Mortgage Broker Broadcast
Developing your knowledge to help you build a successful Mortgage Broker business. Craig Skelton shares his thoughts and experiences on all aspects of mortgage advice covering everything from operating in the banking world, estate agency based advisers all the way up to working as a self employed broker. He will be joined by experts from within the industry and other business sectors which all play a key part in becoming a successful mortgage broker in the modern world.
Mortgage Broker Broadcast
Empowering Growth: Leigh Rowland's Journey to Directly Authorised and Building Fear Financial
What happens when a self-employed mortgage broker decides to take the reins and establish their own firm? Discover the answer as Leigh Rowland returns to our podcast, sharing his transformative journey to becoming directly authorised and launching Fear Financial. Leigh opens up about the challenges and victories along the way, from building a reputable local brand over the last five years to his transition from an office setting to a more engaging, public-facing shop environment. And that's not all—Leigh manages to balance his professional pursuits with his personal roles as a dedicated football coach and family man, all while looking ahead to the evolving landscape of mortgage broking in 2025.
Ever wondered how competitive brokers can actually support each other? In this episode, we shine a light on an inspiring community of local mortgage brokers who prioritise collaboration over competition. Leigh shares his firsthand experiences with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), underscoring the importance of preparation and a solid support network when tackling the intricate process of direct authorisation. From liaising with stakeholders to navigating the maze of industry jargon and lender relationships, he offers invaluable insights into the patience and resilience required for such a significant transition.
As Leigh steps into the demanding role of a directly authorised director, the conversation turns to the responsibilities and accountability that come with it. We also take a peek into the future of Fear Financial, focusing on sustainable growth and maintaining the company’s core values. Whether you're just starting your career as a mortgage broker or looking to scale your business, this episode offers tailored guidance to help you reach your ambitions. Join us for an exploration of growth, challenges, and the power of a supportive community in the ever-evolving world of mortgage broking.
Looking for one to one mentoring, visit my website to see how it works craigskelton.co.uk
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Hi and welcome to this week's the Mortgage Broker broadcast. My guest this week is Lee Rowland and Lee's back on the podcast. Yes, he's been on probably half a dozen times already. He hasn't been on for about a year since we did the Habits season back in the early January 2024, if you want to listen back on that. But I wanted to get Lee onto the podcast for a couple of reasons really. One was to have a brief discussion around local and local branding and how he's built that up over the years of, I think, five years since he's been self-employed now. But also I want to talk to him more importantly with that. He's recently gone directly authorized so he set up his own firm, gone directly authorized and I wanted to get him to the podcast just to explain. It's very early days, he's just only gone live last week or so, but just want to get through the process understanding a little bit more, explain a bit of detail about going directly authorised and how he's done it, how he's felt, the challenges faced and things like that. So yeah, that's today's episode.
Speaker 1:But before we get into that, if you are joining us for the first time, if you're listening to the podcast for the first time, then I'm your host, craig Skelton. I have my own mortgage broker business and I'm also a coach and mentor for mortgage brokers and business owners too. The idea behind this podcast is here to give you actionable insights and strategies to grow your business and also develop your mindset. And if you do enjoy this podcast, please leave a review, please like and share it with any mortgage brokers or business owners that you can feel will benefit from listening to this episode, or any of the past episodes too. So now it's time to let get Lee onto the pod. So welcome back onto the podcast, lee. How are you?
Speaker 2:Oh, thanks for having me back on Craig. Really well, thank you. They might not know, it's Monday morning, but I had a brilliant weekend and now I'm looking forward to the rest of the week. How are you? Yeah?
Speaker 1:very good, thank you Good, yeah, good, good start to the year, ready for sort of 2025 and the challenges that are going to be faced this year, and obviously you've got new beginnings rolling into the year, which we're going to talk about shortly, so, but, yeah, all good, ready for 2025, I think. I think 2025 is going to be a good year for brokers and I do.
Speaker 2:I was very positive about the year ahead lots of hard work for, I think, everybody hard, it is going to be hard work, but there is a lot of opportunities out there for everyone, I think. So, fingers crossed, everyone can optimize that and have a great 2025 definitely, definitely, definitely.
Speaker 1:So, first of all, for those people that don't know, even though you've been on this podcast five times already, plus we've done a series, but that's not so, if you think about it, that's over. So how long has the podcast been going now? Three and a half years. Three and a half years, yeah, so so you've been on a couple of times.
Speaker 2:You're a couple of times you're returning. I feel sorry for the people who watch it, to be honest, you, but thank you for having me back on and, uh, hopefully we can add some sort of value on this one as well, because I love it. I love coming on you.
Speaker 1:I come on you every week, as you know mate, you add value every single time, so don't don't worry too much around that. But for those people that haven't listened to you before, don't know who you are, do you want to just give a brief introduction of who is lee roland uh?
Speaker 2:yeah, of course, the main thing is uh, married to lauren, four beautiful children, uh, director of uh, fear financial, which we'll be talking about later. Mortgages made easy. Only been a mortgage broker for about five and a half, six years, started off as self-employed and then, luckily, we've gone through this story. I sort of pestered Craig and he allowed me to work with him on my brand, my way, and now I've just gone directly authorized. So it's been a bit of a journey, pretty pretty good actually, uh, exciting. And we've also moved premises this year as well. So we've gone from an office to a. A shop is the outside, but in the inside it's more offices, which I can elaborate on later. But yeah, just a guy, just a just normal bloke who has a normal life and enjoys himself and coaches some football as well.
Speaker 1:So yeah, that's it. Yeah, you forgot about that. I was going to say then about the football coaching as well, which you entertain your weekends no doubt every single weekend. But no, lee, thanks for coming back on. The reason why I wanted to get back on was obviously I think it's fair to say we have shared the journey on the podcast, going from sort of when you was at King, when you first came on the podcast, like several years ago, first self-employed, to then having what was the Mortgage man Wales, wasn't it? That was the thing. Yeah, mortgage man Wales. I was thinking then what was the?
Speaker 1:yeah, that was the brand then.
Speaker 2:There was, but there was a more local. Um, yeah, that was, that was the brand. Then there was, but there was a. There was a more local one than that as well. I don't know if you ever saw that one, because the instagram was mortgage man, wales, but locally I was known as um. I can't, I gotta have to say it out loud come brands mortgage man, right, okay, and um, I didn't even have my face on there. It was a logo, um of a like-bad superhero and he carried around a little house as a shield.
Speaker 1:I can remember that and it is still around. You can still see it on there, so I might put a link into the podcast so people can view your superhero logo.
Speaker 2:Well, I wish I was downstairs in the office. I'm not, I'm upstairs at the moment, but I've still got the first ever advertising board we had out with the mortgage man logo on it, and it got battered by a football, but I managed to salvage the mortgage man bit and I've signed the back and put a date on it and everything. It's a bit sad, I suppose, but I always thought, oh, I'll have it up one day. I'll have it it up. So it's still downstairs. So, yeah, I did have a. I didn't have my face on anything, I had a logo. It was Cumbrands Mortgage man and also Mortgage man Wales. Yeah, yeah, it was that, yeah.
Speaker 1:Do you want to like, shall we? Because I did want to talk a little bit. Not, it wasn podcast, but um, you sort of, really sort of early on, realized the importance of local, because I've been fortunate down to cumbra a few times, I've walked on the high stream, we've been surrounded. People do very much know you, know everybody, everybody knows you, every. You've done everybody's mortgage. Everybody sort of knows who you are, you like, know everybody, and I think that's sort of it's one of those things where when people first start being a mortgage broker and they get a little bit of a I'm not well known locally but they think, oh, I'm going to now conquer the, the county, or I'm going to conquer the country, I'm going to like, literally be national. I'm not saying that you're not going to do that, but that's very much right. You are very much the one broker in Kumbh Rann and everybody knows you and you do everybody's mortgage. Is that fair to say?
Speaker 2:If any other mortgage brokers in Kumbh, rann or Torvine watch this, then no, it's not fair to say really. But if you look at it, percentage wise, I don't do too badly. I don't do too bad considering, and I just thought I played to my strengths. I've always, you know, I have played football. I've lived here for quite a few years and I've got a good local community my own local community, if you like and I just thought what's the best way to tell people about what I do and how I could support them rather than use my local community and it was quite easy to do due to my network to start with, and then building on within that network and then backing it up with the social proof, which is the reviews.
Speaker 1:But I heard this, it wasn't me. Someone said someone said five mile famous. Have you ever heard of that five?
Speaker 2:mile famous, yeah, yes, anyway. So I I I don't know, I'm not gonna. I wish I could, I wish I dreamt that up superb. So I just thought, right, if I can be five mile famous, where everyone knows who I am, what I do and I can do a good job and, fingers crossed, people then want to come to me, then I can use that as the catalyst to do more business for people. That's what it was and it's not in a conniving way either.
Speaker 2:I do actually really enjoy supporting other local businesses. Like Customize RS have done our like you're just about to see right, they've. They've done our logos, our, my football kits, you know, for the football team, they've done my signage on everywhere. And I I do like supporting other local businesses like modern media marketing. Everyone you know, I think locally, it does, it does benefit, it does make me quite happy to be involved in, like, uh, the community. So everybody sort of does, I know it, it's cheesy, does grow together and that's worked really well because we all help each other out.
Speaker 2:Then, you know, not just on social media, but just if someone's chatting they don't really go to the pub that much, but if you are chatting at football, at the gym and someone says to me or where'd you get your signage from? I say customize RS. And hopefully John over at Customizer S has all the new mortgages. And they say, leave. So what goes around comes around, and it was building that core to start, with a good reputation and luckily for me or now it's us it worked. So yeah, if you are a local broker and I'm not an expert with any stretched imagination use your own personal network and play to your strengths really and just go local as possible and just create some working relationships. It's got to be two way. Look, you can't be selfish. You can't just take, take, take and expect people to do business with you, because you'll get found out after a while. And it's got to be. It's a relationship, at the end of the day, which has to be nurtured from both sides as well.
Speaker 1:Um, so yeah yeah, I think that's it. Like you're saying there, it's about nurturing it, making sure it's a two-way thing, and I think that the other thing with it as well is that you seem to forget, like you are, you've got other business owners, are generally on their own, they are very much sole traders or one-man bands. They might be different industries but they're going through the same challenges, the same thoughts, the same issues, the same sleepless nights, the whole sort of mental awareness, the whole sort of challenges that owning a business face. So I think it's important to know your other local businesses, because it's okay to have conversations and help each other and just having somebody to talk to that doesn't understand your industry but understands what it's like to be on your own as a business owner.
Speaker 2:You'll notice, when you bump into people who own their own business, they'll say how's business? People who don't own their own business they'll say how's business? Right, people who don't own their own business won't ask about businesses because they want you to sort of then say I always say, as you know, I always say ticking over, right. And then they want, sometimes they want you to ask it and back so they can open up a little bit, even if it's just in the car park, because not to me essentially because I'm, you know, but anyway they want you to ask them back so then they can have a moan flipping clients, blah, blah, blah, or effing customers, do you know what I mean?
Speaker 2:And then you just like and then you say but on a whole, how's it going? You're right, and they go. Yeah, yeah, thankfully, we're good, yeah, we're taking over, and so the people who own a business will ask you how business is. And that is that's great, I think, because you get recognized as a business owner who goes through the same, exactly what you said, the same struggles and strife as everybody else, regardless of the, the product or the component that you're actually making or producing or or giving away.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Definitely, Definitely. I think, like I said, we don't. We don. We often overlook the local people and the local bands and the local business owners that can actually help us to keep us on the straight and narrow as business owners. Yes, it's great to talk to people within the industry and if you've got local people, that you have the abundance mindset like you do and I do and not everybody's like that with regards to local competition and things like that, there are plenty enough chimney pots in this country for mortgages for everybody.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly. Well, I'm in quite a nice little local mortgage broker group, to be honest. There's probably eight of us in there and all from different companies, and if I had a really tricky case and I did want a little bit of um hand, then I'd pop it. Pop it in the whatsapp group. We're all trying to work together. They'll all watch this and they'll be laughing. So I contribute absolutely nothing to that. I'm useless. I just do rockets and fire and stuff like that. Um, but there's some great brokers in there. We are all working together, which is nice, you know, regardless of, like you said, there's enough chimney pots to go around. Well, it's the same as the other businesses. Really, we all work together. We can all benefit, can we?
Speaker 1:and that's that's the way forward it is, and I thought that's amazing that you've got that local broker community that can help, that helps each other out. That is that I'm gonna say that's pretty unique ladies not many of those I wouldn't have thought and if you have got one, then great, put in a comment or and let us know, but I don't think there's been many out there which has got local brokers that are in essence, competitors but then at the same time, helping and sharing each other. Helping and sharing and actually helping each other maintain the business and grow the businesses as well that shocked me.
Speaker 2:I, I, that's. I just thought it was normal. I've been, I've been a broker very long, about five, six years. I just thought that was normal. They would help each other out. Unless there was one mortgage left, you're all gonna have a big scrap over in a ring. Then just get on. Just get on with each other and help each other out, surely? No, unless someone's done you over, you know. If someone's really pulled your pants down, yeah, you know. What I mean is if someone's pretty much I don't know done something against your character which isn't very nice and you haven't had it out with them, then obviously yeah. But if there's, but just get on with each other, I'm literally surprised. I thought everyone was sort of supporting each other and helping each other I might be wrong.
Speaker 1:I might be wrong, but I I know there is obviously within firms, like you know. We've got oh yeah there's within firms helping each other out, even if brokers are closed, located close by. But yeah, I'm not. I might be wrong and I think there's some stuff with networks that I do. So I'm saying there is, there is some sort of networks which tend to have peer groups and things like that with local business owners, but mortgage brokers, yeah, I might be totally wrong.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, you might be wrong and I'm naive. Probably we don't know, do we? It'd be interesting to find out if anyone does give us some feedback. That'd be nice.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Anyone does give us some feedback. That'd be nice, absolutely so. We've talked about local branding, but the main thing was to get you on to talk about going da. So you've now gone directly, authorized. You've still got your full head of hair. You've not gone gray yet and, um, yeah, just obviously we're getting into detail about it, but you're still smiling, you're okay going through the process.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, firstly, I don't think I don't want to sit here and say that I've done all this. You know, there's been so many people who have had to support me but also pick up work that I wasn't able to do as well. I think it's important if somebody does go DA, they realize that the work that goes into it. You won't be able to write mortgage after mortgage after mortgage because you won't have enough time in the day. It'll be really difficult. You know it will be difficult.
Speaker 2:So we've I've got to thank you, craig, obviously, because you've been absolutely unbelievable, just brilliant really. Um, liz from Rockstone Compliance, who's just, you know, written things which I can't write in language that I can't write either, and I owe my hands up to that. She's been a fantastic. My accountant, liz as well, for double checking everything, so I didn't want anything to go to the FCA which wasn't checked by an accountant and obviously my wife as well, and then Jordan and Jag, who work with me as well. They've had to pick up a lot of things because I've been working on the DA side of things. So that's the thank yous.
Speaker 2:But thank you, mate. I mean you know we work together well, don't we? It's been good to help you mean, you know we work together well, don't we? It's been good to help you so Honestly so, you know, that's why I'm all great. I'm sort of going a bit thin, but yeah, so it's not, as I don't think it's as bad as everybody sort of thinks it might be. To be honest with you, if you've got the right sort of team of people around you who can sort of complement your skills, if you like, yeah um yeah it, we've had some stressful moments.
Speaker 2:There's, there's, no, there's no getting away from that, but it's uh, it's not too bad. You know you would do after the call from the fca was a that that my mind. They called, they wanted to speak to me on a Teams call and you know I'm a pretty confident guy. But when the FCA wants to ring you about an application, even I started to get a little bit, oh my.
Speaker 1:God, but that's something natural. If you wasn't, I think most people in financial services they've got a call from the fc and one of the teams, then I think most people would sort of and if you don't, then well, he just shows you they care. Obviously he's sort of. Oh, so I was like that, that.
Speaker 2:That was a bit of a sleepless night, though, and because I was prepared with all my answers, you know, for every sort of eventuality, about the entire application and the process or whatever else and he just wanted to confirm two points, which I confirmed, which you helped me with, you helped me with those. Those were the two points you said that he'd talk about, and he talked about those, and he was quite. He's a cool guy, he was great, he's just a normal human being, and I just answered the questions and then, for once in my life, I shut my mouth and didn't say anything else because I didn't want to. I just went and he said no, that's it, lee, we're done now. And I was like, oh, brilliant.
Speaker 1:And then, um, luckily, then they said that we're gonna, we're gonna get registered and we go directly authorized, which is brilliant excellent and and the end goal how long is the sort of from you first not thinking about doing this, but first sort of traction with it? Shall we say where you think actually I want to put I do want to go directly authorized? How long has the whole process taken?
Speaker 2:um, I registered fear back a while ago. Uh, fear financial, but I would say, well, we are now january, probably 15, 16 months, right, right, if you think about, if you think about when I started talking to you about the planning and literally this was not. You know, we can't sit back with cigarette packet. Let's talk about we put some stuff down on a remarkable craig because we're up to date, down, we've, we've got to have a match. We'll jot some stuff down on our match as well. We're up to date.
Speaker 2:We are, we are. So, all joking aside, it's got to be about 15 months, from some ideas and the way it's going to be structured in then to contacting Liz at Rockstone Compliance to then getting a plan of what we actually had to do in order to become da the application process, what goes into the application process, what data you have to have. Are we going to compile that data in order to send it in to the application, then answer the questions which have come back from the original application and it all it? You could just bang the answer out, but really you've got to confer with other parties, haven't you, to make sure that everything ties in properly. Um, because what you don't want to do is, um, go da and then the structure's not right. Then you can't provide the services that you wanted to provide, which was the whole point to go in da in the first place. Um, because I, as you know, I wanted to maybe in the future be able to deliver some more specialist products if possible, and I wanted a little bit more, maybe a little bit more flexibility on a few things. But if I hadn't made sure that the application was right, along with Liz and yourself, then I wouldn't be able to do what I wanted to do anyway, then I wouldn't be able to do what I wanted to do anyway. But yeah, then obviously we've got to look into sort of mortgage clubs, crm systems.
Speaker 2:You're liaising with all these different people and they're not speaking a different language as such, but you have to learn quite quickly on the spot the acronyms involved in the DA world and how the process works, the relationships between the mortgage clubs, the CRM providers, the lenders, the insurance providers, and so you know, for someone like me, if I didn't have you alongside me, it would have been really difficult. Plus, the people you talk to are really helpful and as soon as you tell them, you know I haven't done this before. Can you like really make it easy? They're pretty, they're pretty good, they're pretty good and everyone's working. They're artists. It just takes a long time. You know everyone's trying their best. It's not like someone's taking taking their time, which, uh, I'm learning as I'm going seem to when you look back at the, the process, obviously you are learning.
Speaker 1:As you said, it's a different aspect. Well, I'll cover about the process first and I want to talk about the like mindset. Is there any mindset change? But, like, cover the process first of all. So the first thing was because I think that's the thing is where to start with it is. So the first thing was obviously you knew this was something you wanted to do. You went to like the. You didn't sort of go right, I'm gonna fill an application form today with the fca and start that. You went to the compliance aspect of it first, which is obviously, excuse me, the right way to do it, given the fact that we that's where you sort of you want to make sure everything's done right from the start. So, compliance first, understanding that that's where you sort of you want to make sure everything's done right from the start. So, compliance first, understanding how that's going to be managed, how that's going to be supervised.
Speaker 1:Fca application, which is like a mortgage submission application. Really You're sort of sending it in thinking it's going to come back. I accept Like, did you get it? You can't get dipped first of all with the FCA application, but you can sort of full application in being, then look scrutinized by the underwriter or the fca. They then come back and say we need more documents, we need more information, or actually we need a team's meeting with the director and she, yeah, to sort of say this, so so, so yeah, I can imagine sort of the underwriters having direct conversations with clients. Wouldn't go down too well with brokers, but that's the difference in terms of the analogies sort of separate a little bit there. But then they do come back aligned with then obviously. Then you then answer back. You get the green light then from what you're sort of saying.
Speaker 1:Cliz and Roxanne Compl, you're doing their part of it, because it's all the things like on boarding to think about. Like you say it's then when does more like mortgage clubs, do it? Do you do mortgage clubs or don't do mortgage clubs? Do you do protection clubs? Do you don't do protection clubs? Do you do like? You've got obviously the the issues of one thing that um probably don't highlight for everybody coming up like, but the things that you, the challenges that you face, you want to just explain them in terms of like sort of what certain things people will take for granted, like hsbc like non-indemnity indemnity on protection, things like that. Do you want to just explain the? Why are you smiling at?
Speaker 1:this point why are you sort?
Speaker 2:of laughing because you just opened up a wound which I closed last week. Sorry, I'm just well, I know it's me. I'm just gonna take a swig of my tea just to play yeah, while you've opened that wound up yeah, well, and, but don't to me, I did stuff that was hard to get.
Speaker 2:You know you've got hsbc, I think. Tsb, uh, bank of ireland uh, off the top. I haven't got my notes in front of me, craig, my apologies, but they were. They weren't just ones that you could apply to and get uh registration. I think we had to Bank of Ireland, tsb, hsbc we got accepted for, but TSB, thankfully, I got a good relationship with our business development manager and she managed to get get us in with tsb and also bank of ireland, uh, I got a good relationship with with reese as well, but I don't think that many ee that I then applied and uh, I spoke to reese, who we've known for ages and hsbc was the same, I believe, and um, it's just.
Speaker 2:It's just things which take you by surprise. You know I should. Maybe I should have known before I started, but I didn't. And you, you know I was registering with I think everyone out there is gonna laugh. I registered with 75 different lenders, mind, just so all those lent you're, you must think I'm nuts, but before I'll just pick this best. Eightly, I'm like no, hang on a minute, I want the rest of us, 75 different lenders. So every lender adjured of my company. So every lender I know it's mental in there, but I have to do it yeah, 75 lenders have you to fear financial. Hopefully, 75 business development managers will have us on their books and even if our passwords expire, even if, whatever, we are there.
Speaker 2:So I, so I registered the company and I registered myself as a broker, and sometimes that can take two or three different backwards and forwards, so altogether it must be in over a thousand interactions with all these different lenders. Not all the, not all the insurance providers because we've got no track record will give you indemnity straight away, right, okay, they won't, they that you have to. You have to do, uh, personal guarantees for the, the providers, the majority of them. And, um, here's a quick tip make sure you do a wet signature as well, because that was something as stupid which put me back three or four, five days, because I I just done your electronic signature, right, like the right tonka reading back over. Absolutely ridiculous thing to do, but you know, done it. So there's the quick tip.
Speaker 1:Good learning.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and that put me back. But then you know you get feedback. We've been quite fortunate now. I think we've got most of the insurance providers on indemnity and non-indemnity. I think there's only one which is non-indemnity only. But you do have to put personal guarantee forms in and you've got to apply and then it's just um, the mortgage clubs. They will, you know, can't criticize anybody from any mortgage club who's got back to us but they've all got their different um pros and cons. You know it does come down to the same thing in the end, but they've all got different criteria, or or not responsibilities, craig, what would it probably would be, or stuff that I might have to take on personally to be part of that club. Um and or and it's whatever fits your business at that time.
Speaker 2:I think you can be a member of more than one mortgage club. You can, I know you can, but we just selected one. And then you've got to look at the CRM then as well. If you're having a CRM, do you want to pay for it? Do you want to get the free one? Does it fit in with your business? You've got to have. You've got to go through demos of each CRM as well business you've got to have. You you've got to go through demos of each crm as well as you've got demos and you've got chats with all the mortgage clubs, chats with the crm people, and then you've got to make sure that that jigsaw puzzle fits together, not just for me but for, obviously, um, people who might want to join fear, under whichever way, they want to go. I'm not sure if we'll talk about that later or not, because there's going to be opportunities for people, as we're a DA firm now, to join our, to join via financial yeah.
Speaker 1:And I've got to make definitely All right, cool.
Speaker 2:So I've got to make sure that it's fit, for it sounds silly, doesn't it? But it's fit for purpose, because so much information you've just got to this might come into the mindset thing. You've got to make sure you compartmentalize every single thing which you're doing and make sure that you can piece it together in the end. And then, luckily for me, I had you there to sort of give me honest feedback and I wanted you to be comfortable with what I was doing as well. And so there's a lot of information and it can be information overload, but I think, as long as you're organized and you can put it into compartments and you've got to I'll tell you what I've got to do, Craig which is important is compromise as well. You have to make compromises along the way. You have to.
Speaker 2:I could sit here and say, oh, I want to do X, Y and Z, but unless you're turning over a fortune, you've got to look at the bottom line, because you'll end up getting all singing, all dancing system, all singing, all dancing, everything. And you might not. Unless you're super on, unless you're absolutely on fire, your castle spiral out of control. So you've got to make compromises on certain things and certain situations as well. So it's important to be flexible and um and compromise in your own mind about certain things that you wanted or which you can't get at this point, but if you do well, maybe you can get in the future. I think it's because I'm waffling on then. Was I waffling on then? A little bit? Sorry if I was.
Speaker 1:I was just no. I think it's like it's a good point about compromise. I think it's a case of do you do people think you like you think about the journey from going from employed to self-employed as a mortgage broker? Does that give you more freedom, more flexibility? But this is a compromise, absolutely. Then going from being part, like self-employed broker, part of the firm, to then having your own firm this compromise there you get more freedom and flexibility, absolutely, but then you've got more. You've still got a compromise. Moving from network to da, like you've done, you've got more freedom and flexibility, absolutely, but there's still compromise. And I think that's sort of good point, a great point to get across, that you still have to compromise on certain things, even though you're now directly authorized. But I think it's a great point to raise like, really do, yeah, I got there in the end, didn't I?
Speaker 2:I got there in the end with it.
Speaker 2:I, I got there in the end with it.
Speaker 2:But the other thing in craig is just quickly, is a bit more serious is the responsibility which comes with being directly authorized director as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, now, that's why the compliance word is just like I'm I'm going to be a bit of a nutcase on compliance, I think for for until we're absolutely set up and everything's running absolutely smoothly, because my neck, you know, I'm sort of taught the people who might be thinking about going DA year and I appreciate that I'm not, I'm not exactly the best, you know, I've only been DA for a bit but your neck's on the line, your family's on the line, everything. So we're only going to take this process on. You've got to make sure that you're committed to it, like I was fully committed as soon as we had that chat. We had that chat, an honest, open chat, about the, the responsibilities of becoming da and not, you know, the flexibility and everything else. But I I'm fully aware that my neck is on the line and compliance process systems have all got to make this work for me and my family, which is, as you know, really important to me. So it's important that the responsibility aspect is is put out there as well no, definitely no.
Speaker 1:I think that's because that was what I was going to ask you about. The. The mindset is there. Is there a different mindset shift to them being very your head's fully above the parapet now you are literally head and shoulders out there, do you know? I mean that. So is that a different, shifting mindset from you? Think about where you've come from, from being a, from coming into the industry to then being self-employed, to then having your own brand and business, to then taking that and going directly authorized. If you look back at lead transition over from a mic from your own head's point of view over that period of time and look at how is this a difference now in Lee to what there was?
Speaker 2:five years ago. The honest answer is as soon as I went self-employed, as soon as I went self-employed, it was all on me anyway. Everything was on me. So obviously the responsibilities have increased because I'm not I. I have got more responsibilities than when I was just a mortgage broker, and that's just sorry.
Speaker 2:When I was a mortgage broker I don't mean that, but my mindset if I talk about my mindset, as soon as I went self-implied, it was all on me, it was all it was all on me anyway. So whatever I took on, whatever I agreed to, whatever I put out on social media, every decision was was my decision right. And so it doesn't matter if I just at every level, it's all been on me anyway and I've. I've always, if I wanted to go forward, made sure that I was confident in going forward, and if it goes pear-shaped, it goes pear-shaped on me anyway. So my mindset has always been progress, obviously year on year, if I can make it. But it's always been on me and this is always on me as well, and I'll.
Speaker 2:This goes back to like a sporting thing You've got to back yourself, haven't you? You've got to back yourself so, and you've got to back yourself, haven't you, you've got to back yourself, yeah so, and you've got to back yourself, and so I do back myself to make this work. But I, I'm not uh, but I, but I do realize the importance of not just my family, but jordan's family, jag's family, at this point as well.
Speaker 1:They're really important to me and I think that's that's good. Do you acknowledge that? Because I think you have to. Like you say, there's certainly far more responsibility forced on you, naturally, because you are now sort of front and square in front of the FCA kind of thing. So you are going to have to and, yeah, it's going to be a it has to be sort of that responsibility, accountability, but then you're taking the broader shoulders on and thinking, well, jordan, jordan's family, jag, jag's family, and then any others, that sort of joins within the, within your business is. Then you take it, which is a great way to that. That's how it should be, rather than sort of the, the blase way of like not thinking like that.
Speaker 1:I'm not thinking about. Well, there's a bigger picture here, not just me and my family. There's a bigger picture across the whole business and particularly locally for the, those people that you work with. Then it's um, yeah, there's big responsibilities, and acknowledging and understanding that and then being adaptable to change is key to having that, to making that a success in terms of your own mindset, because you can get too, or you could get too overwhelmed by the whole thing, especially when the challenge you face from registering with lenders or providers and stuff like that brings you back to that scar that you've uh, you've got plenty of tattoos, mate. You've now got a scar with that going on.
Speaker 1:So we've talked about. So obviously we understand the past, understand that you are now dear. You've explained a little bit around the challenges and process and now you are. You fully set up. You've now fully trading fear. Yes, that's all up and running and you're trading. So what's the plans now moving forward? Now you're there and you've gone through the pain and you've always been about growth. Every single time we've talked, it's always been about growth. What's now the future for? For lee, for fear, for the da firm, which is called fear financial? What's, what's that look like?
Speaker 2:Well, I think it's important to say that it's about growth, but sustainable growth, not just growth for growth's sake, because you know, I just want to like 20 mortgage advisors come and work for me and they have a crappy experience here and all of a sudden they're like, oh, fear financial's a load of rubbish. I've got no credibility then. So it's sustainable growth going forward. So, um, fear financial, as you said is, is a da firm. We will be looking to recruit um, or we would be open to people having conversations with us about joining fear financial. Um, have I put an advert out for that yet, craig? No, um, I might, we might do. I'll talk with you because I'm wondering if, um, well, I need your advice obviously, and obviously there might be some candidates who might want to go on my brand my way after seeing that my, seeing the support that you've given me, might be beneficial for them at that point in their career rather than going da. But we can talk about that if you're happy to. Um, the firmest, the firmest self we I've got to, I've got to get us a bit more stabilized for the next four weeks, I would say, because the crm I've still got to work it out properly and then, um, we'll do some transitional stuff with jag and jordan and then we'll be people, transitional stuff with Jag and Jordan, and then people can inquire. Now if they want to talk to me about the potential opportunities going forward.
Speaker 2:The business itself has moved into a different premises. I'm not sure if you remember one of the podcasts. I was in a lovely office, but we've now moved back to Cumbra and we're like in a converted shop now. So we called it the property hotspot and we've got a Mike Osborne's let ins. Is that what? You've seen it? We've got Mike Osborne let ins upstairs. I look that way because that's where he is over there and we got more just made easy downstairs and we're hoping to do a couple of ones, a new business and one new project in this year between Mortgage is Made Easy and Osborne Lettings and the hotspot is hoping that it's going to be like it's a bit of a marketing thing, the property hotspots.
Speaker 2:It's going to end up being a bit like an estate agent, letting agent, mortgage advisor. But I named it property hotspot because he'll hopefully stand out a little bit. So back to fearIA. Yeah, going to be recruiting mortgage advisors, open to have conversations, no problem at all. Then a couple of joint projects which, hopefully because Mike does let-ins and we'll bring more leads or inquiries into FIA Financial, because those projects be aimed at bringing clients back into the business or supplying, uh, or providing, in the end, more specialist finance options. Right, um, okay, yeah, I don't want to. You know that you, the last thing you want to do is say things which might not happen. I've never done that, so so, yeah, there's some excitement.
Speaker 1:Say it on the podcast, then it will happen. If you say it on the podcast, then it's going to happen. You've got the pressures on then to make sure it happens. I can I can?
Speaker 2:I don't think we'll have me back on in April, but in April you might be able to do an announcement, okay we'll leave that for three months.
Speaker 1:Yeah, on soundline.
Speaker 2:We'll get you back on the podcast, yeah, so so, yeah, looking to expand for your financial, whichever way we can, a couple of uh joint projects with osborne let ends into the property hotspot, uh banner and um just make sure that um current situation with jordan and jag, everyone's happy and healthy and enjoying their, enjoying their time in the workplace. That's the priorities, okay.
Speaker 1:And in terms of if I'm thinking about becoming a broker, are you looking for an experienced mortgage broker or are you looking for somebody that you can help nurture into the if they've got the c-map qualified, as in the c-map, is that something you're gonna like you can? Obviously they need to get c-map, but is that something you're open to as well of taking on an experience for the right people, or is it so you want the experienced people to to come into your business?
Speaker 2:It's painful to say this, right, because I'm all about, you know, developing people. But at this point, at this point, I think they would have to be experienced brokers, craig, who are looking, who are maybe under a network or who because, like I mentioned briefly earlier, I, at this point, I've not got the time to support somebody from the start. I'd rather be honest and say I have not got the time to start support somebody from the start. Um, maybe you, you, you add, if they had this C-map, you might be able to, under my brand, my way, you might be able to support them there. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely, yeah, yeah, um, at the minute it'd be experienced brokers. Yeah, hopefully in the future you know the future future I could open up an academy, I could have trainee brokers and we could put a pathway in place from there through the da company, which would be brilliant, yeah, but at this point, well, imagine I didn't spend any time with a trainee broker and they just sat there like a lemon and I'm just like, oh sorry, mate, I got to go and do another project with Mike from upstairs They'd be like no, no, no, at the moment. Experienced brokers who just are positive people, nice people who want to collaborate maybe with, uh, with, other brokers and help them as well, with the abundance mindset, but we can't always get what we want, but anybody who wants to reach out, then please do yeah okay.
Speaker 1:So experienced brokers looking at share, like maybe looking to go work under a da firm, whether they're employed at the minute, or so employed, moving, self-employed, but working with you, or experience coming across to work with you, but about sharing the right, your values, like you said, which is which is important to you, and having that kind of the right mentality yeah well, the values have always been important to me.
Speaker 2:You know that they're in my mortgage proposition document. I've. I said I've. The first thing I did when I launched Mortgage Made Easy, the first five videos I'd done were the values of the company.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I can't go around. Just, they are very important to me, the values, and hopefully, well, yeah, of course, the values go through the core of the company with everything we do, and so what we can do is deviate from that, because you lose your identity then, don't you? And the identities is important to everything else. So, um, yeah, hopefully, um, we've got the right values, I think. Um, and the last one is enjoying every day and like it's like, yes, I'm enjoying this, I enjoy, I enjoy talk to you, I enjoy coming into work, um, I enjoy talking to Jordan.
Speaker 1:I think that's sort of if you with the sort of second week into 2025, if you're not enjoying doing what you're doing, then you need to do something about it. And it's not always easy to do something about it, but you have to enjoy doing what you do and don't get me wrong, there's always going to be times where challenges and stuff like that, but you do genuinely love where you work, love who you work with, love what you do, and that's important, it is massively important and that will show within the culture that you have within fear.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, fingers crossed, if we just expand on what we've done and it doesn't get diluted too much as we go along that's why I said sustainable growth then you can keep the core pretty good. Now there might be firms out there who've got 100 brokers and likely you're having a laugh mate. But I'm not aiming at 100 brokers at this point. I'm just trying to grow a sustainable business. So at this point my core values and the values won't just be a folder. They'll be instilled in people as they join the process. So, fingers crossed, we can keep it going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely, and that's what it's all about my culture, that that is the key to building the sustainable business. Whether you've got and it doesn't really matter whether you've got one or 101, like you say, it doesn't really matter, it's about building on solid foundations with the right culture.
Speaker 2:So, absolutely well, your, your culture at cs is fantastic, isn't it like? I was under my brand, my way, and although geographically we were miles away, we had days out. We had a support group, you had yourself there. We had all people who were willing to help. And so, you know, I'm learning from you in that respect as well, mate, because although we were geographically far away from most of the people, we knew everybody. And you know, we went to the races for an anniversary and everyone was like when are you going, mate? You all right, how are you? And I was like, oh yeah, it's just great to know people and to keep that culture there.
Speaker 1:I'm surprised you couldn't remember stuff about that day.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to mention that let's not go down that road. I'll call that out. I blame Jack. Yeah, you can. Yeah. So the culture in CS is brilliant. We're trying to emulate a little bit of that at FIA as well, which should be nice.
Speaker 1:Good, so I'll tag you in. So the best way to I'm thinking about, I want to have a chat with you, an informal chat about what you are, the firm, the culture and stuff like that what's the best way to obviously reach out to you? I'll put all your links in here to your social media, even your superhero one from way back when. We'll put that one in. But, yeah, what's the best way for people to reach out and just start that conversation?
Speaker 2:I would say for this let's go for LinkedIn. For a message through linkedin yeah, let's keep it all in one place, if you, if you listen to this or a message on facebook to my personal one, though, lee roland. My phone number's out all over the place anyway. I won't give my phone number out now, but my phone number's everywhere anyway. So if you want my phone number, just text me. Drop me a message on linkedin or facebook. Yeah, I'm not too keen on instagram at the moment, or I'm just not too keen on instagram at the moment or even just put like in terms of oh, comment on this, comment on the podcast.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll just forward on to lee anyway. So that's fine, that's fine. So, lee, just um. When you sort of said there about environment, I just want to finish on the environments we've hosted the podcast on. So we started in your back garden. I think that was fair to say. Yeah, was it with the dog barking? Yeah, with the dog barking in your back garden was episode one. So then, yeah, you did had the nice offices on the um any road.
Speaker 2:Was it like what? Was it? Any road?
Speaker 1:yeah, beautiful, um, and then now you've got your own sort of high street income brand with your property hotspot and stuff like that. So, um, but then to the day, the, the environment, that the location is the location, the important thing is understanding you, what you're about and how about, and how you've grown over the years and what you're going to continue to grow with Fair Financial. So thanks for being on the podcast, mate, thanks for being honest and open as always, and I'm sure we'll get you back on the podcast in the near future to talk even more about your experience of going directly authorised.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you very much for having me mate and, as always when I sign, I've just thanked so much for all the, the support and the, the coaching, the help over the last three and a half years wouldn't be here without you, so thank you very much from me and everybody else as well. Jordan I appreciate them.
Speaker 1:I appreciate that it has certainly has been fun, so cool. Cheers, lee. Cheers. Thanks very much, cra Craig. Thanks, lee. Thanks for agreeing to come back onto the podcast.
Speaker 1:Thank you for being a great guest and, as always, giving your honest and open feedback on the whole journey from yourself and building your local brand to then going directly authorised and where you're at currently as well with directly authorised. If you have recently qualified and got your CMAP worn and looking to become a self-employed mortgage broker, then please get in touch. Or if you're looking to start your own mortgage brand and business, then also please get in touch and I can explain how I can help you achieve your goals with that as well. Or just looking to accelerate the growth of your existing business. Whichever option is for you, I can help and support you to achieve what you're wanting to achieve, particularly in 2025. See my website, craigskeletoncouk. Get in touch, book a discovery call, message me or just send me a whatsapp and we can have a chat about how I can help you achieve what you're wanting to achieve. And don't forget to run your own race.