Episode description
Daniel Hustwaite’s journey into becoming a broker was more by accident and good fortune than intention.
Starting out as a carpenter, then moving mortgage collections to help people who were in arrears, Daniel’s capability saw him quickly grow his corporate career where he eventually supervised a call centre that helped brokers understand the status of their loan applications.
At this point, someone whispered that he’d make a great broker, which was all the encouragement he needed.
For 6 years Daniel learned the craft at a brokerage called Loan Site, upon which he mustered the courage to start his own brokerage and hasn’t looked back.
A core source of generating new clientele came via strategic relationships with local estate agents.
Yes, they pay referrers for being warmly introduced, and as Daniel said, this provides the opportunity to service another client to an exceptionally high standard and earn new introductions into that client’s personal networks, which they would otherwise never be able to access.
And the strategy is clearly paying off.
Daniel’s personal settlement volumes are well in excess of $100M, and the brokerage is nudging $300M.
The collective volume has been achieved through ensuring that each broker is aligned to an estate agency near their home so their commute is small, but more importantly, that the rapport is high with the agents and clients alike.
Daniel is also acutely aware of the need for good systems and people, and to provide a culture where each person’s contribution is valued and recognised. As he says, he will look in the mirror and ask “would I want to work here”, and the answer is ever anything but a “yes”, he knows something might need to change or improve.
These strategies have seen Aqua FS’ volumes continue to grow along with strong employee loyalty and client advocacy.
With a passion for the industry, Daniels generously shares all in his interview.
Daniel’s mobile: 0408 985 611
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