I was going to put this under Russell's "Buyer's Agent" post below, but I didn't want to hijack his comments and I though that with what I am about to write, it really may stimulate some thought and discussion.

The responses in Russell's post below are a microcosm of of the real estate world.  Probably 70% of the agents of the world think that no one can do what they do as well as they do it.  It's ONE way to look at the businesses we build.  It's how I used to look at it too.

Then something turned in my brain and I started to understand a few things. 

1. I WILL reach a certain level that I can not grow beyond by myself.

2. At that level where you can not grow anymore, you must therefore shrink, nothing stays "the same".

3. If I understand how business works, I will understand that there are people who are specialists in EVERY field.  It only makes sense that this "specialist" concept applies to MY business as well. 

4. These "specialists", if applied correctly will not only handle my business like I would, but if I train them in MY core beliefs of service, combined with their "specialist" aptitude, they can surpass my customers expectations almost every time. If I am GREAT at lead generation and only GOOD at converting leads, it only makes sense to get someone who is GREAT at conversion in order to maximize my GREAT efforts as a lead generator.

5. If I continue to "do it all", I will always have to "do it all". It also means that if I am not GREAT at "all of it", then I am not operating at peak efficiency.  I may be a marketing guru but lack telephone skills or I may be a FANTASTIC closer and never let a deal fall apart but I may not be so creative when it comes to marketing...

6.  Letting others do what they specialize does not mean that I have to release the reigns over my business.  On the contrary, it frees me up to do what I want to do best, which is run my business!

7.  Lastly, and this took a long time to get through my head,  just because someone WANTS to come to work for me does not make them less of an agent.  It actually makes them a better agent than most when they are able to realize they are a "specialist".  I always thought that if someone wanted to go to work for a team, it meant they were too lazy to do the things associated with running a successful business.  While that MAY be the case for some, mostly what I see is "specialists" finding their niche in the real estate world.  These specialists, for whatever reason, do not WANT all that goes with building a team or running a business or lead generation or marketing or whatever and I am thankful for that. WHY?

Because it allows MY business to grow, while allowing me to maintain the utmost level of customer service possible.

I guess that's why Keller Williams appealed to me so much.  Their mission statement is simple to understand yet difficult to accomplish:

To build careers worth having, businesses worth owning and lives worth living.