I had a great question today regarding my thoughts on starting my own brokerage. I have a broker's license, but do not plan on opening my own brokerage. I like the team concept at Keller Williams because the company is set up so that you can successfully run your own "mini-brokerage" under their umbrella.
Now I'm not sure how other KW offices work, but here is how my office in Austin helps me:
1. KW has 4 weeks of new agent training as well as ongoing training that our buyer agents can attend . My buyer agents learned how to do buyer council sessions, get buyer rep agreements, etc. last week in a hands-on six-hour class. I saved this time and can supplement what they learned. We have other useful sessions on all aspects of real estate such as "controlling your buyers", showing properties, generating leads, doing open houses, handling closings. For now, I handle listings, but when I hire a listing coordinator, she will attend the training.
2. KW helps me hire the right people. I took some unbeatable training classes on how to hire people at a recent Keller Williams Base Camp. The trainer in my office does all of the DISC personality profiling and counseling to help me hire a strong team. The broker then sits down with all members to tell us how we're going to work best together. When I get the names of prospects, I send a list of candidats to the right person. They provide information on the brokerage, what to expect, how teams work, etc. and I'm brought into the loop when I need to continue with the inteview process.
3. KW's Compliance Coordinator checks over all contracts and handles questions from my buyer agents on writing offers, etc. Of course, I am there to do as much as possible, but it's nice having a backup who knows what they are doing and are liable for the information they provide to my agents . Having a team is like having a brokerage, but without ALL of the liability.
4. We have other perks from being a national company. I like yearly conventions, vendor discounts, "clout" in our market, and name recognition. We also have quarterly "base camps" where KW agents/brokers/operations from all over come for hands-on training about all aspects of the business. The best part about the camps is that it's a work session in a mixed environments. A brand new agent could be next to a broker opening a market center. The content for almost all of the classes works at all levels, but we'd apply what we learn to our own business. 
So, as you can see, why start my own company unless I want to franchise? As long as I continue to follow the Keller Williams Millionaire Agent model, both my team and I are happy staying with the company.
I may decide to franchise one day, but it's not in the cards just yet.
I'd love to hear counterpoints!
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