From 13 to 50+ Staff: Tom Harrison's Blueprint for Scaling an Independent Agency

In 2020, amidst the uncertainty of the pandemic, Tom Harrison’s business coach gave him a stern warning: "Do NOT sign that paperwork." Taking sole ownership of a real estate agency during lockdowns seemed like madness. Tom signed anyway. In this episode, we sit down with Tom Harrison to discuss how he ignored expert advice to navigate chaos, scaled his team from 13 to 50 people, and ultimately led Harrison Agents to win "Large Residential Agency of the Year" at the REIT Awards. Tom shares his "fork in the road" philosophy, why he turned down major franchises to protect his creative independence, and how he is blending 180 years of family legacy with an "AI-first" approach to the future. "I'd rather make half the money and have my own destiny and have my own brand, than go with the brand and it's just about the money." — Tom Harrison. What you’ll learn in this episode The Decision: In that moment, Tom ignored his business coach to buy the business during lockdown. The Growth: The exact mindset shift required to go from a "nice business" to a market share-winning agency. The Future: How Harrison Agents is adopting an "AI-first" approach to stay ahead of the competition. The Brand: Why staying independent was the only way to satisfy Tom's creative vision. The Structure: Why hiring "A-Graders" for roles like HR and Ops (instead of trying to wear every hat) was the key to scaling past 13 staff. Chapters Chapters 00:00:47 The COVID Gamble: Signing Papers Against All Advice 00:05:55 The Fork in the Road Philosophy: Day-to-Day Decision Making 00:07:22 Independence Over Franchising: The Creative Outlet Question 00:11:15 Scaling from 13 to 50: The Talent Challenge in Tasmania 00:13:45 Real Estate as a Creative Company: Blending Legacy and Innovation 00:16:49 The Tasmanian Advantage: Exiting the Matrix 00:17:42 Football, Community, and Values-Aligned People 00:23:50 AI First: Excitement Over Fear 00:27:17 Rapid Fire Advice: Database, Leverage, and Quiet Time Links Mentioned: Harrison Agents: Tom’s award-winning agency (https://www.harrisonagents.com.au/) Real Estate Institute of Tasmania (REIT): The industry body behind the Awards for Excellence (https://reit.com.au/) Old Launcestonians Football Club: Where Tom serves as Vice President and Life Member (https://www.oldlauncestonians.com.au/) ChatGPT: AI assistant for content creation and analysis (http://openai.com/chatgpt) Connect with Tom Harrison Website: https://www.harrisonagents.com.au/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomharrisonagents/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomharrison_agents/ Discover More From Elite Agent & Samantha McLean Join the Spark Community for Innovation in Real Estate: https://spark.eliteagent.com Sign up for The Brief for Daily Real Estate News: https://thebrief.eliteagent.com Explore AI Tools, Prompts and Workflows for Real Estate: https://aipoweredagents.com Connect with Elite Agent on Socials Instagram: @eliteagentmag Twitter/X: https://x.com/eliteagentmag LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eliteagentmag/ #EliteAgent #ThoughtLeaders #RealEstateAI #PropertyTech #AustralianRealEstate