Part 1 of our advisory team series.
We're building something at Yield that I think will matter. But building a great product is only half of it. The other half is making sure the right people are around you to pressure-test your thinking.
So we put together an advisory team. People who have been in the industry long enough to know what works, what doesn't, and what agents actually need. Not consultants. Not investors. People with skin in the game.
Kicking things off with the one and only Simon Gates.
Who is Simon Gates?
If you're an agent in the UK, you've either worked with Simon, listened to him, or been told you should.
275+ podcast episodes on "Opening The Gates To More Listings." Relationships across 240+ brands and thousands of estate agents. Voted Most Influential UK Estate Agency Personality in 2024. 400+ five-star Google reviews across his career. NED for several estate agency suppliers including Open Moove, The FIA, and Digital Sparks.
That's the headline version. The full story is better.
From weekend assistant to industry voice
Simon started where a lot of agents start. Weekend assistant in 2007. Worked his way up to branch manager. Ran an award-winning office that racked up 150+ five-star Google reviews and placed in the top 1% of the Best Estate Agent Guide.
He didn't just manage. He built something that people talked about.
In 2020 he moved to Homesearch as head of training. Helped them secure a £5M investment. Grew to 700+ reviews. Won the 2021 ESTAS Best Instruction Generation Tool. That's not a participation trophy. That's the industry saying "this works."
He's a NED at Digital Sparks, and sits on boards across the industry. He hosts a podcast that agents actually listen to. His mission is simple: keep the industry human, help agents win more listings.
What he's doing with Yield
Simon is advising us on go-to-market and positioning. Which sounds corporate, so let me translate: he's the person who tells us when we're overthinking it and when we're not thinking hard enough.
Having someone who has spent years in the trenches with agents, not just talking about them, challenging how we approach things has already changed the way we operate. He pushes back. He asks the questions agents would ask. He doesn't nod along politely.
That's what you want from an advisor. Not validation. Clarity.
He's also the person who told me to stop hiding behind emails and actually start posting. So if you're seeing more of me on LinkedIn and wondering who to blame, now you know.
We recorded a podcast episode together about Yield. I'll share it when it goes live.
Why this matters
We're not building Yield in a vacuum. We're building it with people who know what agents need because they've lived it. Simon is the first name in our advisory team. He won't be the last.