Waikato Business News | February 7, 2024

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12 FEBRUARY 2024 ADVERTORIAL Becoming A Commercial Agent – What A Career Looks Like Today Education through business By Penny Thompson I am often asked what being a commercial agent looks like today, as opposed to what it was like when I started in the mid 2000’s. While some aspects are significantly different, many fundamentals haven’t changed at all. For those that have an interest and pondering a potential career in commercial real estate, I have one comment – it can fundamentally change yours and your families’ lives, as it has with mine. Occasionally I cast my mind back to how my life used to be – I don’t regret my 10 years at Telecom, but the leap of faith from a salaried role to an independent contractor where I get paid for my effectiveness, was very scary, but mind-blowing the transformation that has taken place. Commercial real estate is a competitive industry, so it’s important wherever you may choose to go, that you get genuine support and resources in order to succeed. For new agents it can often be a daunting process initially, hence the reason we like to get new agents working alongside experienced agents from day one. Being included on listings from the very outset and working as part of a team, befitting from its knowledge and experience, is critical to future success. The Best Bits: • You get to meet and work with an amazing array of people from all walks of life. Clients and customers are looking for good credible advice and assistance from you in achieving their business and real estate goals. • Your time is completely flexible, but it must be used wisely. Effective and efficient use of time will ensure you get more completed each day than others around you. • You learn new skills, improve others and gain cutting edge market intel, every day. Every time you talk to someone you learn something you didn’t know before. The challenge is to talk to more people, ask more questions and then do something with that information, much like putting a jigsaw together. What we do is actually quite simple, but it certainly isn’t easy. On our wall in the office, we have “10 Things That Require Zero Talent”. 1. Being on Time 2. Work Ethic 3. Effort 4. Body Language 5. Energy 6. Attitude 7. Passion 8. Being Coachable 9. Doing Extra 10. Being Prepared The Hardest Bits: • Making mistakes and learning from them. My first boss said to me on day one – “there is no issue with mistakes, we all make them, but if you continue to make the same mistakes, we both have a problem”. • Every day looking to improve what you do and how you do it, from the quality of photos, to wording of agreements and put simply, being able to find ways to make things happen. • Changing how you deal with people. Everyone is different and we need to be like a chameleon, to deal with them the way they need to be dealt with, not the way we want to be dealt with. • Delivering bad news. This is undoubtedly the one in life that people struggle with the most. None of us like doing it, but our ability to deliver bad news the right way, is often the very thing that sets the top performers apart from the rest. Don’t procrastinate and do it face to face, if at all possible. “Success Leaves Clues, and if you sow the same seeds, you’ll reap the same rewards” – Brad Thor Commercial and industrial real estate is a very broad field and we decided early on that having specialist knowledge about a specific market segment or geographical area, might be a smart way to deal with this issue. Every agency is different, some agents like to cover retail, office, industrial and land all over the city and region. I work with two other agents within the CBD (we have others that cover the various industrial markets and suburban areas) and the amount of knowledge to do this well is significant – it’s an information game. We feel, and others may disagree, that having a team of specialists working together, gives us the opportunity to provide our clients and customers with the best possible advice. In summary, if you are enthusiastic and motivated, then a career in commercial real estate could be for you. Working hard, being focussed and keen to learn provides a unique career opportunity. Take the opportunity to talk to several different agencies, to see where you could fit in and how they will assist you. It’s very much a relationship game, so the longer you are doing it, the greater the number of relationships you have the opportunity to build. You definitely wont be bored and there’s always something to do. A group of students who participate in the programme - from left, Anna Miles, Emma Sherburn, Helen de Vries, head girl Kate Monsma, Isabella McClean, Ashleigh Smith, Ella Tunnell, Kayla Westgate. When four French nuns travelled to New Zealand from Lyon, France in 1884 and purchased two acres of land in Hamilton East, Catholic education in the Waikato was born. Today Sacred Heart Girls’ College staff and students are showing the same pioneering spirit on the land the four women bought by cultivating a relationships’ first approach with the community. Instead of spending time in the classrooms for the first week back at school, all 940 students and staff will challenge ‘educational norms’ by putting curriculum learning on hold and develop meaningful relationships with students, teachers and their whānau. Whanaungatanga, building relationships, starts with a whole of school p pōwhiri and continues with student mentoring activities, guest speakers, goal setting and learning conversations. It wraps up with competitive house events to lay the foundation for a supportive and nurturing environment. The school actively seeks opportunities to engage with local businesses to provide students with opportunities to transfer these skills beyond the school gates. Programmes like Gateway allow students to experience potential career pathways and through Smart Waikato Secondary School Employer Partnerships the school collaborates with Three Peaks Honey, Paua Architects, BCD Group, HD GEO, and Hamilton City Council. School principal Catherine Gunn said the nuns’ passion for education developed into the charism of communion, contemplation and mission is still prevalent in the school community today. Those manākitanga principles – showing respect, generosity and care for the people who are part of the greater school community – are at the heart of the initiative. “We are not like other schools because of our Catholic character. Building community and nurturing positive connections is a core aspect of our faith formation and our culture of care. “The global skills students learn from a ‘relationships-first’ approach mean we are supporting our students to develop the confidence in our young women,” she said. “No robot or AI can do caring like we can.” Paua Architects business development manager Phil Mackay said his practice valued the opportunity to engage with the school and see students provided with realworld examples of the concepts they are learning. “They’re engaged and enthusiastic and are learning to build meaningful relationships; we value this as a business.” Deputy principal Caroline Gill, who leads the project, said research showed that strong relationships provided a foundation for student engagement, belonging and learning. “The more high-quality relationships students have with their peers and teachers, the better their engagement is in school.” The school will create space and opportunity to practice a radical inclusiveness which benefits everyone in the community, she said. Parent Abbie McCall of Te Awamutu supports the programme and working with businesses. “Our young wahine love building relationships with their teachers and community. “If the foundations of a sense of belonging and care are strong, this only builds them up and forward in their education.” Sisters of Our Lady of the Mission standing outside the old Convent in Hamilton East in 1943.
FEBRUARY 2024 13 BUSINESS SHOWCASE CooperAitken: A Century-Strong Legacy of Excellence in Chartered Accounting and Business Advisory in the Waikato Region CooperAitken Partners from Left to Right: Grant Eddy, Carissa Cressy, Gavin Haddon, Amy Coombes, Rory Noorland, Deborah Hollands (CEO), Peter Hexter, Coral Phillips, Gerrie Jacobs, Anna Bennett, Megan Potter Absent: Rachel Robb Bottom Left: Rory Noorland | Bottom Right: Amy Coombes CooperAitken are well-established Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors in the Waikato region, boasting a legacy spanning over a century and a proud tradition of community support. With 12 partners contributing a cumulative experience of over 200 years, our strength lies in our diversity, industry expertise, and specialised skills across various business facets. Our dynamic team of over 90 professionals, based across our four Waikato offices, represents a wealth of knowledge, diverse backgrounds, and unparalleled expertise. While accounting remains at our core, the evolving business landscape has expanded our focus to include business advisory services, ensuring that we assist our clients in navigating the future of their business. Complementing accounting & advisory, we offer a wide range of specialised services, which we believe form a seamless support system for our clients & their business journeys. These wrap-around services include dedicated teams such as Business Software Support, ACC Risk Management, Governance, Payroll, Trust Administration & Trusteeships, and our newest addition, Agri-compliance. With our clients needs at the forefront, these services have been crafted to alleviate the administrative burdens and complexities associated with various aspects of business operations. In addition to our services, CooperAitken specialises in succession and estate planning, specialist tax advice, handling complex tax issues, business training, and Waikato Dairy Farming benchmarking. Our commitment is evident – we want to support our clients with their business burdens and administrative hassles, allowing them more time to focus on the things they love doing. With our history spanning over a century, CooperAitken has grown through mergers and extensions, from it’s inception in Morrinsville to expanding to Matamata in 2009, Thames in 2014, and Hamilton, where we established an office in 2022. While we are known for our involvement in the rural agri-sector, our focus on the commercial landscape is robust. The establishment of our office in Innovation Park in Hamilton is a testament to our dedication to this focus. With 8 team members now situated in Hamilton, we are in a position to expand as a firm, and to collaborate closely with both new and existing Hamilton clients along with like-minded professionals in the area. Our Hamilton-based partners, Rory Noorland and Amy Coombes, bring years of experience and a strong commercial focus to the firm. Helping you find your time, mind, and financial freedoms. Rory, a member of the Chartered Accountants National Tax Liaison Committee, specialises in complex and intricate tax issues, offering solutions and outcomes to help them prosper. He believes his role is first to provide services so clients can focus on what they’re passionate about, rather than carrying out core compliance activities. He also aims to give them knowledge about where their business is going, what they want to achieve, and how to get there. Amy brings a broad approach to working with her clients and as a member of the Institute of Directors, she has good experience in helping clients implement good governance practices. Having had previous ownership interests in Dairy Farming, Amy has a deep understanding of the agri-sector and the complexities of running a dairy farm. This first-hand experience combined with a drive to educate clients on the story their numbers are telling makes Amy a valuable advisor on her client’s team. Our core values—Progressive, Driven, Empathy, Community, and Approachable—reflect the deep pride we take in embodying these actions. They steer our efforts when collaborating with clients and as a team. In the realm of business advisory and support, consider us part of your team. Fueled by the mission of helping our clients reach their business success – however that looks to them – we dedicate ourselves to aiding clients reach their goals and objectives. If you’re looking for a dedicated team to support you on your business journey, give us a call. We would love to work alongside you & your business journey, to help you find your time, mind, and financial freedoms! HELPING BUSINESSES THRIVE FOR OVER 100 YEARS p: 0800 866 191 | e: mail@cooperaitken.co.nz | www.cooperaitken.co.nz
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Waikato Business News | February 7, 2024

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