PMRE 2025 News: How to Scale by Becoming a Coach - Not a Star Player21349
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 WGAN ForumFounder & WGAN-TV Podcast Host Atlanta, Georgia |
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user | |
 PMRE 2025: Eli Jones shows real estate photographers how to scale by becoming a coach — not a star player Real estate photographers filled the Kaos Showroom on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, for one of the most high-energy and practical sessions of PMRE: ▸ From Star Player to Coach. Presented by Eli Jones, Founder of REPP, the session delivered a clear, candid, and often funny breakdown of what actually holds most real estate media businesses back - and how photographers can finally break out of the “treadmill stage” and scale with intention. Eli’s core message was unmistakable: your business will not grow by getting better at what you already do well. It will grow when you identify - and fix - the parts of your business you’ve been avoiding. Why most owners get stuck: the “buff arm vs. shrimp arm” problem Eli opened with a vivid analogy: most business owners spend all their time strengthening the one part of their business they’re already great at - the “buff arm” - while ignoring the weak areas that are actually limiting growth. For many photographers, that buff arm is: ▸ shooting ▸ editing ▸ operations firefighting ▸ customer service ▸ or simply doing the work that feels productive Meanwhile, the neglected areas (the shrimp arms) are usually the ones that matter most: ▸ client acquisition ▸ hiring and leadership ▸ systems and workflows ▸ owner discipline and prioritization “You can work as hard as you want on the strong part of your business,” Eli said. “It won’t matter if the bottleneck is somewhere else.” The treadmill phase: busy all day, but not moving forward Eli described the familiar scenario: running from shoot to shoot, solving fires, answering messages instantly, editing late, and ending each day exhausted yet unclear why the business isn’t growing. Revenue might increase, but profit, time freedom, and clarity do not. This, Eli explained, is what happens when owners work hard on the wrong things. The COST framework: how to find (and fix) your bottleneck Eli introduced a simple diagnostic tool he and his leadership team use weekly: the acronym COST. ▸ C - Clients (your acquisition engine, client mix, churn, service fit) ▸ O - Owner (your mindset, habits, stress level, leadership gaps) ▸ S - Systems (efficiency, workflow design, team clarity, automation) ▸ T - Team (hires, performance, capacity, accountability) Your business can only “carry more water” when you strengthen the lowest bucket. For some photographers, the bottleneck is obvious: ▸ not enough clients ▸ no systems ▸ a weak or misaligned team ▸ the owner is overwhelmed or avoiding important work For others, the real bottleneck hides behind excuses like “my market is different,” “my clients won’t allow that,” or “I just need to fit in one more shoot.” Eli emphasized: the bottleneck is rarely the thing you enjoy fixing. It’s the thing you’ve been avoiding. From star player to coach: the leadership leap As businesses hit $15K–$25K+ per month, the owner becomes the biggest bottleneck. Not because they’re bad - but because they’re trying to be the star player and the coach simultaneously. Eli pushed the audience to adopt a new mindset: ▸ stop being the firefighter ▸ stop personally solving every operational problem ▸ stop believing you’re the only one who can do a task ▸ stop prioritizing busywork over growth work “You could walk onto the court and score 50 points yourself,” Eli explained, “but that’s not how teams win. Owners have to get comfortable sitting on the bench and coaching instead of playing.” Hiring, firing, and the hard decisions that unlock growth One of the most impactful moments came when Eli challenged attendees directly: ▸ “If there’s someone on your team you know you need to fire; you already waited too long.” He explained how misaligned team members create drag, destroy peace, and prevent owners from focusing on higher-value work. Letting the wrong people linger “for a year or two or three” is one of the most expensive hidden costs in a business. Diagnosing growth with honesty — not wishful thinking Eli encouraged photographers to ask themselves one simple question: “What is the one thing I’ve told myself I need to fix for the past year - and still haven’t?” That’s your bottleneck. He warned against misdiagnosis: the photographer doing $45K/month as a solo shooter told Eli his growth plan was “fitting in more shoots.” From the outside, the answer was obvious: hire someone. “Your growth comes from solving the hard thing, not the comfortable thing,” Eli said. 3 high-impact takeaways for photographers ▸ 1. Fixing what you’re good at won’t grow your business. Work on the bottleneck, not the comfort zone. ▸ 2. Every business problem fits into Clients, Owner, Systems, or Team. Use the COST framework weekly. ▸ 3. The goal isn’t bigger revenue - it’s a scalable, profitable, peaceful business. That requires discipline, prioritization, and leadership evolution. About REPP REPP is a real estate media platform and studio operation founded by Eli Jones, designed to help photographers scale smarter with systems, talent, and leadership support. Known for blending practical operations strategy with high-growth tools, REPP provides coaching, workflow design, hiring frameworks, and team-building resources for media companies looking to expand beyond solo shooting. Under Eli’s direction, REPP has become a go-to resource for photographers who want to increase revenue, improve consistency, and transform from hands-on operators into confident business leaders. |
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WGAN Forum Founder & WGAN-TV Podcast Host Atlanta, Georgia |
DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user | |
   @Meidansha PMRE 2025 On-Demand (videos of presentations). You can use code WGAN50 to save $50 at checkout. Here is the link: 2025 PMRE Conference On-Demand Happy holidays, Dan |
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