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Misunderstanding leads Realmark Western Suburbs’ Gilbert into industry

Natalie HordovWestern Suburbs Weekly

“We were looking for a rental property and Adam went to an agency and was given a time for an appointment,” wife and business partner Emma said.

“I was working, so he went to the meeting with our three kids in tow.

“He thought he was going to see a property, instead he had an interview with the director of the company.

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“He came home and said he hadn’t got a rental, but he’d got a job.”

Emma followed Adam into real estate in 2011.

“I saw him get some traction in the industry and the flexibility the role gave him and thought that would be good,” she said.

“I was managing a chain of salons and we were both working long hours, but he was earning more and I quickly cottoned on to what I could do better with my time.”

Adam said he became aware that Emma was interested when she asked if she could do some home-opens with him.

“She said, ‘maybe it’s something I can do part-time’,” he said.

“That’s how it started, and then one Saturday afternoon Emma said, ‘I’m going to work with you full-time, I’ve just quit’.”

They worked as a husband-and-wife sales team before becoming directors of their own business in 2013.

“We were getting approached by other agencies at that time and it started a curiosity about what could be,” Emma said.

“We felt that no one shared the same culture and vision as we did, so working for ourselves was the best option.”

Adam said the key to being a successful team was knowing the ‘why’ of why they got into business and having shared values.

“You’re only on the planet for a short period of time and every day you want to progress and be better than you were the previous day,” he said.

“On a personal level, our ‘why’ is providing a lifestyle that allows our family to fulfil that in every way you can.

“Professionally, we’re both committed to being a service-driven business offering value, not being a volume-based transactional business.

“We don’t want to be the biggest, just the best we can be for our clients.”

Working together has had its challenges, including separating work and home life.

“We are getting better at it, we have had to discipline ourselves,” Emma said.

“About three years ago, we made sure that there were no computers in the home, so we don’t have a home office.

“You would have to tell the kids to be quiet because dad was trying to do a deal.”

The evolution of technology has helped with their work-life balance.

“We’ve become more mobile and the dependency on having an office base has become less and less,” Adam said.

“From a sales representative’s point of view and a business owner’s point of view, we can step out of the office environment and still function, given that our business is a people business.” n