EP 29: Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence: Colleen Sutherland's Journey with Sutherland's Property Management Group

In this special episode of the Property Investors Handbook, host Adam Bell sits down with Colleen Sutherland to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sutherland's Property Management Group. Colleen shares the inspiring story of how a small opportunity led to the creation of her successful business. From the early challenges of balancing family life with the demands of a new venture to the sacrifices and sleepless nights, Colleen reflects on the journey that has shaped her agency into a trusted name in property management. Listeners will gain valuable insights into the realities of starting a business, the importance of dedication and proper planning, and the rewards of providing exceptional service to clients. Join us as we honor Colleen's remarkable achievements and explore what the future holds for her and her team. 

What is The Property Investors Handbook With Colleen Sutherland?

Discover the secrets of successful property management and investing on "The Property Investors Handbook" podcast. Join Colleen Sutherland as she shares expert insights and strategies for acquiring, managing, and maximising returns on real estate investments. Whether you're a beginner or seasoned investor, this podcast is your essential guide to navigating the world of property investment. Tune in and unlock the keys to financial success in real estate.

Produced by Pod Pro Australia

Hello and welcome back to the property investors handbook podcast. I'm your host Adam Bell and with me in the studio again is Colleen Sutherland and Colleen, I'm really excited about what we're going to talk about today. This is a special episode. This is celebrating you and what you have built with Sutherland's property management group.

So I'm going to start off by saying, congratulations. We've just passed. It's your 20th. year anniversary from when you started this business. What a fantastic achievement.

It is. Yes. Let's, I'd want to talk about this. Let's wind it right back. So what year was it that, that all this started? Tell me about how it came about. So I started in June 2004. Wow. I know. That's why it's 20 years. And how it started was Tony had a client who was starting up a property management business and they needed some help.

So they were in touch with the developer and they were getting referred business so they wanted to start a property management agency and would I go and help them? And I said, sure. And then, it just went from there. Wow. So a little opportunity came along. You were working for an agency at that particular time, were you?

No, I had been working for an agency in Rabena for, I don't know how long, two years? And I did my knee, and I needed a full knee reconstruction. So I took a year off because it wasn't healing like I thought it was going to. And then, Tony said, oh yes, my wife can do that. And I wasn't working, so I went, yeah, righto.

And I went in, and at that time, everything was paper, and I went in with my great big box and said, Right, this is where we start. And they were just, What? What is that? So, yeah, so by the time I'd finished talking to them, which was probably two hours, and I was telling them the systems and the processes and all that sort of stuff, they didn't want to do it.

And I went, oh my god, I've just talked about doing this, starting up a business. And she's sitting there going, no, I can't do that. I can't do it. And I'm there, why? And for me it was second nature, so I didn't really think much of it. And then she rang me later and said, it's just going to be too much for me.

But do you want it? And I went, what? Because business at that time just fell in my lap and I went, oh, okay, I'll work it for you. And so it evolved from there. Fantastic. And so it wasn't planned. It wasn't planned. I wasn't going. Fell into it as they say. I'm going to go into business myself.

I'm going to do this myself. I didn't have that plan. Mindset so it's been quite the journey hasn't it? And there's been a lot of blood sweat and tears and sacrifices talk me through it So the early years and you know what it took because it hasn't been easy hasn't no It definitely hasn't been easy.

So I thought like a lot of property managers. I can do this I know what I'm doing. So, and I did, I knew exactly what I had to do in property management, but what I wasn't expecting was running a business and they are two completely separate issues when you have a real estate agency. So I'm a full real estate agent.

I can sell property and all that sort of thing. I just concentrate on, property management. So, at the start in 2004, my kids were only little. So, Lach was seven, and Ethan would have been five. And I thought, oh, a part time job. And Tony goes, oh, I'll just give you something to do while the kids are at school.

I'll give you something to do. Yeah. And it's like A little hobby. Well Wifey's doing this over here. She'll go and just do that little hobby and I'll earn the money. And that's how it was that he was earning the money, but I wasn't doing a hobby. I was like, Oh my God. Yeah. So it was tough at the start.

When I realized that I had to do all of the day to day and then all of the business while the business was small, it wasn't a lot I had to do, but there was a lot I had to set up. get organized to run as a real estate agency. Absolutely. Cause I think that's, you know, with any type of business, there's that growing pain from where do you go into that sole operator where you are just, you know, you can manage everything you're doing.

you know, plus the job, but then suddenly it's time to, to scale and you need those systems and processes. Yes. One of the things I learned very early on was I had to be ready for growth. And, um, so I had to have what I was able to handle already under control and then bringing on, you know, say 20 new properties, but I had to service the 20 I already had.

and them. And you had to, you know, you had a lot of balls in the air when you, a sole operator. And it was fairly quickly. I got a lady on, and she worked part time for a while and then she worked full time. So there was a lot of, balancing and there was a lot of sacrifice in the early years because I would have to sacrifice a wage to be able to afford somebody else to work in the business that I needed.

So yeah, it's all those things that you don't take into consideration at the time you go. Yeah, I'll do it And that's like what did I do? Yeah looking back now? You've made a lot of sacrifices, and you talk me through you know some of those I mean, I think you know a lot of people think they can start their own You know, they're good at what they do, whether we're talking property management or anything.

And, you know, they can go out on, on, on their own, but they don't realise what's involved. And we're 20 years on now for you. Talk me through, you know, the sacrifices and the things that people maybe don't realise. I had a lot of sacrifice. Because, yes, I had Tony, but Tony was working in his business, so if I wanted to do this thing, I had to make it work.

And to make it work was, a lot of stress. And so you, it developed into a dream. And I think, I'm going to service all these clients far better than the agencies that I'd been working in, where you were just a number. And to be able to offer that personal service, you had to make some sacrifices. So, there was a lot of cancelled plans and there was a lot of late nights and early mornings and missed dinners and my kids, they probably didn't suffer as in, oh they had a bad childhood.

But mum was never there. Right. So I took every opportunity I could to be there for my kids. But, yeah, there was a lot of, looking back, I probably should not have done that because my kids will never be that age again. You've really got to be dedicated and have a proper plan, a business plan, to make it work.

And, and juggling family and business and, yeah, it was really quite stressful. And because I worked with that stress, was nothing for me to have that stress. Whereas someone else would be going, Nope. Too stressful, I'm out. But because I've worked with that stress and it got worse and worse and worse, I didn't even think anything of it.

So, yeah. But look, that dedication has paid off, hasn't it? When you look at what you've created now, you must be very proud. I mean, it's a, you've got a, a highly successful agency, you know, a fantastic team that work for you who have been, you know, some staff members there have been there a long, long time.

It's been a long time. You've got a wonderful office and you know, I've heard your clients say how wonderful you are. What, you know, Tell me, what makes you the proudest about what you've actually achieved? The proudest is that I have achieved that dream that I had 20 years ago, or maybe 19 years ago, but a long time ago.

The dream of being able to service the landlord's investors, as well as growing the equity in their property. So it's not just about me and making money and how much have I made at the end of this month. It was about how many clients have really benefited from what I've done for them this month. Yep. And I had this guru, he's retired now, Bob Walters, and, he told me one day, many years ago, that the best property manager is the one who, or the cheapest property manager is the one who puts the most money in the pockets of the landlord at the end of every month.

So it's how we manage it and maximise their income, while controlling their expenses. that they get the most benefit out of what I do. Sure. Sure. Now tell me, it could be a number of property managers out there listening to this, this podcast who are thinking about, you know, going out on, on their own.

What advice would you give to them? 20 years ago, it was, you're able to make small mistakes and then fix them, whereas legislation today doesn't allow you to make those mistakes that I made, um, and get away with it. And I mean, I made business mistakes, not necessarily property management mistakes, but I made business mistakes.

And it's those business mistakes that if you weren't financially backed, to start a business, then. reconsider because they can cost you a lot of money in, what you might think was a small error. It could just be, and you haven't fixed it. It could just be grow into something bigger than Ben Hur and it could take your business, your house.

So, you know, we have to have all those things covered, and make sure that we've got proper, not necessarily, once you take the property management side away, the business process is in place and the right advice to me as a business. And that's why I keep harping on about the investors running it as a business, because the same things can happen to the investors.

So they're benefiting. From my mistakes, and my hard work, and late nights, so many late nights, it was just ridiculous. But that's because you're either saving costs in wages, or you're, someone's made a mistake and you have to fix it, because I'm the end of the line. It's not nearly as easy as people think it's going to be, is it?

No. It's been a hard journey, we've talked a lot about it, and you talk about the late nights, and, but, You know, even early on, you didn't get a holiday for how long? No, there was no holidays. And if you were holiday, I always felt like I was stealing time. So I was stealing time from my business to be able to go on a holiday.

And then back then we weren't as connected like laptops and mobile phones and things. So if you're not there, you don't know. And then I always felt like, Oh, is that going to go right? And there was that situation. And if I'm away too long, and then eventually when the phones came in, it was just stuck to me, it was in my pocket all the time.

Whereas now I've learnt how to, minimise that always being on. Yep. And yeah. Available. Yeah. Well, look, congratulations again, 20 years in business from a startup that you did yourself from scratch. Accidentally. Accidentally. Is an incredible achievement. You mean you hear these days just about how many businesses do go bust and especially startups and so forth.

And for 20 years, having done it from scratch. And still they're doing it today to the incredibly successful agency that you've got out there now with a whole whack load of happy tenants and, and investors and clients that you've got. Colleen, give yourself a pat on the back because it's what you've achieved is, is nothing short of amazing.

And I've absolutely loved doing this podcast with you and finding out all the ins and outs of what you do, how you do it, why you do it and why you are absolutely the best at it. And that comes through over and over again that, you know, like any, I guess, business and service.

Provider out there, you've got your good and your bad and everything in between. But, one thing I can say is Colin, you are the best at what you do. And there is a big difference between, you know, the good property managers and the not so good. And, I implore anyone out there listening, you know, if you, need a property manager, Colleen is, and her team are definitely the ones to go with.

So, what are the plans for the future, Colleen? Is there another 20 years in you? Oh, I don't know if there's another 20 years, but, I'll keep doing what I'm doing and then, just reevaluate, I think every year now, because I am getting older. And yeah, just see how I can, make it easier, better.

And that sort of thing. So, and it's the vulnerability that is a big key because if you're not going to be vulnerable and allow it to show, the ego will get the better of you. And to me, the ego is what will make you fail. Yep. If you're that way inclined. Very true. And that's the other point I want to make here too about this series and having gotten to know you is that you're real.

There's no fluff. There's no, you are who you are and you're real. And I think that's something that you're, you know, your tenants and. I'm too old for that. Too old for that. The fluff that goes with putting on a persona that people just aren't these days. So once again, congratulations. And, look, I look forward to more episodes and talking more about, um, everything that you do do.

And, uh, look, once again, congratulations, incredible achievement. Thank you so much, Adam.