But first: Why a Kickstart Day at all?

For Phillip Kingston, Kickstart Day is about togetherness – and inspiration.

‘We love bringing the entire team together and try to do it as often as possible,’ Phillip explains. ‘Kickstart Day gives us the opportunity to spend time together as a team – but it also sets the tone for the year after the holidays.’

Kickstart Day is now part of the furniture here at Gary Peer. And while the day itself hasn’t always been around, the idea behind it certainly has.

‘After a couple years, we realised our approach as a business was fundamentally about involving our team in every step of the journey,’ says Phillip. ‘This led us to build Kickstart Days – because why wouldn’t we create an opportunity for our team to get together, learn and be inspired?’

‘But let me tell you, it took us many years before we could afford to host it at Carousel!’

 

 

Round and round: The circular loop of our business – and Carousel

If you asked Phillip, there’s no better venue for whole team events than Carousel.

‘It’s one of those feel-good places,’ he says. ‘The minute you arrive, you feel somewhere between Palm Springs, Miami, and the Melbourne city skyline.

‘It just brings a smile to everyone’s face.’

For more reasons than one.

‘We hold our event at Carousel because it’s a great venue,’ Phillip shares. ‘But also because we know the owner – in fact, we sold his house!’

This circular loop is written into the very DNA of our business. When our clients support us, we support them right back.

‘We always try to reciprocate,’ Phillip explains.

‘If you’re a lawyer and we’ve sold your house, we refer business to you. If you’re a doctor and we’ve sold your house, we refer business to you. If you happen to own a function centre and we’ve sold your house, then we’re going to try and hold functions there!’

 

 

Kicking off Kickstart: For new friends and old

Of course, we needed a kickstart of the caffeine variety before we could really begin. So we kicked off Kickstart with our Gary Peer coffee vans.

And after a brief welcome from Phillip, it was time to introduce our first speaker.

‘We started with the inspiring Mark Wizel,’ Phillip says. ‘A commercial real estate icon, Mark is known throughout Australia for being energetic, a deal doer and a business builder.’

And, closer to home, he’s known for being a dear friend, mentor and mentee of Phillip and Gary’s.

‘When I was 15 years old, I watched this auction – and I fell in love on the spot,’ Mark explained in his speech. ‘I went home and told Mum, I want to be a real estate agent.’

Who was the auctioneer? Well, of course, it was Phillip.

Mark’s main piece of advice before morning tea was simple, yet essential: ‘Always remember your team’s value. Because if you’re fortunate enough to be in a team that genuinely cares about you, you’re already ahead of three-quarters of the world.’

 

 

 

Learning to grow: Having wise words for lunch

Mark’s speech – and the delicious morning tea – were tough acts to follow. But our next speakers certainly stepped up to the plate. Starting with former AFL player, coach, commentator and journalist Nathan Buckley.

‘It’s obvious Nathan is a football superstar,’ Phillip states. ‘But we’re always more interested in people’s human stories rather than their showbiz stories.’

And Nathan’s story was as moving as they come.

‘He spoke about his life journey, his growth, and what he learned about building a team,’ Phillip continues. ‘Only 50% of the people in the room probably even followed footy – but 100% of them were inspired.’

After an incredible lunch, it was time for our next speaker – Clinical Psychologist Chelsea Pottenger.

‘Chelsea walked the team through building resilience, facing adversity and how to manage life’s stressors,’ Phillip says. ‘She shared universal, integral lessons – and was beautifully received by everyone.’

‘None of us will forget her talk for a long time.’

 

 

 

Finishing with a bang: Q and A-ndy

Closing out the day on the same high we started with; our last guest speaker was none other than Andy Lee.

‘When you listen to or watch Andy, he has the most remarkable ability to make you feel like he’s your oldest friend,’ Phillip says. ‘And it was extraordinary to sit beside him and feel that energy.’

Everyone in the room felt it, too, with Andy’s segment being more of a Q&A – a conversation – than a speech.

‘He talked about his life, shared some funny stories, and riffed with Gary and me,’ Phillip remembers. ‘It went so well that I’m sure he’s considering making the Phil and Gary Hour with Andy Lee a regular thing!’

Just waiting for your call, Andy!

Finally, our day ended with a heartfelt thankyou from Gary – and a big round of applause from the team. All of whom are now more than ready to get down to work this year.

 

 

 

A great start to a big month: Prepping for a big year

What did our team have to say about Kickstart Day, you ask? Well, it seems they’re all saying the same thing.

‘Everyone just kept talking about how joyous the day was,’ Phillip says, a smile on his face. ‘And when you think about life in general, when people feel joyous, that beats any key learning.’

And in February, the joy didn’t stop there.

‘We backed up Kickstart Day with our Family Day, then we backed up Family Day with our Golf Day,’ Phillip laughs. ‘February is a big month for us just in terms of looking after our team, their families and our clients.

‘So yes, we hit the ground running in February – making sure to check in with the people who matter most,’ Phillip states.

‘But the effort, care and friendship that all these events are born out of? At Gary Peer, they last all year round.’

 

 

Are you interested in being part of a team that genuinely cares? Discover how you can own your career – with Gary Peer.