Robert Hayman spent over 20 years as a ship-broker mainly in the City of London but also in Hong Kong and was a co-founder director of his own ship-broking company concentrating on the sale and purchase of ships on the international market. He was a member of the Baltic Exchange from 1965 until 1987 when he decided to leave the shipping business and move to the West Country. He is married and has two daughters.

Having always been interested in the property market he decided to utilise his negotiating and organisational skills by assisting buyers in the West Country. He commenced trading in 1989.