Local estate agents passionate about customer care
“Steph originally contacted the Invest East Yorkshire team through the East Riding Council website early in February 2020 asking for support to write a business plan for her new business venture.”
Steph had worked in local estate agents previously and was passionate about customer care and providing a level of service that she felt could not be rivalled.
Committed to this end she has joined the NAEA Property Mark and is working towards her level 4 Fellowship in the Sale of Residential Property. Shortly before the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020 she had identified and viewed a number of properties in which to house her new business, in her beloved home town of Hornsea.
After an initial discussion over the telephone with a Business Support Advisor it was identified that as well as help with completion of a business plan and financial forecast to test the viability of the business proposal, she was eligible to receive: detailed information about starting up a new Estate Agents; links to the government backed Business Enterprise Fund for a Start Up Loan; access and support to apply for the ‘Love Your High Street Fund’; registration for the Humber Business Growth Hub programme of support including focused workshops as well as an ICT Start-up grant to help her to purchase and install essential IT equipment needed to operate her business. As the country descended into COVID-19 lockdown, Steph also received advice and direction about the additional support available through her advisor as well as through the Invest East Yorkshire electronic weekly updates.
All of the information was compiled and sent by email so that Steph could digest and process each element at her own pace, giving her space to formulate questions and conduct any further research needed. Steph’s passion and motivation meant that after release of the initial information, she was able to progress many of the identified elements herself.
Continued Support
The Invest East Yorkshire team continue to support Steph as her business continues to develop and will do so for as long as Steph wants or needs it. She has successfully applied for and received a ‘Love Your High Street’ grant of 10k which has enabled her to secure a lease on a high street property in Hornsea, complete essential works to the exterior and interior and to essentially ‘open for business’. The photographs say it all.
As well as employing herself as the Managing Director and Valuer, Steph has been able to open for business with Maddie Lancaster as ‘Lettings Manager’. Within just six weeks of formally being open to customers, Steph is now in the process of employing another two staff, an assistant manager and an apprentice sales negotiator, with the intention of both posts being filled within the month. Her longer term goal will be to continue to expand, complete her training and continue to revel in her passion for delivering a high quality service, in her words, ‘everyone will leave the office with a smile’.
“My husband and I initially decided to set up an Estate Agent’s in January 2020. Having never set up a business before and wanting to do it correctly, …Stacey has been amazing and guided me through a vast amount of information. We really can’t thank the team enough. The offices are looking amazing and we get so many compliments …together with our proactive marketing approach the business has really taken off. We have sold 11 properties in the first six weeks of trading which as a new estate agents is phenomenal. We are looking to take on three further members of staff before the end of the year.“
If you’d like to find out more about how Invest East Yorkshire can help you develop your business in the future, get in touch with us today.
