THE MAN BEHIND THE BRAND

Since opening his eponymous prestige property agency in 2019, Michael Kollosche has taken a collaborative, community-focused approach to the business.

WORDS LISA HUGHES

BREAKING INTO THE GOLD COAST real estate industry in 2019 was always going to be a challenge for new agency Kollosche.

Some may have considered the move a moment of madness.

The industry was already ultra-competitive, the property market static and the man behind the moniker, Michael Kollosche, had been in hiatus for almost six years.

Yet only four short years later Kollosche has firmly established itself as one of the most respected and successful prestige real estate agencies on the Gold Coast.

The multimillion-dollar company has a team of more than 125 staff based in new luxury offices in the heart of Broadbeach, and has gained national recognition from industry peers.

Driving the growth is Michael Kollosche, managing director of the business and an active sales agent who personally sold more than $668 million-worth of property in the 2021-22 financial year.

According to Michael, the secret to his success is nothing more complex than having a clear vision and the dedication to deliver it.

“The bedrock of the business for me has always been about the customer experience and making that the best it can possibly be,” he says.

“It’s an obsession. Mindset is everything. You need to bring the energy to the business for your team to emulate it.

“Kollosche aims to deliver a six-star service to anyone who comes into contact with us and you have to keep analysing how you can be better, but if you can make it your core focus, and put the needs of the client ahead of your own, by default, you are destined to succeed.” >>

Giving Back To The Community

A sense of duty to share the success of the business with those in the community who are most in need led to the establishment of the Kollosche Community Fund in 2021.

Agents across the business have thrown their collective weight behind the fund and a raft of worthy causes they hold close to their hearts.

Every sale an agent makes sees a percentage of their commission funneled into the fund, with additional contributions aiming to raise $500,000 annually for worthy community causes.

“The business has raised close to $2 million for charities since its inception, shared across sporting organisations and community initiatives through the fund and other charitable events that it sponsors each year, such as the Serving Our People ball,” Michael says.

“It is extremely rewarding to help out others and be able to see the difference that you can make at various levels in the community.

“Seeing those funds go to people who really need it is probably one of the most gratifying feelings you can get in life.”

Charity organisation Serving Our People, which helps anyone in need across the Gold Coast, has been a major beneficiary, with donations also committed to 10 Cent Tom, various Surf Life Saving Clubs, Broadbeach Soccer Club, Gold Coast Hospital Cancer Transport Service, Gold Coast Suns, Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Broadbeach Cats Junior and Senior Football clubs, to name a few.

It sounds simple in theory, yet real estate is a competitive game and Michael admits that the right mindset and a conviction to uphold core morals and values is crucial.

“When I came back into the industry, I wanted to position the business as a team of professional strategic advisors, who were overly transparent and operated with the highest levels of compliance and integrity,” he says.

“I trusted in myself, remaining focused wholly and solely on what we could deliver that others weren’t.

“There’s no point being different if you can’t be better and I knew that in time if we continued to do that, we could build a brand based on repeat and referral business and hopefully create a dedicated following throughout the industry.

“There remains no exception to that.

“Clients want transparency and value and I know what value we bring to the table and what we can deliver clients, and I have stuck to that strategy.

“We are continually asking ourselves, ‘If we are No. 2, 3 or 4 in our market, are our current practices good enough to get us to No. 1?’ ”

Collaboration Is Key

The business has grown meteorically over the past 12 to 18 months, with Michael bringing almost 34 elite sales agents under the Kollosche umbrella.

Adopting an avant garde business model based on collaboration rather than competition, the business has gone from strength to strength.

“My vision was always to bring the top 20 agents on the Gold Coast together under one roof to collaborate and combine their databases, experience and knowledge,” Michael says.

“I thought, if I can do that, then Kollosche will be unstoppable.

“We have achieved that and more.

“Kollosche now has a team of 34 experienced agents all working very well together. We have built a really good internal culture.”

Not only has Michael focused on attracting the Gold Coast’s top agents, but he has invested heavily in the wider business.

It now includes its own in-house marketing agency, K Media, which is already winning industry awards for its creative campaigns –including Digital Excellence Agency of the Year at the recent Australasian Real Estate Awards in Sydney.

From its origins in residential sales, Kollosche has expanded to offer executive leasing and property management, with a commercial leasing division added in 2021.

A New Projects division is the newest addition, offering an end-to-end service to developers –from site acquisition through to planning advice, marketing, sales and settlement.

Michael remains open about how he runs the agency and mentors others inside and outside the business.

DOES HE FEAR COMPETITION?

“No. Competition is healthy.

“Every year at real estate industry conferences, you have leaders from all over the country standing up and telling people exactly what they do to be successful and exactly how they do it, and still people are too lazy to emulate it and don’t have the discipline to hold it up,” he says.

“It’s just one of those things. I’m more than happy to mentor other people but at the end of the day, it comes down to the individual.

“How much do they want something? How hard are they prepared to work for it? What are their morals and ethics?

“These things are what separates those that succeed from those that don’t.

“In fact, what I consider my biggest achievement is witnessing the growth of the people that work alongside me in the organisation.

“I have seen so many of them come into the business and achieve between two, five and ten times what they thought they would achieve.

“For me, that has been very fulfilling.” >>

Shiny New Headquarters

Kollosche’s rapid expansion led it to swiftly outgrow its original HQ in Albert Avenue, Broadbeach.

The business relocated to luxury new office space in the iconic Oracle West tower at 19 Elizabeth Avenue in late 2022.

The move took nearly a year to plan, with the office space needing a complete redesign and fit out.

Changing The Face Of The Industry

Typically dressed in a navy blue T-shirt, matching navy chinos and a pair of comfortable trainers, Michael’s relaxed appearance and approachable manner belies the steely determination of a man set on effecting change.

Delivering a premier service to customers is only one aspect of his wider mission – to champion the rights of property owners and act as a catalyst for grassroots change across the industry and to weed out a lot of the ‘cowboys’.

Speaking out on issues he feels are important, Michael says he would like to see tougher rules around compliance and higher barriers to entry to the industry.

“We need more stringent levels of accreditation for people entering the industry, which take account of people’s performance and skill levels,” he says.

“A lot of agents are going out giving advice after having completed a pretty basic course.

“Others are not being held accountable for spruiking incorrect information or old sales data, misleading consumers on their actual results and experience to try to win business.

The transformed state-of-the-art space has become an inspiring hub for close collaboration between agents, administration, legal, finance professionals, and K Media Group. It features four executive boardrooms fitted with the latest technology, a large front reception and shared multipurpose area, which caters for workshops, launch events, and Kollosche’s in-room auctions.

“Consumers need to understand that not all agents are equal in our industry.

“It amazes me that people will sometimes pick an agent based solely on who charges the lowest fee, or who is going to pay for their marketing versus looking at who is the best agent with a proven track record, success and experience.

“Another area of concern is that policies are being written by people in governing bodies who have little to no practical experience, and without consultation with industry peers, so they pass legislation that is difficult, awkward and doesn’t necessarily work in consumers’ best interests.”

Balancing It Out

Juggling so many roles and responsibilities, which extends to being a dedicated husband to his wife Denise, and father to their 16-year-old son, Leonardo, it's difficult to imagine Michael finding the time for anything else.

Yet he is, by his own admission, a creature of habit and has what he terms a list of ‘non negotiables’ to ensure he maintains an essential work-life balance.

“I am at the gym at five in the morning and I go to the beach for a swim after that.

“I find hot and cold therapies through the week, with plunge pools, steam and saunas, really helpful. My once-a-week massage is also non-negotiable,” he says.

“For too many years realtors have been pulled into a seven-day work week, and that is something I have been trying to change.

“When I’m at work I am going at capacity and when I’m not I want to decompress.

“I won’t work Sundays anymore; Sundays are dedicated to my family and friends,” he adds.

“Spending as much time as I can with them and just enjoying my time when I am not at work is a priority for me.

“Having a good work-life balance is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your business.

“In the long run, your productivity and performance benefits greatly from balancing it out.”

In the 2003 NRL Grand Final Scott Sattler ran 83 strides to execute one of rugby league’s most famous try saving tackles, securing his mighty Panthers the premiership.