Clinton Eastell has dreamed of the day he would run his own agency since he started out in the industry at 19-years-old. That plan recently came to fruition with the launch of Eastell & Co – a Sunshine Coast agency which he notes is already proving a roaring financial success.
“The day I walked into real estate is the day I knew I wanted to someday own my own business,” Mr Eastell said.
“It’s been a great decision. I’ve made more money running my own business in the last two months than I’d made in the previous 12 months working for someone else.”
But the long path to success required hard work and an appetite for education. Along the way he has worked with some of the industry’s biggest brands, soaking up skills like networking, lead generation and more.
Mr Eastell did a stint working for a Toowoomba family business before being offered a position at an agency on the Sunshine Coast.
“I would be at the office from 6am to 9pm every day. I operated on the idea that you are there to turn the office alarm off in the morning, and turn it on again as you left each night.”
Mr Eastell then moved onto another agency where he remained for over three years, further honing his skill for generating leads, and establishing a personal reputation which saw clients return time and again.
“In the end about 90 per cent of my business was self-generated. They rang because they knew me.”
Despite being approached by another franchises to open an office in his area, Mr Eastell said he felt the big-business model wasn’t a good fit for what he was looking to achieve. He also knew his personal reputation and client base stood him in good stead to go it alone.
He looked to start his own operation, but knew kicking off and running a venture would be expensive and time consuming.
“Then I came across UrbanX and Dan Argent (UrbanX CEO). We sat down and had a chat. What he had to say and what he was looking to achieve – it just blew me away. I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” Mr Eastell said.
In addition to the administrative support and entrepreneurial guidance offered by the UrbanX team, Mr Eastell noted he has also gained insights from a network of UrbanX agents that have become a community of benefit.
“There are so many businesses like ours that we can go to, lean on and have a chat with. It’s great,” Mr Eastell said.
He explained there were further benefits to working with UrbanX including personal branding recognition and increased earnings.
“People don’t realise under the traditional model when you sell a million-dollar property and the commission is $30,000, they first take off a franchise fee and then 50 per cent goes to the local office.
“After that, I then take off tax, super and personal advertising. In the end, as the agent, I end up with about $9,000 from a million-dollar sale.
“But under the UrbanX model, I pay just 20 per cent of my commission for all their infrastructure and support, and I get to keep the rest. And the better I do in selling, the lower that UrbanX percentage becomes.”
In terms of marketing, Mr Eastell said operating under his own name ensured the time and money he invests in marketing directly benefit his profile, rather than a brand.
Now, he notes things have never been better for him and his family.
“Dan’s not only changed the way I do real estate but he’s changed the way I’m living my life and what I’m trying to achieve.
“We have more financial freedom, have a great lifestyle where UrbanX does the administrative stuff and I can stick to sales and leasing, and have time to enjoy my days off.
“Also, the people around us now are people who want to be successful and want us to be successful too.”
Mr Eastell’s advice to anyone thinking about striking out of their own is to simply take the plunge.
“Just back yourself. You can do it – be the person you want to be. As long as you’re passionate and do it for the right reasons, you’ll be a success.”
Note about Promoted Content: The promotion of this article has been paid for (‘promoted content’).
