As part of our Executive Spotlight, TechLeadersPOV spoke with Nikki Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at Italy Property Consulting. Below are excerpts from our interview.
Nikki Taylor is an Australian expat and real estate expert, specializing in Italian property purchases for foreigners. A 3 x Amazon bestselling author, Nikki’s work has featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur and Millionaire magazines, and HGTV’s Mediterranean Life TV program. Nikki also writes the real estate section of Italy Magazine. Residing in Puglia, you’ll find her enjoying “la dolce vita” with her husband and two Italo-Australiano bambinos. To find out more about Nikki’s work visit www.italy-propertyconsulting.com
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series!
Thank you so much for having me! It is great to be here.
Can you tell us a story about what brought you to your business?
I have always had a huge passion for the real estate industry. When I moved to Italy in 2014, I immediately started working in real estate, helping overseas buyers purchase property here. It was through working in the industry that I saw how I could make a huge difference in helping people navigate their way through the buying process here in Italy. I went on to start the first course in the country and industry on how to confidently purchase property in Italy.
What was behind your desire to start your journey?
In my line of work, I kept seeing a common theme of fears that most overseas buyers had around the buying process in Italy. How did it work, who could they trust, they were worried about losing their money in a property deal gone wrong and trust me – I have seen it happen more than I care to remember. I really wanted to create a catalyst of change and help guide people throughout the process. It helps them to take empowered steps towards making their dream an achievable reality.
How has your career and business evolved?
When I started out my business, it was originally creating a course on how to help overseas buyers confidently buy property in Italy. Little did I know back then, what ripple effect that would create and the opportunities that would springboard from the back of what I created. I have been fortunate enough to feature in HGTV’s Mediterranean Life, and have had my work featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and various other publications around the world. My passion for helping people find their dream home led me to create the first digital property magazine with members platform “La Dolce Vita Lifestyle Magazine” and with an online shop of Italy-inspired merchandise to be launched next! Am truly grateful for the journey that I have experienced and feel also very blessed to have been a pinnacle part of the journey for so many clients around the world helping them achieve their Italian dream.
What mistakes have you made along the way and what lessons have learned?
In the beginning of my business I made the costly mistake of being far too trustworthy of people who I was collaborating with. I learned the hard way and a costly way that not everyone that is in your inner circle has your back. It’s been a journey to say the least but I have no regrets as everything that happened has brought me to where I am today.
Do you have any words of leadership advice for others about building their business?
My main advice would be to stay in your own lane. It is so easy to get caught up in looking at what our competitors are doing and falling into the trap of comparison. It’s the quickest way to get out of alignment with your business. To be honest, people do not hire me for my knowledge, they hire me because of me. It’s all about the energy people transmit with each other that will determine if you are a right fit to work with someone.
Can you describe the impact technology is making on your industry and business?
The real estate industry has come a long way from a technology standpoint and the pandemic had a huge part to play in that. I remember right as the pandemic hit, was when I had the idea to launch a property magazine called “La Dolce Vita on a Shoestring” which was basically bringing the best properties for sale in Italy to people’s inboxes each week as they could not travel. I was probably one of the first people in the industry to pioneer assisting buyers to purchase property in Italy via Zoom and utilizing drone footage technology so they could “see” the property in its entirety before purchasing. Most people said I was crazy but it had a knock on effect and many of my clients bought property this way. People could see that the market was picking up and they didn’t want to miss out, so combining this technology was a great way to help facilitate the sale and also help them make an informed decision.
My team are based all around the world and in various parts of Italy. The beauty of remote working means we can all be working together at any one given time and easily connect via Zoom. Same goes with my clients, I never meet clients face to face first. We always have a Zoom call to get to know each other first, see if we are a good fit for each other, and then take it from there!
Any other advice?
Be ethical, totally authentic, and YOURSELF. Behaving unethically in business gives you a very short shelf life – the truth always comes out. And remember, people buy into people because of their energy and authenticity. You trying to be a copy of someone else will never work.
You can connect or follow Nikki Taylor and her business through the following social channels: