NRLA member scoops double award in Poole
NRLA member Leana Knight has picked up two awards at the Poole Business Awards.
After notching silver in the family business section – Leana, who founded Goodknight Property Management just five years ago – won top prize in the young entrepreneur of the year category.
Goodknight which Leana runs with help from her husband and mother – specialises in providing management of high-end HMOs, working with landlords, agents and tenants.
“We put our heart and soul into this business and strongly believe in the direction we are taking it. To receive such recognition has fuelled our fire to keep pushing for bigger and better for our tenants and landlords,” said Leana.
Growing
Having started the business in 2019 and balancing work with being a mother – her two daughters are now aged nine and five – she found it tough going initially.
“It’s only since they’ve been at school that we’ve been able to push things forward,” Leana said.
Her interest in property dates back to her youth, with the hotel she grew up in converted by her parents into seven flats, which they still manage.
In 2015, she started working as a consultant for a property company which was heavily involved in HMOs and says ‘learnt a huge amount' from them.’
“I realised there was a market for an agency that specifically markets for HMOs (at the higher end),” says Leana.
Future plans
As a person working in property, Leana knows this is a competitive part of the country – Poole, Christchurch and the wider Dorset are sought after, especially with its proximity to the sea. Being an independent is a challenge but one which she is now able to attack as an award-winner.
“I felt very much like we were an unknown quantity within the area. We didn’t have the budget to compete against the much bigger agencies,” says Leana. “It has given me the confidence to really push forward… and I’d really like to grab hold of this opportunity with two hands.”
More information
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