EAX Podcast | Delegation, Decisions & Unstoppable Growth
Two strangers. One dinner. 47 staff later. Harris + Wood co-founders Marc and Shane share how they launched, scaled and led one of the UK’s most exciting agency stories, without a blueprint but with bold decisions and even bolder branding.
What if the best partnership you’ll ever have begins with a single dinner?
That’s exactly what happened to Marc and Shane, co-founders of Harris + Wood Estate Agents, whose story proves that successful partnerships aren’t built on years of history, they’re built on vision, clarity, and decisive action.
In this episode of the Estate Agency X Podcast, we dive into their remarkable journey: from two men who barely knew each other to running one of the UK’s fastest-scaling independent estate agencies. With three offices, 47 staff members and a thriving mortgage arm, Harris + Wood has become a benchmark for what’s possible when you lead differently.
Planning With Purpose, Not Guesswork
Unlike many startups that leap first and figure it out later, Marc and Shane spent nine months meticulously planning before opening their doors in 2017. That discipline laid the foundations for scale. But success didn’t come without challenges.
At one point, they discovered their combined take-home pay was less than that of their branch manager. For most agency owners, that would have been a moment to retreat, cut back, or play safe. Instead, they made the counterintuitive choice to scale further, believing that growth, not contraction, would deliver the rewards they were aiming for.
This moment is one of the most powerful lessons from their story: sometimes, scale is the solution, not the reward.
Key Insights From Their Journey
Marc and Shane’s conversation offers a masterclass in leadership, partnership and building an agency with substance:
• Trust doesn’t require a backstory – it requires shared standards, accountability and clarity.
• Scaling under financial pressure can create leverage, not chaos—if you make bold moves with intention.
• Mentorship matters – guidance from industry veteran Russell Jervis became a turning point in their growth.
• Branding builds belief – their cheeky billboard campaign proved that visibility isn’t about being safe, it’s about being memorable.
• Delegation is the hardest skill – letting go of tasks they could do better themselves forced them to grow as leaders.
• Disagreements don’t derail them – their process of arguing it out, then moving forward without resentment, keeps the business sharp and united.
They also reveal how they’ve shifted from working in the business to leading above it, creating a sustainable structure where Harris + Wood thrives without total dependency on its founders.
More Than Growth... Building Differently
This isn’t just a story about expansion. It’s about building a business that doesn’t just survive but sets a new standardfor estate agency leadership. Marc and Shane embody the Estate Agency X ethos: credibility before noise, leadership before trends and action before perfection.
Their journey is proof that you don’t need to follow the industry’s old playbook. You just need the courage to build your own.
Why This Episode Matters
Whether you’re an estate agent starting from scratch or scaling beyond your first office, this episode delivers the clarity most owners wish they had earlier. It’s raw, honest, and packed with lessons on
• Partnership dynamics that actually work
• Branding that cuts through a crowded market
• Delegation and leadership growth
• Scaling beyond financial strain
• The mindset shift from operator to leader
If you’re tired of surface-level tactics and want real conversations about growth, leadership, and building a business with meaning, this is the episode you can’t afford to miss.
Estate Agency X 10 – Lead Without Limits
🎟 Want more? Join us on 3rd October 2025 at Everyman Broadgate, London for Estate Agency X 10: Lead Without Limits. A full day of high-impact sessions on AI, branding, culture, performance, and leadership featuring headline speakers Mark Burgess, Daniel Priestley, Mike Bates, Sapna Pieroux, and 11 other world-class estate agency guests and panelists.
Proudly Sponsored by Iceberg Digital
This episode is supported by Iceberg Digital, setting the standard in a world full of PropTech noise and AI buzzwords.
With AI prospecting that identifies listings before competitors, marketing that wins instructions by putting your brand front and centre, and a CRM that transforms how your team works, Iceberg isn’t just another tool, it’s what the leading estate agents use to stay ahead.
👉 Discover more at www.iceberg-digital.co.uk