The Holland Group/Sara Holland & Company
Three-Year Average Annual Growth: 116.2%
Rank on Private 100: 99
Headquarters: 1 Bridge St., Plymouth
Product/Service: Real estate firm
Broker and Owner: Sara Holland
Founded: 2017
Total Number of Employees: 10
Website: sarahollandco.com
A 10-year real estate veteran, Sara Holland broke out on her own in 2017. As luck would have it, The Holland Group ramped up right before one of the biggest real estate booms in history.
Holland was initially hesitant to get into real estate and started out as a part-time assistant for a friend who was an agent.
Eventually she assumed the marketing responsibilities before taking the plunge to become an agent herself. But, after working in two firms, she was restless, and her husband urged her to open her own office.
Holland, who goes by gut instinct, says she rented office space before even finalizing her business plan. “I am not someone who likes to burn bridges. When I told the brokerage I was leaving to start my own business, I gave them four months lead time. I wanted to take care of my clients and the firm,” she says. “Then I started by hiring a couple of interns from Plymouth State who helped me with marketing and branding.”
Within four years, however, Holland’s agency grew to two full-time employees and eight agents serving the White Mountains and Lakes regions.
“We are definitely people over profit. I want to build a lifestyle company for everybody in the agency,” she says. “We need to generate revenue but not at a cost to our health or our families.”
In 2019, as business grew rapidly, Holland invested in technology and automated back-office functions. That investment paid off when the pandemic hit and the firm transitioned to remote consultations, she says.
And sales remain brisk, she says, referencing a one-bedroom home she listed recently that attracted “100 people at the open house and 18 offers.”