Real estate agent interested in REI- best course of action?

[Maria Marchione]

Hi everyone! I am a real estate agent in MA working with a larger broker in my area and have had my license for almost a year. I am planning to eventually invest in real estate via rental properties or flips (not quite there yet, looking to get started at the very least about 5 years from now) but I'm wondering how other real estate agents have gone about this. 

I'd like to avoid a conflict of interest with my broker when working with tenants that are found through word of mouth, etc. What is the best course of action from someone who has been in this situation? Should I get my own broker's license and work independently, or transition out of a sales position completely?