Login
iscover
Community has been a huge factor influencing this Queensland agency’s success.
Speaking on a recent episode of The WIRE, Janzey Pratt, the director of Yamba Realty Group, said that if you are in a position where you are blessed, then it just makes sense to bless others that are less fortunate.
From her perspective, “if you’re without a community, you don’t have a business”.
“If we’re not giving back, then we aren’t showing people that we actually care,” she stated.
“When interacting with your clients and community, they pick up on the ‘vibe’ that you’re there to assist them. It is not only about lining one’s own pockets.”
Revealing that her team is often told that they “care too much” to be real estate agents, Ms Pratt said: “We should be here as cheerleaders for each other, especially when you’re in a small business together.”
With floods having ravaged the town of Gympie, where Yamba Realty Group is based, earlier this year, Ms Pratt said it was small businesses that had had the biggest impact on the town in the time since.
That’s why, when the real estate agency relocated to its new office space, “it was important to support as many people as we possibly could to celebrate”.
Ms Pratt expressed amazement at the number of attendees at the office opening. With 160 individuals and more coming in to support her, the frequent remark was, “you guys give so much back to the community. Of course, we’re going to be here to support you!”
Ms Pratt emphasised that at one point, there were so many people that she couldn’t get through the door.
There was complimentary food and beverages, prizes, and giveaways, among other things. Many more businesses participated and donated items as well.
There are lots of different plans in place for the business owner to do fundraisers for the local community.
“We’ve taken on sponsorship of a brand new cricket club that, like us, is new on the block. We sponsored the Cooloola Dressage event recently. And for the first time, all of the participants in the event actually got prizes,” Ms Pratt said.
“We’re still getting messages from people saying thank you.”
The agency also manages the community food pantry. The office is in a high-visibility location on the street at the traffic lights, so people can easily see the pantry; consequently, its usage is increasing.
On cold Queensland winter nights, Ms Pratt also provides clothing and blankets.
It’s just the way that Ms Pratt was raised, she shared. “You just helped people out. It’s just a really simple approach to life in that way.
“I think we are just all here to basically just help each other out to love one another,” she noted.
Ms Pratt revealed: “We don’t do these things in the community to get business. It’s just part of who we are.”
Listen to the full conversation with Janzey Pratt here.
