Andrew Blake is anything but average. He is a rare breed - someone who is capable and confident enough to be an incredibly successful salesperson but at the same time humble enough to know his own limitations.
He realised he had finally achieved his goal of turning his own name into a brand recently when he introduced himself to someone at an open home and they said “Oh, there’s actually a real Andrew Blake?”
Backtrack five years; Andrew was a successful sales agent and the manager of a Sydney Ray White office. He was awarded the number one sales agent across the entire group in NSW in 2003 and had a great reputation amongst his strong client base.
In 2004 the time was right for Andrew to start his own business. Opening a Ray White office in his local area was not possible at the time - the existing franchise arrangement made it impossible. Going somewhere else was not an option either - his reputation and success was intrinsically tied to the area. He began looking at other options for branding, but despite meeting with many different groups he could not find a comfortable fit.
“I loved being with Ray White - they had helped me get to where I was. I just didn’t feel any of the groups I spoke to were right for me. Eventually I just decided to back myself and go for it as an independent” Andrew said.
While his new office was being fitted out, Andrew started worked out of his home.
“I expected things would start off really slowly, but the phone started ringing almost straight away. Even though I explained that I didn’t even have a proper office yet, I was overwhelmed by the support my clients gave me.”
“Even though there were an enormous number of things to organise, we had the passion and the energy to make it happen. It took about three months to get the branding right and the office ready and we were opening the doors” Andrew said.
He says the biggest challenges were the long hours and the fact that with everything he had to organise, his time and attention were taken away from selling.
“My wife and I have three children. We joke this business is our fourth. It was hard work. Every aspect of the business had to be thought through and sorted out from stationary to systems, procedures and ad rates. But the payoff was total control of the look and feel of the business.”
He says the key to his success as an independent principal was to surround himself with quality support. He lists a great business coach, accountant and financial planner as critical on the list, and sufficient resources and a solid business plan as other key elements. He has also networked with other successful independent principals and regularly exchanges ideas and information with them.
“The biggest mistake I could have made would be to think I could do it all myself. So I found the people who had the skills I needed. I also set out knowing it could take six months before I started making any money and I was prepared for that too” Andrew said.
“In hindsight I still would have liked to be part of the Ray White Group. It would have been more seamless, and it was a tough decision at the time. I think I would have ended up in the same place though; we just had to take a different route. It was harder, but we also got to choose every step of the way too which was rewarding in itself.”
“I honestly believe that if you have integrity, passion, enthusiasm and honesty you will be successful. Real estate is a people business.”
Even after building a successful independent brand, Andrew is pragmatic about the future.
“I am open to anything and I think it’s important to stay flexible and realistic. Who knows what the future will bring and you can never say never to anything.”
Andrew has one other piece of advice for anyone thinking of opening a boutique agency - to leave your ego at the door.
“Talk to other independents, they are generally very open to helping. It’s harder but it’s not impossible. Remember it’s a five year plan so make sure you have a good one before you set out.”
