As they marked Father’s Day yesterday, father and son duo Stephen and Elliot Kidd of Ray White Commercial Queensland celebrated a father-son relationship that spans both the professional and the personal.
It is part testament to the Ray White brand – a family-owned enterprise that dates back to 1902 and where family ties are ingrained in their history – but is also recognition of the Kidd family’s ability to work together successfully as part of a burgeoning real estate business in Queensland.
“My father and I started working together three years ago when I was working for Ray White Albion/Ascot as a residential sales agent,” Elliot explained.
“It was always our plan to eventually work together, but Dad wanted me to learn from someone else so I could bring additional skills, processes and knowledge to the table.
“Our partnership works exceptionally well. In an industry where trust is so important, not ever having to worry about the other person doing the wrong thing takes a large burden away.
“We’re quite similar, so we work well together, and some of our best memories are sitting down to have a beer together on a Friday afternoon, especially if it’s after a deal.
“It’s a long-term game. For me, I was able to join an existing business and step into a price point that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to for at least five years.
“Typically, sales agents start with smaller assets and then work their way up the food chain – but I could step into a strong business, selling properties worth over $20 million in my first year.
“We have our systems and roles sorted now – the first few months were a learning process – but one that was exciting and rewarded us well.
“In my first week of working for the group I’d met the Head of Residential Real Estate for Queensland, Brian White himself, and been sent to the excellent multi-day training camp.
“Ray White is more than just a family-owned business, it lives and breathes real estate and they understand what their biggest asset is, their people.”
Stephen said there was one simple way to know whether a father and son could work together successfully.
“Go on holiday together first. If you can survive the holiday and you can get along well, then that’s a good test for any working relationship,” he said.
“The stresses you experience on a compressed holiday where people get tired, agitated and cranky, are exactly the same as how you’d get along in a working environment.
“We’ve been on loads of holidays as a family and a few just the two of us, and get along really well, so I was confident we wouldn’t have any issues.
“It isn’t for everyone, but for those that it works for, it’s great being able to work with your family each and every day.”
