A People Business Before It's a Property Business

As Managing Director of EweMove, one of the UK's best-known agency franchise networks, Nick Neill knows exactly what it takes to build a business that wins across markets as different as market towns, commuter belts and city centres. As both an early adopter and a member of nHabit's advisory board, he shares our belief that the future belongs to agents backed by the right tools rather than bigger portal bills, and that control belongs back in their hands, where it should always have been. We sat down with him to talk about his journey from corporate financial services to franchisee to Managing Director, what it really takes to set an agent up to win in their patch, and where he sees AI and data taking the industry next.

"There’s something uniquely fascinating and fun about engaging with the fast-changing property market, as behind every door is a new set of rules, world views and opportunities that provide a great perspective on life!"

You came into property from a corporate background in financial services, with no estate agency experience, when you signed on as one of the first EweMove franchisees in 2013. What pulled you into the industry, and what's kept you here?

Like most in the UK, I’ve always loved property. After 25 years in the corporate world, the real draw was the freedom of self-employment. I originally planned to launch a EweMove franchise and hand it over to my wife after a few months, but I caught the bug. Thirteen years later, I’m still here — now as Managing Director, which is an absolute privilege. What keeps me here? The people — franchisees, customers, and suppliers. There’s something uniquely fascinating and fun about engaging with the fast-changing property market, as behind every door is a new set of rules, world views and opportunities that provide a great perspective on life!

What's the best piece of career advice you've ever received?

Just don't be sh*t. Seriously. That was funny but pertinent. But otherwise, understanding that your team has more and often better answers and ideas than you do!

You went from franchisee to Managing Director in roughly three years. What did running your own branch teach you that you couldn't have learned any other way, and how does it shape how you lead the network now?

Running my business taught me that this business can be chaotic - mostly due to the wide range of people involved in each transaction. So having that ‘on the ground’ experience and building an understanding how to straighten out sales processes in a chaotic, fast changing environment, was something I could not have learned from a manual.

But turning it into a manual is now exactly what we have done. Our Lean Green Marketing Machine sets out clearly how franchisees should go to market, drive community engagement and opportunities. And our New Lamb Training sets them up for success in the world of agency. With the backing of a large PLC with 17 different agency brands, we constantly work on improving what we do and how we do it, to help all our franchisees win in their local markets.

"This is a sales and marketing business that’s focused on people, before it’s a property business.  And if folks understand that, it really helps"

EweMove operates franchises in markets that look nothing like each other, from market towns to commuter belts to city centres. What does it take to make a new franchisee genuinely set up to win in their patch from day one?

We do a lot of training. What we've found is that the EweMove proposition and business model works in all markets. However, not all people work well in this model and the most common cause of failure or low performance is the franchisee themselves. As hard as that is to say, it is the way it is.  And strangely, if you ask any franchisor in any sector, they will tell you the same thing.

But if the franchisees fully commit with the right level of energy and investment, and follow the model, they will be successful. This is a sales and marketing business that’s focused on people, before it’s a property business. And if folks understand that, it really helps.

Quadrupling the network was the stated ambition when you took the MD role. What do you think has been the most significant factor in EweMove's growth under your leadership?

Consistency of approach, of training. Tightening up the proposition, driving franchisee performance so we have great case studies to point to. And delivering excellent commercial results for consumers. This is what matters most for the future growth of the network and of each franchisee's local business.

And it is something I can’t do alone. My core team in Marketing, Operations and Franchise Recruitment all have over 10 years under their belt with EweMove, as does one of my Business Development Managers, working closely to support franchisees.

That’s key to the retention of our core values and what sets us apart. The culture here is a very collaborative one, both within the Sheep Pen (Head Office) Team and also the franchisee network. So every new franchisee that joins immediately feels part of the EweMove ‘Flock’.

"Learning to identify great talent, recruit those people, train and support them is key to growth."

What is the biggest mistake you see independent agents make when they try to scale without the right model, brand or systems behind them?

Scaling problems. Operational inefficiency only gets worse with scale; it doesn’t resolve itself.  And trying to scale yourself without properly recruiting, training and managing people to help you is never going to work. Often great salespeople aren’t great managers and this is what stops self-employed business owners in the UK from scaling effectively.

So learning to identify great talent, recruit those people, train and support them is key to growth. I do wish more business owners would take time out to invest in their own learning and development on these subjects, as it would help improve the reputation of our industry and help agents to build solid, sustainable businesses that survive over time.

"If tenants are able to very quickly find the right property for them, at the right price, in the right area with the right amenities locally, to add to and enrich their quality of life while balancing work and commuting, it's beneficial to all parties concerned, reducing tenant churn and the costs to all as a result of that."

You sit on nHabit's advisory board and you've spent your career inside the franchise model. What convinced you to back what we're building, and where do you see the biggest opportunity for agents and franchisees to win with it?

A number of attributes attracted me to nHabit.  

The first is the customer experience improvements that AI and Geo Spatial search can provide to tenants searching for their next home. Making the wrong or sub-optimal decision can be costly to all concerned: the tenant, the landlord and the agent.  If tenants are able to very quickly find the right property for them, at the right price, in the right area with the right amenities locally, to add to and enrich their quality of life while balancing work and commuting, it's beneficial to all parties concerned, reducing tenant churn and the costs to all as a result of that.

And what's more, having a content tenant in a property they can really enjoy living in, is certainly worth striving for.

Additionally, N4, the technology that sits behind the nHabit Geo Spatial search is also of interest and it will be interesting to see how this tech can be useful in other ways too. As AI becomes more powerful every day and consumers embrace it more, having a suite of self-help, self-serve tools that provide real, high-value answers to consumers will be of great benefit.

And finally, having data available to agents, to provide real-time assessment and investment advice to landlords is definitely a welcome addition to ensure landlord and agents continue to work together to provide homes to rent in the right locations that provide both acceptable yield returns and also homes that tenants want and need.