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Humble beginnings were the driving force for creating one of the real estate industries most exciting new startups, and it's left big-name agencies and their outdated business practices in its wake.
Origin stories are really important. Whether it’s superheroes, public figures, life partners or businesses, understanding the past puts the present into perspective, and the future in focus.
And so it is with UrbanX. While on paper we only began operating in 2019, this company’s foundations were poured decades earlier.
I was raised by a single Mum who laboured through three jobs to ensure I had a roof over my head and a good education. So, while I grew up poor, my entrepreneurial spirit shone through. I’d wash cars, sell burned copies of CDs, and resell trash and treasure items.
Then, one day, a successful real estate agent came to our school, and said we could have anything we wanted in life if we set big goals and worked hard.
“Anything?” I thought. The idea was enticing.
In 2004, I started in real estate and soon realised I’d found my calling.
By 2010, I was writing $700,000 a year in commission, which sounds great on paper, but after losing $300,000 of that to the agency I worked for, another chunk for my associate, tax and super, I was only taking home $175,000 per year. Now, granted, this is decent coin, but I was generating almost three-quarters-of-a-million dollars each year in commission, so my take home pay felt comparatively paltry.
I thought, “something has to change”.
In that same year, I won the REIQ Salesperson of the Year, and received a slab of media exposure as part of the prize.
The publicity brought a revelation. People started ringing not because of the agency I worked for, but because I was Dan Argent, and they wanted me to sell their homes.
I’d discovered the power of personal branding.
Encouraged, I said goodbye to the agency I was at and started my own business.
It was a triumph. My income immediately rose by $150,000 a year now that I was away from the big agency, because running my own business only cost me half of the $300,000 I’d been paying them each year.
But the growth didn’t stop there. By creating my own brand, and working hard, I went from having a “chase business” to an “attraction business”, and my GCI went up 72% from $700,000 to $1.2M a year.
Life seemed pretty good… until one day in 2018 my wife dropped a bombshell… she wanted a divorce. We’d grown apart, and our once great relationship was now barely existent.
I’d devoted so much to my business, I’d neglected my responsibilities both as a husband, and to my physical health.
I found myself alone, 15kg overweight, and unwell, but with two important lessons learnt:
- I had to make immediate changes in my life,
- Other agents were on the same self-destructive path, and I could help them.
I analysed my work life and discovered the problem. Precious time was being spent on the mundane elements of running a business. Administration and managing staff was a waste of my skills – and I knew it would be the same for others.
And so, the UrbanX concept was born.
I would use everything I’d learned, both as an agent and a business owner, to create a service that would take care of operational matters for top-performing agents. That way, they could spend time selling real estate, building their personal brand and enjoying life outside of work.
With the idea primed, I asked my old school friend Steph Kong, who had climbed the corporate ladder to reach a career pinnacle as Head of Global Retail at Lorna Jane, to be my co-founder and Chief People Officer.
She was thrilled by the challenge and so we set about creating a model that would change the face of real estate, and reward top agents throughout the nation.
With Steph overseeing all of our people, and establishing the structure and processes of UrbanX, we launched in 2019.
Now it’s here and we couldn’t be happier.
Every week we’re contacted by agents who’ve grinded away to reach the top of their game, but need support to take that next step toward independence. Agents that have established networks and client bases, and are sought out by sellers because of their name, not because of who they work for.
These agents would love to work for themselves but aren’t sure how to, and/or don’t want all of the added responsibility.
That’s the niche UrbanX fills… and it’s going gangbusters!
We are just over a year into this business revolution, and we’re watching our dream of changing lives become a reality.
Why join UrbanX?
There are five reasons why you should join UrbanX:
- Self-brand development: At UrbanX we know sellers choose you, not the agency. We help you build your own brand to fuel success.
- More income: Our structure allows you to retain 70 to 85 per cent of your GCI. No more big-agency fee splits or franchise fees.
- Support and training: We use culture and connection to help agents grow their business. We are a collective that celebrates the successes and drives excellence.
- Administrative support: At UrbanX, we look after all your admin needs, so you can get on with the job of listing and selling.
- Life successipe™: It is imperative you find balance and happiness in sharing your success with those that matter most. Our aim is to see health, happiness, contribution and community become part of every agent’s DNA.
So now the UrbanX story is out and word is spreading fast. We know our goals are audacious and challenging but, frankly, if achieving great things were easy, everyone would be doing it.
While we’re on the path to creating something significant, in the end, the legacy of this endeavour will be a better future for everybody it reaches.
It’s personal for Steph and me. We’re both grateful for the sacrifices others made so we could have an excellent education – it’s the very foundation of our success. Now, we’re eager to ‘pay it forward’ by donating 10% of our profits to fund educational scholarships for disadvantaged kids, so they can reach their full potential too.
If you want more rewards and satisfaction from an industry you’ve devoted so much of your life to, then take the next step and see how UrbanX can be your path to success.
