CEO Craig Tan writes that scaling up is not about becoming the largest real estate brokerage. It’s about being the most intentional.
When you run an independent brokerage firm, growth feels different.
There is no national blueprint inherited from corporations. There are no outside investors pushing for artificial expansion. Every agent, every office and every strategic shift that joins our team has your name on it. It changes the way you think about scale.
Over the past year, our brokerage generated $1.44 billion in revenue from approximately 2,500 transactions. This was the highest sales year in our company’s history. We also welcomed 49 new agents and expanded our footprint in Southern Nevada.
But the real story isn’t about a record-breaking year. That’s how we got there, and I believe it’s what the next generation of brokerages should prioritize if they want to grow sustainably in today’s market.
Growth is no longer about the number of employees
For many years, the industry considered success to be the number of agents. The larger the roster, the stronger the intermediary power. However, I believe that model no longer holds true.
The brokerages that will win in this next chapter aren’t going after most agents. They are building the most productive ones. Last year, our agents averaged over 18 transactions per agent. It didn’t happen by chance. It comes from intentionally deciding who joins our company, setting clear performance expectations, and building systems that truly support production.
Growth without productivity is fragile. Productivity without culture is unsustainable. The new strategy requires both.
Culture is infrastructure, not a perk
Cultures fly around a lot in our industry. Often it’s reduced to happy hours and social media photos, but the actual culture is at work.
It’s about clarity of expectations, access to leadership, responsibility, and alignment around standards.
As we grew, we needed more structure to protect our culture. We had to be disciplined about who we brought in. Skills are important, but so is mindset. Intermediaries can grow quickly, but they can disappear just as quickly if they ignore cultural fit.
If you’re starting an independent company, your company culture is your brand. And it’s your brand that agents and clients can trust when the market changes.
What attracts agents’ attention has changed forever.
The conversations we’re having today are very different than they were five years ago. Agents are more sophisticated and ask smarter questions when approaching us. Splits and caps are still important, but they are no longer the deciding factor for high performers.
Top agents want access to leadership, operational support that removes friction, and marketing that increases their brand and stability in an uncertain market. They’re looking for a partnership, not just a place to hang their license.
If a brokerage firm’s value proposition begins and ends with its fee structure, then the brokerage firm is participating in a race to the bottom. New intermediation strategies aim to build ecosystems that are strong enough that the right agents choose to participate.
Expansion must be done after preparation is complete
We are preparing to open a new office within this year. The decision was not driven by ego or ideology. It was driven by demand, infrastructure and leadership depth. Expansion should occur after, not before, production readiness.
Before entering a new market or opening another location, I think brokerage firms need to ask:
Do we have leaders in place who embody our culture? Are our systems strong enough to scale without breaking? Will this move improve agent productivity or just increase overhead?
Expanding without a system creates chaos. Scaling with intention creates momentum.
Community is a competitive advantage
One of the lessons I’ve learned over the past few years is that growth and giving are not separate stories. As we have expanded, we have also deepened our commitment to local nonprofits and community initiatives. It’s not a marketing strategy. It’s part of our identity.
Retention and loyalty are strengthened when agents feel connected to something bigger than the transaction. Trust is strengthened when clients see consistent community involvement. Even in an increasingly digital and transactional world, communities remain human. And relationships still win.
The role of brokers is evolving
The role of brokers today is less about oversight and more about leadership architecture. We are building our business internally. Our job is to remove obstacles, create clarity and protect standards. Agents who join us are entrepreneurs. No need for micromanagement. They need support with vision, coordination, and execution.
The old model positioned brokers as enforcers of the rules. The new model requires you to be a strategic operator. That shift is permanent.
what happens next
The market will continue to change. Inventory will change. Technology will continue to evolve. The composition of the committee will be discussed. Despite this situation, I believe that growing securities companies have several things in common.
They prioritize productivity over popularity, treat culture as infrastructure, expand only when they’re ready, and build something their agents can be proud to represent. Especially for independent brokerages, scaling up doesn’t mean being the biggest. It’s about being the most intentional.
That’s the strategy we follow. And we believe it will define the next chapter for this industry.
Craig Tann is the CEO of Huntington & Ellis, a full-service real estate agency based in Las Vegas. Connect with Craig on LinkedIn and Instagram.
