What I Would Do Differently If I Started My Buyer’s Agency Business Again
Hindsight is wonderful but if you could turn back the clock and revisit those early days in your business, would you do things differently?
Hindsight and running a business.
Should you ever really allow yourself to think backwards?
2025 marks my 11th year in my Buyer’s Agency business and I have to say, it’s been nothing short of a HUGE learning curve, despite having been in business before. I feel as though every business you own, (if you’re crazy enough to do this business thing again and again like I am) you learn something new, or perhaps you’re in a different season of life so things move differently to previous eras.
Technology advances, humans change, legislation is amended and then there’s the whole marketing effort. Are we still on Facebook or do I really have to be a Tik Tok influencer to succeed in 2025 and beyond?
This is what you’re up against if you’re a business owner.
So when reflecting on those earlier years (2014 to say 2018) here’s where I would re-think the strategy.
I’d build the business in line with MY values. Not the industry blueprint.
Since this was my third real estate agency I wasn’t new to the landscape and so I kind of just did what I always had, which was to follow the industry blueprint that I knew all too well.
Eventually, staying this course started to grind against the person I had grown into and so I started changing things up the way I thought they should be done.
This took time and a mindset re-set but eventually I started to break free from the “standard operating systems” that had been grilled into me through industry ideology and those balding white men who I grew up alongside in the industry.
Here’s the truth… if I rewound the clock back to 2014 when I started, I would have scrapped the standard blueprint altogether and built a “Wendy’s values-aligned business” right from the get go. I’m talking about things like charging the fee I felt was fair and listening to the clients more, rather than telling them “this is just how we do things in the property industry”.
I’d listen to my gut and say No to “risky” clients.
When I use the term “risky clients” I’m referring to those people whom you just know are going to cause you pain and anguish if you partner with them. You know the ones! In the early days, I took on everyone and anyone but looking back, I should have held stricter boundaries from the get-go. I should have applied that 80/20 rule they drill into you at business school instead of wasting my time with clients who thought I could create miracles.
I’d never take my foot off the content accelerator.
When the covid boom began, my business blew up with clients coming in from all parts of Australia and around the world. Everyone wanted a piece of Brisbane real estate and they needed a buyer’s agent with my expertise (and connections) to get them in. If you were in real estate during that era, you know EXACTLY how it went down.
Around that time and just prior to, I had launched my Youtube Series, Buying Wendy’s Way. I created weekly videos (usually of me in the car) sharing tips for buyers and advice on how to get into the market and which areas in Brisbane were tipped to do well.
My videos started attracting thousands of views and the leads began to pour in from investors and homeowners alike wanting to partner with me. Couple this with the market exploding and I was just too busy serving 1:1 clients that I had no time to continue the video content (or so I thought). I backed off but in hindsight I should have forced myself to keep recording.
Now I know that content is king and is a huge lead generator for independent agents like myself. I have to admit, I do my best to keep a fairly regular content schedule but juggling a real estate business as a solo operator has it’s challenges.
I like it this way, but I’m mindful that content creation does lead to sustained business and so I do my best to batch content where I can and stay relevant on the social platforms.
Is going viral the goal?
Another point I want to share is this. I don’t focus on trying to create viral content. I don’t believe it’s our job as real estate professionals to be social media influencers and I’ve never felt this has impacted on my profit line. This is a different business altogether and if you choose to go down this path then I support you, BUT keep in mind, followers aren’t clients.
You don’t need a million followers to make big bucks in real estate.
What you need is loyal clients who love your work ethic and refer you through their local networks. Keep in mind the time, energy and money spent to maintain your social media presence and see whether it’s worth it from a profit perspective. My goal is to simply show up regularly so that anyone stalking my profile can get a snapshot into who I am as a professional. (I use social media primarily to showcase my personal brand).
I would invest more of my earnings rather than buy luxury items.
It’s no secret I love my Christian Dior handbags and Louboutins and so what does a cashed up real estate agent do? She buys stuff. I don’t regret my purchases because I love each and every one of them BUT I probably didn’t need to buy so many! How many handbags and pairs of heels does one REALLY need?!
In reality, I did invest a huge part of my earnings but I could have invested more. If I had that time again, I would have deleted my personal shopper’s number from my phone and stayed away from the private trunk shows that seemed to find me in that era.
There’s one more thing I’d do if I was starting again today and I reveal this in the podcast episode below.
MEET THE WRITER
Hi, I’m Wendy.
I’m a storytelling writer, champagne lover and Luxury Buyer’s Agent based in Brisbane Australia. I share my journey as an independent real estate professional and self-made career woman. MY STORY
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Wendy Russell is a Luxury Buyer’s Agent, social introvert and self-made business woman on a mission to help career women step into their power as high-value professionals. It starts here.
Become the high-value agent you were destined to be.
Steal my systems and processes for running your own buyer’s advocacy business.
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“The Polished Professional Masterclass has been a transformative and empowering experience for me as a woman in real estate.” — TINA JAMES Brisbane Buyer’s Agent
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