BAME in Property’s Priya Aggarwal Shah on making a side hustle the whole hustle

COMMENT Sometimes we focus so much on chasing the next achievement that we forget to pause, reflect and be grateful for the milestones achieved. This week I mark five years of BAME in Property, an organisation I founded and now run full-time, and I’m taking a moment to celebrate this and the journey that got me to this stage. The past five years haven’t just been about personal and professional growth – they have given me an opportunity to reflect on how the industry has made progress on ethnic diversity too. I started BAME in Property in late 2017 out of a frustration of seeing little diversity at events, panels and in my project teams. Inspired by the success of Charlotte Morphet’s Women in Planning network, I wanted to create a safe space for BAME and non-BAME professionals to come together, network, socialise and share their concerns. I’m grateful there was interest from colleagues across the industry who offered support in the early years and beyond – thank you Bhavini Shah, Amrit Singh Bahia, CJ Obi, Zara Din, Abraham Laker and many others for being my sounding boards. Opening doors The first two years were incredibly busy. I was speaking on a panel event almost every month, primarily running the social media platforms for the organisation, replying to emails from interested people and looking for the next sponsor, all while having a full-time job. The advocacy work happened during lunchtimes, evenings and weekends but, being in my mid-20s and hungry to build this organisation, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I was really inspired by all the people I met and all the stories I heard. In establishing a networking group, I built my own network too, and met numerous people who opened doors for me. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, and all in-person events came to a standstill, I focused on developing a community online through social media. I ramped up content, blogs and posts across all social channels, resulting in more than 374,000 impressions in the first 100 days of lockdown. But with regards to employee progression, things just slowed down. People got furloughed, promotions went on hold, and we often lost visibility and connections with our colleagues. Not having networking events was challenging and no doubt many people lost out on key opportunities and confidence building that could have enhanced their careers. I think that some of the progress we made with promoting diversity in our industry prior to the pandemic somewhat stalled during the lockdown periods. Then in June 2020 we had the tragic murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement taking over our screens. What could have been a watershed moment for the industry ended up being rather tokenistic. Many companies put out a black square and statements on social media, without engaging with their Black colleagues for input. More importantly, many companies didn’t check in with their Black colleagues to see how they were doing through this challenging time. Admittedly, a lot of companies simply didn’t know what to do. The BAME in Property inbox was inundated with emails from companies asking for help and guidance on how to respond and do better. That’s when I started offering workshops and lunch and learns about ethnic diversity in the built environment. I saw my opportunity to expand BAME in Property’s services and evolve it into a company. I started small, launching a jobs board and initially asking a few companies how I could operate this to benefit them. The response was a ‘hosting platform’, as they wanted potential candidates to end up on their website. So, I did this, and the demand increased. The jobs board, alongside the workshops and lunch and learns, was the beginning of BAME in Property Ltd. Full-time commitment But the energy I had in my mid-20s to run a side hustle alongside a full-time job was starting to chip away. As I progressed in my comms career, naturally my workload and responsibilities increased. 2021 was also the year I was buying a house and getting married – and all during Covid-19 lockdowns. To say it was quite stressful was an understatement. I started finding I couldn’t commit as much time to BAME in Property as I would have liked. I persevered though, and will always look back at 2021 as a year of personal achievements. A string of conversations inspired me to take the big step of leaving my full-time job. Many people I met already thought I was running BAME in Property full-time, while others kept saying “it’s only a matter of time before you do”. Having started commercialising BAME in Property two years ago, in summer 2022 I was finally in a position financially and mentally to take the leap. As scary as it was, it was my now-or-never moment. Now, two months into running BAME in Property full-time, I am truly encouraged and grateful for the support I have received. My clients, previous and current, include the likes of Mount Anvil, Thirteen Housing Group, NLA, Turley, Pocket Living, Forsters and Trident Building Consultancy, with many others using BAME in Property’s jobs board. A potential name change is on the cards. When we started five years ago, ‘BAME’ was the known term, but times have changed and even I have disclaimers about the term. Utilising my comms background, I will continue to grow BAME in Property online, through engaging content, social media and events. The area that I’m particularly interested in is culturally sensitive community engagement, especially in light of the 2021 census data. This is a huge growth area and something I have always enjoyed, so watch this space. The past five years have been a journey, and I’m excited for the next five. Priya Aggarwal Shah is founder of BAME in Property