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
When urgency meets intention: the broker’s path from Q4 push to a smarter 2026
Ten weeks to Christmas, darker days setting in, and the urge to coast is real yet this is where great brokerages pull ahead. We dive into a clear, no-fluff plan to close the year with momentum: reflect on Q3, set SMART goals you can actually hit, and redirect energy into the marketing channels that turn into completed applications. You’ll hear how to use data instead of guesswork, why consolidating tools beats adding more apps, and where tax-savvy prepay decisions (with your accountant’s guidance) can set you up to hit January running.
We also unpack the rising role of bridging finance as a legitimate tool for speed-sensitive clients. From building lender relationships to spotting ideal cases, chain breaks, auctions, light refurb we outline the steps to upskill quickly and deliver quick wins before year-end. Alongside the revenue plays, we tackle the operational work that creates real lift: clearing backlogs, tightening CRM hygiene, strengthening feedback loops with introducers, and celebrating wins that often get ignored in the rush.
Looking ahead, we map a practical runway into 2026: a one-page plan, realistic content cadence, smarter tech choices, and intentional culture design if you lead a team. If you’re solo, we share ways to build accountability and support that prevent burnout and improve decisions. Throughout, we emphasize mental health: set boundaries, take breaks, move daily, and avoid midnight email spirals. Most of all, resist knee-jerk moves—research big decisions and align them with your long-term values and goals. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a broker who needs it, and leave a review so we can help more people finish strong and start smarter.
I help employed mortgage brokers go self-employed with clarity, confidence and one-to-one mentoring. Find out how Pathways or Coaching works at craigskelton.co.uk
The Broker Foundry – Where Mortgage Brokers Become Business Owners Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrokerFoundry
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Hi, and welcome to this week's The Mogis Broker broadcast. I'm your host, Craig Skelton, and today I'm talking about closing out the year with momentum. It's getting towards the end of October, clocks are about to change, getting darker, there's a chill in the air, and that whole countdown of how many weeks to Christmas is it? It's 10, by the way, and all that. So, but before you sort of switch to your mind to mold wine, mince pies, and planning your social calendar, there is still work to be done. The final quarter is where great businesses pull ahead. And this is all about how you, as a mortgage broker, business owner, can finish the year on a high by reflecting on what's gone well, making those smart adjustments and prioritizing the right activities and looking after your mental health. And the first thing is about reflect and reset. Every strong finish starts with reflection. So did you take the time at the start of the month to review quarter three? If you didn't, then take time this week to look back at your KPIs, how many leads you got, how many clients you signed up, what was your average case size, revenue did you generate, compared to your targets. Get into your profit and loss, cash flow forecasts and your marketing reports to what worked and what didn't. And ask yourself whether you met your professional development goals or if there are gaps that need to address. Translate what you've learned into clear goals for the next two months. Focus on SMART, which we all know what SMART goals are, because having concrete targets helps you prioritize and stay motivated, even when those Christmas ads start rolling on the screen and the distractions start. So what you can do is focus on high impact activities. When time is short, not everything on your to-do list deserves equal attention. Look at the marketing channels and activities that you've used this year and evaluate which ones actually produce revenue. Maybe you ran Facebook ads, webinars, sent newsletters out, or posted on LinkedIn, whichever channel generated the most completed applications, which one produced the most engaged leads. Use this data to guide your decisions and not just have guesswork. And what you once you know what works, double down, consolidate your remaining marketing budget, if that's what you have, and your energy into the tactics with highest return on investment. It's tempting to keep spreading your efforts thin, but when you sort of laser focus, really drill down, that drilled down approach will yield better results when time is limited. And if you've got leftover marketing budget and you're considering next year, remember that prepaying for next year's marketing or subscriptions can reduce your tax bill. And this is not tax advice, but it can reduce your tax bill depending on the setup of your firm, etc. And just give you a head start in January. So talk to your accountant about considering investing in new tools or campaigns that will serve you throughout 2026. And then exploit the sort of specialist lending and the bridging. Bridging's a good one. Don't overlook niche markets that can deliver quick wins before the year end. Like the bridging market, bridging's been good this year, it's been resilient, and it's forecast to grow in 2026. So with greater awareness, more flexible lenders, and investor appetite returning. Bridging finance is no longer that last resort which it is for a lot of brokers, but more of a legitimate tool for clients needing quick transactions, quick completions time. And completion time have improved far more as well. And more brokers are predicting growth in 2026. So if you're not familiar with bridging yet, take the time to upskill yourself right now. Reach out to bridging lenders, understand their criteria, and identify clients who might need that short-term funding. A few successful bridging deals before the end of the year will really boost your numbers. It also showcases your versatility as well. It's also time to clear the decks and celebrate wins. A big part of finishing strong is wrapping up those loose ends. Create a list of pending projects, client follow-ups, documents to files, CPD to CRM system changes, and tackle them one by one. Procrastination keeps tasks looming in the back of your mind and creates unnecessary stress. And crossing off small items provides momentum, clears your mental space as well, and ensures you start a new year totally fresh. And while you're checking off tasks, make time to check in with your partners, estate agents, your collaborators to the third-party people that you work with. Book a review session to discuss progress, challenges, and ideas for improvements. Whether you work with an estate agent or some other type of introducer, feedback loops are vital. And show your appreciation well for their hard work and knowledge and effort boosts their morale, it boosts their activity and breeds loyalty. And don't forget to celebrate your own achievements too. Did you help more first-time buys this year? Did you deal with more complex cases? We often rush past those milestones, but take a moment just to recognize success, and this will energize you for that final push as we end 2025. And then how to set the stage for 2026. Finishing strong isn't just about numbers, it's about setting yourself up for a smooth start to the new year. Use these last weeks to outline your business plan for 2026, map out your profit and loss, marketing strategies, and operational improvements too. Perhaps you want to invest in a new CRM or embrace AI, expand your social media presence or attend more networking events. Get those plans down on paper so you can hit the ground running week one of January rather than scrambling around after New Year's. And also culture and leadership matters too. If you do have staff, think about the type of culture, company culture you want, values you want to build next year. Engage with employees or more engaged employees are more productive and more likely to stay with you. Think about leadership training if that's what's needed, communication skills, team building events that could elevate your business. And if you do work solo, which I know most of you do, consider how you can build a support network, join mastermind groups, attend industry events, or find a mentor, just have another mortgage broker who's a buddy that can you can help each other stay accountable and inspired for 2026. It's also important as well to stay grounded, both mentally and for your well-being as well. As you strive to meet your targets, don't sacrifice your health. Stress damage can damage relationships and physical well-being. Make sure your daily goals are realistic. There's no sense in over-promising and under-delivering that. So make sure you're not doing that with your plans for 2026, especially if you're overstretched as well. Divide large targets into smaller, manageable steps and reward yourself for achieving them. And if you feel overwhelmed, ask for help. It's okay to outsource if that's what something you need to do, like admin or whatever the case may be, or marketing, or it doesn't really matter, but just it's okay to ask for help. And also build breaks into your day. Step away from your desk, go for a walk, just breathe. Music can help too, it can help reset your moves or and also can spark creativity as well. So get a playlist really works. I know quite a few brokers that do have a playlist for certain types of moves, and they do seem to work. So I do encourage that and avoid overscheduling yourself. Quality over quantity applies to everything. That's whether that's business, social commitments. When the work is done, unplug yourself, reset, and resist the urge to check your emails at midnight or check your emails when your eyes first open first thing in the morning. And also, as well, physical activity is critical. Moving about every single day. It could be gym, but I'm not just talking about going to the gym, I'm just doing something, a brisk walk, anything, yoga, anything you can do to help your staying fit, which is important, and eating well too, staying hydrated and getting enough sleep might sound obvious, but they're the foundation of resilience. And if stress becomes overwhelming or you feel persistently anxious, then don't hesitate to speak to a professional. That is okay, they can help you develop coping strategies tailored to your situation. And one thing I always talk about is avoid knee-jerk reactions when it comes to business decisions in the final quarter of the year. Be very wary of reactive choices. It's natural to feel a sense of urgency, but decisions made in the heat of the moment, like joining a new network or changing the firms, because everybody else is on social media can backfire. If you're considering a big change, do your research, compare options, and make sure the move aligns with your values and your long-term goals. Planning, not panicking, gives you control. Identify whether your desire to switch is based on facts or is it feeling and address the underlying issues rather than just reacting to temporary frustrations. So let's look at actionable steps to finish the quarter. A quick checklist, shall we say, to finish the year strong. First thing, review your performance. Year today, analyze KPIs, income, client feedback, set smart goals, decide exactly what you want to accomplish by the 31st of December, and also focus on high return investment activities, channel your remaining resources on tactics that work. Explore niches, bridging, like I talked about, identifying clients who could benefit from short-term finance, and learn about those products. Clear your to-do list, finishing outstanding tasks for the year to reduce that mental clutter, and then plan for 2026. Get your business plan started, budgeting, marketing strategies all will help to kickstart that 2026. And take care of yourself, set boundaries, take breaks, stay active and seek help if needed, avoid rash moves, base decisions on data and long-term goals, not just your quick knee-ject reaction and emotion. If you do like more support and want some more support in implementing these strategies, then have a check out the Broker Foundry, which is a YouTube channel that Jonathan Need and I have set up where it talks about things like this. We're about three, four, three or four uh episodes in now. So subscribe to that. It's a bit of a community going on as well. So we'll just help you build a resilient business as well. And from my own point of view, I've created three self-employed broker pathways, which are designed for different stages in your career, whether you're first launching, building your own brand, or becoming an AR, then go to my website and have a look at that uh as well. So, yeah, thanks as always for listening to today's episode, watching today's episode about finishing the year strong. Remember, it's not just cracking up on more deals and it's about working smarter, taking care of yourself, and setting up a solid foundation for success in 2026. So if you found it helpful, please share, please leave a review, please subscribe. Don't miss future episodes. Thanks for listening, thanks for watching, have a productive week, and as always, please don't forget to run your own race.