Luxury Property Industry Leaders - In Conversation With .... Camilla Dell (Black Brick Property)
Meet Camilla Dell, Managing Partner of Black Brick Property Solutions LLP
Camilla, it is so lovely to have you here today and we are so pleased to have you as a member of The LPF. To start, please can you tell us a little more about Black Brick?
We are a London based buying agency, focused on looking after private clients, family offices and trusts, assisting them with every aspect of the property buying process. We look after clients buying both homes and investments right across London and the Home Counties. We also provide dedicated after care services through our Property Management and Vacant Care offerings.
So what inspired you to start the company?
I always knew I wanted to run my own business, from a very young age. Inspiration came from a number of things; applying (and failing) to get on The Apprentice showed me what I might be capable of (I made it to the very final stages and was almost on series 2); working directly for Jon Hunt, founder of Foxtons also gave me inspiration to create my own business.
Thats so inspirational, especially to have that drive and ambition from such a young age! What would you say sets you as an industry leader and Black Brick apart from others in the luxury property sector?
Longevity; Black Brick celebrated 15 years in business this January! The business has grown and thrived through the financial crisis, multiple tax changes, political uncertainty, Brexit and a global pandemic. My team; I truly believe we have the best buying agency team in the industry in the form of Caspar, Tom and Alex, all of whom have been at Black Brick for a minimum of 5 years or longer. Our array of services; whether clients are looking to buy, sell, rent or need assistance in managing their property, we have a service to help. We have evolved from a pure buying agency to one that can assist clients across all aspects of their property lives. Our clients; we have looked after some of the worlds most successful entrepreneurs who entrust us with their property decisions. The client testimonials on our site say it all.
I completely agree! So Camilla, what is a typical day for you?
There really is no typical day! We always start the week with a team meeting. Sharing ideas, feedback and discussing properties and helping each other. My primary role in the firm is to market Black Brick, so I spend a lot of my time meeting private banks, accountancy firms, lawyers and other professional intermediaries who share a similar ethos and client base to ours. I am also the main point of contact for Black Brick’s press and PR opportunities and I spend time chatting to journalists about the latest property trends and giving webinars and updates on the market. I also look after clients directly – in 2021/22 I acquired an off market home for £12m in St Johns Wood for a long standing client through to a £30m country estate for a member of a royal family. I also travel overseas to meet with clients, potential new clients and our introducers.
And what have been some of the greatest challenges you have faced in your business so far?
Recruiting the right people. At the very beginning of Black Brick, I didn’t always get my recruitment decisions right. Recruiting is hard and painful. It took me time to find good people and learn how to keep good people. Having a strong team is a key strength of Black Brick. The pandemic was a challenge – especially at the beginning. We went from a team that saw each other daily to being locked up at home. During the first lockdown when we couldn’t even transact, we did weekly quizzes to keep up team morale and spirit. Thankfully it wasn’t long before we were able to go back to work. Juggling the “new normal”, working from home versus the office is an ongoing challenge.
And there must have been so many highlight! Please could you tell us about some of the highlights you have experienced since starting Black Brick?
Being consistently recognised as one of London’s leading buying agents is something which makes me really proud. We are ranked 4th in Prime Resi’s top 50 buying agents. The only firms ranked higher than us are either owned by estate agencies or used to be owned by a private bank. We are also ranked in Chambers HNW guide, Spears 500 and we won best buying agency of the year for 3 years running at the Sunday Times and Times Estate Agency of the Year Awards.
Who inspires you?
I find some of our clients truly inspirational. One of the best things about our job is that we get to meet such a wide range of clients, from all parts of the globe and different industries. One of the most inspirational clients I met came from nothing to being one of the people behind a huge tech company.
That is inspirational, And from all your experience, what advice do you have for people looking to become an industry leader in the luxury property?
There are no short cuts. Take your time learning your craft. I worked for Foxtons for 5 years and Knight Frank for a year before setting up Black Brick. I meet so many people who want to jump straight into buying agency without ever having had any experience buying or selling property. Network, network, network – meet as many leaders in your field as you can. The luxury property sector consists of many elements, from finance to legal to tax to construction to design. Make it your mission to know as many of the leaders in these fields as you can. Your network is your strength and will be valued by clients.
Thank you so much Camilla. So in an ideal world, what does the future hold for you and your business?
Continued success and a leader in what is becoming a more competitive and overcrowded market.
And finally, what does “luxury” mean to you?
Luxury to me means so many different things. It can be simple – from the softest linen on my bed to being fortunate enough to travel to far flung interesting places and experience life changing things. Ultimately having the freedom to choose is what I consider to be the epitome of luxury.
get in touch
Black Brick Property Solutions LLP
15 Bruton Place, Mayfair,
London, W1J 6LU
info@black-brick.com/camilla.dell@black-brick.com
+44 (0) 20 3141 9861