If the answer is no, that’s okay—just don’t make the mistake of thinking a team will solve your problems. A poorly built team will only amplify them.

Running a real estate team is one of the hardest things you can do in this industry. But if you build it right, it can be one of the most rewarding.

Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons—and with the right foundation.