Agency adds £1m to revenue through diversification

A letting agent with a background in renovation has been able to grow her business by offering investors a swathe of additional services.

Tina Etherington set up E&M Property Solutions in Burnley in 2017 after many years in property conversions and renovations, to enable her to offer management services to landlords as well.

“It was a completely cold-start with no properties on the books. Now I’m proud to say we’re one of Burnley’s leading agencies and we have gone from strength to strength” she says. 

Etherington’s case is cited in promotional material for Agent Rainmaker, an agency training service run by former ARLA President Sally Lawson.

Etherington continues: “Attending the courses and being involved in the Rainmaker community has been incredibly motivational for me and has given me that fire to grow the business. Within the first few months, we’d added £500,000 to our revenue and in under 18 months we have an additional £1m revenue coming in.

“As well as growing the agency, this has also enabled me to increase my own portfolio and we are just beginning work on a large town-centre site which will comprise a mix of commercial and residential units.

“As well as local investors, we work with lots of international investors who want the peace of mind of being able to trust us to find properties, refurbish and convert them, and maximise the profit they can achieve from them.

“My advice to anyone wondering how to grow their business, or struggling with challenges in the property sector, is don’t give up! Learn from others, find a network of support, and look at what services you are offering to ensure you are charging fairly for all of the work you are doing. There are so many other services you can offer to clients, it’s all about packaging up these services so they’re appealing to investors."