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 and refining tech solutions until they landed on something ‘big’ (aka a ‘unicorn’ in the world of tech).
And like many a small business owner, Luke learned on the job through trial and error. He advises that while tech isn’t his strong suit, he was fortunate to have a brother who he partnered with to co-create their vision.
Experiencing rapid growth, Luke quickly found himself needing to hire, lead, promote, sell & delegate so he could build the business.
Luke’s story is a parallel for many brokers who also experience the challenges that arise at various points in their business, and I hope you enjoy his forthrightness, energy and get inspired about taking your business to the next level.
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 that his time spent in the office is highly productive.
As Nathan said, he built his business by design so he could do great work for clients, and also have time to enjoy with those who matter most, namely his wife and his 3 boys.
And, though he doesn’t chase the ‘numbers’ or the ‘awards’, he does have his eye firmly on the key drivers that influence business results - namely, delivering a great client experience, always exceeding expectations, and having a great back office that can move each file quickly from application to settlement.
To introduce commercial lending to his clients, Nathan is well poised to deliver even more value and delight his clients, which in turn will be the catalyst for driving new business.
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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 referrals they could garner in-house.
And you’d be right, to a degree.
Though Mark certainly enjoys the benefit of generating a lot of leads in-house, as he candidly shares, the past 12 months hasn’t been without its challenges.
With operating overheads staying the same and settlement volumes being less predictable, Mark discusses how he has had to pivot, embrace resilience and remain highly focused to work through this challenging period and set up himself and his team up for the months and years ahead.
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-term friend and former boss Chris joined him at Saint Finance where they are co-directors of the company.
As Jake shares, if you are going into business with someone, particularly as co-owners, you want to be certain that you can support each other and ride the bumps that can sometimes happen arise.
This is sage advice, as all too often, it can be easy to see the ‘upside’ of going into business with another person without necessarily taking the time to review potential risks, threats and/or challenges that can come with having a business partner and the responsibilities herewith.
Visit Saint Finance website here.
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.
As the founder of Birdie Wealth, Nathan combines his love of tech, process optimisation and finance to deliver an efficient and highly referable service experience.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Each broker who joins the team is asked to “pull apart the process and put it together again” and improvements to be made, which optimises how the business operates and the service clients receive.
And that’s not the only thing Nathan and the team @ Birdie Wealth do differently.
Nathan and the team don’t do settlement gifts. Instead, they donate 4% of their upfront to a charity that’s close to his heart. So, for Birdie Wealth, their clients and their charity, it’s a win-win all around.