My last blog post discussed some big changes in my life. Well this month, I have another one. I have changed companies. I am no longer a Realtor with the Stark Company. On Monday, I have officially transferred over to Keller Williams Realty.

While Keller Williams may not have been around as long as Stark, it has grown significantly in recent years to over 76,000 associates. In fact, it's now the third largest real estate company in the United States!

I'm excited about my new change to Keller Williams Realty and the options that it brings. Some of the reasons I have switched are the following:

1. ENTREPRENEURIAL - One thing about being a Realtor is that it's a lot like starting your own business venture. Keller Williams embraces change and looks for growth opportunities. That's probably why Entrepreneur magazine recently ranked Keller Williams Realty as the No. 1 real estate franchise

2. #1 TRENDSETTER - Stefan Swanepoel writes about trends in the real estate business. Keller Williams was the #1 Trend setting company for 2009. In a down market, in a down economy, that caught my attention.

3. COMPANY CULTURE - They believe that real estate is a local business driven by individual associates and their presence within the communities.

4. NATIONWIDE CONNECTION - While I have developed relationships with other agents across the country, Keller Williams has a direct connection to people that may be relocating to and from the Madison area.

5. BEST SELLING AUTHOR - Gary Keller and his team continue to put out best selling real estate publications. I read The Millionaire Real Estate Agent back in 2005 when I started and thought it was full of many great ideas.

6. SUPPORT FOR THOSE IN NEED - KW Cares is a 501(c) (3) public charity created to support Keller Williams Realty associates and their immediate families with hardship as a result of a sudden emergency. The charity is the heart of Keller Williams Realty culture in action – finding and serving the higher purpose of business through charitable giving.

7. PROFIT SHARE - The owners give the agents back a portion of the profits. The more successful everyone is, the more profit there is to share. That seemed like a good method to encourage sharing and learning from one another.

8. AGENT LEADERSHIP COUNCIL - The associates and management come together on a monthly basis to direct decisions on how individual offices operate. Among the areas ALCs oversee are staff training and local marketing, finances and operations.

9. COMMUNITY SERVICE - Our church recently did an event called "Love Madison", which was a full day of church out in the community actually helping people in the Madison area. It seemed rather similar to "Red Day" at Keller Williams, where associates go out to the community for a full day of community service. Then I found out that "Up With People" was partnering with Keller Williams. That was a bonus for my wife because she traveled with "Up With People" for a year.

10. GROWTH POTENTIAL - Since Keller Williams has all these wonderful things going for it, I thought it seemed like a good fit. This fall, I'm starting another growth opportunity and starting my MBA at the UW-Madison.

Those are a few of the reasons that I joined Keller Williams in Madison. If you want to know more, let me know.