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Ray White Group’s head of performance and recognition, Bianca Denham, sat down with Jannine Blum, principal of South Perth, to discuss her incredible journey from a Ray White corporate team assistant, to high achieving sales performer, to business owner.
Bianca reflected on Jannine’s 10 year career with the Ray White Group, with her journey from corporate to business ownership.
“Jannine has an incredible ability to embrace challenges and conquer anything that she has put her mind to,” Bianca said.
Jannine’s rise from Western Australian state administrator to bona fide business leader can only be described as meteoric.
As a young woman who specialised in marketing and events, her first role in real estate was anything but intentional.
“I was offered a role as the state administrator, supporting the Ray White Western Australia CEO, Mark Whiteman,” Jannine explained.
“I wasn’t even sure I wanted to do an administration role, let alone one in the real estate industry, but it turns out it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Having a strong foothold in the corporate team set her on a trail to business success.
“I knew that if I wanted to excel at the corporate level, I’d need to get on the tools,” Jannine said.
With strong performance training from the likes of Mark McLeod throughout her corporate career, Jannine felt confident joining her brother-in-law and the Smart family at Ray White Cannington in a sales role.
“As soon as I decided to make the leap, the market was in a downturn,” Jannine said.
“It was challenging. Cannington is a first home buyer market so it was never a question of did you lose money, but how much?” she said.
Jannine took this in her stride, though.
“A downturn was all I knew, so I just thought the hard market was a normal market and it was a great training ground for me,” she said.
To emphasise their own point of difference, Ray White Cannington leant into the auction method.
Jannine explained that Western Australia’s method of sale is around 98 per cent private treaty, so auctions were a novel concept in a struggling market, and decreased Cannington’s days on market.
“We were trusting in the four week process, and communicating effectively with our sellers and buyers so that they could have confidence in the market,” she said.
“The average days on market in Perth at the time was well over 70 and we were sitting at around 35.”
Her sales career through a difficult market built a strong foundation for an opportunity she wasn’t even looking for yet.
“It presented itself before I wanted it. A business owner within the group’s circumstances changed and she offered me her share in the business.
“It took a few months to decide whether it was right for me. My husband had an accident during that time and I was unsure if I wanted to take on the responsibility.
"You’re making a commitment to other people, and on top of that, I was going to be changing my selling market to a completely new area which meant I'd have to re-establish my database, all whilst managing an office.
“But I knew I’d have the team behind me, including David and Diem Whiteman, and I didn’t know if I’d get the opportunity again. So I just went for it.”
Jannine started her tenure as principal at Ray White South Perth on Monday in March 2020.
“And by Friday, we were in lockdown,” she said.
Managing a new team, new database, new responsibilities, including property management, where legislative change was most impacted by COVID-19, was a lot to take on. But Jannine took it in her stride.
“They call me the duck - I think that started at corporate with Mark Whiteman,” Jannine said.
“Calm on the surface but with the little legs kicking away under the water. I just try to be calm and collected and always have the best intentions,” she said.
Her team has grown in her three years as principal, from a team of just five to around 10, through a mix of development and recruitment.
“It’s a big marketplace and we have big ambitions. We haven’t even scratched the surface of what we want to achieve when it comes to market share.”
However, Jannine explained that leadership can be lonely at times and that’s why she’s found it so important to have trusted colleagues and partners during her time as a business owner.
Bianca pointed out that Jannine’s trademark teamwork and calmness has come in handy during the most challenging times of her life such as when her husband had an accident, when she was a new business owner dealing with the unprecedented pandemic, and now as she juggles owning a business with her new venture, motherhood.
“You always know mums do a great job but you can’t truly appreciate what a mum does until you become one,” Jannine said.
“I was a salesperson, and then a principal and now juggling being a mum as well.
“I’m blessed by the team and how much they’ve supported me in that journey, as well as the support I've received from my partners,” Jannine said.
Jannine pointed out that real estate offers great flexibility when it comes to balancing your work and life.
“Provided you’re committed to working hard and long hours, you can still find the time between appointments to be a wife, mother and mentor,” she said.
When asked what advice she would give to young, vibrant women who are looking for success in real estate, or any high performance industry, Jannine said “just go for it.”
“I think we overthink a lot and we say no to opportunities because we’re afraid and we can analyse the upsides and downsides, but just give it a shot.
“Just keep showing up,” she said.
