Through two maternity leaves, the GFC, the royal commission and COVID-19, this broker rises above any challenge
From running her own business with a newborn to skiing down the slopes of the Swiss Alps, Alycia Inglis isn’t afraid to take on a challenge.
MPA spoke with the Sydney broker about how she got started in the industry and why starting her own business has been the biggest highlight.
How she got into broking
Inglis started broking in 2006 after hearing about its benefits and opportunities from a friend.
“He was telling me one day how good it was and that you basically get to have your own business and run your own show,” she says.
“I started in broking to essentially build my own business and have control over my own career and also learn about property investing.”
She worked as a sole trader at her friend’s company until he sold the business about three years later. After this, Inglis went into business with another female broker before launching her own brand, Stoneturn, about four years ago.
Despite the GFC posing a significant challenge to Inglis after launching her first business, she has risen above the economic uncertainty of the era to come out on top throughout the Royal Commission and now the pandemic.
Aside from these external challenges, Inglis is also a mother to two young children and has kept her business thriving during two periods of maternity leave.
The best moments
Inglis says launching Stoneturn has been one of her biggest highlights so far.
“I had a long-term dream to be self-employed and have my own business when I was much younger and I didn’t really know what that would look like,” she says.
“That was probably the biggest career milestone, starting my own company.”
Her favourite part of the job is catching up with longstanding clients and being a part of their journey.
“Because I’ve been a broker for so long now, I have a lot of clients from when I first started,” she says.
She recalls clients who have come to her to finance their first apartment before starting a family and revisiting her to buy a house. She has also had clients who have moved overseas and returned to the country years later.
“For me, I really enjoy that and having those conversations,” she says. “It’s like catching up with an old friend.”
Aside from spending time with her family and passing down her passion for cooking to her two kids, Inglis loves hitting the slopes with her partner.
The two have travelled the world and skied in places such as Chamonix, Japan, Austria and Aspen, however, Inglis’s favourite slopes were in the Swiss region of Zermatt.
While the pandemic has prevented them from planning their next overseas adventure for now, they are still keen to get out there and ski wherever they can.
“My partner’s desperately been trying to get tickets for Mt Hotham or Perisher but it’s basically impossible,” she says. “Our daughter is three and a half. She’s kind of at that age where you can start on skis so we’re keen to get her interested as well.”
