In this interview, Caroline Jean-Baptiste talks about what it takes to be an active and involved mother while also operating a successful mortgage broking business. Who says you can’t have both! Having previously worked in the cruise liner industry, Caroline talks about how she made the transition into broking, and then into operating a successful broking business. With a legion of fans who advocate for her service, Caroline earns plenty of referrals, which is coupled with a host of marketing ac...
Nov 26, 2020•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast As a multi-award winning broker and perhaps one of the most respected brokers in the country, Peita Davies has seen a lot in her 17+ years in the industry. Transitioning from the dental industry, Peita shares how the core principles of great service have been the bedrock of building her business, reputation, and loyal customer base. With an entrepreneurial flare, Peita also talks about the various business models she has deployed over the years to grow the business while also having a team of gr...
Nov 18, 2020•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Starting his career as an accountant with LaTrobe Financial in rural Victoria, 20 years on, he is still working for LaTrobe, though his knowledge, skills, and experience have grown significantly over that time. These days, as Chief Lending Officer, the focus for Cory and his team is weighted heavily toward contributing to the success of their customers, you, the mortgage broker. Interestingly, in line with Cory’s progress, LaTrobe too has extended its service offering from a ‘specialist’ lender ...
Oct 15, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jeremy Harper’s journey in mortgage broking isn’t your typical one. Having established his business in Melbourne, Jeremy packed it up and took it to New York where he and his wife lived and worked for two years. While operating in the Big Apple, through a combination of opportunity and strategic insight Jeremy chose to niche down and build his knowledge and reputation for providing specialist lending solutions for ex-pats. Now back in Australia and operating out of Sydney, the bulk of the loans ...
Oct 08, 2020•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast The journey of Richard Bootle has certainly been an interesting one. Born in rural New South Wales, Richard went onto boarding school and university in Sydney before a stint at a large corporate law firm. It was during his time at the large law firm that Richard answered the calling to return to his family roots and operate a local law firm. But, what to do when there’s already a law firm already established in your local town? Buy them out. And it was with this acquisition strategy that LawLab ...
Oct 01, 2020•39 min•Ep 140•Transcript available on Metacast As a long-time champion of the 3rd party channel, Aaron Milburn talks about his career, his love of helping brokers succeed, and his mission of educating consumers on their options so they never have to feel like there isn’t hope to solve their financial challenges. Having worked in a number of 3rd party roles including state manager @ Bank West, Citi, and St George, Aaron has found his home at Pepper. Knowing the value brokers bring to each client, Aaron continues to advocate for how brokers ca...
Sep 23, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast After a 14-year career at Westpac, Andrew Larcombe decided to join the ranks of the broking industry, and 23+ years on, he has seen just about everything and achieved an extraordinary amount. When loans were easier to write, Andrew broke the company 3-months in a row, where he set a record of 84 loans in a single month. Legend has it that record still exists to this day. With a knack for teaching, Andrew’s broking business has evolved over the years to incorporate a structured mentoring program ...
Sep 17, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this candid and relieving interview Jeremy Fisher of 1st Street Financial, we cover a number of topics pertaining to personal success, business development, and contributing back to the community. You may know Jeremy as having been ranked # 1 broker in the MPA Top 100 list with a settlement volume of $320 million. But as Jeremy readily admits, that’s when organising a deal required less admin and lenders approved applications faster. With a healthy perspective on the industry, Jeremy understa...
Sep 10, 2020•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hailing from the small country town of Orbost, Robert Trewin has built a renowned and trusted reputation across Victoria’s East Gippsland as a mortgage broker of choice, and of latter years, the mortgage broking business of choice. With a background in lending, Rob made the leap at a time when only 20% of home loans originated from the broker channel. Armed with a fervent commitment to delivering service, solutions and value to the community, Rob hasn’t looked back. These days, Rob’s brokerage h...
Aug 28, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this candid, straightforward interview, Peter White, Managing Director of FBAA, talks about his legacy, how far the industry has come and what’s in store for the months and years ahead. It will come as no surprise that Peter, just like the brokers he represents, is extremely passionate about the industry and furthering the broker cause. This is absolutely evidenced through the continued lobbying done during the Royal Commission, and more recently, to ensure the Best Interests Duty enables bro...
Aug 26, 2020•41 min•Ep 135•Transcript available on Metacast As someone who has been at the raw end of a property spruiker, I can say with absolute certainty that it does make a difference who consumers and investors get their advice from. Get it wrong, and you’re stuck with an expensive lemon. Get it right, and it can be a building block to creating financial security. In this episode, Richard Crabb, managing director of Aspire Property Network shares how their business model brings rigour, structure and professionalism to consumers to help them make obj...
Aug 19, 2020•34 min•Ep 134•Transcript available on Metacast As a stalwart of the Canberra mortgage broking scene, Gerard Heffernan is well known and respected by clients and peers alike. Having joined forces with his brother Bernard in 2015, their business hasn’t looked back. And, like many a bespoke brokerage, Gerard and Bernie understand intimately the need to provide personalised service and advice according to the needs of every client. It’s with this premise that they have continued to grow their volumes year-on-year in what is clearly a forever cha...
Aug 12, 2020•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this interview with Liz Wilson, we focused the conversation far more on culture, people, leadership and systems. Like all mortgage brokers, Liz has needed to embrace the change of recent time so she and her team can remain relevant to their clients and continue to deliver outstanding levels of service. What interesting to hear is Liz’s mindset and openness to personal change, growth and thinking differently in order to achieve different outcomes. Not only does she embrace change, but moreover...
Mar 12, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast With a love of people, processes and numbers, though Cathy Brown started life as an accountant, she has found her calling as a mortgage broker. From the early days of smashing out long hours and driving all over town, Cathy has restructured her business to fit around her life all while leveraging processes, technology and an off-shore team to deliver exceptional client outcomes. Like many a broker, Cathy found it difficult to relinquish control but has found that with continual & effective commu...
Mar 05, 2020•31 min•Ep 131•Transcript available on Metacast In today’s interview, you’re going to hear from Ilse Strauss, a leadership consultant and advisor for people who want to ensure there is alignment between their values and their business. In this interview, you’ll hear Ilse share specific insights into how having clarity of your value can and does make it easier to operate your business in a way that feels authentic for each person. The reason for asking Ilse to share light on this very important topic is because quite often, in the cut and thru...
Feb 27, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Some brokers go quietly about their business, making an impact where it matters most - with the outcomes and relationships they have with clients. This is certainly true for Kelly Cameron, the entrepreneurial director of Get Real Finance. At age 30, Kelly sold her first brokerage and ‘retired’ from the workforce, though boredom, the need to be challenged and passion for making a difference soon brought her back to the finance industry. Having since established Get Real Finance, Kelly has since b...
Feb 24, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this interview, Aaron Christie-David pulls back the curtain on some of the business processes and optimisation techniques that are helping him and his team operate an efficient and productive brokerage that delivers a smooth lending experience for their astute clientele. As a marketer turned broker, Aaron has a keen eye for the small details that help influence consumer perception of him and his brand. For example, Aaron is masterful at communicating online and recognising and appreciating hi...
Feb 13, 2020•41 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast When Otto Dargan started his mortgage broking journey, he had a modest vision of having 3 staff members and to service a local client base. But, while trekking in Nepal, he broadened his horizons in more ways than one. With a more worldly view, he came back to Australia inspired about what else was possible. With the newfound energy, he started experimenting with his business, and though not all experiments worked out, he failed often enough and quick enough to let go of the bad ideas and follow...
Feb 06, 2020•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hearing Hannah Nguyen’s story will be aspirational for many - and rightly so. She is shooting the lights out with her volumes, though she is far from resting on her laurels. Currently writing around $86 M with a goal of $100M (and then $150M), Hannah and her team operate with precision and structure to enable deals to flow smoothly through their well-oiled machine without every task being reliant on Hannah’s personal effort. If you think of a surgical team, which has the prep-nurses, the surgeon...
Dec 06, 2019•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Luke Howes is the typical story of an ‘overnight success’ 15 years in the making. Better known as the founder of bankstatements.com.au, in our interview, Luke gives us the back story that brought us his fantastic innovation that now provides value for thousands of brokers and tens of thousands of clients alike. Immersed in the entrepreneurial world for the better part of his working life, Luke readily admits that bankstatements.com.au was born out of continually listening to the market, tweaking...
Nov 28, 2019•36 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast Like many a high performer, Nathan Aird is vividly clear on what’s important to him, and he is incredibly consistent in his approach to operating his brokerage so it can support his chosen lifestyle. And, these days, Nathan strictly operates a Monday-Friday brokerage. For some, the thought of not putting in some hours on the weekend or doing ‘home appointments’ might make them nervous, but in Nathan’s case, it’s doing him a world of good... By defining his boundaries and his values, it ensures t...
Nov 21, 2019•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this refreshingly honest interview, you’ll hear Mark Stevenson talk about the tribulations and triumphs of operating a broking business. Mark is the Managing Director of Finance division of Bell Partners, a multifaceted professional services firm that aims to ‘put a ring’ around their clients so they can offer a suite of services to each client without needing to refer to people outside of the group. As looking from afar, you’d think Mark has and the team have ‘got it made’ with all the refer...
Nov 14, 2019•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast From banking to broking, Jake Biddle shares with us how he took 10 years of accumulated knowledge in the finance industry to setup Saint Finance. And, though he’s on Australia’s west coast, it was his passion for the Saint Kilda football club that was the impetus behind the name. Like most before him, though Jake initially relied on family & friends, he was able to reconnect with past clients and earn more referrals through the provision of outstanding service. After several months, his long-ter...
Nov 07, 2019•35 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast From car showroom to running his own show, Nathan Smith is an impressive individual. In this candid interview, Nathan takes us behind the scenes as to how he is building a respected, productive and high-value brokerage that is making a difference in more ways than one. And, Nathan is also the first finance guest I’ve interviewed who is also a host of his own podcast, How Gen Y Buy - which in and of itself is educating and empowering his target audience to get their foot into the property market....
Nov 01, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we talk with Jason Cuerel, who shares his unusual journey to becoming a high performing loan writer. Early in his career, Jason did a financial analysis of annual reports before transitioning to a retail sales role. It was in that role where one of these customers offered him a position with a non-bank lender which marked the beginning of his journey into the finance industry. Jason and I discuss how occasionally, with the best of intentions, some brokers find themselves having ...
Oct 25, 2019•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this interview, Clinton talks about how to get the job done to an exceptional standard and having a seamless delivery of service to the clients. We also talk about how vital it is to review your ‘why’ in doing all of the things you have been doing. Clint also shares how embracing technology has contributed to a more efficient loan process while also making it easier to build client relationships. Some of the tools in Clint’s lineup include his bespoke fact-find-form that feeds directly into M...
Oct 18, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast At the surface, Sam Carrello comes across as a stereotypical Western Australian - laid back, friendly, happy with life. And, though Sam is all these things, he’s also an astute broker who is quickly making headway with his operation, Napoleon Finance. With broking experience accumulated over several years at some of Perth’s largest brokerages, Sam took a year’s hiatus from broking before returning with a vengeance. And, unlike most ‘start-up’ business, Sam was able to connect with former referra...
Oct 10, 2019•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this interview, we tackle a taboo issue on having a great family and operating a successful business as a female in the Australian mortgage industry. Who says you can’t have both! And what better person to share their opinion than one of the most successful brokers in the country, and arguably, Australia’s leading female broker, Sarah Thomson. Sarah takes us behind the scenes into her business where she shares what has worked, what hasn’t and how she has built a reputation that well and truly...
Oct 04, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this interview, we talk about how Alex transitioned from being an accountant to a top mortgage broker that he is now. He started with absolutely no experience in the world of banking, but how did he get to where he is now? Read more. Alex, like many brokers from the Wizard Home Loans brand began his broking life without a trail income, not many referrals and their tactics for growing volumes were like a melting pot of strategies combined together. What Alex had in spades is a passion for serv...
Sep 25, 2019•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this interview with Graeme Holm, you’ll hear him share a host of tactics that have helped him quickly build his brand and profile as a preeminent broker. With a mantra for ‘people first, profits last’, Graeme refers to his clients as joining the ‘family’, which is reflected in the service proposition and ongoing support his team provides to help clients improve their financial wellbeing. Having won a host of service awards, combined with various other lead generation and brand-building strate...
Sep 18, 2019•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
