“A dream come true” is how Jamie Arthur has described the positioning of Property Webmasters 15 years after its launch.
The software and digital marketing company have firmly established itself on the international stage since it was founded on February 23, 2007.
To celebrate its latest birthday, its Hartlepool-based Chief Executive Officer has reflected on the journey that has made Property Webmasters a leading PropTech firm delivering results for real estate agents across the world.
“Over the next three years it is a realistic target to want 3000-plus estate agents using our software, that would be an incredible achievement for the business,” said Jamie, speaking from the Whitehouse office he owns in the heart of Hartlepool.
“We have a long way to go for that to happen, but it is there for the taking”.
“That figure is a global figure, we are also looking to build our market share in the UK. When you think along those lines it makes you proud, of course it does.
“For a relatively small business in Hartlepool, a town many of our clients haven’t even heard of, to be working with people in the Caribbean, Middle East, all over, for major companies such as Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Century21, Coldwell Banker … from our base, a Hartlepool born and bred company, does make you smile.”
Property Webmasters has overseas employees but 90 per cent of its workforce hails from the town, Teesside or the North-East. There are now 25 employees, a far cry from where it all started.
Jamie said: “Although the business has been running for 15 years it has been through many changes during that time. The last six years have been pivotal. Six years ago there was only me, we have grown quite considerably in that period.”
Jamie was a web designer, “let go” by his previous employer, when he set up Property Webmasters, originally in Middlesbrough, with a friend after realising there was a market for property portals online.
Workflow was steady from the start and four years later his friend stepped aside, leaving Property Webmasters to join forces with a creative agency for five years. That, too, worked well until Jamie decided to go it alone in 2016.
He said: “I felt my ambition was growing and with that, I set out on my own. I had a baby daughter two weeks later, the palpitations were there, it was a stressful time but it was what I wanted to do.
“It was time to take the bull by the horns and go for it aged 36, get serious, in ever-changing markets having incredibly belief in Property Webmasters was key.
“I was 36 and if I didn’t take it by the horns, drag it and give it everything I had, I knew I would be 45 before I achieved anything in business. This is a really strong business now.
“Last year we received investment from Net Ventures and things have escalated from there once again.
“It has been an even steeper learning curve, with more accountability around now. ‘Let’s make this huge’ is the message and the guys who invested in us are super ambitious.”
Property Webmasters proudly generates enquiries and leads for estate agents through its different solutions that are constantly researched and developed in line with ever-changing technology.
It specialises in web solutions, providing marketing tools that catapult the business like paid-for-campaigns through socials and Google, SEO improvements and newsletter marketing.
Jamie said: “For clients 15 years ago, the majority of estate agents didn’t even have websites, they advertised in newspapers, there wasn’t really an online presence to speak of, now it is everything.
“We have to keep on top of our game. In the last 6 years, we have had to factor in Brexit, pandemics, and all while operating in the international space with property, so we have had turbulent times in PropTech.
“We are still here, still growing and we are proud.”
| For further information on what Property Webmasters can do for your business check out www.propertywebmasters.com
