A combination of innate hustle and a desire to create a better way of doing business compelled Antony Thompson to launch blac property group earlier this year.
Mr Thompson does not mince words about how his operation, which is based in North Lakes, north of Brisbane, is changing the game.
“I don’t want to be typical. We don’t wear suits. We don’t wear ties. I don’t want to look like the rest of the agents – I really don’t,” Mr Thompson said.
“Our biggest thing is being real people that care about our clients. It’s not just about the deal. It’s about doing the right thing, getting the best prices, and being genuine about it.”
Mr Thompson said blac property group’s point of difference is a focus on innovative ways to market both their brand and their clients’ properties.
“Where our sellers benefit is we’ve spent more than six months training on modern marketing,” he said.
“We know it like the back of our hand. It’s not just boosting ads on Facebook, it’s so much more in-depth and complex.”
Mr Thompson arrived in Australia at age 15 from Liverpool, England, and credits his home town with helping him find his hustle.
“There’s a lot to be said about the river cities in England. There are a lot of tough-as-nails, working-class people doing gritty work and physical labour. To get away from that you have to be adaptive and good at talking.”
After leaving school, and feeling uninspired by university, Mr Thompson threw himself into a series of jobs that eventually led to role in real estate.
With the help of a mentor and a lot of hard work, he found his innate hustle and ‘gift of the gab’ made him a sales natural.
He eventually moved on to join an ‘executive team’ supporting a high-performing agent but left that role more disillusioned than when he joined.
Mr Thompson said he was about to board a plane for a gap year overseas when an agent friend suggested meeting with Dan Argent, CEO of UrbanX.
“I met with Dan and his actual words to me were, ‘Why don’t you create a life where you can do four holidays a year rather than just go and do one big year of travel, losing all your money, all your prospects and having to start again when you come back.’ He made a lot of sense.”
Mr Thompson worked as an agent, initially alongside another agent running their business on the UrbanX platform, but in December last year, he decided to start his own.
He said the launch process was fast, efficient and seamless.
“I have one designated listings administrator, a contracts administrator, and someone to help with my branding and marketing,” he said.
“If I paid an admin person $80,000 a year, they’re never going to be as good as the UrbanX team, plus I’d have to recruit them, train them and manage them myself.”
Since opening the doors, the support from other agencies on the UrbanX platform has been incredible too.
“In real estate, it’s hard to trust people because their only motivation is themselves and their family – not you – whereas with UrbanX it sounds so cheesy, but it’s kind of like your family. Everyone’s trying to help each other.”
And he said the value delivered by UrbanX paid for itself.
“Dan offers people a way into business ownership and all of a sudden with the extra money that you’re immediately making, you can invest in yourself and your business and know it’s only going to benefit you.”
Mr Thompson said having his own operation delivers an enormous sense of pride. He isn’t hiding behind a franchise brand and believes other agents should be bold and genuine too.
“I honestly think agents are crazy not to start their own business. It makes no sense to be giving your money away to franchises and their principals.
“Once you get your own brand, I honestly feel like you become a different person.
“I understand that doing your own thing is not for everyone and if you feel like you need a franchise office then you’re going to stay at a franchise.
“But it’s freeing when you realise you don’t need them and that’s when the opportunity will open up to back yourself.”
If you would like to work for yourself, check out www.urbanx.io
