I love your photos.  I look forward to them every morning.

That was very good advice and I am glad you took it.  The photos are priceless.

Richard-your father is a wise man!  And I agree...lovely photos.

It is sometimes better to specialize, and have an area of expertise.  I have been positioning myself in my area as the senior real estate specialist. 

Awesome post Richard - I've hear such a topic more than once, and I think our fear (my fear) is being limited and maybe turning people away.  But I've heard soooo many experts talk on such a thing.  My issue is I bounce from idea to idea, but thanks to your post I might just sit down today and narrow it down.  Thanks again.

I really try to focus on one area and one area only. I really believe that we have so many different neighborhoods here in Pinellas county Florida, that you just can not be an expert for all of them

Stacey-Ann...

Thanks, I appreciate the support. This moment was really life-changing for me!

Mel..

Actually, it was the best advice I EVER got!

Nancy...

It changed how I did everything!

Carol...

Brilliant, as that is one of the best emerging markets!

Steve...

It was the specialization that allowed me to succeed, and not the broad market! THX.

Hi Richard.  My last office, our motto was "Mobile agent on the move." 

I will still do business all over, but I certainly am marketing myself as the local expert.

Great advice and beautiful pictures.

Thanks for writing,

Ken

Richard, I have been preaching and training this to loan officers for years and none of them save a few (a preciuos few) have ever gotten it....EVER! Thye try to be everything to every one. Which translates into nothing to no one.

Great advice.

Bo

Richard:  Your father was a wise man.  And you have the proof in your SmokyPhoto's business.  My Dad was always baffled by me, and my career choices.  He and my Mom were government workers, and anything but was "just not secure."  I changed jobs four times in the first ten years of my media career.  He was quite uncomfortable with that.

Your Dad's advice makes me think of all the Part-timers in our business, or "double dippers"...you know the ones.  Loan officer AND Realtor.  I worked part-time for the first three months of my real estate career, but quickly noticed I needed ALL that time if I was truly going to make a living selling homes.  It's a leap of faith....and hard work.

It is amazing that you recognized the power and hope of the internet while it was still in its infancy. And then couple that with you father's sage advice of find one thing and do it well obviously took your photos to a wider audience.

Anne...

That's a great plan. Keep on selling!

Ken...

And THANK YOU for all of your nice comments, it keeps me going!

Bo...

Is it the old "jack of all trades and master of none?" Could be.

Chris Ann...

And learning to be self-reliant. That government job sounds pretty good now though, lol!

Now that is impressive.  Great advice from a wise man.  I need to go back & read your internet pioneer posts.  They must have been before my AR time. 

Very good advice and very timely! Kudos and congrats on your ability to stay at the top of your game. I love your photographs. They're awesome and so are you! Enjoy your day, Richard. <3 C. :-)

Featured @ Club Chaos

Richard - Your father was a wise man to give this terrific advice.  Awesome photos, as always!  I remember when we were optimizing for Excite and Lycos back in the day.  :)

It looks like you dad was a pioneer as well.  You are so right about specializing in one thing and doing it well!  It is very difficult to be all things to all people.

Richard - beautiful photos, and there is nothing like the wisdom of fathers. And I agree with you to specialize in one thing.

Rich...

And it help me immensely when I decided to go online with real estate! THX

Kristin...

I just got on board early. and have been trying to keep up ever since!

Carolyn...

Thanks for the feature and all of the good words, you KNOW that I appreciate it!

Jason...

I hadn't thought about "Excite" in years. Or "Altavista!" Wow.

Joan...

It is too hard, that is for sure! Thanks, as always.

Sharon...

Thanks, my father was a very smart man, that's for sure!

Over the last few weeks, I've been thinking about just this topic.  Dad's have a way of hitting the nail right on the head, don't they?  Thanks for the advice!

Richard, You are very fortunate to have had such a great Father who obviously took his role as a father seriously and provided you with guidance.

Hello Richard-I think this post is such great advice and it comes at a time in my life when I believe I have to start doing that. I generally have too many irons in the fire and while I can do many things fairly well, there are a lot less things I can say I'm the best at. As with any habit it will take time to switch gears but if your expertise comes from focusing on being the best at one thing then I'd say you're doing an excellent job because your Smoky photo's are awesome and it something I need to make a priority ,just as you have done not only with your photos but with your blogging. I guess being here on AR and meeting folks here and getting to know some of them better thru their blogs has made me want to be the best at one thing. So thank you for this post and showing me the results and benefits of being the best at one thing.

I've been playing catch-up since I've been back I missed a few of your blogs but I did comment on the one below about being "Whacked by the Friendship Ball"  I will get to the other ones and make a comment on those soon but I wanted to make sure you saw this comment as I wanted to thank you so much for including me in your vast circle of friends here on AR. So I hope it OK that I put it on this blog:

Hi Richard-Well, where do I start. I've got some catching up to do since my weekend away. Gary W. actually brought this to my attention before I saw it so I want to say thank you for the "mention". With you having so many friends here on AR(I can see why)I feel very honored to be a part of your circle of friends. You are a special person and a wonderful blogger who is churning out the most wonderful blogs. You are an inspiration and I've got so many ideas that keep coming to mind to do for blogs and that comes partly to do with reading your blogs daily. Now I need to be as organized and take the time to do that just as you and other daily bloggers do. I got some good pics from the weekend which I will be sharing one day this week. I've been playing catchup every since I got home and am going away again this weekend so I'll have to get a move on. So until I get a chance to blog and comment on your other blogs that you have written since I've been gone I'll close as I always do and say: KEEP BLOGGING, KEEP SMILING AND ABOVE ALL,"KEEP THE FAITH". You're getting so much closer to that goal. I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What an awesome post - which will no doubt be featured soon.......!  The sage advice of parents......wisdom of the years...Specializing and niche marketing allow us to focus and capitalize on something we're good and and make it even better.....maybe even the best! :-)

Laura...

It is something really worth considering!

Shirley...

Well, he also made me laugh a lot, more about that later!

Pat...

Thank you for ALL of the kind words! I think that my posts have improved late due to the quality of my READERS! I know it's hard to slip anything past you guys so I have to stay on my toes!

Liz...

I listened, and it worked the first time, and now I will make it work again! I just know it.

Jack of all trades...master of none.  sounds like the  problem I have.  Most of my relatives on my wifes side think I am able to do anything, so they don't hesitate to call.  It is better to do one thing well, than a bunch halfa....

Great advice and great photos.  I am glad you decided to listen to your dad's advice, sometime it is hard to do. 

Richard, Wow, it's great to hear how Smoky Photos got started.. That's where I originally found you. I WISH that I could specialize in one thing, I don't think the Lord geared me up that way, I have WAY too many interests but I DO KNOW what you mean. God bless,

Richard, there is strength in focus. Look what a magnifying glass does to a beam of light. It can burn through paper.

Bill...

Ain't that the truth!

Leslie...

In this case, he was right on the money!

Cheryl...

SmokyPhotos will be getting a complete overhaul later this year, with over 2000 more good photos! Wow.

Gary...

It sure can!

Sage advice from Papa Weisser. Find One thing and do it better than everyone else. Can't remember how many upcalls I've received where the caller said their loan person was also going to be their agent. Many are My clients today.

Richard~Your photographs are simply breathtaking! 

I have been using this philosophy in my SEO work on my website, and it really has started to pay off!  I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. 

Great advice sir and well worth heeding.  Thank you my friend.

Cameron...

Youcannot do it all and do it right ... can you?

Pam...

All you have to do is narrow it down and focus, you can't be the expert on everything!

Don...

You are most welcome!

-Richard W.

I am very impressed not only with your photography, but your ability to impart practical wisdom. Keep up the good work!

You are genius with a camera and with a story.....the perfect combination for a great post.