A year into leading DiJones Lindfield as a licensee, Daniel Blagg says the biggest change hasn’t been the business’s growth. It’s been how much time he got back to actually lead it.
“The demands on principals today are significantly different to what they were even five years ago,” Daniel said.
“Technology, compliance, data, marketing and recruitment all require specialist expertise.”
Daniel said he considered traditional franchise options before choosing to become a DiJones Licensee, and found an important difference in the level of commercial partnership behind the model.
“With a conventional franchise, the licensee can still be largely responsible for the health and performance of the business once the brand and operating system are in place,” he said.
“What appealed to me about DiJones was that the success of the business is a shared priority. The broader DiJones team is invested in the strength of the business and its P&L, while also providing access to a suite of centralised professional services that I can draw on according to the needs of the business.”
“What I’ve learned over the past year is that there is enormous value in being able to focus on where you create the greatest impact. For me, that’s leading people, building culture, supporting clients and growing the business,” he said.
“The support available through DiJones has allowed me to spend less time managing systems and administration, and more time doing what I enjoy and where I can add the most value,” he added.
Daniel said that doesn’t mean compliance, technology and administration don’t matter.
“The challenge isn’t that those responsibilities aren’t important. They absolutely are,” he said. “The challenge is ensuring they don’t come at the expense of leadership. The best outcomes in our industry still come from building great teams, developing people and creating exceptional customer experiences.”
DiJones CEO Dean Mackie said the principal’s role has shifted substantially over the past two decades.
“Twenty years ago a principal could personally manage most aspects of the business,” Dean said. “Today the role demands leadership across people, culture, customer experience, recruitment, technology and growth.”
DiJones Chief Operating Officer Brent May said time is the scarcest resource for any business owner.
“Every business owner has the same number of hours in the day,” Brent said. “The question is where those hours are spent.”
“When principals are tied up managing operational complexity, they’re spending less time with their people, less time with their customers and less time growing their business.”
Daniel said he would encourage other principals weighing up their next move to look beyond the traditional franchise model.
“I think a lot of agents reach a stage where they want to build something of their own, but they don’t necessarily want to build every support function from scratch,” he said.
His focus for the next 12 months is continued team growth, leadership development and expanding opportunities within his local market.
“There’s still enormous opportunity ahead of us,” Daniel said. “The goal is to continue building a high-performing team, deliver exceptional client experiences and create an environment where talented people can build successful careers.”