Adi what’s your backstory?

I moved to Australia from India in 2000 as a 10 year old. Like most migrant families, our first year was rough. We lived in a motel in Dandenong for months, then at the Krishna Temple in Albert Park, and even in a family friend’s spare bedroom before finally getting on our feet. It was a very classic immigrant story – watching your parents work ridiculously hard while you try to figure out what life in a completely new country is supposed to look like.

I went to school in Noble Park, Victoria, which was an interesting experience, to say the least. But like every good Indian kid, I studied hard. My mum made sure of it because she was terrifying. I ended up being dux of my high school, though if I’m being honest, my score wasn’t impressive - I think it just spoke to the kind of school I went to.

I went on to study electrical engineering and science at Monash University. I didn't do university in the best way possible, to be honest. I barely attended lectures, studied a few days before exams, scraped through with the occasional fail, and just found it hard to care. I think university became a rite of passage for me - figuring out independence, which came with late nights, questionable life decisions, and a whole lot of last-minute cramming.

Career-wise, my path wasn’t exactly straightforward. I tutored throughout university (up to 25 students weekly at one stage), worked at McDonald's, and spent 4 years as a bouncer at Melbourne clubs (yes, I was still the small Indian kid so I don't know why I did this), and eventually landed in corporate, working my way up to senior product manager at Telstra. It was a stable, well-paying job – the kind of job you’re supposed to be grateful for.

But I wasn’t. The corporate world felt uninspiring, and by mid-2023, I hit a breaking point. I was surrounded by toxic managers, office politics, and a culture that just didn’t sit right with me. That’s when it hit me – what I had built through property had given me choices. I didn’t actually have to be there. I was freer than I thought I was, and that realization changed everything.

What does Alaya Property do, and how did you come up with the idea?

Alaya Property is a buyer’s agency that helps investors build smart, sustainable property portfolios. But really, it’s about helping people create freedom – freedom to make choices, freedom to step away from jobs they hate, freedom to build wealth without obsessing over every dollar.

I started investing at 24. It was the very typical migrant approach – got my first job, saved up, and bought the property because that’s just what you did. I didn’t really overthink it. I didn’t have a detailed spreadsheet or a grand plan. I just kept doing the thing over the years and learned plenty of expensive lessons along the way - the biggest one being 5 years of not using a large amount of growth in my properties to leverage into more properties.

By 2023, I realized that what I had built was giving me something most people didn’t have – options. I could step away from corporate life without my financial world collapsing. And that made me wonder - why don’t more people do this?

That was the spark for Alaya Property. I wanted to help others build what I had completely unintentionally built for myself – a portfolio that gave them choices.

The name Alaya comes from Sanskrit, meaning "abode" or "storehouse of consciousness." It felt fitting – because property has never been about bricks and mortar to me. It’s about stability, security, and long-term choice creation.

How did you acquire your first 10 clients, and what strategies worked?

Through LinkedIn – and completely by accident.
‍
I’m a fairly private person. Before starting Alaya, no one even knew I was into property. So, when I decided to launch in April 2024, I had no idea how to market myself. The thought of making videos for Instagram or TikTok was terrifying, so I took the easier route and decided to write my story instead.

Writing felt like the only thing I could do (maybe thanks to my mum, the English teacher). I started posting on LinkedIn in November 2023, sharing personal experiences, property insights, and general life reflections. At first, engagement was non-existent. Mostly just my work colleagues liking my posts out of pity. But I kept writing anyway, becoming more detached from the metrics over time.
‍
By January 2024, I started posting consistently—three to four times a week—and refining my storytelling. I wasn’t selling anything. And then something wild happened. When I officially launched in April, people started messaging me, saying they’d been waiting for me to get my license so they could work with me.
‍
I had hoped for three clients in my first four months. Instead, I got three in my first month. The best part? It wasn’t just about direct sales. My writing also caught the attention of mortgage brokers, financial planners, and other property professionals who wanted to collaborate. That’s when I realized I’d accidentally built a personal brand for myself—a concept I’d never even heard of before. It’s probably becoming clear that most of my expertise came about by accident.

What feedback did you get from your first clients, and how did it help refine your services?

Like most new business owners, I went completely overboard with my first few clients. I was on holiday taking calls, responding at all hours, and basically running on pure adrenaline. I had this deep fear that if anything went slightly wrong, it would all fall apart – that somehow, I’d be exposed as a fraud, and no one would ever trust me again.

So naturally, my first few clients got the red carpet treatment. I bent over backwards for them. And while they had a great experience, the biggest lessons actually came from my own internal reflection.

I realized I had a huge problem with over-responsibility. If a building and pest inspector I recommended didn’t do a great job, I took it personally. If a property manager didn’t meet expectations, I felt like I had failed. But the truth is, I can't control everything – and trying to do so was a fast track to burnout.

That led to a major shift in how I operate. Instead of saying, “Work with this person”, I now say, “Here are three professionals I trust – do your own due diligence and choose the one that fits best for you.” It’s a small tweak, but it protects my energy while still providing value.

Another big lesson? The importance of clear expectations. In the early days, I assumed that if I went above and beyond, clients would naturally be happy. But over-delivering can sometimes backfire – because if a client gets used to daily check-ins and 24/7 availability, they’ll expect it forever.

Now, I set clear boundaries upfront. I make sure clients know exactly what to expect, how the process works, and what I can (and can’t) control. That small shift has made my life infinitely easier.

What steps did you take to ensure your service met the needs of your target clients?

At first, I thought I knew exactly what my clients needed. Turns out, I was only partly right.

When I started Alaya Property, I assumed clients wanted purely data-driven, numbers-first investment decisions. So that’s what I focused on – deep suburb analysis, market trends, and capital growth projections. And while that’s definitely part of it, I quickly realized something surprising: People weren’t just hiring me for the data. They were hiring me because they wanted confidence.

Many of my clients already knew that property was a good investment. Their biggest struggle wasn’t knowing what to do – it was having the conviction to do it. They needed reassurance that they weren’t making a mistake, that they were seeing things clearly, that they weren’t walking into a financial disaster.

That completely changed how I positioned my service. Yes, I still provide deep-dive data analysis, but I also focus just as much on education and clarity. Clients need to understand why we’re making certain decisions, not just what the numbers say.

Another big adjustment? Tailoring my service to different experience levels. Some clients are completely new to investing, while others already own multiple properties. I had to refine my approach so that each client got exactly what they needed – whether that was hand-holding through the entire process or just a high-level strategy session.

Finally, I learned to listen more than I talk. Early on, I would jump straight into market insights and investment strategies, assuming that’s what clients wanted. But the best conversations – the ones that led to the best results – started with me listening. Understanding their fears, their motivations, their long-term goals.

This helped a ton.

Which distribution channels have been most effective in reaching clients, and how did you find them?

LinkedIn, without a doubt. But it took me a while to crack the code. At first, I was posting whatever came to mind, with no structure. Some weeks, I’d get leads. Other weeks? Crickets.

Then I noticed a pattern – the posts that performed best fell into three categories:

1. Personal stories – These weren’t about property. They were just reflections on life, struggles, lessons. People felt like they knew me, which built trust.

2. Thought leadership – Sharing insights, contrarian takes, and deep dives into market trends. This showed I knew what I was talking about.

3. Client stories – Not just “this property went up 20%,” but why I bought it, the reasoning behind the investment, and the bigger picture strategy.

Once I structured my content around these 3 pillars, leads became consistent, and my network grew rapidly. Now, I’m exploring expanding into Instagram and podcasts, but LinkedIn remains my strongest channel for high-intent clients.

What makes Alaya Property unique in a competitive market?

The buyer’s agency space has become crowded, with more agents than ever chasing the same so-called “hotspots.” The problem is many of them are just following trends, buying where everyone else is buying, and often overpaying without truly understanding why a market is moving.

At Alaya, we take a first-principles approach. We don’t just look at what’s hot right now – we look at the underlying economic and demographic drivers that will shape property markets in the long run.

One major difference? We’re deep in the data, but not blindly led by it. Some agencies rely purely on numbers without considering real-world factors like infrastructure development, political shifts, or the nuances of investor behavior. Others operate on gut instinct without any real analytical foundation. We combine both – sophisticated data analysis with real-world, experience-driven decision-making.

But beyond data, what really sets us apart is authentic experience. I’ve built my own portfolio from the ground up. My team has built theirs. We’re not just selling a service – we’re showing people how to do what we’ve actually done ourselves.

And in an industry where new agents pop up every day looking for a quick buck, that kind of real-world experience is rare.

How do you see the property market evolving, and how is Alaya Property adapting?

The buyer’s agency industry has exploded in the last few years, and with that comes a big shift – more buyer’s agents chasing the same “hotspots” and pushing up prices in smaller regional markets.

A lot of these agencies are buying hundreds of properties a month in the same locations, and many are overpaying. Five or six years ago, this wasn’t as big of an issue because the industry wasn’t as mainstream. But now it’s influencing entire markets.

At Alaya, we’re taking a different approach. I’ve always been strong at analyzing suburb-level trends, but I knew we needed to go deeper. That’s why I brought in an ex-economist to help us take things to a macro level – looking at government policies, interest rate shifts, infrastructure investment, and how these factors flow down into individual suburbs.

This lets us identify markets before they become obvious. A good example? Darwin. We picked up on the economic signals about six months before it became the market everyone was suddenly talking about. While many agencies react to trends, our job is to spot them early. That’s a massive advantage.

We’re not in the business of chasing what’s hot today. We’re creating a business that's identifying what’s going to be hot tomorrow.

What's your top tip for building trust and closing property deals?

No fancy sales techniques – just be a decent human being.

Every single person involved in the value chain – real estate agents, property managers, conveyancers, contractors – I take the time to build real relationships with them. Not in a fake networking kind of way, but in a genuine, I-actually-care-about-you kind of way.

Agents across the country now call me first when they have a great deal, not because I’ve asked them to, but because we’ve built trust. They know I respect their time, I work efficiently, and I treat them well. That makes them want to work with me.

At the end of the day, property is a people business. If you approach every interaction as a transaction, you’re doing it wrong. Take the time to get to know the people you work with – their family, their interests, even their doggo’s name if it comes up. Not because you’re trying to “close deals,” but because relationships matter.

I've learned that when you treat people with respect and kindness, the business just takes care of itself.

What key lessons from your property journey can others use for financial independence?

Very cliche but the way you think about things i.e. your mindset, is everything.

You can have the income, the borrowing capacity, and all the data in the world – but if you’re paralyzed by fear, none of it matters. Too many people get caught up waiting for the “perfect” investment, but no such thing exists.

There’s always going to be some level of risk. If you’re waiting for every risk to disappear before making a move, you’ll stay stuck forever, and very likely never see financial independence in your lifetime (or at least not till your much much older). The people who build wealth aren’t necessarily smarter – they just take calculated risks and act on them.

A $5M portfolio, a $3M portfolio, even a $50M portfolio – the fundamentals are the same. If the numbers stack up, the investment is manageable from a cash flow perspective, and it aligns with your long-term goals - take the leap.

The key is to think long-term. Property isn’t about quick wins – it’s about making good decisions consistently over time and letting compounding do its thing.

What are your plans for Alaya Property in the coming years?

I honestly didn’t expect Alaya Property to grow this fast. It started as just me, then 6 months in, I was drowning in work and brought in a virtual assistant. A few months later, I partnered with someone who had deep lending and property expertise. Fast forward again, and I hired a couple more full-time team members to help scale the business.

I didn’t expect to be here within 12 months, so predicting what’s next is tough. But one thing is clear – I want to keep doing what we’re doing, just on a larger scale.

Our core mission is simple - help people have choices in life through sustainable wealth creation. Not in a gimmicky “get rich quick” way, but in a real, sustainable way that actually changes their lives.

I don’t care about hitting arbitrary revenue targets or scaling for the sake of scaling. What matters to me is that we stay true to our values, work with people we genuinely want to help, and continue making an impact. So whether we’re working with 50 clients a year or 500, as long as we’re doing right by them and sticking to what we believe in, that’s all that matters to me.

How do you balance running a business with managing your own property portfolio?

The truth is my property portfolio doesn’t require much time at all.

It’s entirely residential and quite passive. If I had to break it down, I maybe spend 2 hours a month on it a few calls with property managers, the occasional maintenance issue, but nothing that disrupts my day.

What makes the biggest difference isn’t the time – it’s the mindset. I don’t sweat the small stuff. If an unexpected $10k roof repair bill pops up (it has many times), I don’t panic, because I know that property is a long-term game.

Beyond my portfolio, I also run a ghostwriting business. I saw firsthand how powerful LinkedIn was for me, so I started helping others in the property industry tell their stories. Writing is my creative outlet – it gives me a break from the high-intensity world of running a buyer’s agency while still keeping me engaged in something I enjoy.

Definitely not easy doing it all, but man is it fun in this phase of my life.

What tools, software, or resources have been most helpful in growing Alaya Property?

There’s one tool that’s been a game-changer for me: HTAG (Higher Than Average Growth).

It’s a property data analytics SaaS platform founded by two of the smartest (and nicest) guys I’ve met – Matija Djolic and Alex Fedoseev (gents you should absolutely feature on Founderoo - they're a lot more interesting that me). They’ve built something that makes suburb-level property data accessible in a way that’s actually useful.

Other tools I use regularly:

CoreLogic – for property-specific reports

LandChecker – for zoning and planning info

Archistar – for checking development potential, flood overlays, and heritage restrictions

These tools help me make very informed decisions.

What advice would you give founders on finding the right channels to attract clients?

Pick a platform that plays to your strengths.

For me, it was LinkedIn. I wasn’t comfortable making videos, so I focused on writing. And because only a small percentage of LinkedIn users actually post content, simply showing up consistently allowed me to stand out.

The key is to build in public—share your journey, your insights, and your mistakes. People connect with authenticity.

Podcasts have also been a great channel. Property podcasts attract highly engaged listeners who are already interested in investing. When they hear you share valuable insights, trust builds quickly. You don’t need to be everywhere—you just need to show up consistently where your ideal clients are.

Who are some experts or entrepreneurs you recommend for learning how to grow a business?

Mat Djolic & Alex Fedoseev – I absolutely love how these gents have grown their SaaS business. They've completely changed the property industry and have somehow managed to pull it off with humility. They go above and beyond to educate their ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) and invest everything into improving their service. These guys are leaving an incredible legacy behind.

Redom Syed – Leads one of the biggest mortgage broking companies in Australia and has done so with such grace. His team loves him, which is a testament to the kind of leader he is. It was a no-brainer to partner up with him for regular podcasts.

What drives you to do what you do?

I want people to have choices.

My partner and I didn’t do anything extraordinary. We just made smart, consistent property decisions, and over time, it gave us options we never thought possible.

The idea that I can help someone else do the same? That’s what keeps me going.

Any quotes you live by?

“Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” – Schindler's List.

I love this one so much, I got it tattooed on me in my mid-20s. I genuinely believe that each of us has a role to play in improving the state of the world. By extending kindness and compassion towards those around us, we have the ability to completely change the trajectory of their lives.

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” – Dumbledore.

Another one that always struck my heart just the right way. I struggle with anxiety and often find myself having difficulty seeing the positive in things. This little tidbit is a great reminder that good things do exist, despite the struggles.

Any promotions you would like to add for Founderoo readers?

Anyone who signs up through Founderoo gets 10% off our service.

Any videos you want to add to the story?

‍

‍

Your links + socials

Adi LinkedIn