Shane Colquhoun – Nobody does it better

WORDS: PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

Shane Colquhoun has come a long way since starting his career in real estate back in 1999.

Starting as a salesperson for a Nerang Real Estate Agency in 1999, Shane bought LJ Hooker Nerang in 2003 from Tony Friend, who founded the franchise in 1990.

His career has gone from strength to strength and has seen Shane grow multiple offices through successful partnerships in the western corridor. Shane now has six office locations, with more than 120 staff managing 2000 investor clients.

Shane’s career recently reached a pinnacle when he was awarded the Sir Leslie Hooker Award. Named in honour of the company founder, the award recognises the contributions of a business owner to the community, the real estate network, leadership, office culture and the mentoring of staff.

You have MR LJH number plates – do you live and breathe the industry and the brand?

I recognised fairly quickly when I purchased the business that the LJ Hooker brand was a super brand _ more than 90 years in Australia and still famous for its ‘Thankyou Mr Hooker’ and ‘Nobody does it better’ slogans. We embraced the brand fully from day one and have been proud to be recognised regularly, internationally, as a leading agency for marketing and digital marketing for the LJ Hooker brand.

You now have six offices. Are there more to come?

Six should do it but we are now in a growth phase for salespeople to join our northern network of offices, now we have the super-group brand name of LJ Hooker Solutions Gold Coast. We are also preparing to launch our LJ Hooker Commercial Solutions team, which will complement our very successful residential sales reputation.

How do you keep the work/life balance?

When you’re as passionate for the brand and people that work hard for you each and every day, it’s hard to relax on past reputation and successes. Whether it’s a day off, a weekend away or a nice little overseas jaunt, there’s not a day that goes by where you’re not thinking about work, the people or planning a future strategy for dealing with business challenges. I was fortunate enough to switch off for three months in 2010. Maybe another one of those breaks would be good for the soul.

What would you say is the highlight of your career so far?

There have been many highlights in my career. 2003 as REIQ Salesperson of the Year, buying the LJ Hooker business in 2004, LJ Hooker Franchise Owner of the Year in 2012 and 2018, building the super office at Nerang in 2017 and more recently, the Sir Leslie Hooker Award in late 2020.

It’s all about the people …

The people. If I was to think back to 1999 and think I could have the people and success around me that I have today, nothing could be possible without the loyalty and dedication my team and people have given to our business in these 21 years. After receiving personal awards in my selling career, I made sure to focus on building people and their careers ahead of my own and I suppose it has repaid me hugely.

Q&A

Beer or wine – Red wine, Barossa shiraz.

NRL or AFL – Ummm All Blacks

Dinner or breakfast – Dinner with good mates. Would do it every night if I could.

Beach or mountains – Beach, I love summer.

Horseracing or motorsport – Horse racing. I love a little punt every now and then but I’m certainly not a gambler!