Josie Smith - Century 21 Ipswich

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“Creating a point of difference in real estate”

“Century 21 Josie Smith and Co’s vision is to buck the trend of traditional real estate and break the negative stereotypes of real estate professionals within our own local community, through our benevolent approach to real estate.

Our mission is to be the point of difference in real estate, and the agency of choice for the community and real estate professionals alike. With our gratifying culture we will deliver successful, supportive and personalised service; whilst building life-long relationships; ensuring a stress-free transparent experience in real estate for all walks of life.”

When Josie approached me to look after her team’s image, I was beyond thrilled because I’d wanted to work with her for a while and had a definite vision that thankfully fit within her brief. The results speak for themselves.

Tell us a little about what you do for a living?

I sell houses and manage rentals, specialising in the Ipswich area.

Why did you start your business?

I started this business to avoid the mediocre career that everyone finds themselves stuck in. My mantra song is Dolly Parton’s “Nine to Five” as I never wanted to be a step on someone else’s ladder, I wanted to be the Captain of my own ship. I chose Century 21 because of their brand recognition. The have some pretty bold branding and some pretty big aspirations that fit my own vision, value system and ethos.

What has been the biggest challenge or fear you have had to overcome in business and how did you manage it?

I think I’d have to take that question back to the biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome in the industry and that’s the negative stereotype of real estate agents. I read a Readers Digest article when I started my career maybe 13 or 14 years ago and real estate agents ranked lower on the trustworthy scale than used car salesmen, lawyers and ladies of the night. My background is in nursing, so I’m quite an empath and I’ve found this is the greatest thing I’ve had to overcome. I’m challenging the industry to be better. In 2014, I wanted to make a statement that real estate agents in Ipswich needed to do better and give back more to change the negative perception of agents within our local community. I did a lot of volunteer work and donated to a lot of charities. Most recently, I’ve partnered with Hannah’s House and Down to Earth – they’re both extraordinary charities. I used to donate to my clients’ favourite charities world wide, but since buying Century 21 I wanted to align with more local based charities.

How do you achieve balance between relationships, work and personal needs (or kids, family and time out for yourself)?

That’s a hard one. I think choosing to be in sales (in the real estate industry) is choosing a lifestyle. It is all encompassing – it’s seven days a week most weeks and it never turns off, but it’s flexible as well. Your output is a direct result of your input in real estate and your input is up to you so you can be as big as you want or as small as you want.

How did you prepare yourself to start your business?

I’ve been in the industry for over 14 years now and have worked for a number of real estate agencies so I knew exactly what I didn’t want in my own agency. Preparing myself all boils down to knowledge. Knowledge is power and understanding your clients needs and your team’s needs. We are very big on team support and we all have each other’s backs. We rely on each other daily.

How do you know when you are ready to do something?

I don’t think anyone is ever ready. You’ve just got to take the leap. There’s no reward without risk, there’s no reward without sacrifice.

What have you put in place as a reminder to nurture your soul?

I honestly think I get a lot of personal reward from my job. I like to do better and be better and I like to help others do the same. In my down time, I love to spend time with my boys.

In the beginning, how did you attract your first good clients?

At the start, it was pretty gruesome to be honest. I started in the downturn and the average time to market was 60 – 90 days and I thought that was normal coming from nursing. My biggest mantra throughout my whole career is from Finding Nemo and it’s “Just Keep Swimming” – you can’t sink if you don’t stop swimming. I didn’t know anybody in Ipswich when I first started in real estate, but I never gave up – not ever…ever…ever…ever. I’m a very grateful person and I know that where focus goes, energy flows and what I put in out comes back. (Love that Anthony Robbins quote.)

What does a typical day look like for you?

It’s a 6am start most days – get the kids to school, get to work, plan out my day. Weekdays are a lot of planning and driving. Weekends are out with viewings. Most days end around 8-9pm, it’s usually a 12 plus hour day.

What do you love most about what you do?

Helping people. Coming from the nursing industry into the real estate industry, especially in sales, is really beneficial. It’s never about the sale for me – it’s always about what was done was best for the client.

Who are your biggest role models or influencers that have impacted your career?

Tony Robbins, Bernard Salt, and Dolly Parton. Personal development is really important to me, learning about people and how they communicate, in particular neurolinguistics is especially interesting.

Tell us something you we may not know about you already?

I completely forged my own path in real estate.

Any words of wisdom to those thinking of taking the leap?

Just keep swimming.

How has working with Amanda as your photographer contributed to your business?

She is a superstar. Image is everything, especially in today’s world. People make up their minds about you in the first 2 seconds so you want to make sure that the statement you create is the statement you want to make.