Startup Journal

I've decided I will share a handful of touch points for the first year in summary - the things that stand out to me most with a brief thought of mine attached to each point.

It's funny how rapidly approaching the one full year in business mark has hit me in a way of reflection which has lead to planning for the next year.

“Ahhhhh” is the best word to describe how I feel about June 2019 for Ecology Property - the month that all the pieces finally feel like they all fit together. Four more sold stickers went up in June + we signed another three fresh contracts as well - new listings as always were in the works too; but the main and most noticeable thing for me in June was just a feeling of harmony + congruency in the team. I feel like we’re all in a good little rhythm and that we can now take things to the next level - it almost feels like we’ve completed building the foundation of the business in a way. The great commentary around our little brand keep flowing in + the positive feedback from the marketplace about what we’re doing is super reassuring. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of people saying "oh, is that your company? You sell great properties" or "Is Ecology the one with the really nice signs" - it might seem like a little throw away comment for most, but hearing those things keeps my tyres pumped up in a big way. We also finished off and took delivery of some branded gifts including organic cotton tea towels + laser etched Tasmanian Oak serving/cutting boards; if you’d like an Ecology tea towel for home, sing out! :-) Looking forward; we’re wanting to do a bit more around marketing the brand itself, up until now it’s all been very ‘organic’ business which is super, but we feel we could improve on our growth by putting some more content and materials out there in the world. I’ve also started chats with a wonderful coach for myself to help me with both my day to day and also with some strategic framework so our business is as efficient + effective as possible; this coach has mentored a number of people who I respect the most in this industry so I can’t wait to progress on our ideas. Coming up to the twelve month mark now (two to go), so we are working towards a goal of 40+ sold stickers in our first year, a number that brings me a huge amount of satisfaction + pride upon looking back on the year. Good times and good times ahead!

It never ceases to amaze me just how fast each month goes by - I really quite enjoy the responsibility of writing a monthly blog post; it's a good way to keep track of what’s happening and just how fast time flies by when we're having fun. We've had a good month this month; not a month void of any challenges - but a good month. As time passes by and different sets of circumstances present themselves in the line of work, I'm continually learning a great amount and I've felt some of the biggest learnings have been around understanding my own strengths and weaknesses. If I'm completely honest, up until quite recently I've struggled a little with establishing just what support I need to have around me on the daily basis to get the best out of myself, which in turn gets the best outcomes for our clients. I've also learnt that by getting the most out of myself, I'm happier; which in turn creates a happier environment and I'm very thankful for where we are at currently - we're moving in the right direction and feeling better than ever. The election is now done & won and while I won't spectate too much on the specifics - it's great to feel some stability and confidence in the marketplace again. I must admit though; the election campaign this time around didn't feel too affect us too much - we still had some good results, I think if anything it just affected the number of new properties coming on the market for a little while. At the close of May we were sitting at 27 unconditional sales - with 6 new contracts signed in May. Varying price points again; $363,000 (Land) - $386,000 - $502,500 - $555,000 - $745,000 - $770,000. In regards to new properties coming up; some good ones there too - we've listed four around our office in the North-East corner of late and also forged some strong relationships with other business owners for long term business opportunities there... so more to come on those soon. As always - thanks heaps for reading and your ongoing support. I'm loving being a business owner and building our brand nearly as much as I'm loving being a partner & new dad.

April for Ecology was a month of fine tuning and good process implementation. I feel that we’ve been able to make real improvements in so many ways. Daily structure, team resources, team upskilling, office vibe and workflow in general - the office really feels like it’s starting to ‘hum’ so to speak. Sure, there’s always room for improvement - I won’t deny that; but, as the old saying goes “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time” not that I plan on eating an elephant anytime soon, it’s a figure of speech! Market wise, I feel that the market in April took a really positive turn - maybe it’s just our headspace? Whatever it is, we’ll take it. Buyer activity has increased again and we’re noticing that the lack of new property hitting the market is creating genuine demand from qualified buyers and they’re making decisions. We’re noticing day to day things like increased buyer inspection requests (not just open house visitors), buyers proactively wanting to be contacted about new properties and buyers wanting more hands on assistance to find a suitable property again... for a little while there some of those cues were harder to find in the day to day because supply outweighed demand; a good sign! The election this year doesn’t seem to be bothering the market locally as much as it usually does, it feels a lot like the population (at least the people who I cross paths with) are a little tired and just want to get back to living again - a sentiment I can 100% relate to and support. ‘Success’ wise, the office wrote another four sale contracts at varying price points in April; a land sale at $280,000 and three house sales ranging from $375,000 to $715,000. It’s nice to see activity at a range of price points and in a range of locations. May 2019 feels like it’ll be a good one, including David’s 60th Birthday - and no doubt some further progress to be made on a real estate front. Thanks for reading.

We've lost one & gained two! Exciting times ahead.

The highlight of the month for me (on a work front) was seeing David Bennett sell his first listing with us.

January 2019 for me personally, was the most significant month of my life so far; with Rhiannon & I giving birth to our first child - a baby boy, Orlo Matthew...