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Richard Callow
After 15 Years in Lettings, He Felt He Couldn't Progress
After fifteen years in lettings and a head of department role, Richard felt he'd hit a ceiling with nowhere left to grow.
Partner Agent, The Letting Experts27 July 2026
Richard's career change came from feeling he'd reached a point where he could no longer progress. Fifteen years in lettings, a headhunted move into a head of department role, and a team he turned into genuine competition against some of the biggest firms in the area. Then he hit a point where there was nowhere left to grow.
Fifteen Years, Then Nowhere Left to Go
Richard started in lettings at the deep end, thrown straight into appointments with barely any training, and built a career the hard way from there. Promotions followed steadily over the years that came after.
The move into his last role came through a connection close to home, an old contact of his father's, who'd since gone on to set up his own independent firm. When the two paths crossed again, Richard was headhunted in.
He spotted gaps in how the office had been run before him, so he made changes to their strategy, their KPIs, and the way the team worked, and took the business from mid-table to a genuine market competitor within a year.
But there's a ceiling to what a role like that can offer, however well you're doing. He'd maximised his salary, and proven what he could do, several times over, at several different firms. And the only way to go further depended entirely on someone else's decision to expand the business.
The move into his last role came through a connection close to home, an old contact of his father's, who'd since gone on to set up his own independent firm. When the two paths crossed again, Richard was headhunted in.
He spotted gaps in how the office had been run before him, so he made changes to their strategy, their KPIs, and the way the team worked, and took the business from mid-table to a genuine market competitor within a year.
But there's a ceiling to what a role like that can offer, however well you're doing. He'd maximised his salary, and proven what he could do, several times over, at several different firms. And the only way to go further depended entirely on someone else's decision to expand the business.
I'd hit a point where I couldn't really do any better in the company I was working for. So what do I do?
A Seed, Planted and Left to Grow
Richard wasn't looking to leave when Sue first messaged him on LinkedIn. He hadn't heard of The Letting Experts before, and he was comfortable enough where he was that the message could easily have gone unanswered. Instead, he had a look.
That was the start of it, not a decision, just curiosity. He stayed in his role for months afterwards, still doing the job well, while the idea sat in the back of his mind. When questions came up, and there were plenty, he went straight to Sue and Dan in recruitment, asking about the model, the training, what the first year would actually look like. Talking it through with them properly, and that's what eventually turned curiosity into a decision.
That was the start of it, not a decision, just curiosity. He stayed in his role for months afterwards, still doing the job well, while the idea sat in the back of his mind. When questions came up, and there were plenty, he went straight to Sue and Dan in recruitment, asking about the model, the training, what the first year would actually look like. Talking it through with them properly, and that's what eventually turned curiosity into a decision.
It was in the back of my mind that maybe I did want to run my own business. The seed was planted there, and I couldn't quite get it out of my head after that.
The First Few Months
Richard's launch had a head start most agents don't get. Landlords he already knew were calling him directly before he'd even finished training, and his first listing landed the day he officially launched.
Even so, the early months weren't without their dip. A run of quiet weeks that spring, no live listings, no fresh leads, and a genuine moment of doubt about whether he'd made the right call. It's a stage almost every agent goes through in some form.
Even so, the early months weren't without their dip. A run of quiet weeks that spring, no live listings, no fresh leads, and a genuine moment of doubt about whether he'd made the right call. It's a stage almost every agent goes through in some form.
I spoke to others in the group and asked what they were doing at this point. They said it's completely normal, you'll have a dip, and then suddenly it'll peak and keep going.
Building His Own Momentum
Richard didn't rely on cold outreach to build his pipeline. He leaned on the network he already had, hundreds of contacts built up over fifteen years in the industry and simply living locally, friends, family, people he'd crossed paths with along the way.
He wasn't direct about it. He didn't ask anyone for landlord leads outright. He just started being visible, sharing a new listing on his personal Facebook or Instagram, posting a quick story when a property let. It took time to build, but it worked exactly the way word of mouth is supposed to.
He wasn't direct about it. He didn't ask anyone for landlord leads outright. He just started being visible, sharing a new listing on his personal Facebook or Instagram, posting a quick story when a property let. It took time to build, but it worked exactly the way word of mouth is supposed to.
I'm not going straight to someone and saying, find me landlords. I'm just posting a photo. Someone sees it and thinks, I didn't know Richard was doing lettings, I've got a property I need to let out.
Support That Shows Up
The practical side of running his own business hasn't been the obstacle Richard expected. Even in his busiest month so far, a wave of management transfers and move-ins landing at once, the admin load stayed manageable, largely thanks to Kirstie and Michael on the agent support team handling the accounts and pre-let compliance side.
Whatever the question, big or small, he's found there's always someone in the wider group who can point him in the right direction, whether that's compliance, marketing, or simply knowing who to ask.
Whatever the question, big or small, he's found there's always someone in the wider group who can point him in the right direction, whether that's compliance, marketing, or simply knowing who to ask.
I needed six account statements for a portfolio landlord, and I had them within the hour. In previous agencies, a team of three or four wouldn't have managed that in a day. It's a genuine weight off my shoulders.
Winning Business Because He Was One Person, Not Four
What makes Richard's story stand out is how directly his landlords have told him why they moved to him. Not price, not marketing, not his database of clients. Just being able to reach one person who actually knows their property, rather than being passed between whoever happens to be free that day.
He's heard the same frustration from more than one landlord. A property manager who's out on inspections, or an accounts contact who isn't in. A question that should take five minutes, taking a day or more, simply because the right person wasn't available at the right time.
He's heard the same frustration from more than one landlord. A property manager who's out on inspections, or an accounts contact who isn't in. A question that should take five minutes, taking a day or more, simply because the right person wasn't available at the right time.
They're telling me they're having to speak to four or five people every week just to get a few answers. With me, they know they'll get one. That's a route where I've won business, definitely.
Growing Beyond Just Lettings
Richard's plans go beyond his current portfolio. He's now looking at the Property Experts training so he can offer sales alongside lettings, meaning he can support the same landlord whether they're renting a property out or ready to sell it.
He's also seen firsthand what revenue share can do further down the line, watching other agents in the group bring people into their own business and build something bigger than one person managing a patch alone.
He's also seen firsthand what revenue share can do further down the line, watching other agents in the group bring people into their own business and build something bigger than one person managing a patch alone.
What Becoming a Partner Agent Gave Him
Ask Richard what changed most and he doesn't lead with income. He talks about his son. Nursery drop-offs, a 90-minute lunch break spent at the park watching him play, instead of eating a sandwich at his desk. Being home in time to see him before bed, rather than most evenings passing without seeing him at all.
Before, entire days would go by without seeing him properly, out the door before he was up, home after he was asleep. Now Richard's there for the small, ordinary moments most people take for granted, and those are the main reasons he wouldn't look back.
He's candid that the adjustment wasn't instant. After years of alternate six-day weeks and long commutes, having control of his own diary took some genuine getting used to. But it was worth it, without question.
Before, entire days would go by without seeing him properly, out the door before he was up, home after he was asleep. Now Richard's there for the small, ordinary moments most people take for granted, and those are the main reasons he wouldn't look back.
He's candid that the adjustment wasn't instant. After years of alternate six-day weeks and long commutes, having control of his own diary took some genuine getting used to. But it was worth it, without question.
The work I'm doing is very much the same. It's me being able to control when I do it, versus someone else telling me what to do with my time. It's a complete contrast.
What He'd Tell Himself a Year Ago
Richard doesn't pretend the decision was risk-free. "What happens if it doesn't work out, or if the effort doesn't lead anywhere?" Those were exactly the doubts he had too, and they didn't disappear the moment he made the move, they were still there during that quiet patch in spring.
What got him through it was the network. He remembers exactly what that early dip felt like, because he went through it himself, and it's why he's happy to support newer agents who come to him with the same worries now, the same way people did for him.
Looking back, though, his answer is straightforward.
What got him through it was the network. He remembers exactly what that early dip felt like, because he went through it himself, and it's why he's happy to support newer agents who come to him with the same worries now, the same way people did for him.
Looking back, though, his answer is straightforward.
If I could speak to myself a year ago, I'd say do it. Right now I'm earning good money, and it's only going to keep building. As long as you stay committed and follow the training, it works.
Does Richard's Story Sound Familiar?
If you've built something you're proud of, but the structure around it no longer fits the life you're trying to build, Richard's story is one of many across The Letting Experts network.
Partner Agents build profitable, personally branded businesses with the compliance support, coaching and systems to make it work from day one, whatever stage of career they're starting from.
The first step is simply finding out whether it's the right fit for you, and whether your area is still available.
One thing worth knowing before you close this guide.
Partner Agent territories are taken as agents join the network, and we cannot guarantee that your area will still be open when you decide you're ready. If Richard's story has made you think it might be worth a conversation, now is the right moment to have it.
No pressure. No obligation. Just an honest conversation about what might be possible.
Partner Agents build profitable, personally branded businesses with the compliance support, coaching and systems to make it work from day one, whatever stage of career they're starting from.
The first step is simply finding out whether it's the right fit for you, and whether your area is still available.
One thing worth knowing before you close this guide.
Partner Agent territories are taken as agents join the network, and we cannot guarantee that your area will still be open when you decide you're ready. If Richard's story has made you think it might be worth a conversation, now is the right moment to have it.
No pressure. No obligation. Just an honest conversation about what might be possible.