Justin Kinsey drew on an impressive corporate background at NAB, CommBank, and Lendi (where he scaled the broker team from 15 to over 300) to launch his first Aussie franchise and has leveraged his extensive industry expertise to fast-track his success. 

Justin knew when he bought Aussie Surry Hills he could ramp up the Sydney business to fulfil its potential. 

In the two years since purchasing the established business he has exceeded his goal of an annual 30 per cent increase on revenue, effectively boosting business 100 per cent.

Justin’s foundations for success were a solid understanding of the processes and systems, and a clear business culture.

“I was confident the processes were right and Aussie’s framework enables you to scale the business,” he says.

Adding revenue streams built on the store’s success

He was an early adopter of the Aussie Find Buy Own program, launched in 2025, which provides extra revenue streams with complementary services to build a one-stop-shop.

Justin says bringing on a conveyancer, and a buyer’s agent in store, significantly lifted the business.

“As a new franchisee I didn’t have longstanding relationships with local conveyancers,” he says. “We were part of the pilot program and the third to employ a conveyancer – now we have one of the highest levels of usage of the Aussie conveyancing program. 

“Of course there are revenue benefits, but just as important is the ability to provide continuity of experience with one team. It sets us apart for excellent customer service,” he says.

Justin has taken advantage of all the support models that Aussie offers as he looks to cement the brand’s presence in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

With ambitious plans from the beginning, by mid-year 2025 he had brought on Will Christmas as a potential franchise partner for a second store. 

Expanding to a multi-site operation

“Will came in last June, initially as an independent contractor to learn the ropes at Surry Hills,” Justin says.

For Will, a two-decade career in futures broking with Macquarie Bank in Sydney and New York had run its course, but given him an appetite to leverage his skills for himself. 

“I narrowed my skill set down to mortgage broking and had a chat with Justin, who is an old school friend, and talked about the role and the business potential,” Will says.

“Aussie’s tech has progressed so much, we have very advanced systems and processes. It’s been really pleasing to see how much potential there is,” he says.

Bringing Will into the business was the first step to multi-site expansion which Justin expected to consider after six months. However, within four months he was ready to fast-track the process and take their shared talents to a brand-new business in Bondi Junction.

While the inner-city Surry Hills business is still packed with potential, Justin believed the time was right to expand into a new territory with a different customer profile.

“I knew how to execute the model and I was mentally ready to expand; I knew what needed to be done. And when you believe in something, you want to grab the opportunity,” he says.

People-led growth and community engagement

Justin retains full ownership of Surry Hills; he and Will are equal partners in the Bondi Junction business. While the store is still in its infancy, established as a greenfield site early in 2026, the pair has set a fast pace for building community partnerships and promoting the Aussie brand.

They have tapped into their core target maket by sponsoring the local junior rugby club.

“Having local knowledge is essential to building the business,” Justin says, noting that their focus is firmly on growth. 

Will, who is re-establishing his presence in the area, says “It’s been fun to reconnect with past contacts; now the phone is starting to ring.”

As customer momentum builds, Justin and Will have already ramped up recruitment, providing growth opportunities for young brokers while scaling the business. 

One of the new recruits has joined as part of an Aussie program that creates a pathway for franchisees to nurture new brokers. The in-store associate works for head office but is based in-store three days a week, booking appointments. 

“This is a good career pathway and the greatest training for brokers,” Justin says. “After eight months they are ready to step up to be a broker, and are already familiar with our culture, so it’s a win-win for us.”

Aussie Surry Hills and Aussie Bondi Junction are run with a common culture, but as separate businesses with very different growth trajectories.

Leveraging the success of the Aussie brand

While Justin predicts the established inner city business will continue its impressive linear growth (so far increasing from $65 million to $100 million), the Bondi Junction store will grow in fits and starts, he says.

It will get a massive boost as the first store to receive a trail book of customers whose brokers are no longer in the business.

“That will fast track us, and we’ll need more team members to match the business growth. We are definitely more efficient and able to scale with the right people in the business,” Justin says.

By leveraging Aussie’s evolving tech and diversifying their service offering, Justin and Will have become a comprehensive property hub for Sydney’s east.

Sustainable, people-led expansion is the goal. “We’ve proven that the model works whether the business is established or brand new,” Justin says. “The momentum is definitely there,” Will adds. “Now, it’s just about how far we can take it.”