From standing start to 32 sales agreed

About Uptons

Beginning as a Saturday viewing assistant and progressing through senior roles at large independent and corporate agencies, Daniel Upton, the founder of Uptons, built extensive experience across sales, lettings and property investment. 

Throughout his career, he developed a clear view of how estate agency should work: highly personal, relationship-driven and focused on delivering the best outcome for the customer. With more than 20 years of industry experience behind him, Daniel set out to build an agency centred around personal service, strong relationships and better outcomes for clients. 

In March 2025, he took the leap and launched Uptons. However, unlike many independent agencies, this wasn’t the result of years of planning or preparation. 

“Starting my own agency wasn’t something I’d planned to do at that particular time. Circumstances changed unexpectedly, and I found myself having to make some big decisions about my future. Rather than walk away from an industry I’ve dedicated more than 20 years to, I decided to build something of my own.” 

What followed was a rapid effort to build an estate agency from the ground up. “It was a mad rally to create an estate agency from scratch.” 

Key takeaways

• 10% share of voice
  Achieved within the Eastbourne market in as little as 18 months.
• Over 32 sales agreedSince launching in March 2025.
• 7.5x more exposureMonthly brand visibility increased from 20,000 to 143,000 views after upgrading to Optimiser Edge.

The challenge

Launching any new business comes with challenges, but launching an estate agency in a highly competitive market whilst building awareness and establishing trust presents a unique set of pressures. From day one, Uptons partnered with Rightmove and worked closely with a dedicated team focused on supporting new and growing agencies as they establish themselves and grow their presence in the market. 

Unlike established firms with long-standing reputations and existing pipelines of business, Uptons started from a standing start. There was no guarantee over how many instructions would be won in the first few weeks or months, making it difficult to predict how quickly the business would gain momentum. “We didn’t know whether we’d have one property, two properties or ten landlords.” 

This uncertainty meant every investment decision needed to count. As Daniel notes, “cash flow is king” making it essential to balance investment in building awareness and generating instructions with carefully managing costs during the early stages of growth. 

Beyond this, the business faced another significant challenge: visibility. Eastbourne is a competitive market with a number of well-established agencies already competing for vendors and landlords. As a new entrant, Uptons needed a way to quickly establish credibility, generate awareness and build trust with potential customers.

The team knew they had the experience, service proposition and marketing strategy to succeed. The challenge was ensuring enough people knew Uptons existed, while carefully managing cash flow and making every investment count. 

The change

For the business, the appeal wasn’t simply access to the UK’s leading property portal. As a newly launched agency navigating the uncertainty that comes with starting from scratch, it was equally important to have access to guidance, support and expertise from people who understood the challenges of growing a business in its early stages. 

The combination of support, advice and access to Rightmove’s audience helped Uptons establish an early presence in the market, generate enquiries and begin building momentum. 

As the business continued to grow, the relationship evolved alongside it. Regular contact with the Rightmove team provided ideas, recommendations and product guidance, helping Uptons make informed decisions about where to invest to maximise visibility and awareness. 

With the foundations in place, Uptons gradually expanded its use of Rightmove products and services. Additional visibility products, awareness tools and enhanced advertising options helped elevate the brand, strengthen its presence in the local market and contribute to Uptons achieving more than 10% share of voice in Eastbourne. 

Featured Agent helped increase Uptons’ visibility across the Eastbourne market.

What began as support for a newly launched agency quickly evolved into an important part of Uptons’ longer-term growth strategy. 

For Uptons, the increased visibility has helped build brand recognition within the local market and reinforced the agency’s commitment to ensuring every client receives maximum exposure. 

The business’s growth has also been recognised externally. In its first year, Uptons became a multi-award-winning agency, winning Best in Postcode 2026, achieving Silver in the South East Region for Lettings and being nominated for the 2026 National People’s Choice Award. “We’re incredibly proud of the recognition we’ve received in our first year. More importantly, it shows that our focus on relationships, service and doing the right thing for our clients is taking us in the right direction.” 

Alongside the growth and awareness benefits, the business also believes that Rightmove continues to deliver strong value relative to its investment.

Today, the business continues to grow and remains committed to the personalised service model that has helped drive its success.

This success story was developed in partnership with Uptons and is based on interviews conducted by Rightmove. All quotes have been approved by Daniel Upton and are taken from interviews conducted by Rightmove.

Data Sources:

• Share of voice data: Rightmove internal data, Eastbourne market, March 2025 – September 2026.
• Sales agreed: Uptons internal business data, March 2025 – September 2026.
• Brand exposure data: Rightmove internal data, January 2026 – September 2026.
• Sales and lettings leads: Rightmove internal data, March 2025 – September 2026.

Figures accurate at the time of publication.