Tanya // Gilbert + Younan
Tanya Gilbert is the hands-on Director and New Business Development Manager at Gilbert + Younan Property Management. A passionate Picton local, who’s lived in the Wollondilly her whole life.
Q:Can you tell us a bit about your journey to Wollondilly? How did you end up here and what attracted you to this community?
I grew up in the Wollondilly and went to Thirlmere Primary and then onto Picton High. My family operated a business in Picton, Nepean Conveyors, which produced equipment or the mines. When I moved out of home I built in Elderslie with my partner and we then ended up selling and moving back to Picton because we just love the lifestyle and peaceful setting. Wollondilly is my home.
Q: Tell us about your business. How and when did you decide to start it, and what motivated you to take the plunge into entrepreneurship?
I always took an interest in the real estate industry from a young age, my parents owned investment properties in the Wollondilly and my brother and I would help them do renovation works for them to be leased out. As soon as I finished my HSC I went straight into a traineeship at Century 21 David Mylott Picton and work my way up the ladder into Property Management. After working for a few other agencies across the Camden / Macarthur area, I decided to embark on my own business journey and join partnership with Anna Younan and Luke Mannion, formally McGrath Camden. We re branded to our own brand in 2019 and have not looked back since.
Q: What does work-life balance look like for you? How do you manage the demands of running a business while ensuring time for family and personal life?
Work Life balance means a lot to me, it’s super important to ensure I block out the time to spend on my family and be present. For me it’s working hard during the week to make sure that I can have my weekends off to watch my son excel in his sport and take those family trips. We also make sure that we take the time to talk about our day, good or bad, it’s important that we share.
Q: In your industry, what recent disruptions or transitions have had the most significant impact on your business?
Interest rates have impacted property management quite a lot. We have had a lot of investors selling. Increases in rent have also had a big impact on the industry with tenants finding it increasingly hard to be able to keep up with rising costs in rent of the back of owners having to increase to keep up with repayments and market rent.
Q: Outside of work, what are your hobbies and passions? How do you like to spend your time when you’re not focused on business or family?
We are quite an active family, always being heavily involved in sports, which has now passed onto our son. In the Winter we are at AFL and rugby league games, plus we love the snow and our son also competes in snowboarding competitions. Summer it’s oz tag and cricket. Getting
outside and working on projects around the house when we are not at commitments, plus walks on the Picton bike track are almost daily. We love the convenience of the track from our house that leads past the botanic gardens into Picton.
Q: How do you maintain boundaries between work and personal life? Any top tips?
I’m not the best one to ask about this because I am the worst at it. I definitely have some OCD where I need to attend to things urgently and ensure everything is in order. Owning my own business has made me more like this, as I like to please clients. Though I am learning slowly to do the simple things that make a big difference, like switch my phone to silent after 6pm, not look at emails when we are winding down for the night and limit what I do on weekends to ensure I have my days off. I’ve learnt the hard way by not doing this and then feeling like I have had no time off.
Q: What is your taste like? Do you have a favourite item of furniture or object in your home?
My favourite thing about my home is where we live. We have big windows that look out onto the hills of Picton / Razorback. Looking out to land with cows and wildlife on it is a blessing.
Q: What do you appreciate about the design at WorkLife?
It’s flexible and offers a local space for us to meet clients and work from between appointments. Our main office space is in Camden which is also a lovely Heritage building and having this second space to use for my staff and our clients was a no brainer. We did not have to set up another full office again and it works perfectly for us.
Q: If you were to showcase the best of the local lifestyle to visiting friends, where would you take them and why?
I would definitely take them to all of our walking tracks, gardens, local swimming holes throughout the Wollondilly.
Q: What’s your go-to productivity hack? How do you stay organised and efficient, especially with multiple responsibilities?
I make sure I prioritise tasks and block out my time. Having distractions like picking up calls or answering emails between tasks delays results. I always make sure I “block out the noise” and stay focused on one task and only move to the next when I am 100% proud of being finished. We always say to our son “don’t stop until you’re proud”. I remember this with every task I do and don’t believe in half doing anything.
Q: Lastly, what’s been the most valuable aspect of being a member at WorkLife for you and your business?
The flexibility it offers. It’s a beautiful, buzzing space and knowing that we have a location in Picton to work from, meet clients, pop in, stay as long as we want, that’s convenient and has all amenities there to use, is just perfect for our needs.
