Founding my own agency was the best thing I did for my career — and my financial future.
The behind-the-scenes story of taking the leap, backing myself and building an independent buyer’s agency from the ground up.
Starting a business is never easy.
Starting an independent buyer’s agency comes with its own set of challenges, but I approached it with a healthy dose of optimism, plenty of enthusiasm and a determination to make it work.
And, almost a decade later, I can confidently say it was one of the best career decisions I've made.
Going out on my own wasn't without its challenges. There were plenty of unknowns, some uncomfortable learning curves and moments when I questioned whether I'd made the right decision. But despite the ups and downs of running my own business, I wouldn't have it any other way.
There's something incredibly rewarding about building something that belongs entirely to you.
If freedom is one of your leading values, listen up.
One of my strongest personal values has always been freedom.
It's probably the driving force behind many of the decisions I've made throughout my career, and becoming an independent buyer's agent gave me a level of professional freedom I'd been craving.
I call the shots.
I make the big decisions.
I decide which clients I work with.
I determine how I position my services and what I charge.
And I have control over how much I earn.
There's no one else's business plan I'm trying to execute, no corporate structure dictating how I operate and no ceiling on what I can achieve.
Of course, being your own boss also means taking responsibility for every decision, every client and every dollar that comes into the business. The freedom is wonderful, but it comes with accountability.
For me, that trade-off has always been worth it.
If you're someone who values independence, autonomy and having control over your professional direction, building your own agency might be worth considering.
But first, let me take you back to where it all began.
Month One: The Big Reveal
Your first month in business is unlike anything else.
It's exciting, terrifying, overwhelming and incredibly motivating, often all in the same afternoon.
There's an enormous amount to organise when you're setting up a business from scratch. You'll have days when your to-do list seems never-ending, and you'll probably question how on earth you're going to get everything done.
Then there's the financial uncertainty.
When you're employed, there's generally a payday you can rely on. When you're running your own agency, you don't necessarily know when your next commission or professional fee will land.
That can be confronting, particularly when you're used to a regular income.
But despite all the uncertainty, I had a deep-down feeling that I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.
I was ready.
Before leaving the agency, I'd already set up my website at wendyrussell.com.au, which meant my online shopfront was operational before I officially started working independently.
This was intentional.
One thing I strongly recommend to anyone working in real estate is to establish your own personal brand, regardless of whether you work for an agency or operate independently.
Your reputation, professional relationships and expertise belong to you. Building a recognisable personal brand gives you something you can take with you throughout your career.
An agency might employ you, but it shouldn't own your professional identity.
I've written more about this here: Why Every Agent Needs a Personal Brand.
Setting Up for Business Success: The 11 Steps I Took
Looking back, I didn't have a huge budget, a team of people or a particularly sophisticated business plan.
What I did have was a clear idea of how I wanted to position myself, a willingness to get things done and enough industry experience to know that attracting clients and building relationships would be critical.
Here's what I focused on during those first few months.
Step 1. I Trademarked My Name
I trademarked WENDYRUSSELL®.
It was a bold and relatively expensive decision at the time, but having previously dealt with trademarks, I understood the value of protecting a personal brand.
It was also a significant mindset move.
Registering the trademark made the business feel real. I was making a commitment to the brand I was building and treating it as a valuable commercial asset from day one.
I believed I was building something significant, and I wanted to protect the name I intended to build it under.
There's a practical lesson here: if you're building a business around your personal reputation, think carefully about brand ownership and intellectual property from the outset.
I discuss the considerations around trademarking your name in my online program, The Buyer's Agent Blueprint.
Step 2. I Built My Own Website
I used Squarespace to design my website.
I didn't hire a designer. I did it myself.
Squarespace was incredibly user-friendly, even for someone without formal design or coding experience, and it allowed me to get a professional-looking website up and running without spending a fortune.
I later moved my website to WordPress, but I've always appreciated how accessible Squarespace is for business owners who want to take control of their own online presence. It's also the platform I used to build Deals in Heels.
I registered wendyrussell.com.au through Crazy Domains and set up a professional email address: hello@wendyrussell.com.au.
It wasn't complicated, but it gave me everything I needed to establish an online presence.
My advice? Don't spend six months agonising over the perfect website. Get the fundamentals right, make it easy for potential clients to understand what you do and give them a clear way to contact you.
You can always improve it as your business evolves.
Step 3. I Set Up My Accounting and Business Structure
I established my accounting software through Xero and created my invoice templates.
I also engaged my accountant to manage the bookkeeping and tax compliance.
This was a deliberate decision. I knew that bookkeeping wasn't my strength, and I didn't want to spend valuable time trying to manage something that could be handled more efficiently by someone else.
My priority was generating business, building relationships and delivering a great service to clients.
I already had an existing company, Samson Properties Pty Ltd, named after one of my pugs, Samson. I used this company as the corporate licensee, with myself holding the relevant personal licence.
The lesson here is to establish the right business structure early and get professional advice around licensing, insurance, accounting and compliance requirements.
You don't need to become an expert in every aspect of running a business. You do need to know which responsibilities you should manage yourself and which ones are better outsourced.
Step 4. I Told Everyone I Was in Business
This was probably one of the simplest, but most important, things I did.
I told everyone I knew that I had left the agency and launched my own independent buyer's agency.
Family, friends, former colleagues, real estate agents, my hairdresser — absolutely everyone.
I posted about it on social media, sent emails and reached out to people in my existing network.
I wasn't shy about announcing what I was doing.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when starting a business is assuming that clients will somehow find them.
They won't.
You need to tell people what you do, who you help and how they can work with you.
Your existing network is often one of your most valuable business assets, particularly when you're starting out. Don't underestimate the power of simply letting people know you're available.
Step 5. I Invested in Professional Photos and Video
I had a friend take some photographs of me looking like a bit of a boss lady in my power outfits.
We used the photos across my website and social media, and also created a short promotional video to introduce my new business.
Was it particularly polished? Absolutely not.
Looking back at some of those early photos and video footage is definitely a little cringe-worthy!
But I was working with a shoestring budget, and the objective was to get started rather than create an award-winning marketing campaign.
This is something I talk about regularly: sometimes you just need to be a little scrappy in the early stages of business.
You don't need an expensive production team, a perfectly curated brand or a huge marketing budget to get moving.
You need to look professional, communicate clearly and give people a reason to trust you.
You can refine the branding and marketing as your business grows.
Step 6. I Became Very Active on Social Media
I created my Facebook business page, Wendy Russell Buyer's Agent, and started showing up consistently across social media.
Instagram followed, along with LinkedIn and YouTube.
I also engaged a virtual assistant to help connect with industry associates and grow my online following.
We built an audience into the thousands, and I started sharing videos from the field, property observations, market updates and insights into what I was doing as a buyer's agent.
At the time, social media was still a relatively new opportunity for professionals in the property industry, and I recognised that it could help me build visibility and establish credibility.
I didn't want to simply advertise my services. I wanted people to understand how I thought, what I knew and the value I could bring to a property purchase.
That distinction is important.
Your social media presence should do more than tell people you're a real estate agent. It should give them a reason to remember you and trust your expertise.
Step 7. I Set Up My CRM and Started Building a Database
I used Mailchimp to establish my email marketing system.
Initially, I started adding local real estate agents to my database. Over time, I expanded it to include clients, prospective clients and other professional contacts.
In the beginning, much of this was done manually.
As the business grew, I quickly realised the importance of having systems that could automate some of the administrative work and keep everything organised.
A database is one of the most valuable assets you can build in business.
Your social media following might help you attract attention, but your database gives you a way to maintain direct relationships with people who know you, have worked with you or may need your services in the future.
Start building it from day one.
Step 8. I Started Networking
I began attending women's business networking events and became more active in the Brisbane business and social scene.
I wanted to meet people, build relationships and establish myself within the local professional community.
Networking can sometimes feel a little uncomfortable, particularly if you're naturally introverted, but it's an important part of building a service-based business.
People do business with people they know, like and trust.
The key is to approach networking with the intention of building genuine relationships rather than simply handing out business cards and looking for your next client.
Some of the relationships I developed during those early years have remained valuable throughout my career.
Step 9. I Started Writing and Publishing Content
Writing has always come naturally to me, so I leaned into it.
I started blogging, publishing articles on my website and creating content for social media.
I wanted to share my knowledge, demonstrate my understanding of the property market and give prospective clients a better sense of the way I approached my work.
I also had friends working in public relations who gave me some very good advice at the time: get yourself seen in as many places as possible.
So that's what I did.
I wrote articles, shared insights, contributed to conversations and looked for opportunities to increase my visibility.
Content marketing became an important part of building my reputation.
It allowed me to demonstrate my expertise before someone ever picked up the phone to enquire about my services.
My advice is to identify your strengths and use them.
If you're a good writer, write. If you're comfortable on camera, create videos. If you enjoy speaking, look for opportunities to present or appear on podcasts.
You don't have to be everywhere, but you do need to be visible.
Step 10. I Bought Myself a Pair of Christian Louboutin Heels
Yes, really.
I bought myself a pair of nude Christian Louboutin pumps as a gift for having the courage to take the leap and start my own business.
Was it the most financially responsible decision when I had no idea when my next commission was coming in?
Probably not.
But I loved those shoes.
At the time, they represented something bigger than a designer purchase. They were a reminder that I'd backed myself, taken a risk and committed to building something of my own.
I hadn't quite become the successful businesswoman I imagined I'd be, but I wanted to channel a little of that energy.
I've always believed in celebrating milestones along the way rather than waiting until you've reached some enormous financial goal before rewarding yourself.
I've stayed true to that over the years.
The difference now is that I can actually afford the designer shoes and handbags!
Step 11. I Focused on Delivering an Exceptional Client Experience
And finally, I did the work.
This might sound obvious, but it's arguably the most important part of building a successful service business.
When a new client engaged my services, I went above and beyond to make their experience exceptional.
I focused on understanding their brief, providing sound advice, communicating consistently and achieving the best possible outcome.
I also asked clients for testimonials and shared their feedback across my website and social media channels.
Your first clients are incredibly important.
They provide the opportunity to demonstrate your service, refine your processes, build your confidence and establish the reputation that will help attract future business.
You can have the best website, the most beautiful branding and a very impressive social media presence, but none of it will compensate for a poor client experience.
Ultimately, your reputation is built through the quality of the work you deliver.
Business Is Always a Work in Progress
Looking back, those first few months were a combination of excitement, experimentation and figuring things out as I went.
I certainly didn't have everything perfectly mapped out.
Over the years, I've refined my systems, improved my processes, developed a much stronger understanding of my ideal clients and learned how to position and price my services appropriately.
I've also worked through the self-doubt that can come with putting a premium price on your expertise.
One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that building a successful business is an ongoing process.
You don't need to have everything figured out before you start. But you do need to be willing to learn, adapt and make decisions as you go.
The steps I've outlined above still provide a solid foundation for anyone looking to establish an independent real estate business or build a stronger personal brand.
And even if you have no intention of leaving an agency, most of these principles are just as relevant.
Your personal brand, professional visibility, industry relationships and reputation are valuable assets regardless of how you choose to structure your career.
Ready to Build Your Own Independent Agency?
If you're considering leaving an established agency and building a business of your own, I understand both the excitement and the uncertainty that comes with that decision.
I've been there.
I know what it's like to hand in your resignation, start with a blank slate and wonder where the next client is going to come from.
But I also know what's possible when you combine industry experience with a clear business model, a strong personal brand and the confidence to back yourself.
Today, I'm passionate about helping other real estate professionals develop the skills, knowledge and commercial understanding to build successful careers in buyer advocacy.
Through my Advanced Masterclass for Buyer’s Advocates, I share the practical knowledge and hard-earned lessons I've gathered throughout my career, so you don't have to work everything out through trial and error.
Because there's a big difference between knowing how to work in real estate and knowing how to build a successful real estate business.
And if you're ready to take that next step, I'd love to help you get there.
Become a sought after Buyer's Agent and build a high-trust, high-fee advocacy business defined by expertise rather than volume.
