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Place Sunnybank has celebrated the first graduate of its innovative new training process, which has prompted the agency’s director to continue growing talent through the program.
Six years ago, Andy Guo was running a struggling sushi train business. Now he is a successful realtor and the lead agent at Place Sunnybank in the Brisbane suburb of MacGregor.
Although not even half of the calendar year 2025 has passed, Guo is already on track to write more than $1 million in sales, attributing his success to the “Zero to Hero” training program he recently completed.
Led by Owen Chen, the Sunnybank office has rejected traditional hiring conventions and instead focused on recruiting agents based on their unique life experiences and coachability.
The Zero to Hero recruitment and training program identifies and develops high-performing sales agents.
Chen’s process begins with a three-day open recruitment event at the Place Sunnybank office, with accepted candidates first paid to trial a role at the agency before being invited into a structured two-year apprenticeship program.
Chen said that everyone is welcome to take part in the training and that he does not believe in “married at first sight” recruiting, as the best agents often come from unorthodox backgrounds.
“You can’t assess someone’s true value in a one-hour interview,” Chen explained.
“The best agents often come from outside the industry – hospitality, small business, trades. They’ve lived life, and they’re hungry to succeed,” he added.
Although the training model is a lengthy process, Place Sunnybank emphasised that the results are well worth the effort, with inaugural graduate Andy Guo now an established sales agent in the southern region of Brisbane.
Guo, among the first participants, said that the opportunity was a watershed moment that changed his career prospects.
“I was broke and burnt out. I thought I’d missed my shot,” Guo said.
“But Owen saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself. His model gave me structure, belief and the tools to build a completely different life,” he explained.
Chen highlighted Guo’s success story in stating that with the right support, he believes real estate can be the “ultimate career reset” for anyone looking to take the step.
While Chen is already on the lookout for the next wave of local talents to join the Zero to Hero program, he emphasised that he aims to build long-term talents who can develop and flourish at Place Sunnybank.
“This is about culture. We don’t want agents who peak and disappear. We invest in careers that grow year after year,” Chen concluded.
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