“Do NOT sign that paperwork” (He did it anyway)

Why ignoring expert advice was the best decision Tom Harrison ever made.

Author

Elite Agent Editor
November 29, 2025

THOUGHT LEADERS
REAL ESTATE REIMAGINED

This week: Samantha McLean sits down with Tom Harrison, who just took home Large Residential Agency of the Year at this year’s REIT Awards. Between ignoring his business coach’s advice to buy a legacy agency during a global pandemic, scaling his team from 13 to 50 staff, and honouring six generations of real estate history, Tom has proven that trusting your gut and adopting an innovative mindset is the ultimate competitive advantage.

In 2020, amidst the uncertainty of the global pandemic, Tom Harrison’s business coach gave him a stern piece of advice regarding the purchase of his agency:

“Do NOT sign that paperwork.”

Taking sole ownership of a legacy real estate business while the world was shutting down seemed like madness.

Tom signed anyway.

Fast forward to today, and that decision has paid off exponentially. Tom now runs a 50-person operation, revenue has quadrupled since 2021, and Harrison Agents was just named Large Residential Agency of the Year at the REIT Awards.

In this week's episode of Thought Leaders, we sit down with Tom to find out exactly how he navigated that chaos using his "Fork in the Road" philosophy.

Why hit play (30< min):

  • Scale without breaking your culture: Discover the specific non-selling roles (like HR and Ops) you need to hire before you feel ready, to scale successfully.

  • Future-proof your agency: Implement an “AI-First” culture that encourages your team to innovate weekly, so you don't get left behind by the "new internet."

  • Sharpen your mental clarity: Audit your media diet and try Tom’s 30-minute “Quiet Time” ritual to reduce stress and improve leadership focus.

Plus, much more.
– Samantha McLean

Listen/Watch now:

Elite Agent is the definitive platform for ambitious agents and industry players. Thought Leaders is the weekly show where top operators reveal how they’re reinventing real estate. AI-Powered Agents is your playbook for deploying AI that sells homes and scales teams.

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