Raj Bedi was one of the youngest franchisees to join the network when, at the tender age of 24, he took the life-changing decision to leave a flourishing career in banking to follow his property dream. In partnership with his brother-in-law Monaj, he completed the purchase of Martin & Co Harborne in June 2012, and has not looked back since…
So, how did it all start?
“I had a real burning ambition to run my own property business, but being so young I had no formal experience in either the industry or the commercial world, and so I saw franchising as the ideal way to fulfil this ultimate goal,” says Raj.
Just six months after getting in touch with The Property Franchise Group team, Raj was thrilled to launch his very first estate agency business and see his dreams become a reality. But he didn’t stop there.
“Initially launching as a partnership between myself and my brother-in-law, we were joined in 2015 by my sister Deepa as a co-Director. This was followed in October 2016 by the acquisition of a significant portfolio of 150 managed rental properties and 80 sales properties, a move which greatly enhanced our growing family business.”
And timing played a key part in this.
“It was not only because of the wealth of experience we’d gained through running our business, but the fact that we happened to be in the right place at the right time. The previous portfolio owner – a highly-reputable local agent who’d been trading for over three decades – wanted to retire from the industry, and it just so happened that we were in an exceptionally strong position for expansion.”
After a taste of real success, Raj wasn’t about to rest on his laurels.
“Not long after the growth of our Harborne business – in fact just three months later – we opened our second office in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.” And growth has continued for Raj and the team…
“We now employ a team of 19 across the two offices, bringing together over a century of combined industry experience. Both businesses have continued to grow year-on-year, and we’re proud to have been the leading sales and lettings agent in the area for the past few years running.”
“Our Harborne office achieved the highest turnover of any Martin & Co office in 2017”
It’s Raj’s drive, motivation, and dedication to the industry that has seen his businesses positively thrive. Did we mention that they’re award-winning?
“We have a number of prestigious awards to our name. Our Harborne office achieved Silver in the Sunday Times & Times Midlands Estate Agency of the Year awards for Best Single Office in 2015, and in 2016 we were announced Winner of the Best Portfolio Growth and Runner Up for Best Business for Growth award at the Property Franchise Group’s annual conference”
So, has Raj’s life changed since taking the plunge into the world of property?
“Launching and running two successful estate agency businesses has been extremely hard work, but the rewards are absolutely worth it.”
“I’m earning more than I’d ever imagined I would!”
So, he’s come this far and he’s still so young… what’s next for Raj?
“As a relatively young team, we have huge amounts of energy and motivation and to us, this is absolutely a long-term venture. We’re proud to be forward-thinking in our approach and our plans are essentially to continue to grow our existing offices, and to open many more in the years to come!”
