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Being able to learn directly from strong female leaders provided a great example for me both personally and professionally. I witnessed firsthand that it is possible to (not without challenge) balance a successful career and family life whilst also navigating the trials of being a rare statistical anomaly in the real estate sector.
I began my career in the real estate industry at the age of 19 — young, impressionable, and full of ambition. A few years later, I found myself shifting from the world of franchisee to franchisor and taking on my first role in the corporate sector, working in a team predominately made up of females. I soon realised how rare this opportunity was and am forever grateful for it.
Surrounding myself with not only one, but multiple strong female leaders in the early stages of my career gave me an inspired belief in my own potential, as well as the confidence and support to break down archaic barriers. I was constantly reminded that the only glass ceiling in this industry was the one I created for myself. This belief, which was engrained in me at an early age and nurtured through my career is the reason I believe that I have had opportunities continually presented, allowing me to grow and learn in leaps and bounds.
Phenomenal women
Over the years, I have met many phenomenal women within the real estate industry with inspiring success stories, all of whom are eager and ready to help others. From single mothers needing to earn a living to support their families, mums returning to the workforce after raising children, to ambitious saleswomen simply shaking up the status quo. There is an abundance of inspirational women at our fingertips, proving there is no need for this industry to be so heavily skewed.
This only raised more questions for me internally, specifically as to why, as one of the only industries that allows a career path with little certification, no experience necessary, flexible working hours and unlimited income, we are still not attracting more women into real estate sales. Statistically, although the industry at a glance, attracts both genders equally, women mostly sit in positions throughout the administration and property management sectors, limiting opportunities for growth and potential business ownership.
During one of Melbourne’s lockdown periods, it became apparent that not only were the numbers weighted in sales and directors but that there was also a limited number of female auctioneers in the industry. Highlighted by the amount of media attention in the news, I happily volunteered to take a step in the right direction to slowly change the statistics. After participating in the facilitation of corporate training for many years, my interest in auctioneering had officially been sparked, but only in order to encourage more up-and-coming women in the industry to step out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves, therefore shifting the norm.
The Inspirational Women’s Network
Therefore, when asked why the Inspirational Women initiative was so important to me, I had to be really sure my answer was simple and clear to understand. Ready and eager to continue this journey on a big-picture scale, it seemed only fitting to accept the challenge as an ambassador for the Inspirational Women’s Network.
Just as I personally, was motivated to push boundaries on societal rules by engaging with other female leaders, this initiative will work to build a community of like-minded networking individuals to support and encourage one another by sharing their personal successes, challenges and experiences. In order to make a genuine difference in the roles women partake in within the real estate business, whether business ownership or top-performing sales agents, we need to first lay the building blocks of a solid foundation.
It is that simple. We will join, we will network, and we will share challenges and ideas in order to support one another to keep doing what we are already doing — breaking our own glass ceilings — so eventually, this initiative won’t be necessary anymore. The goal will be to inspire more young women into the industry to take on roles of leadership and business ownership and make their own footprint in this great industry with unlimited potential.
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