0:00

So I had that 12-month cancer gap year, I say. It was just then where I just went, "Right. Here for a short time, not a long time. I really wanna enjoy what I'm doing." Really, the consistent fabric has been property. People think they can buy property themselves. If you're not doing it every day, it's like a, a carpenter. You know, I can use a hammer, but I can't call myself a chippy. Grit, perseverance, determination, I think that's the basis of everything, and life is pain and success as well, but you need to push through, through the pain. That is growth. Competence breeds confidence the more you do something. So if you're a little bit fearful, you need to just get out of your head, get out of the fear, and just, just do and see where that's gonna take you. Welcome to The Business Game, the show that breaks business down into real levels from zero to over $50 billion so founders can see exactly where they are and what comes next. Today's guest is playing at level one, which sits in the zero to $1 million bracket, the founder startup and survival stage. At this level, you're proving the model works. You're validating demand, refining positioning, and fighting for consistent revenue. The challenges? Doing almost everything yourself, hiring your first team member, and stepping from practitioner into CEO. The goal? Turn expertise into traction and build momentum that's repeatable, not accidental Welcome to The Business Game. I'm Kalina Stano. I'm Steve Plummer. Be sure to like and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening. Today, we are joined by Cat Bulloch, founder of the Street Buyers Agency on the Sunshine Coast A local for 21 years, Kat brings a background in development, building, and interior design, along with a deep knowledge of the coast property market, council planning, and infrastructure She takes a holistic approach to helping clients find quality properties in the right locations for long-term wealth creation, while also challenging the lazy pitch in the emerging buyer's agent industry. Today we're diving into her journey, what makes a great buyer's agent, the mistakes buyers make, and what it takes to build the right foundations before scaling. Let's dive in with Kat Bowlich. Kat, welcome to the show. Thank you very much for having me on. Mm-hmm. All right. Looking forward to chatting. Yeah. So Kat, to kick things off, um, you have a background spanning across development- Yeah building, and interior design. So can you take us back to the beginning? What was the journey that led you to launching the Street Buyers Agency, and was there a specific moment where you thought, "This is exactly what I should be doing?" There actually was, to tell you the truth. Yeah. Not to be too cliche, but, um, I could've been listening a lot earlier in my journey, I think. But, um, took different paths along the way and, um, I think that has led to the skills and experience now that I can bring to the buyer's agency space. So you know, growing up, my dad was a bank manager. Um, he always invested. That was the dinnertime conversation. Um, my mum took me around to open homes as well. Um, and then, you know, with my building and interior design background, obviously that just showed the passion in property, um, and I guess wanting to have that ultimate control. Yeah. Um, yeah, then the development background as well. Um, and then, yeah, into... and I did that. I invested along the way throughout, um, like being a mum and having a family, you know, backing up my husband in his building, um, insurance repair business as well. Um, then doing building and, um, interior design. That just gave me additional knowledge to add to the skillset. Uh, 2023, I did have a critical illness. Mm. Um, and I guess when that happens, it just gives you time and space. It literally sat me on my backside for a good 12 months of treatment. Yeah. And I went, "Right, I'm here for a short time. What do I actually wanna be doing- Mm. Yeah um, with my life?" Um, really, the consistent fabric has been property. Yeah. Um, and, you know, investing along the way for our family, and I was doing that informally for friends and family, and I thought, "Right, I actually, that's what I wanna be doing." Yeah. Um, helping people, you know, with their wealth creation in that space. Mm. Amazing. Wow. And so y- you didn't really know that this was gonna be where you ended up, but you just sort of noticed all the little pieces along the way were kind of leading you here. That's really cool. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. And, yeah. And just different, um, careers that I was in. Yes, enjoyed them at the time. Um, I always try to do the best I can. Was doing a good job, but just didn't- fully feel connected, and I guess that happens just with the life experience. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, of course. Yeah. Yeah. And so you're currently playing at level one, which is, you know, that startup survival stage. Um, it's really exciting. Um, so, you know, revenue between that zero to one million mark. Mm-hmm. And this is the stage where you're really proving the model, um, building those foundations, and figuring out what work you need before you scale. So what at point right now, um, are you measuring success? Really, I guess it is, um, well, it's the relationships, and then it's, I guess, the number of, um, referrals that you can build- Mm uh, without sounding transactional because I do purchase in a holistic way for people. Yep. Um, so at the moment, it's just measuring how many purchases per year- Okay. Yep um, before I look to scale, um, and making sure I am providing a holistic service. So we may get onto these questions later. Mm-hmm. Um, but yeah, I can talk about where I'm, um, going in the business- Okay to provide that holistic service, you know, before I scale. Yeah. Mm. That's great. All right, Kat, can we dive into the work you do on the Coast here? You've been a local for 21 years, and so that gives you deep roots into the community, knowledge of the region, and so forth. And you know, I guess that, that hyperlocal knowledge gives you a bit of an edge because you understand council planning, infrastructure development, you know, all of those things that are happening in this local region, which if you aren't from the Sunshine Coast, it's a high growth region, right? Mm. So, um, so I- I'm just interested in the question from a business point of view, that local knowledge, does that give you a distinct advantage compared to someone coming from outside the region in terms of a buyer's agent? Yes, certainly does, um, Steve, and really, that's the main value of a buyer's agent. You are a local area specialist. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So there are other models that people run in buyer's agency. There are fly in, fly out models. Um, they do get other people to inspect the properties sometimes, but it's not, um, how I operate, and the main value is, yes, knowing what's happening on the ground. It's also, yes, having the council, um, knowledge. You can find a lot of stuff online, but it's then being able to interpret that information. Mm. So that's where the building and construction background, um, comes in and assists with that. Um, and then it's also the on-the-ground relationships. Yeah. Okay. So because of my background and my interest, um, in design and property, I've been inspecting property ever since I've been here. Mm. So it's having those agent relationships, um, with the sales agents so that it may not even be the highest price that I'm putting forward, but they know, "All right, Kat, um, we've dealt with her before. We know her reputation. We know she's qualified her buyers. We like the way she operates." Yeah. Um, so, um, that can sometimes, those relationships that are longstanding can help me get the best result for my clients. Yeah. Mm. And, and just a, a quick follow-up on that as well, one of the- I think it's a buzzword in the buyer's agent industry at the moment, is off market. So- Yeah. Yeah, everybody loves off market. "Oh, I want an off-market property." Oh. Yes. Yeah, there you go. Yeah. So, so I, I guess going with the buzzword of the moment- Mm-hmm does your 21 years here position you better to be able to get off market? Mm. Okay, love talking about this stuff, and we may get onto it later, but this is the lazy pitch that a lot of buyer's agents- Mm will push, because they have also been sold, there is a course online that I won't name, that does say that you can be a buyer's agent in 10 hours a week with a laptop and a phone and triple your income and do it from anywhere. Right. Yeah, not that easy. Oh, come on, surely. It's, it's not all, it's not all- Damn it's not all marketing mindset and Instagram- Oh um, advertising. Um, but yeah, in terms of the off-market space, look, I get sent off markets via text, um, and emails all day every day that come into my inbox, especially now in this market that's slowed a little bit- Mm um, because the sales agents, you know, are a bit more desperate. Um, but the thing is, a lot of the time people, the off-market properties, they're either people who are wanting, um, a premium price- Yeah so they're testing the market. Yep. Um, or it's a rubbish property, um, and they're just trying to flog it that way. Yeah. And yeah, so the thing is, you can, you can get the quality off-market properties, and I do, I can do that with AI integration that I use as well in my business. Yeah. Um, so but it's getting your client really refined, um, in terms of their brief, in terms of the property position and the price point. I then punch that out, um, through my software to the agents that have either had a listing in that, um, criteria or do have a, a live listing now as well. Um, and sometimes that's then how the quality off-markets- Yeah, right come to me. Yeah. So I literally just bought a great ground floor, um, walk to the beach, walk to the shops, um, unit in Mudjimba for a couple who were planning for their retirement. Um, and a quality off-market came up that way. Yeah, right. Wow. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And so, so what I'm hearing there is that being known, um, helps you to achieve that for your clients. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah, but if you do hear buyer's agents just peddling the pure off-market, um, value as a buyer's agent, I wouldn't be buying that. Um, saying, "Yes, I can get you off-markets. I can buy under market value- Yeah, yeah. All those and I can purchase in a minimal timeframe." Yeah. Yeah, just run a mile. Mm-hmm. There's a lot more to it, um, than that. You know? Yeah. Just actually sourcing and finding the property is one value. Mm. There's a lot more work that goes with it. Yes. And I think buyer's agents are relatively new to Australia. Mm. So can you walk us through where that industry sort of sits currently for us? Mm. And then why do you think it's so, building so quickly? Mm-hmm. Um, and why do you think so many people are only just discovering that buyer's agents even exist? Yes. Well, I think, you know, America, the US, it's a bit more commonplace. Mm. Um, Sydney and Melbourne, um, it was emerging there far before Queensland. Mm. Um, but with COVID in 2020- Oh, yeah yes, there was obviously the Sunny Coast and Queensland having such a lifestyle, um, market, and then with COVID and lockdowns and then everyone, um, I guess, escaping to- Yeah you know, beautiful climate and- Yeah um, working from home, I think that's when it really accelerated. Yes. Mm. Um, I mean, the REBAA, um, that's a real estate, um, buyer's agent association, that was established in 2000. Mm. So it was emerging, but really after 2020, um, it's just hit its stride, and I think the reason we're really needing it now, well, people are starting to see the value. Again, you still have to sell the value a fair bit because people think they can buy property themselves, right? Yeah, yeah. But the thing is, yeah, if you're not doing it every day, it's like a- Yeah a carpenter. You know, I can use a hammer, but I'm, I can't call myself a chippy. Mm. Um, but yeah, I think, like, the marketplace is so competitive, especially at certain price points. Mm. So people are n- and yeah, the sup- whole supply and demand- Yeah scenario. We don't have enough roofs for people. Yeah. So, um, they need a genuine edge, and otherwise they probably will pay too much for fear of missing out- Yeah um, in this space, um, or buy themselves a, a subpar asset Um, you know, or get buyer fatigue and just buy the next thing because they just wanna get in the market. Yeah. And it's actually not the right decision for them long term. Yeah. Yeah, okay. When you're looking for a property for a client, what, like, you're sending out the email briefs to, um, your network. Are you als- you're also on realestate.com and Domain, and all those sorts of things. If you're not inquiring on, um, properties, is it because they're just not suited to the client, or they're, is it, is there a reason that you wouldn't, um... How am I trying to frame this? If you see something that it ticks all these boxes but it's a pricing thing, do you then go in and negotiate for them, or... Yeah, of course. Yeah, and that's, and that's probably the biggest advantage of having a buyer's agent is a lot of people go, "Oh, I can't afford that, so I'm not even gonna bother looking." But you're actually- Yes "No, no, you can, and I'm gonna do that for you." Is that, is that- Absolutely. Yeah, so the role is, um, y- I deal with the sales agents, the pricing analysis- Yeah the due diligence, undertake the negotiations or go to auction for them. Yeah. Um, and yeah, so I guess in that it does save people, you know, the time, stress, and money, essentially. Yeah. Saves them time, yes, looking in the wrong price point, or if they think they can't afford it. Um, or it might be a property going to auction and they love it, yes, but they actually haven't done the pricing analysis on it- Yeah so there's no point really getting themselves ready to auction- Yeah because they're not in the ballpark. Yeah. So they've wasted all this time. Yeah. Um, yeah, so I guess- Mm that's, that's really the- Mm the role in a short nutshell. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right, Kat, can we delve into, uh, the industry just a little bit with your expert hat on here? And you talk about the lazy pitch versus the real work. So what does that actually look like in practice? Mm-hmm. Yeah, so it comes back to what we were talking about before, you know, the purchasing off market, you know, under market value- Yeah in a minimal timeframe. Um, really if someone's pitching that to you, are they, do they have your best interests at heart? Mm. So- Uh-huh yeah, so the real work is actually working out the why, why they are purchasing. It's asking the deeper conversations. So it's not just saying, "Oh yeah, I wanna buy my family a four, two and two," and off we go, we go shopping. It's not like that. Yeah. Mm. It's working out, okay, what's your lifestyle? You know, what careers are you in and, um, earning? What are the long-term goals? How does this purchase fit into your long-term wealth creation strategy? Then it's speaking to, like I connect them with the team, so it's speaking to the mortgage broker. If they have a financial advisor, connecting them with the right, uh, conveyancer, solicitors as well. So it's getting the team around them, and then it's really coordinating all these professional services. It's not just a property search. We find the property, then it's undertaking all the due diligence, getting the solicit- solicitors involved when needed to do additional searches, like body corp searches and that sort of thing. Yes. Um, then it's even dealing with, um, say if it is a unit purchase, um, it's dealing with the body corporate because all of a sudden the mortgage broker, um, needs this condition met, you know- Yeah for the lender. Mm-hmm. And it's like, "Oh, we actually don't have the right insurance on the certificate of currency. There's no flood cover." I mean, we all know that the Sunny Coast, there are, are a lot of flood overlays. Yes. Um, so we just have to be aware of that and make educated decisions. Mm. But in, yeah, in this case for this client, it was literally getting on the phone to the body corporate, "We need flood cover in place. Not sure why it's not on this policy. Who do we need to speak to? What are the processes? How many decision-makers have we got? Do we need to take a vote now?" Like, it's all of that additional stuff- Yeah that, um, it's just knowing those steps when you bought a lot of property, just to get those puzzle pieces in place to bring it all together- Mm for your client. A- and is there any way for someone coming into the market using a buyer's agent, say for the first time or inexperienced in it, can, can see, are there clues or tells about people doing the work behind the scenes and those who aren't, those who are cutting corners? Is there any way that I can tell? It's hard, isn't it? I'd be asking questions of someone that you're interviewing to be your buyer's agent- Yeah. Mm and just ask them, you know, "What have you done in the property space? Um, how long have you lived on the Sunshine Coast for?" Yeah, okay. Yep. Um, "What are some difficult situations that you've helped your clients through- Yeah, yeah um, to achieve the result?" Um, yeah, things, things like that. Yeah. Yeah. "How long have you been operating for?" Yeah. Mm. What answers should people walk away When they hear an answer- Mm w- when should they walk away w- to some of those questions? Yeah, is there a red flag- Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Oh, you're a ton off off market- Hopefully so we can have you first in two weeks. Yeah, yeah. Um, yeah, because I think, yeah, any of those quick, you know, um, flashy responses, um, you know, buying property isn't that easy. Buying the right property is not that easy- Yeah and at the right price. Mm. Yeah. Um, so yeah, they should be listening for those lazy pitches. What else was your question there? Well, Klena said, yeah, is there- Yeah is there a, a question to ask or not ask or hear, you know. Yeah. Is there a moment where you should walk- they should walk away? Yeah, or maybe if they don't own any assets themselves. Yeah, that's a good one. Um, as well. It's actually surprising how many people work in real estate that actually don't own property. Yeah. It is mind-blowing. Yes. That, that's interesting. It is. Yeah. Yeah. Have you bought houses? Have you bought units? Um- Mm yeah, have you developed, um, yeah, what's your knowledge of, um, the council zoning overlays, tables of assessment? Yeah. Ask them all of that stuff. Mm. Especially acreage property- Yeah very scary, because it's hard to sell and it's hard to buy as well. There are so many overlays there where people will be like, "Oh, great. I can put a tiny home over here," or, "I can do something with all of this space." Well, actually, no, you can't, because there's a riparian overlay there or- Mm native vegetation or a c- koala habitat overlay. Yeah. You need to be able to interpret that stuff so you can make an informed decision. Yeah, totally. Mm. Yeah, 'cause that, yeah, pe- sometimes people just look at it and go, "I have no idea what I'm looking at. Just sign it and just get it." Mm. Yeah, just get it done. And big money mistakes can be made right there, and they're- Mm very hard, once you've made a big property investment, very hard to get out of if it's a mistake. What's some of the most costly mistakes that you've seen people make- Mm-hmm before engaging your services? Before engaging? Yeah. Oh, they've just spent too much time. Yeah. Too much time, wasting time in the wrong area, the ri- wrong price point, the wrong type of property. And then as we saw, I mean, obviously we've got a slowing of the market now for a little while. Yeah. Sentiment has changed a little bit. I think we're a little bit immune here. But yeah- Yes, agreed they've missed a lot of capital growth- Yeah if they haven't engaged someone who can just refine them, target it, get the job done with the right relationships- Yeah so they've wasted all that time in wealth creation. Um, but yeah, I have seen people who have made big mistakes after they've spoken to me. Um, they've then purchased a property. They didn't wanna pay a buyer's agent, and that's, that's fine. Yeah. Each to their own. Um, but a big mistake I saw someone make is that they wanted to get into Alexandra Headland. Yes, a great suburb, and it's great to buy entry level in a great suburb if you can, uh, manufacture growth and renovate that property. But what they bought was, I don't know if I can swear on this, but, um- It was a piece of crap, that's all I say Yeah But, and I, you know, they felt great, they were in the market, and of course I didn't tell them otherwise. But sloping block, um, there was- Is that the one on the top of the hill they're renovating right now? Oh. I don't know. Could, could be. Could be. No, this one- I drive past it, keep my eye on it. And if, if you don't know, it's a beach side suburb on the Sunshine Coast. Oh. Yes. Yeah. You know, one of the most sought after- Beautiful right, yeah It's, it, the, the Triangle. Yeah. So yeah, and they were shopping in the 1.6s, and yes, it was renovated, so they just- Mm got a bit polarized by the flashy tiles. Renovation wasn't great quality. Poor guys. Yeah. There was no alfresco area to enjoy the lifestyle of the sunny coast in Queensland. It was like an outdoor room, because the block was like that. Yeah. There was like storm water and drainage at the back. They had elderly parents that were going to come and stay with them. Wow. So stairs and, like, you're getting the idea. Just having fun. Yeah. I was just like, "Oh, gosh." Come on, guys. Yeah. Seriously, I would've saved you a hell of a lot of money and headache and time right there. But that's okay. Yeah. If people don't want to be helped, that is fully their decision. Well, we live and learn, right? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And Yeah and I was just gonna say, it is, like being a trusted advisor, it is, um, the client's decision at the end of the day. When they do engage my services, I say to them, "Look, I'm giving you all of the negatives, um, of a property, not so that you don't purchase it, but so that you fully understand- Fully aware what you're, what you're purchasing," and then, yeah. Yeah. What you can do with it. Mm. Yeah. So just on that, you mentioned earlier this concept of a holistic- Oh, yeah journey or holistic property buy, and what does that actually mean? Yeah, so it means, um, I'm going back to just saying like, yes, it's making sure that it's in their long-term wealth creation plan. Right. It's not one property purchase. Right. Yeah. It's part of a plan. Yeah. So what is their long game for wealth creation? How does this fit in? But then it's also offering the types of assets. So I am moving eventually into commercial. I'm putting the steps in place now. Yeah. Yeah. Um, because, you know, residential may not be the right next purchase for a particular client. Yeah. Yeah. And here we are, and it's not just the government changes that have come in that have made me, um, sort of pivot this way a little bit as well. It's just that I want to be able to offer them the right asset, um, and now with the self-managed super, um, fund lending changes as well. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and we're built on small businesses here on the Sunshine Coast- Yes and, and health, um, and construction. People need commercial premises here. Yeah. Yes. Um, and it works for their, you know, their businesses, tax purposes. Absolutely. So I need to be able to offer that service as well. Yeah. Right. So it's zooming out almost and not just doing a transaction. Definitely- Yeah not just a transactional approach. Yeah. The buyer's agents that d- are a little bit more transactional, I like to call them property traders- Right not good buyer's agents. Right. Okay. Yeah. That's, that's my term. Hmm. Yeah. It almost sounds like because obviously you're helping people build those, that, that, um, long-term financial growth and meeting those goals, so you're having bigger conversations outside of just, "Hey, what house do you want?" Mm-hmm. "What property do you want? What's, what's your future look like?" Yes. "What's the money look like?" It almost sounds like there's an opportunity there for some, um, partnership with a, um, financial advisor almost. 100%. You know what I mean? Because it, then that's, they, you kind of- Giving it a, just, it just popped in my head as you were saying that. I'm like, "Oh, this is, this is bigger than just buying houses for people." Mm-hmm. 100%. You're helping them build a wealth for down the line, and it's, there's more than just, "Oh, I wanna buy this brick and tile," blah, blah, blah. Yeah. It needs to stack up financially, and do we ha- can we support it with what we have going on, and what's our, you know, what's our life plan? All that sort of stuff, yeah. 100%, Kalina. Is that something you've considered? 100%. That's how I purchase. Okay. Um, recently purchased, um, in partnership with a financial advisor. Okay. And I am currently actually building, um, a group, um, around me of, yes, financial advisors, mortgage brokers- Nice um, conveyancers, all the specialists that we need, accountants as well. Mm-hmm, yeah. Um, and it is in the early stages, but I'm building a community where we will be running events. Oh. So kind of information nights. Yeah. Yeah. But just so that, you know, we'll run a business night. Um, we'll probably run a tradies night, possibly a first home buyers night as well, just to give people the information. Right. And then if they don't have those contacts themselves, um, to help them with all that financial information, I've got the team for them. Giving them the toolkit, right? Yeah. Exactly. That's great. I mean, I do have those people already, but I just want the closer connections, and in the commercial space as well, so you really need... Um, I mean, it's a different beast, commercial. Yeah. Yeah. So you really need the specialist there, and just wanna build a community- Yeah around that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So Ka- this, this is sounding like very much a, this is a growth phase for you. Yeah. Yes. Um, you know, going in that direction- putting systems in place. So I'm, I'm wondering, how are you balancing keeping the lights on per se, you know, as in doing the day-to-day buyer's agent stuff- Mm-hmm and still growing? Is that, does that get out of balance? How are you managing that? 'Cause you're, like, like everyone else, you only have 24 hours in a day, right? You've got it. You've got it. Um, and yes, it is a balancing act. Um, what I'm doing is I'm taking what's happening in the market at the moment, which it is a little bit slower- Yeah but at the same time, even though that's the case, I do say to people, where we are now in the property clock and in the cycle, this is actually the perfect time to purchase. Mm. There's less competition. My negotiating power has just skyrocketed. Yeah. Wow. So I really... But anyway, while it is just a little bit quiet on that side, um, I'm not trying to pump that pipeline. I'm putting the systems, processes in place- Yeah. Yeah to, to really get ahold of this commercial side as well, so I've got that offering. So, um- Yeah, and then just putting other systems in place. Um, you know, business coach with, you know, a VA and just the AI systems, really refining those things- Nice so that everything is humming, um, really efficiently and well before I multiply. Don't want to be multiplying the mess, do we? Yes. Yes. We just want everything in order. Yeah. That's great. And then, um- Yeah yeah. And then also, you know, I, because I am a one-man band at the moment, it's, it's three clients at a time maximum. Yeah. Yeah. I do cap it. I'm boutique. Mm. Um, and I want to be, um, offering people the best service that I, that I can. Yeah. It's all reputation, isn't it? Yes. Yeah. The Business Game is proud to partner with HighLevel, the all-in-one CRM and marketing platform built for growing businesses. With CRM funnel, website, and course builders, marketing automations, email builders, and so much more, HighLevel Software will drive your customer retention and your profits through the stratosphere. And HighLevel is fully white label, which means you can brand the platform and mobile app with your logo and company colors, and then resell it to your customers for a monthly subscription. Ready to go HighLevel? Click on the link below to begin your 14-day free trial. I'm just curious, then what drives you? Um, I think it's the passion, um, whether that sounds cliche or not, but that is just, um, it's been the constant fabric throughout my life- Yeah investing. That's what we talked about growing up. Um, yeah, and I know, um, you know, I've done that myself. Yeah, definitely not the most, uh, well- well off financially, but very stable financial background. I've got investments. We've done the developments. I really enjoy it. Mm. Um, so I mean, there's some days that I don't, some days that- Oh are quite difficult. It's called work. Uh, a- Not, not fun. Yes. And quite hairy. But you certainly, yeah, you certainly have to enjoy what you do. Yeah. And yeah, I do. I do love it. Yeah. And I guess then at the end of the day, when you do grow and you have the right systems- Mm in place in your business, um, I'm hoping then without all the driving, everything's set up, it can be a little bit more enjoyable, and I've got people underneath me or systems set up that can just, you know, function, and I'm not, I'm not making every single decision then. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah, totally. Mm. It's interesting the, the word, word you used was passion, right? And the etymology or the origin of the word passion is suffering, you know, The Passion of the Christ, for instance. Mm. Yeah, yeah. And so, pa- being passionate about something is your ability to endure- Mm when times get tough. Mm. Yes. And so it's interesting you've led with that, that there is a, a story there of, of you being able to, you know, stay the course and push through and create new different things. Grit- Yeah perseverance, determination. Yeah. Um, yeah, I think that's the basis of everything. And, you know, life is pain and, and success as well. Yeah. But you need to push through, through the pain. That is growth. Um, yeah, it's all about, I don't know, self-development. Yeah. You know, Maslow's hierarchy of needs- Yeah self-actualization, you know. Yeah. I think, yeah, I think my drive comes from actually growing and then achieving and then what's next. Yeah. How can I help? How do I make people feel? And, and then I guess, yeah, if you're doing that, and if you're doing it for the right reasons, you've made people feel really good, you've made informed decisions, they're doing well, um, I think then, you know, it comes back to you. Yes. Yeah. Mm. Full circle. Totally. Yeah. Something stood out to me before we jumped on air was, um, you mentioned that, you know, while you were in the pit- not, I'm not allowed to use the word pits for motherhood, but, uh It is. I'm in it right now, so that's how I feel. Yeah. Terrible twos. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. She just sleep much last night. No, she doesn't sleep. I don't get it. Yeah. Anyway, um- It's awful. It's awful Like, while you were in that phase of your life, you sort of described it as, you know, you, you kind of just looked at me and you went, "You know how it is." And you were doing something that's not really aligned with this at the time, but it was aligned for that season, right? As you were doing- It sure was. And so a big theme in your story is alignment. Yes. Mm-hmm. How did you find that alignment? So what did that look like? You were in, like, you were in the... 'Cause I'm sure there's people listening that might be in a season of their life where they're like, "I'm capable of more. I'm not-" Yes "loving what I'm doing, but I actually don't have capacity to, one, figure out what it is that I am aligned with." Mm-hmm. "Or if I know what it is, but I don't have time to, like, get there," or, like, you know, you're running on nothing, and you just kind of have to find your way. How did you get through that and then land where you are now where, going- I know what I wanna do. Mm. I, this is it. 'Cause it, it must've been like a breath of fresh air to finally find something that you're enjoying. Definitely. Definitely, and I did try a lot of things along the way- Yeah Elena. Um, yeah, I'm a doer. Um, and yes, you're very, it's very tiring, isn't it, when you're a mum and you're doing all these things, wearing all these hats. Um, but I also wanted to do that really well as well. Yeah. So I was very lucky, um, I could support my husband at the time's business and, um, yeah, help him that way, which that was then progressing skills in different areas. It is. Yeah, yeah. And then, you know, also using our money and cash flow then to invest as well, so I was still, yeah, honing my skills- Yes um, while I was home with the children. Um, and I think just, yeah, it was just that critical moment. Yes, I did have that feeling of, "Oh, God, I wish I was doing more. I just wanna..." But yeah, I just wanna, you know, be successful. You know, a lot of mums, you're at home and you're feeling that, um, and you know you're capable of much more than, you know, changing nappies and running around. But at the same time, it is super important. It's, it's the kids', you know, um, pivotal growth and development stage, those first five years. Mm. So I was very fortunate I could be home a lot to do that, and very hands-on. But I think it was that time where, you know, I, the critical illness, 12 months- Yeah sit- sitting at home. I did have an interior design business prior to that. Okay. Um, which was quite stressful, choosing finishes, um, hard finishes for developers and builders and that sort of thing. You're kind of the meat in the sandwich. Yeah. I was probably a little bit burnt out because the kids were a bit younger. So I had that 12-month, um, cancer gap year, I say. Um, and I think it was just then where I just went, "Right. Here for a short time, not a long time. I really wanna enjoy what I'm doing." Yeah. Um, as much as you can with work. I do wanna give back to people, and I also want a bit of a lifestyle, and I want my kids to admire what I'm doing. Mm. So, and this went, I just went, "It's property." And someone actually said to me, um, it was actually my chiropractor. He said, "Have you thought about being a buyer's agent?" Because I was helping friends and family, and advising them along the way. Um, and I went, "Well, yes, I have. I thought about doing that about 20 years ago, um, before it was actually a thing." And that's when I went searching and I found, um- A mentor. So, um, I engaged Veronica Morgan and her team, um, yeah, down in Sydney, and she's been doing it for a very long time. She was on that show Location, Location, Location Australia on Foxtel. Oh, yes. Yep. Yep. Yeah, so her team, they've been magnificent, um, yeah, and mentored me through at the start. I'm still in contact with them as well. Um, yeah, but it was really that time and space, and you know, as a mum, you don't have time and space. No. You're just getting through the day and- It's survival it's survival mode. It's that, but also, uh, if there are any mums listening, please go easy on yourself. Um, I probably wasn't as easy on myself as I should've been. Um, and it will come, it just in time things, I think, just fall into place when they're meant to. Yes. Yeah. Can we talk about the, the messy building part a little bit more? Um, you mentioned before, um, AI and you use AI and stuff, so what AI and technology tools are you using- Mm-hmm as in this builder phase? Yeah. Okay. So I went looking, and there is not much in the buyer's agency space at the moment, um, in terms of the, I guess, CRMs and workflow programs. Um, but I have, um- Engaged, um, a software platform that, um, five AI engineers, um, have devised this especially for buyer's agents. So it is a workflow program. I mean, I've still got some manual systems, um, but it's just, it's more of a professional inter- interface for my clients so that they can just see what's happening in their search. Prior to that, I was using a spreadsheet and- Mm sharing a link and, you know, doing it all that way. Um, but yeah, so it's a more professional interface. It's quicker. Um, and then, uh, we- we're also integrating, uh, we call her Fiona, this AI bot. Yeah. Oh. Um, but it's- Why Fiona? Why Fiona? Where'd that come from? Oh, I don't know. They named her. I love it. Yeah, that's cool. I can't claim that one. Um, but apparently she's the VA that will replace VAs. Um, I'm actually gonna get a VA just to teach me how to use Fiona correctly. Um, 'cause AI's great, isn't it, if we tell it all the right stuff. Yes. Um, so I'll be doing that. Um, and yeah, so I'm trialing that AI bot at the moment as well, just for more, um, administration tasks. Um- Yeah write this email for me, you know, all that sort of stuff. Mm. But, you know, this, this space is very, um, high touch with clients and- Yes. Yeah still need the human touch. Yeah. Certainly need the human touch. The trust. They've gotta know you, like you, trust you. They have to. Yeah. Mm. Of- It's more the admin, the sourcing of things. Probably chews up most of your time, that stuff, so it's a... It chews up a lot of time. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. I was gonna ask you how, how you are using AI or, you know, in that because it's a relationship-driven business more- Mm more than anything, right? Correct. And so, a, where does the machine fit into all of that? And it, it kinda does and kinda doesn't from what you're saying. Yes, that's right. So I think it's like filling out the forms. Um, yes, it's constructing emails. I mean, I've got email templates that I send out, um, but hopefully I'll get Fiona just to send them out for me rather than me having to go to the files. It's, um, collating the due diligence. I've got a checklist. Hopefully Fiona can just fill all that in for me. She doesn't have to interpret it for me, but as long as it's there ready waiting for me- Mm when I need to do that for a property- Yeah um, I'm happy with that for now. So that's, yeah, that's where I'm going- Yeah in the AI space and trying to integrate it for now. But a lot of the time is spent networking and, you know, people say, "Oh, you get to have cups of tea all the time." Those cups of tea don't always convert to business- Yeah but it's great having conversations and connections. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That, I guess that's, that's sales in any way too, right? Like- Mm. You know, a certain- not every sales conversation leads to a beer shake at the end. That's right. Yeah. So, yeah. There's a lot of energy that goes in before a guarantee of a- Yeah. There's all that. Yeah. There is all that. Yeah. Yeah, it's like a- And you c- you don't look at people like dollar signs. It's not what it's about. It, it's about that long-term connection. Yes. And it just, yeah, will flow after that if you're authentic and, um, credible and, and genuine with what you're doing. Yeah, totally. Mm. And- It sounds like, I know you said you capped, um, your clients to three and you're really running that boutique model, but it sounds like you've still got a lot on your plate and a lot of things juggling. How do you manage-- I mean, you're still a mum, and you still have life going on. How are you finding the balance with grow- with, you know, doing all the things that life demands, but also growing th- this business and meeting all of those personal needs for yourself? How do you find the balance there? Yes, pretty tricky. My kids are a little bit older now though, and a bit more self-sufficient, but it's still pretty hard to get them to empty the dishwasher or feed the dog. Anything like that. Yeah, yeah. Um, but we knew h- we now have a fam- a different family structure, which was just advent- uh, adventurated in the last, I'd say, well, last little while. So I do get a week off here and there, and that's when I really just hit it with the business. Um, but yeah, it is hard to find that balance, and the, I think you need to have certain boundaries in place. Mm. Uh, I mean, if a deal is on, it's on, and I need to answer emails, I need to be having those conversations whatever time of night. Sure. And my, my clients know if it's urgent, I'll be ringing them, or if it's urgent, they can ring me. But normally at a certain time it's phones off after 6:00. Um, and Sundays I just make sure that's not, it's not a go day, because Saturday is a go day unless I can get into properties during the week. Um, yeah, so I think it's just, yeah, having some set boundaries in place and just having a little bit of turn-off time from work. Yeah. Did you have to, um, learn that skill of setting boundaries with this new business, or is that something that you designed from the beginning? Um, I think I learnt it previously- Yeah working in different businesses. Um, you know, in the building and construction space, everyone wants everything now. Um, yeah, yeah. And, um, yeah, so I think just working with some of the, um, builders, I think then I realized that, okay, I can't pick up my phone first thing in the morning because there's gonna be emails there, and this person wants something now. Um, I just needed to... I think, yeah, you just need to get up, get your flow, don't hook into technology immediately. Yes. Um, and then, yeah, so I think I learnt it prior to probably being a bit burnt out, and then I've gone, right, in this business, it is very full-on and intense. Um, yeah, it doesn't stop, but you need to just have those, um, boundaries in place, and explain that to your clients as well from the get-go so they know your expectations. Mm. Um, but yeah, when it's on, it's on. Mm-hmm. And so what do you do then to unwind away from business? Yes, good question. Um, I am a little bit of a homebody. I like just having a cup of tea outside in my north-facing alfresco. Orientation very important in property- comfort, people. Was that off market you got that place? Yeah. It actually was. That was through agent relationships and right place, right time, and no- actually, yeah, knowing how to navigate that situation. There was another family looking at that place, and they had been there. They'd inspected it three times. Um, and I feel sorry for them, but it was the right property for me, so. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Yeah, so I like doing that, a bit of a homebody, walk on the beach. Um, love my music, love going to live concerts. Um, yeah. Oh. You know, little bit of '90s rock music doesn't go astray. Oh, yeah. Uh, but then, yeah, just restaurants and, you know, paddock to plate and, yeah, just eating out and, you know, catching up with lovely friends. What do you think... So you're at level one now. Mm. What is on the horizon for the next 12 months? Mm-hmm. What is on the horizon? Yes. So yeah, tackling that commercial space as well so that I've got that offering- Yes as well as resi for my clients. Um, it's also building that community. Yeah. Um, I think it's gonna be called The Property Table. I love that. Um- That's great. Yeah, yeah. So you've got a round table of, um, advisors helping you make the right decision. Um, so running that, not like a seminar. I don't want it to be a boring seminar. Um, it'll be turn up, have a few drinks, here's the information. You know, a bit of a networking thing as well, I suppose. So building that community, yeah, making sure the systems are humming. Um, having a, a, a VA as well as Fiona, um, just so that VA can just... It's, the tech space, I'm just not in love with. I just wanna be in my genius zone so I can do what I can do, and then I've got the admin behind me- Yes and just go, "Right, Kat, this is how you need to use this thing." Um, yep. Yeah. And, you know, having a, a socials person as well. Um, you know, every- everyone researches things on social media, so- Yeah um, it's really there just for credibility, but you need to be posting regularly. Mm-hmm. Um, and you know, it takes time to do quality posts, so I'll need someone doing that as well. Mm-hmm. Um, and then, you know, if I need to, it's working out whether I need another buyer's agent to help me with the workload so I can take on more people possibly. Um, but then it's working out the business model, whether they then have to make an investment into the company as well, um, rather than them just being commission-based because, you know, they can just get, get the skills, train up, and then, ah, just go do it myself. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So- It's tricky. Yeah, it's a lot to come, so probably me for the next 12 months, but five years, hopefully, um, a little bit more lifestyle and a really solid team, you know, maybe four behind me. Yeah. That's great. That's exciting. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Kat, our listeners are global, and they span right across the levels, you know, levels one to 10 and so forth. So for founders and business leaders, you know, who are listening and they're still figuring out what they are passionate about and, you know, building from scratch, trying to find a sense of alignment, what advice would you give them based on your experience? And, and I think part of the big part of that is this concept of believing in yourself and- Mm when you're aligned with what you're doing, you believe, it's easy to believe in yourself and the rest will follow. Have you got a, a take on that? Evaluate what you've done throughout your life. Where, where, what's the common thread? Where's your, where are your interests? Um, yeah, what are the common interests, themes? Um, and I think that's where you should be working in. That's the space you should be working in. And, um, what was the second part to that question? Uh, well, I'll, I'll ask a, a different part of that then. About believing in yourself- Yes it's, it's easy to believe in yourself when things are going well, right? Going well, yes. Yeah. But you have a knockback, this deal falls over- Yeah this deal do- you know, da, da, da, da, da. And that happens all the time, it just- Yeah. And how- All the time how do you maintain belief in yourself and that alignment? Um, yeah, you just got to ignore the fear and keep pushing forward, which I know is very hard to do. Yeah. Um, it's easy to say- Mm. Mm but then it's just putting those, um, steps in place. So I mean, yeah, the, the market, I'm very reliant on what's happening in the real estate market. It's not always going to be easy. Like sales agents, you know, around just after COVID, 2000s- Mm all I had to do was open the door. Yeah. So let's watch that clean out now. So it's when times are, you know, difficult and, yeah, cashflow isn't coming easy- Yeah that's when you need to tuck in, get creative, and that's actually when the growth will happen, I believe, because you're forced to really think of out of the box. Yeah. Mm. So, w- okay, what has this journey that you're on entrepreneurially, what has that taught you about you? Yeah, to ignore the fear, um, and I wish, um, I did this a long time ago, but at the same time, uh, you know, you gotta go through certain things and certain journey to have the skills and experience. Yeah. Um, and competence breeds confidence the more you do something. So if you're a little bit fearful, um, you're not sure whether to take on an opportunity, I mean, I've never done a podcast before, but I was like, "Yeah, for sure." Like, you need to just, um, yeah, get out of your head, get out of the fear, and just, just do. Just doing and see where that's gonna take you. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. And I guess you may have already answered this, but I'm als- we always ask about a cheat code. We do. So if, you know, the, the 25-year-old you or whatever, what's a cheat code you would tell the 25-year-old you? A cheat code. Yeah, a shortcut or maybe not a shortcut, but a cheat code. What, what are some things you've learned or something important that you've learned that you wish you'd known back when you were 25 just- Could've saved you heaps of time and money or- Yeah yeah, yeah, just ignore your fear and your passion's real estate. Go, just have a look. Have a look at, yeah, everything. Your family background, um, yeah. You idiot, it's so clear. What you, what your dreams- Come on. Yeah what you're trying to do. Yes, real estate. My dad actually told me that when I left school, and then I went and did a bazillion other things. But at the same time, you know, you learn and grow, and you work it out. Um, yeah, but I think just ignore the fear. If you're fearful, that's trying to tell you something. Mm. That's actually where you should lean in, um, and go towards. Yeah, just yeah. So how does fear show up for you? Um, I guess it's like, should I do something? Should I put myself out there? I mean, when I started this business, I wasn't really on social media very much. It's like, well, if I'm starting a business and a buyer's agent, I need to get out there. Show up. Yeah. And then it's like, oh hell, I wanted to swear again. Yeah. Um, it's like, oh shit, I'm promoting myself on socials now. I've gotta back this up. Everything's gotta be in place. I've gotta, you know, walk the talk. Um, yeah, then it was joining a networking group. I mean, um, I mean, I like talking, I like talking in front of people, but I also like to be prepared. Yeah. So I think that has given me self-development. Yeah, so I think just, mm. Well, it's almost, uh... It does sound cliché, but feel the fear and do it anyway kind of thing. That's it. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. 'Cause fear doesn't disappear. Yeah. You just learn to live with it. Yeah. It, it actually comes back to bite you, I feel, if you don't follow what you think you should be doing. Like, it's your intuition. Yeah, and then it does, it does come back and, yeah, you'll be taught in one way or another. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. As listening to those lessons, yeah Totally. Tuning in. In life and work, just in everything Oh, God, we're getting all deep and meaningful here Well, we are, aren't we? It's kinda what we do Yeah. Yeah A little bit woo-woo or something Yeah Well, actually have you got a woo-woo tip for us? What's a woo-woo thing? Well, I actually have gotten into a little bit of yoga Yeah Um, yeah, just for my health journey, time and space. But you know, sometimes you just need to- Yep yeah Yeah Just do a bit of yoga, breathe There you go I- it's, it's surprising the number of entrepreneurs, big successful ones, who have a, dare I say, the woo-woo side They do Yeah Yeah There's some sort of spiritual something there Yeah Yeah Yeah, or something's happened in their lives that drives them So it's a safe space for woo-woo, right? Yeah, I love that. I do, yeah, I do love a little bit of woo-woo Yeah Bit of reiki these days Yeah, there you go You know? Yeah All right. I think it might be time for quick fire I think it's time for quick fire, yeah Gosh Yeah Throw it at me. What is it? Here we go. Come on So, uh, we're gonna throw 10 quick-fire questions at you. Just, we just ask that you answer them in a sentence or less Mm-hmm Yeah. Who do we wanna- yep, we're gonna take it in turns. Steve, do you wanna run it first? Okay Do you wanna start? Yep, okay I'll go first. Here we go. So Kat, so are you a build business or buy business type of person? Build business Do you focus on revenue or profit? Revenue Do you prefer growth or stability? Oh. Um, I definitely like both, but I'm in growth phase Hire fast or hire slow? Hire slow and hire right. It r- has to be the right fit, otherwise you're just hiring another mess Yeah. Uh, take the money or keep control? Keep control. Keep quality control Bootstrapped or venture-backed? Oh, boot- what does that mean? Bootstrapped or- Means that you pay it on your own, out of your own dime or venture-backed means you go and get an investment from that extra- Uh, yeah But then you give away a piece of the- Bootstrapped at the moment Yes I've even paid for things for my clients just to get them over the line sometimes That's a good buyer's agent Yeah We need that to do your current deal Yeah Pay for it Uh, a great big idea or great execution? Oh, I'm a bit of a big thinker. I mean, a buyer's agent isn't my own idea, uh, but I think the way I want to operate is more the big idea, I think. Yeah Perfect product or first to market? Perfect product All right. What's one piece of advice you wish you'd, you were given at 25? Kind of touched on these I think I've done it Is, is there another one? Is there another one that drops in? Oh, just back yourself. You've got it, girl. Just back yourself You've all got it out there, moms. You've got it Yeah What's one business mistake you'd happily make again? I think just getting started Mm Just getting started because that's, it's all about life-long learning. So have I designed business- I mean, it wasn't a mistake, but- Felt like a misdirection at the time Felt like a misdirection, yes. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Awesome. All right. So final question, if business truly is a game, Kat Vollesch, what is your def- definition of winning? Um, enjoying it and having a lifestyle at the end of it and, um, oh gosh, what else? I feel like this should be really, um, philosophical and just amazing, like enlightening, but if it's a game, yeah, you're winning. You, um, yeah, you're funding your lifestyle and enjoying what you're doing. Yeah. I think that's a great answer. Mm-hmm. Sort of the dream, right? Absolutely. Great. All right. Well, where can our listeners find you and the Buyer Street Agency online? Street Buyer's Agency. Yeah, so thestreetbuyersagency.com.au. Um, and I am on Facebook as well, and Instagram, the same handle. Um, I'd just love to have a chat with anyone about property or about the Sunshine Coast in general if anyone wants any tips about the region, things that are happening here, happy to chat. Awesome, 'cause there's some new things changing with council too, isn't it? So much. Yeah. New planning scheme coming out. Yeah, coming out, yeah. Zoning changes, infill development. Um, we won't end up like the Gold Coast though yet, so. Yeah. Well, touch wood, fingers crossed, right? Yeah. The wave, the rail- Yeah commitment, infrastructure spending. Anyway. Yeah. I can go on forever. Yes. Well, thank you so much for joining us. Yeah, thanks guys. It's been such a fun, uh, conversation. Yeah, interesting. And thanks for being vulnerable and sharing your story. Pleasure. All right. Yeah. Well, that is all we've got time for. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe to The Business Game, and check out the playlist for the level of business you're currently playing. Because every founder is somewhere on the game board from zero all the way to over $50 billion. Choose your level, and we'll see you next time