Canberra principal Brett Hayman on the first 12 months out from a franchise

Posted in Our achievements, Our people September 26th 2019

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Canberra agent Brett Hayman’s not afraid to admit the business plan for his own agency – Hayman Partners – was written on a paper tablecloth in a restaurant.

“We’d been part of a franchise group for 10 years in Canberra and the agreement was coming up for renewal,” Brett says.

“We started to think – what if we went out on our own? And there was a real energy around that question. A real drive.

“My wife Leisa and I were at dinner – she’s also a long-term property expert – and it all came together over the next five hours. We were the last to leave the restaurant!”

The paper tablecloth still hangs on the wall at Brett and Leisa’s Canberra home, a reminder of what the future could one day look like.

The decision to establish Hayman Partners on 1 July 2018 was courageous, and Brett could never have imagined just how much hard work – or how incredibly successful – launching his own agency would be.

In its first 12 months of business, Hayman Partners listed 305 properties for sale and secured 344 tenancies.

Brett Hayman came in at number 47 on REB’s List of Top 100 Agents for 2019, and the agency was a finalist in three categories at REB’s annual awards night in September, including Property Management Business of the Year (7 or more property managers) and Sales Office of the Year (Metropolitan).

Here are Brett’s top 5 tips for agents in the first year of running their own agency.

1. Vision, vision, vision.

“Despite how frantic it’s been, we always have a clear sense of direction,” Brett says.

“We know why we launched and we’re confident about the service we bring to an already cluttered marketplace.

“You’ve always got to go back to why you opened your business in the first place. Work out what made you open it and really focus on that. Because that’s what’s going to get you through every challenge.

“We unite around our vision and it works – by keeping our eyes on the prize, so to speak, we’ve kept our market share and we gained a little bit in some areas which is fantastic.”

2. Adopt a “client for life” mentality.

According to Brett, Hayman Partners works hard at this. 

“We’re transparent with our clients and don’t treat the sale of their property as a one night stand,” he says.

“We don’t want to build a fantastic relationship, sell their house and then forget about them. We want to nurture a relationship over a very. very long period.”

3. The physical environment is key.

Real estate agency offices are generally segregated, Brett says, often fostering an ‘us and them’ mentality – especially between property managers and sales agents.

“We wanted an open-plan office that broke down the barriers between teams. Not even the directors have offices – they’re all out there with people, talking with the staff. We just want our open-plan office to help build a really good culture.”

4. Be good to your staff.

“Make sure they’re motivated and upbeat and doing what you expect them to do. Set the ground rules right from the start.”

5. Communication is everything.

“Whether that’s with our stakeholders, our staff or our suppliers, if we communicate things will run smoothly – as soon as we stop communicating and start assuming things will happen, they don’t,” Brett says.

“So we need to make sure we stay on top of it and communicate with people all the time.”