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Starting in the business as a property manager, new principal Jodi Alexander explains how belief from an agency owner convinced her she could run things.
It was Alexander’s relocation to Snowy Mountains town Cooma eight years ago that first sparked her interest in working in real estate.
“I was looking at a lot of houses for sale and I realised that I was really interested and engaged in this profession,” she explained.
Studying at TAFE to obtain her diploma in property services, she soon found a home at Craig Schofield’s One Agency Cooma office, working as a property manager while raising her children – now numbering four girls between the ages of nine and 20.
As Alexander described, the turning point came roughly two years in, when she overheard Schofield expressing his belief to a landlord that “one day it’ll be her name on the door”.
“Until that time, I’d never considered becoming a business owner,” Alexander said.
But Schofield had clearly seen the potential for leadership in his recruit, and as she cycled through several roles through the business, she explained that Schofield’s mentorship provided fertile ground for growing the succession plan that had been planted in those early years.
Continuing with her study until she achieved full qualification, Alexander jumped at each opportunity to learn a new part of the business, including transitioning into sales and taking on administrative roles.
“The more I could learn, the bigger asset I was to the business, and the thought of learning something new was exciting,” she said of the motivation behind spending time in different roles.
She credits both her academic training as well as on-the-job experience for allowing her to get where she is now, particularly when it comes to acquiring the skills needed to lead a team.
“Becoming Craig’s second-in-charge taught me how to manage staff, manage the office, and prioritise workloads,” she said.
Ultimately, she felt well-equipped to seize the opportunity when Schofield said he felt it was time for him to sell.
At One Agency’s head office, the team felt similarly assured of Alexander’s ability to take this next step.
“We’ve seen Jodi be instrumental in the business operations for many years and was a natural fit to take over the reins from Craig,” One Agency founder and CEO, Paul Davies, said.
The network places a particular emphasis on succession planning, with transitions such as the one from Schofield to Alexander the desired outcome of encouraging principals to think ahead and identify talent early.
And it’s not the only agency within the network that has experienced a successful handover in recent months.
“In the first quarter of ‘24, we’ve had two business owners sell their businesses internally. Wayne Stevens purchased the Rockingham-based One Agency business formerly owned by Ross MacAlpine, and now Jodi has stepped up, too,” Davies explained.
“The fact that over the years we’ve seen many stepping up to business ownership from inside One Agency branded businesses reinforces the ongoing value identified by our existing members, which brings me great satisfaction,” he added.
But though she has achieved this substantial milestone, Alexander is not content to sit on her laurels and is already looking ahead to future opportunities. In the coming months, she’s looking to grow the business portfolio, drill down on the particular needs of her clients, and foster pathways for new entrants to the business and the real estate profession.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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