It’s time to peel back the sold sign to give readers a sneak peek into the importance of having an awesome ‘Support Crew’ in real estate. Here’s an insight into the busy world of Business Manager, Renae Hayek, who provides a steady hand of guidance at one of the Gold Coast’s most prestigious boutique agencies, Kollosche.
Congratulations on your newly appointed role as Business Manager of Kollosche! Tell us more about what this entails please:
My role is a little bit of everything. My primary responsibility is to support Michael and his property matters. As the business has grown and evolved, it’s led me to be involved in managing finance, HR, marketing, training and business development. I love the role as it is never the same each day.
You’ve been in the real estate industry for over a decade – what attracted you to this sector originally?
My passion for real estate and design stems from my childhood. My parents built many homes as we were growing up and seeing them go through the planning and design stage with architects and designers helped me develop an early passion.
After I completed a business degree (majoring in marketing), I secured a marketing assistant role for a project marketing and residential agency in Brisbane. I then went on to manage the marketing departments in two successful Brisbane offices. We are so fortunate with the diversity and agility of promotional campaigns today compared to 15 years ago. We can literally launch a campaign today and have it hit mass markets with immediate results within the hour.
What are some of your career memorable moments?
I was fortunate enough to spend 14 years of my career working for realestate.com.au. I joined this business in 2004 when it was in its incubation stage, I was employee number 52 and now there are over 1,200 employees across several countries. I was so fortunate to be part of a media company in its infancy, to get to see it grow and also watch the digital space evolve so rapidly in such a short period of time. I held several roles at REA which allowed me to develop my qualifications and learn from industry experts which I still use in my role at Kollosche today.
The most memorable time in my career at REA was taking out the national account manager of the year award. Being recognised as the number one account manager across the country was very satisfying!
Of course, no two days are the same in real estate, but generally speaking, what is a typical day for you, as Business Manager?
The first word that comes to mind is certainly agility, and yes, no two days are the same. First thing in the morning Michael and I have a debrief to ensure we have everything on track for the day. Property campaigns take my priority of a morning and then I move into working on the business in the afternoon which covers everything from business planning, marketing, invoicing, trust accounting and meetings. Assisting the team with their queries and training is also a priority each day.
Why do you think support staff are so crucial to a real estate agent’s success?
Like any good sportsperson, their success is bordered by a great team of people who are fabulous at their job and have a central focus for the success of the team. The same applies to real estate. An agent who is able to write good fees and provide an exceptional level of service to their clients cannot do it alone as real estate is an all-consuming industry.
However, I also believe successful real estate teams takes a great lead agent who sets high benchmarks for their team, is a strong leader, effective communicator and allows the dynamics of the team to deliver world class service. Without a strong leader at the top and an articulated business plan the team would not be successful. I am fortunate enough to work for one of the best in the industry and seeing Michael’s passion for his clients, his results and his people is a major driving force behind the success of our team.
How has your role contributed to the success of Kollosche?
Our business has evolved in the time I have been there. The ownership structure changed in December 2018 so planning for that was no small feat.
Culture means everything in our business. Setting the foundations for a strong, inclusive environment creates a happy team where people want to work.
How do you spend your downtime?
I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband who often takes the reigns when it comes to the school run for our two sons, aged 9 and 7. Our boys are very sporty, (currently we are managing 7 days a week of sport!) so weekends are full of buzz and sometimes rushing from one place to the next. But they also allow me time to work with no interruptions, to clear my inbox and plan for the week ahead. I always put aside the afternoon to spend with Ben and the kids, enjoy a BBQ with friends and enjoy a well deserved wine ????.
