Darren Cole was brought up in a bassinet at the back of a real estate office in Western Sydney.

“Some of my earliest memories are of standing next to dad’s knee while he called auctions, and letterbox dropping houses for him,” Darren said.

In short, real estate is in his blood, so teaming up with good mate Craig Yarrow to launch Cole + Yarrow on the Redlands Coast, outside Brisbane, was always on the cards.

Darren and Craig’s partnership has been forged over two decades and multiple jobs.

In his time, Darren was a training manager for LJ Hooker and Ray White. He’s also run the Elders franchise group, and was tapped to be the CEO of Landmark Harcourts (now Nutrien Harcourts), where he recruited Craig to be the GM.

“About two years ago, it was time to get back to the coal face of listing and selling. I poached Craig again and we worked as partners under a franchise.”

But it wasn’t a good fit. Darren and Craig’s challenges with the old business model compelled them to start Cole + Yarrow.

“There were plenty of ‘last straws’ for us. For example, the only time the national marketing manager of the franchise called was to complain about a colour selection in a social media post because it was off-brand.

“Maybe an alternative approach could have been to ask, ‘What are your thoughts on our brand?’ or ‘How can our brand work for you guys?’.

“The rigidity of many franchisors around the growth of THEIR brand as opposed to the agent’s personal brand remains a real tension point for me and obviously for many in the industry.”

Darren and Craig wanted an operation that celebrated the customer first, and recognised the importance of the agent in the transaction as well.

“We want to build a strong business for our families and over time, as other agents may wish to join us, we’ll make sure it’s not our name at the top of the sales board, but their name up in lights. They’re the ones who bring in their business, not Craig and me.

“That’s where many franchisors are missing the point as their share of the agent market continues to diminish. People list with people, not franchises. The franchisor is just lucky enough to partner with that successful agent, and not many add value or get the fact that their agents are their partners, not their subordinates.”

Darren said he’d been watching UrbanX for some time and knew it would deliver a range of advantages to Cole + Yarrow.

“I love the idea of the shared services model at UrbanX, and my experience so far with their administration team is that they’re the best we’ve ever worked with – and I’ve had countless sales administrators in my career!

“Also – the structure of the UrbanX agreement works for us. Dan Argent (CEO of UrbanX) basically said if we’re unhappy, we just give 30-day’s notice and we’re gone. He really puts his money where his mouth is. Different franchise agreements we looked at elsewhere were a minimum of three years and average of five years, and once you’re in, you can’t get out even if the other party doesn’t deliver on what they promised.”

Darren said joining UrbanX allows them to keep more of the commission they create. This financial windfall means they can concentrate primarily on growing their brand and building the business.

“The back-end sales and admin support at UrbanX simply allow us to focus on the work that generates real value and the highest quality experience for our customers, helping us to build the sort of business that people talk to other people about.

“We’re really interested in the customer’s needs, not jumping through ‘corporate hoops.’ For our sellers, we’re a coach, counsellor and confidante – so while we’re keen to sell plenty of properties, what’s really most important at this stage is building quality relationships through delivering on what we promise, not simply a turnover focussed operation.”

Darren said he recommends that anyone looking to start their own show should check out UrbanX. “The support they provide is exceptional. Cole + Yarrow will continue to grow and UrbanX is a great partner to do that with. We look forward to it being a long and productive relationship.”