Rob Sargent began working as an estate agent when he was 20 and immediately fell in love with the business.

Just two years after joining Acorn Estate Agents in Grove Park in 1984, he had the chance to buy shares in the company.

“My personal savings combined with a small loan from my mum gave me enough capital to buy a share in the business,” he said.

Since then he hasn’t looked back. Today, he is the major shareholder in The Acorn Group – one of the largest independent estate agencies in south London which has just acquired John Payne Residential. The latest acquisition will result in 20 new jobs being created at Acorn’s new head office in Bromley North.

Rob, 48, is a prime example of how hard work can pay off. Born and bred in Bromley, his dad died when he was 10, and Rob started working in the paper shop at Bickley railway station.

“I used to do a paper round, then rush back to the shop to pick up the other rounds of boys who couldn't get out of bed! “Then I would serve in the shop until the last minute before jumping on a train to school. That sparked my ambition to own my own business. At 16, I left school to work as a trainee insurance clerk. “But after four years, my desire to work in an environment where I felt closer to the heart of the business and the customers overcame me.”

That’s when he went to work for Acorn Estate Agents.

“After becoming an owner of the business, I worked day and night with my team to build a reputation that would allow us to expand the Acorn brand. “Over the next two to three decades we built the company to approximately 30 departments, divisions and offices, trading from more than 20 geographical locations in the south east London and the Kent corridor,” explained Rob.

While other estate agencies may have come and gone, Acorn has become a force to be reckoned with, acquiring Beaumont’s, Freedom Direct, Maitlands Professional, Langford Russell, Start Financial Services and Start Conveyancing. “It has one of the largest sales, lettings, property management, new homes, land and commercial agency businesses in the south east.

“The key to our success, is treating all clients individually, avoiding a one- size-fits-all culture,” said Rob. “The aim is not to turn into a corporate but to use my key senior management and central infrastructure to bring together the very best brands and estate agency operations in the area. We want to allow our personnel to do what they do best, while we take the strain and restrictions of corporate life off their shoulders.”

Rob added: “No one works for me, we all work together to help our clients achieve their goals. As a Bromley boy, I made the decision to set up our head office at Bromley North this year and am moving my team there by the end of April.”

Rob, who is married with three children aged from six to 14, also plans on moving his family to Bickley. At the moment he is applying for planning permission to build a new home there.