It’s never been a more interesting or exacting time to be an indie broker. In November, Inman celebrates the indie by narrowing in on what growth tactics are working best and what tech is emerging that offers the best competitive advantage.
The Agency was founded with a core principle of collaboration. Now, after 10 years in business, we have expanded to close to 50 offices across the Northern Hemisphere and have maintained our boutique approach to business while achieving a robust global network.
I believe the key to our continued success is having never wavered from our founding principles. I’ve outlined three approaches to maintain your independent brokerage spirit while opening in new territories.
1. Take a look at your culture
The culture and mission of your brokerage are the heart of your business. At our brokerage, culture comes first. Even as we’ve expanded in markets across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, it is the first thing we consider.
With every business move you make, your practices must align with your core values. Be sure to consider ways to maintain your company’s mission and never surrender it to reach your end goal.
As you expand your brokerage, discover unique ways to keep your brokerage connected, both virtually and in person. You must keep the connection strong between all your offices, near and far.
Maintaining our boutique community of agents while expanding our global presence is essential to our business model. We host regular international sales meetings via Zoom, virtual global market symposiums and most recently, we had our agents gather from around the world for our “Global Forum.”
During this in-person event, agents joined for networking, learning and celebration. With hundreds of agents flying in from around the world, it was evident the energy and spirit of collaboration are alive more than ever.
2. Partnership is paramount
As you consider top feeder markets to grow into, be selective in your partnership with other real estate professionals. Seek out partners who have extensive knowledge of the market and the properties in your target markets.
By developing a strong partner network, your brokerage will carve out a platform of loyal relationships as well as referral business. Once you’ve identified the partners that align best with your brokerage, be sure to equip them with the necessary tools for success.
In 2021, the key to our growth was partnering up with the right professionals in our targeted markets. As a result, we successfully launched in over a dozen regions with partners who have proved to be stewards of our brand. A strong partnership is a must when it comes to growing your presence across the map.
3. Service, service, service
For every market you do business in, you must offer top-notch technology, support and services. A brokerage must provide valuable solutions for continued growth and development on both an individual and company level.
A brokerage needs to invest significant time and resources into technology, marketing and branding to retain your agents and recruit the best in the business. We provide partners with our cutting-edge toolbox and direct access to our in-house marketing, public relations and digital specialists.
Having a team of experts who can service an agent’s every need allows them to thrive in their markets. Also, continue to learn and seek feedback from your partners. We are constantly considering ways to refine training, offer more education and other resources that every agent and office can access from anywhere in the world.
An independent brokerage looking to expand needs to consider quality over quantity — quality in character, culture and reputation. Once the right partner has been identified, you’ll be able to maintain your brokerage’s core mission while taking the business to new heights.
Mauricio Umansky is the founder and CEO of The Agency in Los Angeles. Connect with him on Instagram.
