John studied in Armidale and QLD before trying his hand at careers in the hospitality, banking and farming industries before settling down and starting as a sales agent for a local Armidale real estate office.
Soon after, thanks to his personable nature and obvious ability, he was poached by a local competitor. A mere 18 months after that John started his own office, Armidale Town and Country...and whilst his journey had only just begun, the rest is already history!
John opened the doors in November 07 with a PA and empty office. The GFC hit hard in 2008 and the next few years were tough. Determined not to fail or give in, he struggled on, during some very tough times, in fact, the hardest of his life, but times that made him hungrier and more determined to succeed.
By the end of 2012 he had grown the business to 3 sales agents, 2 property managers and 2 support staff, approx. 300 rentals under management and a turnover of approx. $1m.
John sold Armidale Town & Country to relocate to Sydney, splitting his time between “town and country” and in 2016 we had 4 sales agents, 5 property managers and 8 fulltime and part time support staff, 800 rentals under management and turnover of approx. $2m.
In 2017, John purchased Professionals RE Tamworth & LJ Hooker RE Tamworth, merging the two agencies together under the Professionals banner. It was a 12-month process of acquiring, merging teams & cultures and implementing new processes to become the best of the best.
Professionals Tamworth, now has approx.1100 properties under management, a staff of 30 with a turnover of $3.5m+
John has a genuine passion for regional Australia and leading a team, which has been a major focus of his since 2004. John also enjoys investing in property, owning residential, commercial & rural property investments across the state including, Sydney & the New England.
John currently splits his time living in Collaroy, NSW and Tamworth, regional NSW with his wife and daughter Valentina (2.5) with a baby boy due in October.
Hi John! Thank you for being part of the Health and Fitness Travel, Strong Healthy Men Interview Series – Father’s Day Edition, with the goal to shine a light on the importance of self-care for physical and mental well-being, not just for fathers but for men across Australia!
While each day is different, what would your typical day look like?
I travel weekly for work, so my days can vary, but always make time for exercise. The accommodation I stay at when I travel has a treadmill & lap pool that I utilise in the mornings before my day officially kicks off. I find that if I get up early and do some light exercise, it clears my head from the worries of the day/night before and my day flows much better. Without it, I start the day feeling tense and that is not a good way to operate efficiently. My mornings when I am on the road are filled with back to back meetings, mainly with my team. Because I am not there all the time, these morning meeting catchups are essential. My staff do lunchtime fitness classes with a local personal trainer. I attend those classes with my staff to build morale but also their individual health and wellness. Afternoons are spent with more meetings, usually business development focussed and then back in the car to the next destination
On the days during the week when I am not travelling for work, my young family enjoys being in a routine so the early morning family walk (weather permitting) is an essential part of our routine. Every night when I’m home we all have dinner around 6pm, after dinner its reading time till about 7pm then bath, bottle and bed with my 3 year old daughter. I generally sing a few songs or tell her a few stories before holding her hand in bed until she falls asleep or my legs give out from standing over the cot... usually the later.
I feel so lucky to get to share that time with my daughter...... It’s easily the greatest part of my day!
Can you share a time when you felt your physical or mental health was challenged in the past and what you did to overcome this?
Exercise definitely helps when things get rough. Without a clear mind, you cannot have a clear view. I’ve recently gone through a big work change where I have taken on a lot more than ever before. To be honest, it is not always the business side of things that is toughest, but the people side of things. I have worked really hard on myself as a leader to ensure that both myself and my staff are happy and healthy. Physically, being on the road so much, I can tend to get run-down, but I prioritise the week days when I am not travelling to get my routine and wellness back in line. I don't drink alcohol during the week and I attribute a lot of my recent success and ability to cope with pressure to this. In my experience, reaching for the bottle only makes things worse. There are times where I do get really frustrated and to be honest I think everyone does.... we are only human! When this happens it helps to remind yourself that you should only concern yourself with what you can control. It's a total waste of time worrying about the other stuff.
Do you feel being a father motivates you to be a healthy role model?
Being a father is my biggest motivator for life! Family has always been important to me. I look up to and respect my father for what he did for our family and I hope to be able to do the same for ours. We have a 3 year old and another bub on the way in October.
How do you keep your health at the forefront even when life gets unavoidably busy?
I always make time for exercise. The accommodation I stay at when I travel has a treadmill & lap pool that I utilise in the mornings before my day officially kicks off. I find that if I get up early before everyone else does and do some light exercise, it clears my head from the worries of the day/night before and my day flows much better. I eat really well when I am away from home – usually light meals and I try to drink herbal teas rather than loading up on caffeine!
Have you ever taken a holiday specifically for your well-being? If so where did you go and what did you do?
Yes, I travelled to Brazil & Canada as part of the Tony Robbins Platinum partners a few years back. That was a bit of fun. The trips where around lifestyle, business and health and wellbeing.
My wife and I just travelled to Byron Bay for a week and stayed at Elements of Byron Resort. Absolutely stunning and it was great for us both to relax, unwind and spend some quality family time together.
Everyone's idea of self-care is different, please tell us about yours?
My wife and I are expecting our second child in October this year and we have started a night time meditation routine together as we get closer to this next chapter in our life. I find it's very relaxing and helps us connect with each other and ground ourselves.
I attend the gym 3-4 days a week. Both on the road and at home.
Most days I have a gratitude routine where its automatic most mornings I think about a couple of things I'm grateful for in my life. As I said its automatic now because I've been doing it for years and it has totally changed my life and the people in my life.
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