Asset finance broker Nicole Romero has helped build a thriving asset finance arm at Loan Market Newcastle CBD, writing close to 150 deals a year. We caught up with the former car dealership finance manager, now specialist asset finance broker, to learn how she’s built strong relationships with clients and referral partners across Newcastle’s business community
Q. How did you become a broker?
I used to do car finance in a dealership. I went to buy a car one day, and they said, “Do you want to do asset finance or car finance?” And I said, “Sure.” No dramas.
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But it genuinely was me sitting in a car dealership going, “Do you want a job?”. It was so interesting. And I think my interview was done while I was signing the paperwork to get a new car. I was in the car finance industry for about three years, and I loved what I did. In anywhere you go, there’s quite a bit of politics that are involved in what we do. And the industry is so male-dominated. I found it at times quite difficult.
My tenure there ran its course in the sense where I just didn’t have any further progression. My boss at the time, or, sorry, my boss now, he was also in the car industry. He’d left and wanted to do better. So he started his business, and then he said, “Do you want to come work for me?”
Q. What sort of loans are you writing now?
Yeah, so I mean we do a mix – asset finance is so broad. We do not only commercial finance, but we do a lot more consumer because our book base, where we get our leads from, is mostly consumer. They get pay slips. So we want to assist them, and we want them to come back to us, and we want them to be at barbecues and say, “You know what, they help me with my house, but they also help me with my car, my boat, my jet ski, my tractor” – whatever the case may be.
Q. What, if any, deals stick out as a highlight?
I feel like helping clients is just heartwarming for me. It’s the biggest joy that I receive.
One of my clients in particular had had a horrible experience with a lender that tied all their properties into one. Getting them out of that position, just even with a personal loan, so they could build. Because with builds, once you’re in that construction process, it’s really hard for you to obtain more funds once the lender’s gone. This is what your funds are.
Especially at a point where the cost of materials has increased. You can’t extend, and you can’t do evaluation on that property. So, the personal loan aspect of it was quite important, so that they could finalise their build and obtain the occupancy certificate and then look at refinancing. And they didn’t have a great experience with that particular lender.
We got them to a point where they could refinance with a different lender.
I actually spoke to this particular client not long ago, and I became quite close with her and her husband. She’s a lovely grandmother. She’s always contacting me, checking in, saying, “Oh, thank you so much. You got me out of such a bad situation.”
Q. Is being a woman in asset finance difficult?
I think about this question constantly purely because whenever I go to awards, I don’t really see any female names up on the board. So, for me, I really enjoy uplifting women that are already doing asset finance. I met one broker, she’s new to industry as a broker, she came from the car dealerships. I always just said, “If there’s anything I can do to assist, anything I can do to help, any questions, give me a call.” We’re here to support each other at the end of the day.
I really enjoy uplifting women that are already doing asset finance. I feel like there is this stigma still as much as we do get the support that we deserve, there’s still a stigma in the industry.
There might be the old dogs that tend to say, “Well, you’re a female – why do you do what you do? Can you just work under someone else?” It’s not so much something that’s said, but you can definitely feel the elephant in the room when it happens.
Q. What advice would you share with brokers who are trying to grow their business?
Don’t be afraid to push your way through the rainforest. I heard something in broking not long ago actually. I went to a conference, and they said there are two people in the world – there’s a plantation person, and then there’s a rainforest person, and the plantation person is going to slot into the process that’s already existing. The rainforest person is always going to slash their way through the rainforest through thick and thin.
So, I think it is just being courageous.
Tune in to hear more!
Find out more about what it takes to run a major brokerage in the Elite Broker podcast episode, ‘How this asset finance specialist is carving her niche in a male-dominated market’, here:
