With over a decade of experience, John Cooper is a respected figure in Central Vancouver Island's real estate industry. An entrepreneur by nature and a natural leader, John founded his successful business over a decade ago. 

John, How did you first become involved in real estate?

"After completing my Bachelor of Business Administration with a marketing major, I obtained a Sports Science diploma while owning and operating a strength and conditioning business in White Rock, BC. After a few years, it became apparent that this was not going to provide me with the growth that I desired. I started exploring other opportunities that landed me at UBC studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Real Estate Valuation. I briefly considered a career in Real Estate Appraisal but it didn't take long for me to determine that it was not for me. In 2007 I determined that my background in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Real Estate Valuation had prepared me for a successful career in Real Estate Advising."

Can you share your journey with us?

"I moved to Nanaimo in 2007 and bought my first house with my wife who was pregnant with our firstborn daughter. I spent a brief amount of time working with one of Nanaimo’s biggest real estate agents before deciding to challenge the exam and set out on my own. I signed up with RE/MAX of Nanaimo in April of 2008. This happened to be right as we experienced the biggest real estate crash in decades. At this time, we had just bought our first house and had a 3-month-old baby. I didn't know one person in Nanaimo and didn't know one street name. This was a sink-or-swim moment. I had to swim. With the support of my wife, I got to work. By 2010 I had leveraged my technology background and the proceeds from a sell-out Mixed Martial Arts event I promoted at Frank Crane Arena to build one of the most advanced real estate lead generation websites in the region. This proved to be the best move I ever made and by 2012 I was one of the top 10 agents at RE/MAX of Nanaimo. This momentum continued to build and I was ranked amongst the top agents at the brokerage every year. I was fortunate enough to earn the Hall of Fame Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award, multiple Platinum Awards, Multiple Chairman's Awards, & multiple Diamond Team Awards (the highest reward level at the time)."

How did your previous experience prepare you for a career in real estate advising?
"My formal background in marketing and business administration gave me the tools and knowledge to know the basics of building and growing a business but interestingly enough the skills that propelled me to the top of the industry came from less obvious areas of my background. My passion for MMA and Ultimate Fighting had me way ahead of my competitors with my understanding of web marketing because before 2015 the sport was relatively underground and only existed online. I have been a practitioner and fan of MMA since 1999. This gave me a huge advantage concerning online marketing. The 2nd unlikely source of experience came from my time working as a strength & conditioning specialist. This work allowed me to hone my skills as an advisor. My experience of sitting down with an athlete and determining their challenges and where we could optimize their skills gave me a ton of practice in conducting a needs assessment with a client. It also allowed me to develop a style of consulting and advising that wasn't rooted in sales. This shows up in the very personal problem-solving and planning It takes to my role as a real estate advisor."