Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
It’s been five years of taking you behind the curtain of all the various fascinating businesses that make Tamborine Mountain run. Today, it’s going to be a little different: it’s time to take you behind our own. There’s been a bit of a shakeup at Professionals Tamborine Mountain recently, and so we’re very happy to finally introduce you to our new owners in Kelly and Vaiarii Bouzige– just as happy as they are to introduce themselves, to let you know just what they’re all about, and to give you a little taste of what to expect under this new era of Professionals on the mountain.
by Kyle Hitchmough
How did you come to be the new owners of Professionals Tamborine Mountain?
Vaiarii: Our background is in real estate, we worked in that together in Melbourne where Kelly is from. I grew up on the Gold Coast. We came back to the Coast after getting married down in Melbourne about ten years ago and when this opportunity came up, we thought it would be great to get back into real estate.
Kelly: Some of the other businesses we were working on were taking us overseas a lot, and since we’ve got four children, we decided we wanted to be a bit more local. When this opportunity came up, we thought it was a really good fit for us! We live down in Maudsland so it all just came together, it was the right move.
What’s been your experience being part of the Professionals team so far?
Kelly: The team is fantastic! They all know what they’re doing. They’ve really held it together during this transition. As you can imagine, it’s a huge process. The last few weeks have been quite hectic in making sure that everything’s running the way it ought to! But the staff have been so good. They do such a great job.
Vaiarii: I think when buying any type of business, for me personally anyway, it’s less about the brand and more about the people. A big part of making the decision to buy this business was because of the people who were involved. We came in and met the property management team, with decades and decades of combined experience, and that’s just invaluable. You’ve got sales staff with huge local experience, and that’s a big part of what we look for in buying a business.
What do you think makes Professionals stand out amongst other real estates?
Kelly: Professionals have a very caring brand to them. Professionals itself is actually a not-for-profit!
Vaiarii: Unlike other brands, everything they make, they put back into helping their licensees and franchises. That’s why we like it, it’s more community focused. It feels more like a co-op than anything else! It was definitely a sweetener that they traded that way.
What’s been your impression of the mountain from a market standpoint?
Vaiarii: The mountain is incredibly unique in a lot of ways! It’s on the fringe of the Gold Coast and the Scenic Rim, but it’s different. It’s got its own little niche. The people here are unique in a good way, they know what they like and want to get away from the busyness of life. They want the lifestyle here, and so there’s an older demographic that’s settled.
Kelly: Tamborine Mountain is very community-focused just like Professionals the brand is. I think it’s very similar, and that’s why I think Professionals works so well here on the mountain. They have a very similar value system.
Have you noticed any trends in buying or selling in this area?
Vaiarii: I’m actually finding that to be very interesting, because the trend is changing. Local knowledge is great, but national exposure is also very important. You still have purchases from the mountain, but a lot of them are coming from off the mountain. We’re hoping to bring in a lot more technology to give vendors on the mountain more of that accurate exposure so we can pinpoint people who are actually looking to buy something here.
What are your personal opinions on the mountain?
Vaiarii: I love it! I’m French, my father was from the south of France and my mother was from Tahiti, and I worked in a bakery when I was a teenager. I’m very picky when it comes to my danishes, my vanilla slices, all that kind of stuff, so I love Franquette’s. It feels like home!
Kelly: In a similar way, I grew up learning German, I took it all the way through university and went over there on an exchange for a while. So a lot of the German influences, like the cuckoo clock shop, I absolutely adore!
What are you enjoying most about the business so far?
Vaiarii: Our team! Our team are great, they make life easy.
Kelly: I agree! Everyone gets along, everyone’s helpful and willing to pick up slack if there’s any. They’re a great, supportive team, and that’s what I’ve been enjoying the most too.
What are you most looking forward to?
Kelly: Like Vaiarii mentioned, we’re excited about growing Professionals with new technology, and using that to reach further and see how far we can take it.
Vaiarii: Tamborine Mountain has so much appeal, but we want to be able to expand that on a tourism and business level. It’d be great to bring in more really good operators to grow tourism, businesses, and get more exposure on the mountain.
What’s been your most memorable moment here so far?
Kelly: I hope we’re not harping on the same thing too much, but it’s when we finally got to the point where all the things about the transfer were settled and we could finally take a breather and enjoy being here. I loved that. Everyone in the office felt this sigh of relief, that we’ve finally done it and we did it together and we’re ready to move forward now.
Vaiarii: I’m loving the weather! The difference in temperature, the cooler weather, I love driving up on an overcast day and seeing above the clouds… It’s so unique.
Professionals Tamborine Mountain
10-12 Main St, Tamborine Mountain QLD 4272
www.professionalstamborinemountain.com.au
We are always looking for new topics for our blog. If there’s something you like to see more of, send your suggestions to: social@professionalstamborinemountain.com.au, or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com.
