Thinking your team will learn everything they need to succeed just by shadowing you, is the slowest and riskiest way to build a strong team.

If you’re a principal or lead agent trying to grow your team right now, you already know, it’s getting harder and harder.

Experienced agents are less inclined to move. Brand loyalty is strong. Recruitment is competitive. Which means most principals are left with one option: train new agents from scratch.

Now, this has its upsides. You're not inheriting bad habits or bad attitudes. But the downside? Training someone with no real estate experience is time-intensive. It requires structure, hand-holding, and constant guidance. And let’s be honest, most principals are still actively selling themselves. The time and headspace it takes to train someone well just doesn’t exist for most principals and agents.

So what happens instead?

They shadow you. They sit in on appointments. They do the prospecting you don't have time for. 

They do what I did when I started as a co-agent.

Back then, that model made sense. We were told to "earn our stripes" by watching, learning, and doing the tasks our lead agents didn’t have time for. And yes, working under a successful agent absolutely has its benefits. It gives co-agents a front-row seat to the business of real estate. It builds awareness and practical knowledge.

But here’s the catch: shadowing only works up to a point.

When agents start in this industry, they don’t know what they don’t know. So their growth, their roadmap, and their professional development are left in the hands of someone who is already juggling listing, selling, negotiating, and running a business.

And because of that, a proper training plan tends not to exist.

The senior agent gets frustrated that the co-agent isn’t picking things up fast enough. The co-agent gets discouraged and starts to doubt themselves or worse, they leave. And now the senior agent is back at square one, looking for the next unicorn to walk through the door.

This cycle? It’s draining. It’s unscalable.
And it’s completely avoidable.

So, what’s the solution?

The only way to break this pattern is to stop relying on shadowing as your primary training method. Your agents need more, they need a clear, structured pathway that builds their skills, confidence, and ownership of their growth.

That’s exactly why I created X-Factor Agent, the program I wish I had when I was building my career.

It’s built to support co-agents with real training, real strategy, and real systems, so they’re not just watching you succeed, they’re learning how to succeed themselves. It fast-tracks their development without you having to carry all the weight.

And here's the truth: I learned so much from my time as a co-agent. I’m grateful for it. But should I have gone out on my own earlier? Yes.
Should I have built a stronger pipeline before I did? 100%.
Should I have improved my skills in more areas before stepping up? Absolutely.

Because while co-agent roles can be incredible stepping stones, the current model is leaving too many gaps. Gaps that cause agents to go out on their own before they’re ready and principals to keep hiring agents only to watch them fail.

If you’re serious about building a high-performing team that actually contributes to your business, you can’t rely on shadowing alone. You need a system that supports you both.

That’s what X-Factor Agent is.

If you’re ready to stop the revolving door, empower your team, and build something sustainable, join the waitlist.