Managing Director of Ready Media Group, Rob Langton, recently sat down with Perth’s most successful home-grown developer, Paul Blackburne. After spending much of his twenties travelling the world, Mr. Blackburne returned to Perth to craft an impressive portfolio of projects, predominately in the apartment sector. Here are some of the highlights from Blackburne's discussion with Mr. Langton.
He travelled for five years after graduating from his Commerce degree
After graduating from Murdoch University, Blackburne made the decision to act based on an old adage that he heard repeatedly whilst he was studying.
“I'd heard stories from older people saying that it's harder to [travel] later in life; if you're going to go see the world, do it in your twenties, and I really took that on board.”
During his five years away from Perth, he fell into a pattern of working for six months before backpacking for six months. When he would run out of money, he'd hunker down and save up. His longevity in staying out on the road was motivated by the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to do something similar later on.
“When I'd either run out of money or think about going back to Australia, I'd remember that it would be harder to do later on down the track.”
His time overseas led to him working in places like London, at a recruitment agency, and Egypt, as a diving instructor, contributing to his multifaceted understanding of the working world.
The team at Blackburne at the 2021 REIWA Awards
Travelling has also helped Blackburne as a property developer, as it's been a source of continual inspiration. Being able to explore the different architectural styles and construction approaches of varying countries influences the ways that he goes about planning and developing his company's projects.
“Staying in different hotels give a lot of different design ideas, [because] a lot of the best hotels have the best designs, whether it's lighting, or the way they do LED's, or the type of furniture they're using, or the wallpaper. It's a great way to get inspiration.”
The common mistakes developers make
The world of property development overlaps with a variety of other sectors and professions, and this means that the backgrounds of any two given developers can be wildly dissimilar. Sometimes, these backgrounds can cause certain developers to make poor decisions, according to Paul.
“People from a construction background feel that you make money by saving money, and so therefore the quality isn't necessarily there... As a marketing person, I understand that sometimes you make money by spending money and creating a higher quality product.”
On the other side of the equation, there are individuals who come from a finance background who are perhaps too consumed with consulting numbers in the due diligence process, as opposed to seeking out feedback.
“The finance background developers that focus on spreadsheets don't actually focus on what the market actually wants... They spend a lot of time on a computer, rather than talking with those in the market.”
Paul advocates vehemently in favour of consulting those who will be in the business of purchasing the product you're offering. After all, a spreadsheet isn't going to purchase an apartment.
“I'd always be there at launches of new developments with the sales team and talking to buyers, understanding what they want. Doing a lot of reading and thinking about what people want, [so we could] deliver a product that people want."
His philanthropic ambitions
Paul's time travelling abroad has given him perspective on some of the challenges those from less well-established countries face.
“It started back when I was backpacking twenty years ago in Asia, and I had no money... I thought that if I ever have any money, this is where I want to do something."
Paul Blackburne - Courtesy of Blackburne
Paul knew that he wanted to make a philanthropic investment in a Cambodian-based organisation, so he got in touch with the Cambodian Children’s Fund and asked to be involved in a more direct, impactful capacity.
“I contacted the founder of the Cambodian Children’s Fund, and said I don’t just want to give money to someone; I want to set up my own thing in partnership with you. You’re on the ground there, you’ve got some people – let's set up something different.”
What they came up with was the Child Protection Unit, which is designed to investigate crimes against children, and also provide support to victims and their families. Seeing as some of Cambodia’s social infrastructure is underfunded, the establishment of this organisation has allowed crimes that would otherwise have gone uninvestigated to be put under the limelight.
“We’ve employed a couple of ex-Australian Federal Police officers, and we got some Cambodian police from the Cambodian Government and set up the Child Protection Unit. That was about complimenting and working with the Cambodian Government to make sure crimes against children were investigated properly and the perpetrators were brought to justice.”
What motivates him to keep going
When asked what keeps him actively engaged in the world of development given all of his success, Paul is quick to respond.
“I’ve thought about it a lot the past five years. I really enjoy the projects. I wouldn’t be doing it if I were just doing, say, house and land packages or smaller developments. But these big projects I’ve really enjoyed these past five years.”
Whereas Paul and his team’s initial projects were $20 million designs, their more recent work has been of a significantly higher valuation; $400 million or so, by Blackburne’s own estimate. It’s the quality of the builds and the impact that they’ll make on the communities that they’re being integrated into that give Blackburne the motivation for continuing his work in development.
“Transforming town centres, [completing] projects that are going to be around for 100 years; they’re award-winning projects a lot of them, and changing people’s lives... they’re legacy projects that’ll be around in Perth for a long time, and are really transforming the landscape in Perth.”
Watch the full interview with Paul Blackburne, conducted by Rob Langton, here.
