In this episode he shares all about his childhood growing up bouncing around Sydney’s west, where he picked up his first hobby-turned-career, photography. He divulges the other countries he’s lived in and what took him to them, gives an overview of what’s changed in the photography world since he was last lost in it, and the lessons he learnt the hard way when he first picked up property overseas.

Timestamps:
00:53 | Siestas and La Familia
05:35 | A Canterbury Bankstown Boy
08:27 | Coming to Campsie
11:27 | Adjusting His Focus
15:33 | He Came, He Saw, He Captured
19:49 | Ready For Your Close-Up?
24:21 | Dubai Days
27:33 | Pivoting to Property

Resources and Links:

[00:26:10] The two employees within the studio decided, 'Hey, you know what? We'll take your business if you're moving overseas'. So I offered it to them, and they were happy with the offer. And then I moved over to Dubai with the family. And started over there. 

This is Property Investory where we talk to successful property investors to find out more about their stories, mindset and strategies.

 

I’m Tyrone Shum and in this episode we’re speaking with Dragan Dimovski, buyer’s agent and founder of Buyers Agency Australia. He takes us through his journey from shaky beginnings to a career in photography that led him to where he is today, proving that even when it feels like you made a misstep, you’ll always end up where you belong.

Tyrone Shum:   

Other than Sundays, Dimovski’s day to day life looks similar every day of the week. Whether he’s working as a buyer’s agent or working out at the gym, he fills his days with productivity. However, he’s a family man and a fan of balance, so he makes sure to fit in fun and family time wherever he can.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:00:53] My typical day is... it's pretty much very similar Monday to Saturday. So I wake up between five to six o'clock. I wake up [and] have have a strong coffee. And pretty much wait for the gym to open up at six o'clock and straight into it! 

  

[00:01:16] Luckily for me, my gym is only 200 metres away from me. So it's a nice quick walk there. I spend about an hour and a half [there]. So I'll do about a 45 minute cardio and then I hit the weights for another 45 minutes [or] thereabouts.

  

[00:01:31] I come home on your... average day would be a school day. I've got two kids aged 10 and 12. So I'm married. And I then help the wife with the breakfast and whatever is needed to prepare the kids for school. One of the boys goes to high school, the wife takes takes the little dog for a walk. Not a little dog, but a big dog!

  

[00:02:19] [At] roughly about 8:30 the wife takes the older one to to school and walks the dog together. And I'll take the younger one, which is about a 15 minute drive to the primary school. 

  

[00:02:32] After that, I come back, I jump on my laptop. Grab a cup of coffee, and I start my work, pretty much. Sometimes I work from home, sometimes from the office. So [it] really depends. I'm on calls, I'm on my emails. 

  

[00:02:52] If I'm at home, funny enough around after lunch, around 2:00 [to] 2:30 I have about a half an hour siesta. 

  

[00:03:07] That's my ‘me time’. And then by the time that 2:30 hits, close to 3:00 I go pick up my younger son and come back and then do the typical jujitsu or swimming or their Chinese lessons that they do. 

  

[00:03:23] Then I'll probably get back on to the laptop for roughly about five [or] six o'clock and just finish off there. And then it's pretty much family time, dinner, and with the kids and the wife.

Tyrone Shum:   

Growing up as a skinny kid, Dimovski took to the gym in his late teens. His original motivation was to look less like a wardrobe fixture. But after completing that goal, he’s kept up the gym habit for the last two decades.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:04:08] I started training since I was roughly about 17. I'm pretty tall. I'm about six foot four. So I was also a lanky kid. So it was it was recommended by a few friends that I pick up some weights and build some muscle, let's say that. So I was on a mission to get a little bit of size so I don't look like a walking coat hanger. 

 

[00:04:44] That's been over 20... close to 25 years now. So I mean, it hasn't been consistent all the time. 

  

[00:04:56] It's been on and off. But realistically, probably from the age of 25 is when it's been consistent. You know, of course, I have a month off here, a couple of weeks off there, especially if I'm going overseas on holidays or things like that. But yeah, it's been consistent since then. So nearly 20 years consistently.

Tyrone Shum:   

He was originally born in Sydney’s inner west, but at a young age, he moved overseas with his family to a place close to both his parents’ hearts.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:05:35] I was born in Australia, in Camperdown. And roughly at the age of four to six months, I can't remember exactly, my parents actually went over to former Yugoslavia. So, [my] mother being Serbian [and my] father being Macedonian, we went over to North Macedonia, which is what it's called now, and spent roughly about five years over there. 

  

[00:06:01] And then obviously, my father said, 'You know what? Actually, Australia's a better place to be'. So [we] flew back, moved over to Marrickville. Lived in Marrickville for a short time. Redfern [for] a short time. Then went over to Campsie, which is [in the] Canterbury Bankstown area. I spent about seven years over there. 

  

[00:06:20] And then we went out to Wakeley, a place which is right near Wetherill Park, Fairfield, Liverpool area. So I grew up over there and then roughly about the age of 21— when I actually started my first business, which is photography— I moved over to Leichhardt to be close to the business. The business was in Ashfield. 

  

[00:06:45] And pretty much I've been in the inner west forever since then. So I float[ed] around Camperdown and Stanmore for a little, and Leichhardt. Then in between that time, the family moved over to to Dubai for about three years.

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:07:05] Wow. Okay. It's all very interesting. It sounds like you've moved quite a lot. Do you know why your parents moved overseas for those five years? Do you have any memories of it as a childhood? 

Dragan Dimovski:  

[00:07:21] I have very, very [few] memories. I mean, there are little snippets here or there that I do [remember]. But the reason was Mum and Dad wanted to move back to be with family. Also, Dad had a restaurant. He was in the restaurant industry, well known. And he thought, 'Okay, I could just go over there and start up a restaurant, and have success over there', but he did notice the country wasn't going in the right direction. So he thought, 'Okay, it's probably better off to go back to Australia'.

Tyrone Shum: 

The Dimovski family certainly moved around a lot, both within and outside of Australia. Their moves within Sydney, including the reason why they moved to Campsie, were for two reasons.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:08:27] What happened was, my parents, I remember the conversation, they actually had purchased a property. 

  

[00:08:35] So when we were living in Marrickville and Redfern that time, they were renting. And then an opportunity came in Campsie for a three bedroom house that was coming. The government was selling it, it was an ex [Housing] commission property. And they could get it for a reasonable, very reasonable price. So that was one of the reasons they moved to Campsie. 

  

[00:08:58] And [we lived] there for seven years. And that time in the '80s or late '80s, the interest rates were pretty high. So they thought, 'Okay, you know what? I could sell this property and buy something at Wakeley', which is Wetherill Park, paid off. So that's pretty much what they did. And of course, we've got a couple of cousins over there. 

Tyrone Shum:   

While living in Campsie, Dimovski found himself in a situation that may sound familiar to parents of teenagers, or anybody who’s ever been— or known— a teenager.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:09:38] When I was living in Campsie, I was actually... actually probably one of the reasons they moved [was because] I was going in a bit of a wrong direction with friends. Not being the most favourite students in schools [for] the teachers, hanging around a bad crowd also was probably one of the reasons they moved. 

 

[00:10:03] I wasn't too academically great at school. I mean, I had no problem. If the work needed to be done, I did it. But I didn't love it, let's just say that. I moved over to Wetherill Park [and] went to St. John's Park High School. And I was in Year 10, 11, and 12, so I started from year 10. 

  

[00:10:33] It wasn't a great experience for me, I didn't really enjoy it. I did the work, I put my head down. And for those last three years, I soldiered on and did what I needed to do to make the parents happy. 

  

[00:10:50] I was friendly, I wasn't really into sports, I was into my music. I was into my hard rock slash heavy metal music. So I had the longish hair, the ripped jeans type of a kid. And hung around that sort of a crowd. So, did I enjoy sports? Not really. Did I enjoy academia? Not really. As I said, I just did what I needed to do just to get by.

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:11:22] It sounds like you're more of a creative type [of] person. You sound like you like music.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:11:27] I forgot to mention, yes, I was doing photography. That was what was one enjoyable part of school. 

 

[00:11:34] I picked up a camera at the age of roughly about 13. And in year 10, the subject of photography became available at that school. So I picked that up and did three years of that at school. I actually became decent at it.

  

[00:11:58] And then after that, I got the marks I needed to get. [I] got into electrical engineering for a little while. Really did not like that! [It] was one of those things, you know, traditional parents, you've got to make them happy. I'm sure Tyrone, you know what that's like!

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:12:18] Yes, coming from [an] Asian background, [that’s] very common!

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:12:21] Exactly, exactly. And then, the shock they got when I told them, 'Actually guys, Mum, Dad, I'm not going to be doing engineering anymore, I'm pursuing photography'. Mum was supportive, Dad was... you know, got a bit of a shock on his face and walked away. And then came back and argued. 

  

[00:12:42] So I did that for a little while, I assisted some photographers and studied, got into an intense photography course. First at a private college and then TAFE, and then started my own studio at the age of 21 [or] 22. 

  

[00:13:03] Because I was working for a studio out in Penrith and I did that for a little while, and I thought, 'You know what? I can do this myself'. So I saved up the money, sold my car. My dad was like, 'Okay, well, if you're going to do this, I'll support you'. He gave me some money. He said, 'Whatever you save,  I'll double that'. And I went off and started off. And yes, [I] did that for about 13 years, it was pretty successful. [I] started off with about three employees and got up to about 15.

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:13:40] Congrats, that's amazing. So pretty much straight out of school you went straight into running your own business, then, as a photographer.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:13:48] I was working for a little bit, studying and working. I remember the days where I was working full time, Monday to Friday, studying at nights and doing weddings. Weddings can go for 12 hours, each one on the weekend. 

  

[00:14:04] And I remember in that time in Chippendale in the darkroom when I was working in a lab, come Monday, I go into the darkroom where I had to do the work and I'm falling asleep in the darkroom. They were fun times! And luckily, I had someone that was working there that was a really good person, and she would knock on the door quite a few times, she'd be like, 'Come on', so I hung in there for a little while, which was good. 

Tyrone Shum:  

Although film photography is far less common than it used to be, some businesses have adapted with the times and altered their business models to fit. The photo lab Dimovski worked at while he was studying is a prime example.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:14:50] That time I was studying at night doing photography, I was working. That's after studying engineering. I was working for a lab. They're called Pixel Perfect. I'll give them a plug! They're in Chippendale. They're still around, because I drove past now and then. And at night I'd be doing the photography course. So it was pretty much photographic printing.

Coming up after the break, we hear just how much the photography world has evolved, and how…

[00:15:33] This particular company did digital photography. So, look, that was almost 20 years ago. Well, actually it was over 20 years ago. 

We delve into how his first passion faded and led into the second…

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:23:37] I wasn't a big fan of weddings, even though I did them and enjoyed them, but I couldn't do it every weekend. So yeah, I went to my next passion!

He reveals his first big property blunder, and how he sees it as less of a mistake and more as the learning lesson it truly was.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:24:21] I went [and] took the family over to Dubai. And so there was an opportunity for starting a business over there.

And that’s next. I’m Tyrone Shum and you’re listening to Property Investory.

—> Insert Dragan’s Midroll advert exclusive for him.

Dimovski offers an overview of the work he did at the photography lab in the ‘90s. For those not old enough to remember, you may be surprised to learn how involved the photography and printing processes were.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:15:33] This particular company did digital photography. So, look, that was almost 20 years ago. Well, actually it was over 20 years ago. Photographers, wedding photographers, [and] portrait photographers would actually send their file, either online... actually no, not online. Those days files were too big for online, it was actually for a CD ROM or a hard drive. 

  

[00:16:00] They'll drop it off or get it couriered over, we'll then plug it in, and then print them digitally. But the actual photographic paper was professional photographic paper. So it wasn't like your normal standard printer. So they were still sensitive to light meeting the darkroom. So you would actually pitch one large roll, and once it actually printed, you then needed to put [it] into the chemicals. And no other light can be exposed. So it needs to be pitch black. 

Tyrone Shum:  

Digital photography started to overtake film in the early 2000s, which meant that photographers with film cameras were in for a wild ride. However, Dimovski caught a lucky break at just the right time, and for just the right price.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:17:08] When I was setting up the business— it took me about three [or] four months to set up the business— I was in the stages of working with film. And then as I was setting up, I was doing my research and funny enough, a friend of mine, his father offered me a digital camera with the lenses that were extremely cheap. 

  

[00:17:34] You know those auctions from the airports that they take away your... now, I don't know where the camera was. But he actually said, 'Look, I picked up this particular camera with lens', at that time, it was actually from memory [valued at] about $4,000. He said, 'You can have it for about $1,000'. And I'm like, 'Give it to me'. 

 

[00:18:02] So it was just that timing that I picked up that digital camera. It was a good one, too. It was a Nikon and yeah, so then I sort of redirected to getting into digital. And thankfully, I did, thankfully. It just saved me so much money! 

Tyrone Shum:  

He thanks his lucky stars that he was able to have that training, especially for when it came to photographing weddings. While today you can take as many shots that will fit as many memory cards as you like, film photography ran the risk of running out of film.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:18:54] I did quite a few weddings where you can't make a mistake. And you have to be very, very careful on your settings on your camera. You've got 36 shots, 24 [or] 36 depending on the film. And you can't make a mistake. 

  

[00:19:13] But that was a benefit for even shooting digital. These days, people don't care. They pull out the camera, they'll take 1,000 shots just for one good shot.

Tyrone Shum:   

[00:19:28] Just can't take your finger off the button.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:19:30] And of course, my 10 year old can do that, take 1,000 shots and pick up one or two good shots. 

Tyrone Shum: 

While he shot a lot of weddings, they weren’t his bread and butter. Self timers and selfies hardly existed at the time, which gave his area of expertise the edge.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:19:49] I got into portrait [photography]. If you ever walked past the shopping centres and you see those little pop up stands for about a week back in the day, which they called casual leasing. We had a little pop up stand set up and people would walk past and would make offers, photographic offers. You'd get your hair and makeup done, get the family in. So chances are, if you walked past that, that was me. That was us.

  

[00:20:40] It's funny. It might sound expensive at the time, but when you look back 10 [to] 15 years down the track, it's always worth it. You'll be happy you got it done.

Tyrone Shum:  

The pop up stands he manned were mainly for promotional purposes, rather than the actual scene of the actual photoshoots.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:21:16] We would sign people up. We would get those leads every week to our bookers on the phone, and they would book them to come in for the photoshoot for their hair [and] makeup. 

  

[00:21:28] So they would spend roughly about an hour [to an] hour and a half prepping themselves and then an hour photoshoot. 

  

[00:21:35] And a week later, they would come in and view their shots. We were one of the first studios in Sydney— actually, in Australia— to actually do the airbrushing, the editing. So it was from the stages of, you know, there's glamour photos where you use that soft focus filter. And then take off the soft focus, and then use Photoshop to edit the shots.

Tyrone Shum:   

Since everybody and their mother got a smartphone with a camera, the photography world was turned on its head. It was good timing for Dimovski, as his first passion was slowly fading to make way for the next.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:22:23] I'm not too sure what it's like now, because the only thing I do is on the occasion I pick up the camera for the family photos once a year. That's pretty much it. And of course, if I travel, I'll have my camera with me. 

  

[00:22:39] But what it's like now? I have noticed a lot of the studios have disappeared. And it was one of those reasons I stopped doing it. The fact that people were coming in at the last two years of the business, and would have photos there for a couple of hundred dollars. 

  

[00:23:04] And they would say, 'Well, why would I spend a couple of hundred dollars when...?' Look at my phone. And they would say, 'I look pretty good here as well. Why would I pay you?' And look— they had a point. And once you start hearing that rhythm on and on, being told, you say, 'Okay, well, maybe it's time to change something or just move on'. 

 

[00:23:37] I wasn't a big fan of weddings, even though I did them and enjoyed them, but I couldn't do it every weekend. So yeah, I went to my next passion!

Tyrone Shum:   

He ran his photography business for 13 years, before both his world and the photography world started to change. He received an exciting opportunity to delve into another industry overseas, which sounded nearly too good to be true.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:24:21] I went [and] took the family over to Dubai. And so there was an opportunity for starting a business over there. Within photography, I tried it out, I played around, [it] didn't work out. Totally different markets. 

  

[00:25:19] Before moving to Dubai, three years prior to that, the photography studio also had an extras agency. So part of the idea was people get their photos, but also we'll put them on a database and get them work as extras for Big W or catalogs or TV ads. And that went well for a couple of years. 

  

[00:25:45] The pitch was, 'Hey, you spent $1,000 on your photos, how would you like to make it back?' No one said no! So the photos were there. It didn't cost them anything extra. Five minutes extra to get all their details and their measurements, they go on a database and then we pitched it to the agents. 

  

[00:26:10] The two employees within the studio decided, 'Hey, you know what? We'll take your business if you're moving overseas'. So I offered it to them, and they were happy with the offer. And then I moved over to Dubai with the family. And started over there. 

 

[00:26:33] While I was over there, I also had a few friends from Sydney— actually, one was from Brisbane, the other one was [from] Sydney— who [were] in the property market over there. 

  

[00:26:47] They were purchasing off the plan villas, and making a hell of a lot of money. So I thought, 'I'll give that a go', while I tried my photography business over there. 

  

[00:27:08] Things didn't work out as I planned. The market shifted. And very quickly. Very quickly it worked against me. But anyway, you live and you learn.

Tyrone Shum:   

While his Dubai property dreams didn’t work out as planned, it wasn’t his first— or last— foray into property.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:27:33] I was purchasing pretty much in my early... pretty much as soon as the photography studio was going well. The person who was leasing the building from, he was in front of me, [he] had his office, [a] security company. And he was driving around in lavish cars, Ferraris and Lambos and all that sort of stuff. I got to know him well. 

  

[00:27:57] And further on into talking with him, I asked him, 'Okay, so what else do you do besides a photography business?' And he pretty much came out and said, 'Property. I invest in property, I buy [and] renovate commercial properties and residential [properties]'. So I thought, 'Wow, fantastic'. 

 

[00:28:17] So I got a little bit of advice from him, but he also got me tickets down to Melbourne for a particular seminar. [I] went down, did the seminar, came back and I was all gung ho ready to start investing in property. And of course, I read a few books. 

  

[00:28:35] I bought my first property in Pymble, a two bedroom apartment on the Pacific Highway. It was an older apartment, it needed a bit of renovation. [I] did the reno, increased the equity with the reno and moved from there.

Tyrone Shum:  

The property course in Melbourne highlighted the buy, renovate, and hold strategy, before pulling out the equity to purchase the next property.

Dragan Dimovski:   

[00:29:10] It was a three day seminar. I can't remember the guy's name, and I did try to look for him prior to the show. But I couldn't find him anymore. So he was originally from Brisbane. And the course pretty much focused on purchasing apartments that are rundown. Getting in for a good price. Knowing your market, knowing your area, knowing that you're getting it at a discounted rate. And hopefully off market if you can. And going with that intention of renovating and then increasing the profit from there and then moving on to the next one. 

Dragan Dimovski’s story continues in the next episode of Property Investory. We dive deeper into his property journey…

 

[00:00:11] So then from there I purchased another one in Liverpool again, same strategy. [It] probably wasn't the best idea that time. 

 

A prime example of his strategy that comes with a free stickybeak…

 

[00:10:16] I'll give you an example. And I can even actually give you the address to it too, just so your listeners can actually jump in and actually see what's what I do. 

He takes us through the ups and downs behind that particular purchase.

[00:13:28] Then, once the timber prices went up, I was slugged with another about $13,000 on top of the contract. 

 

And that’s next time on Property Investory.