Two English expats chasing Queensland’s sun has led to the formation of a new real estate agency.
Nigel Jackson and Richard Jones will form the newly established Jackson Jones agency as the two share more in common than a hatred of English weather.
Mr Jackson is a Yorkshire boy, born and bred, but had the good sense to marry an Aussie (Kate) before moving to Queensland.
“I was looking at the drizzle in London and watching our bank balance shrink each week, so we decided we needed to come over permanently,” he said.
Mr Jones’ journey to business ownership started in much the same way. He and Vanessa immigrated to the Sunshine Coast seven years ago.
“We put everything into a shipping container and came over without any jobs lined up… it was a total leap of faith,” he said.
While they both enjoyed working at Coronis and appreciated the opportunities it presented, both had the shared ambition of setting up their own shop.
“We couldn’t do things at a micro level. If we saw an innovation that we wanted to implement, it had to go through other people and channels that we didn’t have direct influence over. We wanted to remove those roadblocks and have complete control,” Mr Jones said.
He was also aware that a brand’s reputation is only as strong as its weakest link, which becomes difficult to control as an agency grows.
“If someone else joins the business and damages the brand through less-than-optimal behaviour, we have no control over that. We now have complete control and can ensure anyone we do bring on is operating in line with our values,” Mr Jones added.
Mr Jackson chimed in to say these values will be the bedrock on which Jackson Jones’ success will be built.
“From the minute someone rings, to your response time, to how you communicate, to how you do everything you say you’re going to do. You must have an ethical approach towards negotiation and building a relationship with clients. We want to provide a premium service level — the sort you should expect for multimillion-dollar properties but at a value that’s comparable to other agents.”