Courtney Caulfield: Most Influential Women in Brisbane Real Estate

George: Alright. Season three of the Raising the Bar podcast. We have a guest. I’ve been waiting a long time to get on this show.

Courtney: I’m here.

George: Mrs. Courtney Caulfield from Place Kangaroo Point.

Courtney: Thank you for having me.

George: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy, busy schedule. We were just reminiscing off camera about how you and Simon came to this office six and a half years ago to sign a property contract. How time goes.

Courtney: And many properties since.

George: Yeah, yeah. Lived a whole nother life since then with yeah. Kids and all sorts of stuff.

[Welcome to the Raising the Bar podcast, where we story tell excellence in Queensland Property. I’m your host, George Sourris from Empire Legal.]

Courtney: Yep.

George: Well, let’s jump into it. So Raising the Bar, the whole point is to storytell excellence in Queensland property. And we think you’re excellent.

Courtney: I think you’re excellent.

George: Thank you. And look, your results speak for themself, right? And we’re going to uncover that today. And the whole point is just to give value to whoever’s listening out there about some of the tips, tricks, and will unpack a bit of the journey on, yeah, what you’ve done since your career in real estate.

Courtney: Yep. That’s exciting.

George: You ready to go?

Courtney: Yep.

George: Alright, cool. So we’re going to talk through three points and let’s just kick off Point 1, which is – you were a lawyer. So from lawyer to real estate agent.

Courtney: I was, yeah.

George: Yes. It’s a big change.

Courtney: Yes, a big change. And I don’t know the whole story, so I’m keen to hear it too, for the first time. I know you were a lawyer at Eagle Street somewhere.

Courtney: I was, yep.

George: Let’s just take a trip down memory lane a little bit. And I guess we just want to end up at how you ended up as an agent.

Courtney: Well, um, actually probably the main point of the story is Simon told me not to quit and I quit. And that was kind of the beginning of the end of being a lawyer. Uh, because I would come home and he’d be working all the time, and I’d be working all the time. He’d pick me up after I’d been in the office all day. He’d earn a lot more money. I’d still be working harder.

George: Yep.

Courtney: And um, and I told him one day, like I’d. I just don’t want to do it anymore.

George: And you’re doing corporate commercial law.

Courtney: Okay. That’s right.

George: So in the trenches, big, huge hours, in the trenches. In a tower in the city.

Courtney: Yeah. Yep. Totally. Um, breakfast, lunch, dinner there. On the weekends. And um, and I just didn’t see that was going to be me forever.

George: Yeah.

Courtney: Uh, and I would look at Simon and be like, I can do that, even though I didn’t think I could do it the way he could at the time. Um, and I told him one day I wanted to quit and he said, no, no, you can’t quit. Don’t do real estate.

George: Do not quit.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: And you…

Courtney: And I quit.

George: Yep. Yep. Wow. And you are what, like mid twenties ish? Somewhere around there?

Courtney: Yeah, I think I was about 26, something like that.

George: Yep. Okay. So you finished your degree, working in law for a few years. Yep. That’s right. And what, you just didn’t feel like there was light at the end of the tunnel?

Courtney: Well, I thought that the light at the end of my tunnel wasn’t as good as Simon’s.

George: Okay. So you saw him having success in his career as a real estate agent.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: And you’re like, why aren’t I just doing this? Because…

Courtney: …and I could just work just as hard.

George: Yeah, and that’s the thing, right? Agents, I think there’s a misconception in the world, that real estate agents, ‘oh, they make so much money and they do nothing’. And it couldn’t be more far from the truth. And it’s cool that you’ve had this perception as a corporate lawyer and now an agent. And obviously my wife’s an agent, and you are her boss, which is pretty cool. The best. That’s a fun fact, by the way. We normally do the fun fact at the start. So yeah. Fun fact. Courtney is my wife, Anna’s boss. And you guys have been together for four, five years, something like that maybe?

Courtney: Yeah, pretty much together now.

George: Well actually funny story. Um, Michael Bacon will say it was him. Simon will say it was him. You will say it was you, but between you guys, I don’t know who it was.

Courtney: Yeah. But somebody introduced me to Anna, who’s now my wife.

Courtney: Me.

George: Yeah. So yeah, Courtney, there you go.

Courtney: I’m sorry. The other guys cannot take any claim to that!

George: Scammers, the other two. When you dropped in those salt and vinegar chips.

Courtney: Yeah. Okay.

George: I did maybe drop – I wasn’t going to eat them, but Anna did, and that was it.

Courtney: That’s where it began.

George: Because they’re her favorite. Yep.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: Yep. There you go. So yeah, you were along for the journey. You were, yeah. You really, really were. You really were. Alright, but back on track. So what I was getting at is, I feel like agents, successful, high performing agents like yourself, like Simon, like your office, work like crazy hours. And I see it. I saw it with Anna. It was full on. I’m talking like contract prep at night. Obviously you work weekends, it’s full on.

Courtney: These are expectations that you have to meet because at the end of the day, as we were talking before, it is ultimately your name. And if you care about that, you’ll perform to the best.

George: Yeah. And that is where I think any profession is separated. There are people that will go above and beyond expectations and they will deliver results. There will be people that go above and beyond, and that is just what is expected.

Courtney: The moment that you don’t, you leave the door open for someone else. And that’s really important to remember as you’re building your career. Whether your career is early stages, or it’s more developed, is that there will always be an opening for someone else, but you can’t let that happen. And being a business owner, owning your own real estate business, being your own agent and decision maker, you have the choice. Are you going to answer that person at 10:00 PM? Yes. Are you going to be at that floor plan at 8:00 AM? Yes. Are you going to email them back on a Sunday? Take them for a second inspection? You’re going to do it all, because you want to be better. And that is what separates, um, everyone from the rest.

George: Average from excellence.

Courtney: Yeah. Correct. I distinctly remember talking to Anna about this, because I’m fascinated by the business that you and Simon have built. It’s exceptional and kudos to you guys. Thank you. I mean, I look back when we started dealing with you guys, which we’ll talk about in a little bit, to what you’ve created now with your flagship office and your team, and it’s just exceptional. So kudos to you and Simon. What I’m getting at is I recall Anna distinctly saying, and she’d been in real estate for over a decade at that point before she found you. She goes, man, I thought I worked hard. And then I started working for Team Caulfield. And I’m like, what do you mean? And she said exactly what you just signposted about the standard for excellence. She goes, man, I would sit and work, and I would work. And she goes, that was just the bar. That was the Caulfield bar. And I’ve never forgotten it. She told me this years ago. It’s so true. Like you guys work hard, play hard, right? You have high expectations. You’re building a winning team. You’re not there to spin around on your chair and muck around. You’re there to be the best.

Courtney: You and I are not going through life to be mediocre. We don’t want to deliver mediocre service to our clients. I may as well, you know, get another job. Because I definitely believe that we have standards that are better than everyone else’s.

George: That’s why you’ve achieved what you’ve achieved. Because you have those standards. So let’s talk about law then. So you’re like, I’m getting out of here. I can see a way to make money over there. Was it – tell me more.

Courtney: In fact, I made no money ‘over there’ when I first started real estate.

George: Did you go straight to working with Simon or were you somewhere else?

Courtney: I did, because I think that that is the smartest way to get leverage. New agents should actually bolster onto an experienced agent, to leverage off their name, hard.

George: Or they won’t last in the industry. The chance of them breaking through without that is slim to none. I reckon. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen different journeys. Yep. And the best ones I see go into a team with a high performer so they can learn.

Courtney: We’re always learning, and I’m still learning today from Simon. Some of the deals he does, I just think, oh my God, where did that even come from? Um, but to get back to it, basically I worked at a project in Bulimba.

George: Mm-hmm.

Courtney: Uh, for Adco, and I’m definitely still their favorite agent. Um, just to say that, um, because there’s a competition between Simon and I. It’s…

George: It’s me. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nice.

Courtney: Um, we were, or Adco were developing actually the very first like residential development on Byron Street where the shipyards were.

George: Okay.

Courtney: And I was on that project seven days a week and I was a telemarketer. And that was my job. I’d just service leads. They came in. I really had been to Bulimba only a couple of times. I didn’t know the suburb at all. Oh, wow. Yeah. But I was dedicated to making it work.

George: Yep.

Courtney: And we didn’t get paid for 12 months on all those sales that we did.

George: Yep.

Courtney: And I think I was definitely reassessing. And Simon was confirming what he had told me – is not to quit. Um, but we made it.

George: Can I ask? Why did Simon suggest that? Was that for like, uh, I know he’s been through, I’ve heard stories and I want Simon on the podcast too, so I don’t want to give all the golden little bits away. But I’ve heard some stories about like Simon’s career progression, and how he started, and where he is now. And it’s a wild story. And I don’t want to – we’re here for you in your limelight, right? But like, why was he suggesting that you stay in law?

Courtney: Ultimately? I felt he had an idea that he was responsible for me. And I didn’t want him to be responsible for me, because I knew I was going to work hard.

George: Yes.

Courtney: I knew what I could deliver is working harder than anyone else. My response time. Just being present, when a lot of other agents would see it as, okay, well this is a development. I’m not going to get paid for some time. I’m also not going to get a full fee upfront. So for agents that actually normally survive month to month, this was not something a normal agent would take on. Because they can get commission in 30 days after settlement. This one is years.

George: Gotcha. Long game. Long game. And it almost like a weird way to cut your teeth as well, isn’t it? To be involved in development sales as your first real stint. You’re not trying to sign Form 6’s up with door knocking and all the traditional stuff, where there’s playbooks for that. Telemarketing, cold calling and then not getting paid for a year. Going off being a commercial lawyer. That’s pretty wild.

Courtney: It was wild. Yeah. Um, it was exciting at first. I thought, yes, I can sell the dream. Who was I? 26 years old selling someone a multimillion dollar unit that didn’t even exist.

George: When you put it like that. Yeah. It’s just an idea right now. Yeah. But yeah…

Courtney: It’s not even built.

George: However, Simon – I will say this – Simon secured a number of sales there. Yeah. Which were absolutely incredible. And then Adco pushed forward with the project, which today is still representing some of the high square meter rates on the Bulimba riverfront there ever.

Courtney: Wow.

George: Wow. Yeah. And is that right near where the new precinct is going? You know how they’re doing like a new Oxford Street? Is that Byron Street or?

Courtney: It is, yeah. It’s just a regentrification of the area. Yeah.

George: Yeah. Cool, cool. So I know they’re doing that huge development now and they’re calling it like the new Oxford Street.

Courtney: The Barracks. There you go. It is. So that’s right near there.

George: Yeah. And I’m still selling down there today.

Courtney: Spyre gave me their development to sell – Watts & Wright, on the corner.

George: Very cool. And is that being sold now, or soon?

Courtney: Right now. By me!

George: Beautiful. There you go. Get on the net guys and check it out and get some Bulimba Riverfront property. Your parents should come down.

Courtney: Really? Yeah. One day. We’ll work on them.

George: Yeah. They’ve been in the same house longer than I’ve been alive. Mum, ring Courtney.

Courtney: She will, she’s got my number.

George: I think I know the answer to this based on what you’ve already discussed, but were you scared to leave law? Like was it a scary change?

Courtney: I was scared.

George: Yeah.

Courtney: Most people are I think, when they go from having a salary to no salary. It’s like your fight or flight mechanism in your body that ultimately takes over – is you would either make a decision to make a change and make money, and do the job, if you can get paid. Or you go back into a profession where you get a weekly salary.

George: Yeah. I guess, uh, your fallback could’ve always been to go back to law. I mean, you got the degree, you had the experience.

Courtney: There was never a plan B. Okay. I was never going back.

George: Yep. Beautiful. You’re like, I’m out. And you know what, let’s spend just one minute on that. Because I think a lot of people leave law. A lot of people leave the law and don’t return. I think it’s sold differently to how it is in practice, right? People watch Suits, they see Harvey Specter, they see Mike Ross, and they think, oh man, I’m going to be a lawyer. And then you get all the way down the path and you finally start doing it and you’re like, man, it’s actually nothing like that.

Courtney: It’s completely different.

George: Yeah. It is not at all realistic what you see in Suits. I would love to be in Suits.

Courtney: Same.

George: Uh, but…

Courtney: I wish I was Harvey Specter, right?

George: Also, the reality that I will tell you is – Suits is about those men. And the world works, sorry to say this to you, George, is with women. Watch out. We make the world work, and still to this day, they’re producing Suits with male characters where actually women get the work done.

Courtney: Donna. If you’ve watched this show, you know who Donna is.

George: Everyone needs a Donna.

Courtney: Everyone needs a Donna. We need more than one Donna.

George: And that’s what’s really important, because when I was a lawyer, I did look above me and think of all the people that were there for me to climb the career ladder, and they were men. And I was unsure. At that stage, I wasn’t even thinking about a family. But I was really unsure how I would progress in my own career when it basically stops when you have a kid.

Courtney: Yeah, yeah, yeah, which is – we’ve done things very differently here. Our whole business is built around women, particularly ones that have had babies. So yeah, it’s a total opposite of that, right?

George: We’re far more efficient than anyone else.

Courtney: Yeah. You want something done, give it to a mum. Holy moly. But back on what you said before, Peter Brewer, who was the old chair of the REIQ, I listened to his book recently and he was saying that all the gatekeepers are ‘male, pale and stale’. And it’s just, you know, it’s becoming a different world. But I guess when we were cutting our teeth in law, it’s – and to this day it’s still very ‘traditional’ to have the male Legal Practice Director and yeah, that whole ecosystem, certainly in big box corporate world, it’s still like that. And maybe it will change.

Courtney: Maybe it will. You know, one of the things that we’re trying to change in our office is having majority of agents as female. Uh, we know they’re more efficient, they can get in line with people’s emotions, and they’re just in touch a little bit more. So that’s something that we’re working towards. As you know, Rebecca Russell, you know, good friends with Rebecca. She works with you. She’s been on the podcast. Like what she’s achieved. What you’ve achieved with the bubs and careers is just exceptional, which we’ll touch on in a little bit more.

George: Yeah. So let’s round out Point 1. I’ve got one more point on this then, which is: Simon as your mentor. That’s pretty cool. I think it’s pretty rare. And just more to the point of what you were saying, of you clipping in with someone that’s excellent to increase your learning curve. Let’s just spend a couple of minutes on that and what your experience was like.

Courtney: I mean, I’m still experiencing it today. Simon is exceptional. In our Monday morning meetings. He is still exceptional.

George: DDM?

Courtney: Yes.

George: Daily Directional Meetings. I got the insider knowledge from my wife.

Courtney: He just has this mind that is not like mine. This way of looking at things differently. His negotiation skills. He, every Monday just keeps me on my toes when I need help with a deal. I’m speaking with him. Ultimately, my real estate career is really because of him. Because I have been not only his wife, but I have been the best understudy that you could ever have, to try and multiply his business, and in return, my business. So, yes.

George: Why wouldn’t you? I think why wouldn’t you? I mean, holy moley, Simon Caulfield is one of the greats in Brisbane, right? Like people know who Simon Caulfield is. The fact that you were able to learn directly from him and create the powerhouse Team Caulfield, but also you in your own right, is just exceptional.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: Kudos to you. You did it.

Courtney: I’m very lucky.

George: Yeah. How many years have you been in real estate now, roughly? Was it 10 less?

Courtney: 10. 10.

George: 10. Yeah. All with Simon?

Courtney: Yep. Yep. There you go. Yep.

George: So this is where the money’s at. So, you chose going – I’m going to get Simon to mentor me and teach me, regardless of what outside world thinks, whatever. Did you ever have any hesitation, or in your mind you’re like, this is the way?

Courtney: In my mind I was like, it is the only way for me. However, there was a lot of white noise out there being like, Courtney really hasn’t achieved that, it’s all Simon. And you know what? I don’t care. I actually do not care because I know how hard I worked, and I still to this day know how hard I work. And my clients know when they call me, they get me, and that’s the most important thing for me.

George: And that is a perfect way to transition to the next point, which is being one of Brisbane’s most influential women in real estate. Which is straight up, look it up, Google it – like you are. I recall, before Anna went off on maternity leave, we’re at the Place Awards and you came number one in the whole group as far as I recall it. Not only ‘women’, the whole group, was you as an individual agent?

Courtney: Yeah, myself and Anna. Myself and Anna, yeah. Okay. Yes.

George: But in the category that you ladies were in.

Courtney: That’s right. Yeah.

George: So, uh, they can say whatever they want about ‘oh, it’s because of Simon’. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s you, you are your own brand. So props to you. I just think that is exceptional. And I want to talk more about the journey about you as one of the most influential women in real estate. Because you – you were sort of just, how do I articulate it? As long as I can remember, it always seemed like that was the way. But I’m sure when you were, you know, doing your year one calling outbound, no one knew who you were yet, and obviously you had a different last name, right? You were Courtney Maguire, and now you’re Courtney Caulfield. How long do you think it took or was there a pivotal moment where you actually sort of pinched yourself and went, oh man, I’m in the big leagues here. Like I’m here. Like I’m doing the luxury properties. I’m an agent in my own right. I’ve – I’m doing it.

Courtney: I mean, there are a series of times where I felt like that.

George: Yeah.

Courtney: But ultimately what keeps me on my toes today is still wanting that. Is still wanting to, uh, be known, be better, have more people call me, have more people recognize me. And I think that that means that I’ll be in this career for some time.

George: Yeah. Because otherwise I’d make a change.

Courtney: Yes.

George: But the fact that I still want to be better and do better and be better for my clients and excel, means that, you know, the bar just has to get lifted.

Courtney: I love that we’re on the Raising the Bar podcast. That’s very fitting. That’s good. Yeah. But you know what, and let’s double down on this point.

George: Okay. So you and Simon have achieved great success. Like anyone can just Google you guys. You guys are at the top of your game. What I want to try and work out, is for you, you’ve got a 2-year-old son. That’s a little bit later, we’ll talk a bit more about that. I don’t want to steal the thunder from this point, which is you’ve still got the fire in your belly. Like you could probably take it a bit easy now. You’re a mama, maybe you want to chill out a bit. Instead you’re like, nah, I’m still going just as hard, probably harder, to still be at the top of the game. Tell me like, yes. Like tell me more about that. Because this is where other agents and people out there can learn like, what makes Courtney tick? Because you’re on fire. Like you’ve gotten busier since having a baby. Like that’s – I feel like it’s not meant to work that way.

Courtney: I work harder, and every mum will know this – harder in less hours. Now, don’t get me wrong, sometimes Krug may feel like I am working. I am. Sometimes we go to photo shoots on the weekend. We go to second inspections on a Sunday. He’s with me. Last Sunday I was in Paddington, he came with me. Um, so. Ultimately he’s getting great social skills. Uh, but at the same time I am working and, you know, between dropping off in the morning and picking up, then I do dinner with him and then he goes to bed at 8:30 PM and then I’m back working. And every mum knows that you have less hours in the day to get more done. Whilst arranging a household, making sure our office is running, starting a rental at my place and Simon and I starting our new property venture.

George: And you just finished the office, which was a huge journey. So between all of this stuff and having the bub and you, you’ve had a lot on your plate. But I feel like people like you always will, maybe that’s part of the secret sauce. Like you’re never sitting idle. You’ve always got multiple projects on the go and you’re running with pace.

Courtney: We thrive in that environment. So it makes us better and it makes us fit more in and deliver more.

George: Yes, and I think a key to that success is the fact that your partner is also wired the same way. I think it would be very challenging if, say you were trying to hit all these home runs and your partner was like, oh, you work too much, or take it easy. Surely part of that secret sauce is the fact that you both want that success.

Courtney: No one’s taking it easy in our household.

George: Not even Krug.

Courtney: Not even Krug! He’s there at photo shoots and videos.

George: He’s the talent. Yeah. You got him on the books. Yeah. His pocket money.

Courtney: But what drives you guys?

George: Um, what drives us is…

Courtney: What drives you? Like you just want to be the best. What is it? Because this is where the money’s at – this answer.

George: I want my clients to be happy.

Courtney: Okay.

George: Honestly, seeing their faces at settlements or when they secure their home or when we get a great result. Or, you know, not everything is in great circumstances, but ensuring that they are happy with the service we’ve delivered. It’s almost like you’re making a friend for that eight weeks that you’re really going to be with for life.

Courtney: Mm. Yeah. Because then they become promoters of your brand. And anyone who’s listening to this podcast understands, like, trust is my favorite word in this whole industry. Relationships all built on trust.

George: So you’re making friends. That’s a term I haven’t heard too often. And it’s great. Like you’re becoming friends with these people. To the point where they’re not only coming back, they’re probably referring their friends and family. And it helps you grow right? You get to help them out and their friends and family.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: People do business with people they like. At the end of the day, if you don’t like someone, no matter what they offer you, you will not do business with them.

Courtney: Yep. Well said. Know, like, and trust. If you can nail that, yeah, they’re coming back. It’s business, why would they go anywhere else?

George: Yeah. You give them no option to.

Courtney: Yep.

George: Yep.

Courtney: Alright, let’s talk about our relationship then. I think it’s a fitting time to turn to that. And then I want to talk a little bit about you as a mama before we wrap up as well, and your journey there. I remember, we were just talking off air, about you guys coming here to sign up a property you guys bought back in late 2019 and we’d just become acquainted. We weren’t, I wouldn’t say we were friends yet, but we just started doing work together. And as I recall it, why don’t you tell the story? Do you remember how we first started working together? Because I do. It was a really big moment for Empire Legal.

George: You tell it.

Courtney: Okay. So first of all, I want to say thank you to you, Courtney, for supporting Empire for basically the whole time we’ve been around. So, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I remember we were in this exact office, we just moved in here from having a tiny hole in the wall in Fortitude Valley, which was a store room that my dad let us use in his building. So thanks dad. Um, which was great. But yeah, I remember going to Abi going, oh my god, Courtney, I think you were Maguire back then, I think. Yeah, probably. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I’m like Courtney from Place. I just spoke to her. And it was a big deal. It was a big deal. And Abi’s like, really? I’m like, yeah, yeah, yeah. She just called me and she was saying that. She was telling the other girls in the office, and this is back when Place Head Office was at East Brisbane, near the IGA there. Not far from your old office or current office. And I remember Liz Winkler, Jen Speer. So shout out to those two ladies. Uh, they were asking around for a good conveyancer. Because I, you know, as we know, there’s lots of bad ones out there, or ones that maybe don’t do the best job. And I remember you saying, ‘oh, Empire’s good. I’ve used Empire. I like them’. And we’d just spoken on the phone and you basically let me know that. And that’s how I recall it all starting, is just off you. I don’t know if we’d done a deal together or what the go was, but you had recommended us and to me and our brand, that was a huge deal.

Courtney: And look where you’re at today.

George: Unreal. Unreal. And not only that, is that – is that how you remember it?

Courtney: Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. It was, um, you know, I mean it was taking a chance, but it was also, I mean, I think you’d done my personal conveyance. And I was like, yeah, I mean, I got the service. But most importantly, I would say like at any time of the day when I had a question, it was answered, and I got who I was going, told I was going to get.

George: Which is very important in customer delivery today.

Courtney: And to this day, we’ve still got that relationship, right? Like I know it would’ve been a few months ago now, you guys were like, in transit somewhere. You were either on a plane or stopping over, and you called me like, we got this drama with this property. Um, and I remember we spoke to Eleni from your team and we sorted it out. And that was because you’d reached out and you’re like, hey, we got a problem. Can we get it sorted? I can’t talk on the phone. I think you were texting me. And we got it sorted. Because we’ve got that relationship, right? And that’s, you know, it’s a seven year relationship, it’s strong.

George: It is strong. I mean, they’re the most important ones, but you have to think, like every new person is a new relationship that you really have to harness.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: And let’s talk a bit more about that then, because we have a unique situation where you are only one of two offices I’d say out of all the real estate agents we work with between here and the Gold Coast, where we have a relationship basically with the whole office. And it started with you, then Simon, then Michael Bacon, and then you know, I can rattle off everyone in your team. I know all of your team. It’s wild. To the point now where your whole office basically exclusively, as far as I know, supports us. And, you know, integrated into the team meetings. And I know everybody. I mean, I even met my wife through you guys, so how crazy is that? And you gave us a go. Whereas I find other places were a bit, maybe a bit more hesitant to sort of dive into it, whereas you guys really doubled down on it and said all in, no, we like these guys. Their service is good, let’s build a relationship.

Courtney: There was no reason to think otherwise.

George: Yeah.

Courtney: Well, yeah. Well thank you. Yeah, and it is, it’s unique. We’ve still managed all these years and I know even like Mary started with you guys. I don’t know her, I haven’t met her, but we’ve done work with her. Because I think Michael Bacon had said, oh, we use George and the guys. So I reached out to her and said, thanks, look, I’ve just had a baby. I’m here, there and everywhere at the moment. Thank you for supporting us. We’ll catch up at some point. And Mary that’s on my list, I will find you and I will catch up with you. But before she has her baby. Well, but yeah, right. Like, so it’s that – like I feel like we’re really entrenched. And I’ll never forget the first time I presented, um, to you guys back in the little house on the corner at Shaftston Ave there where you were. I’d never met Simon before. I remember coming back and telling my team, going, man, that guy, the way he drives a team meeting is not like anything I’d ever seen. He was rattling off purchase price numbers, how many bedrooms and bathrooms, who sold what, and you know, you were in the room obviously, I think I came with my little dog, Vinny. And yeah, like I was just blown away. Because I’d been to heaps of these meetings, you know, present at lots of agencies all the time. I’d never seen anything like it where he knew everything. He wasn’t reading it off a script.

Courtney: He knows everything. It’s…

George: It was crazy. I’m like, man, that guy. He talks the talk, but I just watched him walk the walk. Like, it’s unreal. And it comes down to living and breathing what you do, right? So what you’ve learned, and you’ve taken your legal skills and what you’ve learned from Simon has let you become the powerhouse that you are.

Courtney: Mm. And I just think it’s exceptional.

George: It’s genuine. Because I love what I do. I love my clients. I hope they love me too.

Courtney: They do. History will tell us. You don’t get to the position that you’re in and get the accolades that you get by not being best in class at what you do. So of course they do.

George: Yeah. Yeah. And thank you for trusting us to look after those clients. I recall seeing purchase prices unlike anything I’d ever seen in my life, from a new little residential conveying firm. From clients that you guys had sent to us. And we think, whoa, this is like big time stuff. And I didn’t even realize that New Farm units or Kangaroo Point units could be so expensive! How the market’s changed? You think about, you know, we’re talking $6 million, $8 million more, more – for units on the river in Brisbane.

Courtney: It’s just, it’s some of the best real estate that we get to sell, so we’re super lucky.

George: Cool. It is. It’s very, very exciting. Yeah.

Courtney: But yeah, I guess, do you just want to elaborate just a couple more minutes on, yeah, just the power of relationships or like the relationship we’ve got and just how that helps you in your business.

George: I mean, from the moment that someone calls me out to their home, let’s say I don’t have an existing relationship and I’m asking them like, why did they call me? And they might call me because they know someone. A prime example, I’m being called into a home in the western suburbs, because the brother’s brother-in-law has called me and said, oh yeah, she does a great job. She did a great job of our unit. And the house isn’t even the same. However, what they know is, when I elaborated on that with them is, I was always there. It was always me that picked up the phone. I was emailing there. Yes, we have a team that behind the scenes does everything, but they can rely on me to get everything done.

Courtney: I have the track record to get it done. And when I promise I will do something, I will deliver it.

George: You’re only as good as your word. It’s one of my favorite sayings. It’s true, right? If you say you’re going to do something, you need to deliver on it, or it ruins your credibility. Yeah, if you say you’re going to do it, I don’t know if this is the lawyer in us, but I feel like we’re very aligned in that way. If I say I will do something, I will do it.

Courtney: When I’m going to sleep at 10:00 PM and I’ve said something, I gotta get back up and do it. Because I remember it and I think, oh my God. I told that person I would send them X and I’m getting up to do it.

George: Yes, yes. Yeah. But, and you know, people might think that’s a bit crazy, but that’s how you become best in class at what you do. Is that sort of behavior, those behaviors.

Courtney: It’s the behaviors, yeah. Yes. And I think like ultimately delivering for our clients, whether they’re friends or family, or a client from a client, which is the most – sorry, a referral. Which is the most powerful piece of business, where someone has used you and they’ve referred you in, and that person then there – there are actually two people that are involved in that referral. And you don’t want to let them down. You can’t. So ultimately they can’t give a bad referral for you, so you have to do a good job.

George: Yes. And, and also. Another thing I think about a lot is you’re only as good as your last deal. I’m a big believer in that and, and what I mean by that is, okay, yeah, we’ve worked together for a long, long time. We still have to deliver best in class service or you won’t continue. Like the Courtney Caulfield, you as a brand, you are not going to align with, be it us or a mortgage broker or whoever, building a pest people, floor plan people, if they suck. Right? That’s the truth. Like, okay, yeah, we’re all human and mistakes happen. That’s what we can get on the phone and talk it through. But if we go from being a five star operator down to a even a four star operator, it’s probably not going to cut the mustard with a team like yours to continue to work with, because we are now a representation of your brand.

Courtney: We all have to deliver our highest standard of service. It’s ultimately just like the referral network, is everyone we refer in. Whether it’s someone doing pool safety, doing smoke alarms, doing the conveyance. They all have to be aligned in delivering the best customer service.

George: Because it reflects on you. If you are going to put their name forward as the preferred partner for your team, they have to be the best. And if they’re not, you either get on the phone and fix it, or if it’s continually poor, you have to make other arrangements, right? Yeah. And that’s just the reality. So yeah, you’re only as good as the last deal, really. Yeah.

Courtney: Okay. Last point. We’re going to talk a little bit about motherhood. I don’t know how easy this question will be to answer, but let’s give it a crack. How did you become the number one agent in the Place group with a newborn baby? Like let’s just try and crack that answer because that’s unreal, Courtney. That’s very cool.

George: Yeah. Thank you. I mean. I don’t know how…

Courtney: Hard work. Yeah, hard work. And a child that is happy to go and see multiple properties anytime of the day.

George: It’s in his blood.

Courtney: Yeah. Yeah, it is. He definitely knows the streets in New Farm and Kangaroo Point, better than most people.

George: That’s so good. But, but like, seriously, like you – I remember, um, Anna and I were dating throughout your pregnancy, now that I think about it. Yep. I recall you being pregnant at the first Place Awards that I went to when Anna and I met. And yeah, that was that was good. And then I saw the picture the other day. I was on your table. It looked like…

Courtney: …a whale.

George: Yeah. Well you were heavily pregnant. Yeah, you were. You were heavily pregnant. But yeah, and you know, that just comes back to that relationship piece of, you know, Michael Bacon had invited me onto your table at the awards night, which was really special. No agent had ever done that in the seven years at the time that I’d been in business, saying, hey mate, like you are so entrenched in our team, can you come along to our awards night? And I was stoked. It was cool. I mean, I mean, yeah, met, met Anna there and… Anyway, back on track. Relationships. Relationships, very good. Uh, but back to your pregnancy. I remember the Christmas parties, and you know, I went to your Christmas party and a few other members of your team had their own mini parties. I remember you being heavily pregnant. You didn’t miss an inspection. You just, you just powered through. I remember Anna would come home and be like, man, Courtney just keeps going. I’m thinking, you know, by the time you get to the end of the pregnancy, you probably have to start taking it easy. And you were just, it seemed like accelerating. Like, let’s just talk about that a bit more.

Courtney: Look, I think I had a deadline in my mind, and I was going to work all the way to the deadline, because I was not sure what was going to happen after that.

George: Okay.

Courtney: When I had Krug.

George: Well, baby number one. Yep. Never been a mum before and yeah, okay. So you’re like, I need to wrap all my work by this date. But you weren’t ramping down, were you? Like you were still going, well, you were accelerating!

Courtney: I did my last inspection on the Saturday.

George: Saturday day of open homes.

Courtney: Yeah. In January, in the heat, before I had Krug delivered by C-section on Monday at 8:00 AM. Okay.

George: I believe it. Yeah. That tracks.

Courtney: And I remember the property and actually I just sold their other property in Paddington the other week. So it’s, the client relationships are super important, whether you’re pregnant or not.

George: But, but no regrets, right? Like that was by choice. Like you could have put machinery in play if you wanted to take it easy, but that was by choice. You designed it this way.

Courtney: I didn’t say no to anything the entire time I was pregnant. No events, no work, no open home – I did them all.

George: When I saw you at the Christmas party, I’m just like, man, should you like be here? Like, you’re not drinking, obviously. And you were like super pregnant, and you’re like, yeah, yeah. Like, are you tired? And you’re like, yeah, yeah. Like, but you’re here.

Courtney: Yeah. I wasn’t going to sit at home. And in fact, the week that I had Krug, on the Monday, I had some of the biggest settlements of my career that week in off-the-plan units.

George: Whoa.

Courtney: And it was like incredible because not only had I put the work in for years in off-the-plan units, but I had all the settlements and my clients – they sent me flowers.

George: Yeah.

Courtney: Which is so nice of them to do.

George: That’s amazing.

Courtney: That’s the friend’s piece, right? They’re not just a transaction or a number. You actually have real relationships with these people.

George: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They’re trusting you to sell their prestige property or, or non prestige. Doesn’t matter what it is. Or their building.

Courtney: Yeah, there you go.

George: Yeah.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: We sold entire buildings for them, and they were, they actually had no idea that I was pregnant working through the entire pregnancy, selling their building.

Courtney: Wow.

George: Yeah.

Courtney: Well that’s, yeah, that’s kudos to your work ethic. That’s wild. Okay, so, so now you’ve had, you’ve had Krug and you’re pretty much from, as I recall it, basically back on the ground straight away. It seemed pretty quick. I don’t even know if you took a break, apart from the mandatory C-section. Like were you straight into it?

George: Yeah, I think the next day I was on my phone. I mean everyone’s on their phone taking pictures of their new kid. Yeah, yeah. I was definitely on my phone. But you weren’t like off the grid like, um, you know, don’t talk to me for six months, I’m disappeared. Like you weren’t. You had clients. You said the biggest settlements of your career were happening during this time.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: And it feels like it never stopped, like you just kept running with it, right?

Courtney: I have not stopped since having Krug.

George: And that’s been two years.

Courtney: Actually, there was a moment in that first week or two where it started to seem like some people were using it against me having a child. And I really wanted to make a point where I wasn’t going to let that happen. And it wasn’t fair from other mothers that they were doing that. And I thought, I’ve only got one child and I’m going to make this work in with me. And we got that listing, even after the client was told we couldn’t have it because I was too busy having a baby. I called him when I got home from the hospital and said, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I’m here.

George: And they gave it to us and we sold that listing for one of the highest prices in that suburb.

Courtney: Exceptional. But, and again, this just comes back to your character and your drive for success. You could have just rolled over and gone, oh, I’m a mum now. Like, uh, whatever. Someone else will sell it. No, you’re like, mate, I’m selling this place for you. I’ve got a child, but I’ve also committed to selling your house, and I’m going to do it. I’m going to get you the best job ever. You made a choice to go that way and achieve that, right?

George: Yeah. Life is about choices. And my choice then, although I remember exactly where I was, when I saw the email come through from the client. I was in Krug’s new bedroom. I was sitting on the chair, and I was sad for myself that I had put myself in that position. Um. Unfortunately with the child.

Courtney: Not put yourself in that position. It should be celebrated. It’s wild that the world at large felt that way. Or in this particular instance. And, and I actually recall, correct me if I’m wrong, like a Courier Mail article, not long after you’d had the little man, basically being like, I’m here and I’m working. I don’t know if it was off the back of that experience, but I remember seeing that in the paper and I’m like, man, Courtney’s something else, eh?

George: I didn’t pay for that.

Courtney: Even better. Yeah. But how cool. Yeah, I think it’s a testament to, yeah, to your drive. I am here and I’m servicing my clients.

George: Yeah. I’ve got a baby, but I’m still an agent here to help you.

Courtney: That one experience, I think changed my mindset with knowing that I could do both. I could be a great mum. I was five days into being a mum, and I could also be one hell of a great real estate agent.

George: Yeah. That mindset – mindset’s huge with everything, with business, with life. That is coming through as a theme here. How did you translate that? Just to wrap this point up. How do you translate that into something practical? So say there’s other mums out there that are maybe they’re thinking of having a kid, they’ve just had a kid, they want to go back to work. You’ve done it and you’ve excelled at it.

Courtney: Mm-hmm.

George: Do you have any top tips or thoughts that could help the listeners out there to help them on the journey?

Courtney: You just gotta do it. I mean, you can’t sit at home. You’ll go crazy. Quite literally.

George: Well, especially when you’re going from being high functioning, high performing, you can’t go from that, to nothing. Not saying that being a mother and doing those jobs is nothing. But in terms of…

Courtney: It’s a different…

George: …mental stimulation.

Courtney: Mm-hmm. Which is equally as hard and challenging in other ways that you would never even think about. But if you want to get back into the workforce, you just gotta do it, and you will enjoy it. However, you need to plan for it. It needs to really be planned. Because all of that stuff just doesn’t happen without a supportive partner or a plan in place, where someone could look after the child so you can get some work done.

George: Yep, yep. I recall I only did a handful of times, but you had a development at New Farm. And you’re in your high vis and your hard hat, I remember. And um, we were living at the time, just not far away from you guys walking distance. And I remember Anna took Krug for a bit and we were like cruising around with the pram, just waiting for you to do the inspection. And it’s stuff like that, right? It’s having people behind you to help. Be it, you know, I’m sure you take him like you said to lots of inspections, but maybe in that particular instance it wasn’t appropriate because it’s a construction site and you’re like, I need help. And you planned it, and you did it. You didn’t go, oh, it’s too hard. I’m just not going to sell this off-the-plan building. Too hard or get Simon to do it.

Courtney: It’s not really a choice for my clients.

George: Yeah, you still did it. You have to turn up and do it, and I’m very thankful to you and Anna for that practice parenting.

Courtney: Pushing the pram around for half an hour isn’t that hard. Like, no stress. It’s barely anything. But yeah, like it’s all part of the puzzle. It’s a big puzzle and you just have to have a plan and get it done.

George: Yeah.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: That’s parenthood – planning.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: Yeah. I’m learning all of these things. Yeah. Okay. Alright, let’s go for the last part, which is the Golden Nugget.

Courtney: Okay.

George: I’m not sure if you know about the Golden Nugget, but the Golden Nugget is one piece of advice. I know you’ve already given heaps of great pieces of advice for whoever’s listening out there, but if you were just to give one piece now, just to put this all to bed where you’re telling the audience, what’s a top tip for Courtney Caulfield. Be it on high performing real estate, motherhood, business owner. All of these hats that you wear, you can have a sec to think. What’s bubbling to the top that you think is something that will add value to whoever’s listening to this podcast?

Courtney: Okay. One client can give you more business if you service them well than a lot of clients that you service mediocre. Does that grammatically make sense? Service mediocre.

George: Yeah. It does and it rings true. What I’m thinking of, based on what you’ve just said there. I think about looking after Courtney Caulfield’s clients for years. It’s not only looking after your clients, it’s actually looking after you. You are a client to me. You’re also a friend. You’re a friend first. But you know, you continue to send clients to me because we make sure that we service you and your needs and your business’s needs. Versus, if we came across you, or came across us back in the day and we were just average, we may have never heard from you again. So the same applies with you helping the clients, right? It’s the same thing. They become evangelists and they promote you.

Courtney: Yeah.

George: Yeah. And that only comes down to the fact that you’ve done an exceptional job. If you don’t do the exceptional job and have the team and the plan and everything behind it, they’re not going to tell their friends to come to you.

Courtney: No.

George: There you go. Don’t have to overcomplicate it guys. You’ve just heard from the best in the business. You obviously service all around town, right? I know like you guys are in Kangaroo Point, you’re doing New Farm stuff. I’ve seen you out on the west side. I’ve seen you do stuff at the Gold Coast. Just tell the listeners out there, like, where do you service?

Courtney: I service great clients. I don’t have an exact area.

George: Yep.

Courtney: But my clients know when they call me, they’ll get me, and it’s about that trust and relationship. So wherever the property is, they know that I’ll do a great job.

George: Beautiful. Beautiful. We’ll put all of your links to, um, yeah. How to get in touch with you and all of that jazz in the show notes here. And if anyone’s wanting to have a chat. I’m sure Courtney will be more than happy to give you a call. She’ll answer her phone. And yeah, look again, from the bottom of my heart, from Abi and I have said this before, thanks for giving us a go all those years ago, and I’m very grateful to yourself for what that’s turned into for our business and the synergies that we have.

Courtney: Thanks, George.

George: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Courtney: Yay.

George: How’d that feel?

Courtney: Okay, great. Now, man. Oh my God, that so well.

George: That’s awesome.

Courtney: Okay. Yeah.

George: Alright.

Courtney: I’m glad you are happy.