“Real estate is a people business and I’ve built relationships with many interesting and very successful clients in the commercial world,” he said. “I’ve met many clients who are incredibly inspiring to me, because they’ve made it on their own having built really successful businesses from nothing.
“When you’re constantly working with people who have forged their own way, it makes it feel a little less daunting to have your own business. I’m focused on building something. That’s one of the things I love about having my own business. I’m creating something not only for myself, but also for the people who work with me in the business.
“Seeing the team grow and develop is really rewarding to me. I want to provide opportunities to my team that simply aren’t possible in the case of a larger global firm, such as equity in the business and other incentives. I want to share that feeling of owning and building something to be proud of with the people in my team.”
Although he has some serious plans for expansion, Daniel said it’s important for him to maintain the same values and agility that has been behind his success to date.
“Deals often come down to who you know, the relationships you have and what value you can add to that deal,” he said. “It’s not always about the company you work for. It’s about you as a person and who wants to do business with you.
“Mine is a very small business by commercial real estate standards, but I like that. I want the business to remain agile. We deal with who we want to deal with – and I do like the feeling of being the underdog.”
Resilience and facing challenges
Like so many business owners, Daniel finds one of his biggest challenges is protecting his time. Despite not being a ‘process person’, he does have ways to ensure he gets the most out of every day.
“Protecting my diary and maintaining a listing pipeline and deal flow is a constant challenge,” he said.
“Being the owner of two offices, I find there are many and varied demands on my time. But being prepared to say ‘no’ to things that take me away from what I love to do is best for both me and the business. I want to be meeting as many potential clients, showing as many buildings and putting together as many deals as I possibly can, so I prioritise those things. However, it’s getting more difficult as the business grows”.
Goal setting is particularly important to Daniel.
“Personally, I don’t have a lot of processes in place for how I work, but I do like to set and hit goals,” he said. “I have daily, weekly and monthly goals. and I hold myself accountable.
“For example, I try to have 10 new business meetings every week – that’s a good week for me. Meeting new people, in addition to maintaining relationships with contacts is very important to me, so this is what I am always striving for.”
Daniel says his genuine interest in finding out what people need from each transaction has been key to his ongoing success.
“I’m good at quickly working out people’s motivations and their pain points,” he said. “Motivation and pain are the two levers for every side of a deal and are basic drivers of all human behaviour in general. Knowing what the motivations and frustrations of both parties are, allows you to bring people together and close that deal faster.
“I am honest and very direct, which is important in my role. My staff and clients always know where they stand with me, which builds trust and is vital in this business.
“I also think I have developed resilience working in this industry. There is no such thing as an ‘okay day’ in commercial real estate. It’s either amazing or awful. As someone said to me a few years ago, it’s ‘champagne or razor blades’.
“I’ve learnt to put a bad day out of my mind when I leave the office and I don’t bring any outside issues to work. Being present and dealing with things in the moment is one of the best things you can learn to do.”