This week on DAY ZERO, Angus sits down with John O'Brien, Geelong's newest FOUNDIT partner and shareholder following the brand's first merger and acquisition, to talk billboards, blue and white loyalty, and four generations of change in one coastal city.
John takes us through Geelong's evolution from a wool and port town on the brink of becoming a rust belt city, to an education and health economy built on Deakin University and a wave of Melbourne relocators, unpacking why knowing which pocket of Newtown or Belmont you're buying into matters just as much as the suburb itself. Before real estate, John spent two decades as an entrepreneur across hospitality, pubs and even a stint as a touring country folk singer in Texas, and he explains why that breadth of experience, not a real estate background, is what makes a great buyer's advocate.
He also unpacks why "boots on the ground" beats buying blind from interstate, how a four-hour research report changed a client's mind about the value of data, and why after years running his own business solo, tapping into a national team has been the most exciting part of joining FOUNDIT.
What is DAYZERO?
Where Australia’s property experts — and FOUNDIT — share what really happens on Day Zero.
DAYZERO is the podcast that goes beyond headlines and into the true beginnings. Hosted by FOUNDIT co-founder Angus Ferguson, each episode unpacks the defining early moments, mindsets, and lessons that shape Australia’s property future.
Born from FOUNDIT’s own journey to fix a broken system, DAYZERO shares raw, unfiltered conversations with buyers’ agents, founders, industry veterans, and investors backing the next wave of real estate innovation. It’s about what it really takes to build and rebuild in property. From hard-won insights to market-making decisions, this is where real estate gets real.