From Burnout to Better Business: Lessons From 20+ Years in Property Management

By Karla Major - Senior Consultant | Sidekick

It all started in a sleepy little town on the South Coast—where the cafes didn’t open until 10am and the air smelled like warm milk (courtesy of the nearby dairy farms).

I was a young mum of 2, wide-eyed, and one week into my first real estate job as receptionist, when the business owners jetted off overseas. That same week, Fair Trading walked in and physically chained the office door shut.

Yep. Chained. Turns out there was no licensee.

I was so green, the knew nothing about this license!   

Thrown straight into the fire (no training wheels, no manual), I learnt fast. But what stuck with me most wasn’t panic—it was perspective.

Fair Trading weren’t the villains. They were there to protect the standards of our industry. That week taught me that no matter how messy it gets, there’s always a way forward—and I’ve carried that mindset ever since.

I moved into a Business Manager role not long after, and quickly found myself drawn into the PM team’s chaos.

They were working from what I fondly called “the dungeon”—all stress, no windows, no sunlight. There were tissues on every desk and burnout bubbling just beneath the surface. So I jumped in, offered support, a few strategies, and maybe a pep talk or two. That’s where I started to realise… maybe this was the work I was meant to do.

One of the biggest early lessons? Clients don’t sign up to carry our motions & stress in a situation. If there’s an issue, they’re paying for our professionalism, to problem solve & our solid advice—even when it’s uncomfortable— and they want the confidence that we have it handled. Strong communication and human connection have always been the magic combo for me. Still are.

From there, my journey moved through almost every colour on the real estate brand rainbow.

There was the blue brand on the coast, then a red franchise that didn’t make it. A fast-growing blue and white agency where I got to ride the wave of regional expansion, once again no windows, no sunlight, but working with some of the best humans I’ve met, culture is queen!.

Then came the career move 2 hours north (insert tears & tissues), to the yellow and black powerhouse on the Lower North Shore—home to some of the most impressive PMs and BDMs I’ve ever worked with.

From there, I moved into the yellow and red corporate world, surrounded by big thinkers, innovators, and people who really knew how to blend tech, growth, and human relationships, nearly 100 years & still going strong.

Eventually, I found myself going backwards—first being recruited back to the blue brand, then landing in the very same town where it all began, thinking a business purchase was right for me.

Some might call it a full-circle moment, but here’s what I learnt: going back isn’t always progress. Sometimes it’s a reminder of how far you’ve come—and how much further you want to go. So keep driving forward. And if you do glance in the rear-view mirror, make sure you’re smiling (and maybe waving at your past self with a cheeky "you tried").

Now, I’m with the purple Sidekick squad, joining Hermione to support our whole industry. A brand where I get to draw from all the colours I’ve experienced across my journey. I share my insights, experience, and connection with teams across the country—not defined by one logo or limited by a single way of thinking.

Along the way, I’ve heard a lot of negative talk about PMs—sometimes from business owners who’ve never done the job, sometimes from sales teams, and heartbreakingly, sometimes from PMs themselves. But it’s time we flipped that script.

This is a bloody tough gig. Only the strong (or slightly insane) stick it out. We wear every hat. We don’t chase one-night stands—we build long-term relationships. We’re in it for the marathon, not the sprint.

One of the biggest and most positive transformations I’ve seen in our industry? We’re no longer expected to wear all the hats. Back when I started, it was a punish. End-to-end PM, handwritten ingoings on NCR pads (IYKYK), developing photos at the chemist, no access for a full day when EOM was run (although let’s be honest—that long lunch wasn’t the worst), and getting excited to be handed a Blackberry!

Now? We get to share the hats. The fast pace of our tech space—maintenance platforms, AI, outsourcing and offshore VAs—means we’ve had some of the most progressive shifts of any industry. And we’re lucky. We’ve now got options to lighten the load so we can focus on what really matters… people.

So let’s be each other’s Sidekick. Let’s have each other’s backs. Let’s change the narrative and lift each other—and our industry—up.

Through it all, one thing has stayed the same: every role, every office, every challenge has been a lesson & I have grown.

Don’t be afraid to push hard and step outside your comfort zone, thats where we all grow. Take the risk. Make the mistake. Laugh when it all goes pear-shaped.

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress. And the best part… there’s enough darkness in this world for all of us to shine.