Q. What made you pursue a career in broking?
It all started about 10 years ago when I was studying at the University of Canberra. I ran out of money and decided to put my studies on hold for 12 months to find a full-time job. I ended up selling cars, and while I was making decent money, the finance manager told me that if I wanted to earn more, I needed to work with money. It made too much sense.
I then completed my Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking and found a brokerage firm that took me under their wing. I was doing a lot of underwriting. Once the information came in, I pretty much did all the servicing calcs, did all the research, made sure the right lender was fitted, stuff like that. And then I’ll present the proposal to the broker, and then the broker would hand off to the client. So I did all the admin work, prepped the application all the way through to settlement. It was strictly commission-based as well. So it was a very tough struggle for those first couple of months there!
My brother, David, who already had Crowd Property Capital running for about 10 years, focuses on development and commercial finance. He had dabbled in residential loans, but didn’t have much incentive to move to the resi side because it just wasn’t as rewarding as the development side. So, he offered to bring me over to do them when I was ready, knowing I had experience.
Q. How do you find your clients as a new broker?
This is actually the part I’m struggling with the most, as I’ve never had to source my own leads before. A lot of business trickles down from my brother’s development work, or he knows people who need help. I’ve also started leaning into my wrestling background. People always say to find your niche, but there are so many first home buyer niches. I thought, why not make myself my own niche – being a pro wrestler and a mortgage broker?
Q. How do you find your clients as a new broker?
This is actually the part I’m struggling with the most, as I’ve never had to source my own leads before. A lot of business trickles down from my brother’s development work, or he knows people who need help. I’ve also started leaning into my wrestling background. People always say to find your niche, but there are so many first home buyer niches. I thought, why not make myself my own niche – being a pro wrestler and a mortgage broker?
Q. What advice would you give new brokers?
Be aware of all the fees involved in running your own brokerage, such as aggregator fees, set-up costs, accountant fees, marketing, and website building, as they can add up quickly. I would also advise building connections before you start broking. For me, it took three or four months before I even spoke to my first real person. Try to talk to people in your local community about your plans before you’re officially set up, and then follow up once you are.
