Julien Raffin has an atypical career path. After studies which took him from a business school to university, he gradually became passionate about real estate. From this passion a business was born which was so successful that he was spotted by the TF1 group and collaborated with them on the show Proprio à Tout Prix on TMC. For Business Cool, Julien Raffin agreed to come back to his story.
Julien Raffin’s journey
Can you go back to your academic career?
I am originally from Nîmes. After my ES baccalaureate, I joined an IUT in business management and administration. I was able to discover subjects like management, accounting, marketing and business strategy and I really enjoyed it. So I did a technical-commercial management degree at the IAE in Montpellier after finishing my IUT to continue training in sales, communication and marketing.
After my degree, I took the entrance exams for business schools and joined TBS Education on a work-study basis. I worked for two years at Bouygues Telecom Entreprise, before completing an M2 in strategy and economics at Grenoble Alpes University, remotely.
My educational career was really built by chance, my friends and my family had not necessarily completed higher education. I ended up in IUT for its sports option, the license was ultimately the logical continuation of my DUT. I knew about business schools because my girlfriend at the time told me about them. I was convinced that a business school diploma and a master’s degree in strategy and economics would allow me to work in football, my passion.
How did you get into real estate?
During my last year at TBS Education, something clicked. I was in a hotel room in Grenoble, to go take my exams at UGA. I turned on the television and came across a Capital program which featured a real estate entrepreneur in Dubai. It was December 2006. I wrote down his name and called him after my exams. He told me about investments and I became interested in real estate investments in many countries.
I then came across Bulgaria and bought 7,600m² of land there. I had taken out a student loan of €100,000 to invest €50,000 in Bulgaria and €50,000 for an apartment in Nîmes. I was then a real estate advisor for Bulgaria. At the same time, I was still a student and I was starting to have my first clients. At the end of my work-study program, I was offered several positions that I didn’t like and I therefore decided to return to Nîmes. I joined Xerox as a sales engineer, but left after four days.
The entrepreneurial adventure of Julien Raffin
What brought you to entrepreneurship?
Bulgaria took up a lot of my time and so I got into real estate. Out of my 200 applications, I only had two inconclusive interviews. So I decided to launch my first real estate agency in 2008, with which I discovered the challenges and joys of entrepreneurship.
However, until 2014, it was complex financially. I made a lot of mistakes, so much so that I was left with only two options: liquidate or go into receivership. And it was beneficial! During the backup plan, I had to achieve certain goals and I started to see some clarity. So I decided to launch a new company which offered both real estate advice and a more classic agency model.
I managed to develop my turnover and open a second agency, then a third… In 2019, I launched my first promotion of independent real estate advisors.
What was the impact of confinement on your entrepreneurial projects?
During confinement, I did live shows every Monday evening to help advisors with their business or organizational issues. I had a lot of visibility and I was able to nationalize my business: C2Ifor Real Estate Investment Advice. At the end of 2020, I had 100 advisors with me, this year there are 200. My ambition is to reach 500 advisors and 30 agencies by the end of 2023.
Restoring the image of real estate agents, Julien Raffin’s mission with Proprio à Tout Prix
How did you come to work with the TF1 group?
They were the ones who contacted me. They discovered me through my lives and asked me if I wanted to become a consultant for the real estate sector and I said: Go! The guideline of the show Proprio à Tout Prix is quite professional. The idea is to restore credibility to the profession of real estate agent. This profession has not always been promoted on television.
What are your other projects today?
Within the C2I group, we have a very strong appetite for training. My advisors have training every month. I am also asked to train and coach negotiations. A year ago, I launched the idea of a book that I am releasing on February 14, 2023. I present my methodology and my work processes. His name is Manifesto of Real Estate Agents and Advice. It is a Maestro method in four chapters: self-knowledge, art of prospecting for pleasure, mandate of exclusivity and from disorganization to efficiency. There is also a bonus chapter around “no”. This book will be accompanied by the launch, on 1er March 2023, from the Maestro Academy.
There is also Event’Immo, a seminar on real estate during which I also involve high-level athletes. In 2021, we welcomed Philippe Croizon, David Laroche, Djibril Cyssé and Hapsatou Sy. In 2022, Fabien Olicard and Anthony Bourbon. In 2023, the objective is to attract 400 real estate advisors from all over France!
