The Successful Adviser by James McCracken

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 Nat...

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 th...

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...

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 a...

In this episode, we talk with Jason Cuerel, who shares his unusual journey to becoming a high performing loan writer.   Early in his career, Jason did a financial analysis of annual reports before transitioning to a retail sales role.  It was in that role where one of these customers offered him a position with a non-bank lender which marked the beginning of his journey into the finance industry....

In this interview, Clinton talks about how to get the job done to an exceptional standard and having a  seamless delivery of service to the clients. We also talk about how vital it is to review your 'why' in doing all of the things you have been doing.   Clint also shares how embracing technology has contributed to a more efficient loan process while also making it easier to build client relations...

At the surface, Sam Carrello comes across as a stereotypical Western Australian - laid back, friendly, happy with life.   And, though Sam is all these things, he's also an astute broker who is quickly making headway with his operation, Napoleon Finance.   With broking experience accumulated over several years at some of Perth's largest brokerages, Sam took a year's hiatus from broking before retur...

In this interview, we tackle a taboo issue on having a great family and operating a successful business as a female in the Australian mortgage industry.  Who says you can't have both!   And what better person to share their opinion than one of the most successful brokers in the country, and arguably, Australia's leading female broker, Sarah Thomson.   Sarah takes us behind the scenes into her busi...

In this interview, we talk about how Alex transitioned from being an accountant to a top mortgage broker that he is now. He started with absolutely no experience in the world of banking, but how did he get to where he is now? Read more.   Alex, like many brokers from the Wizard Home Loans brand began his broking life without a trail income, not many referrals and their tactics for growing volumes...

In this interview with Graeme Holm, you'll hear him share a host of tactics that have helped him quickly build his brand and profile as a preeminent broker. With a mantra for 'people first, profits last', Graeme refers to his clients as joining the 'family', which is reflected in the service proposition and ongoing support his team provides to help clients improve their financial wellbeing. Having...

  In this interview with Graeme Holm, you'll hear him share a host of tactics that have helped him quickly build his brand and profile as a preeminent broker.   With a mantra for 'people first, profits last', Graeme refers to his clients as joining the 'family', which is reflected in the service proposition and ongoing support his team provides to help clients improve their financial wellbeing.  ...

If you're an established, busy broker who is considering to hire or you have hired other people to help carry the load, you'll enjoy this conversation with Paul Wright.   Paul exemplifies many of the qualities we have come to see and expect of high performing brokers.   Diligent, professional, builds trust, nurtures relationships and a strong commercial acumen are a handful of the qualities that c...

To say James Hasselle is an impressive individual is an understatement.  From starting a 'greenfields' Mortgage Choice in Burleigh Heads over a decade ago, these days, James enjoys having 3-times the market share that a typical broker would earn from their own suburb.   In real terms, this means they write a significant volume from local clientele due somewhat to their positioning in high-traffic...

Daniel Hustwaite's journey into becoming a broker was more by accident and good fortune than intention.     Starting out as a carpenter, then moving mortgage collections to help people who were in arrears, Daniel's capability saw him quickly grow his corporate career where he eventually supervised a call centre that helped brokers understand the status of their loan applications.   At this point,...

Nowadays, as a veteran and consistent MPA Top 100 broker, Whiltlam Malkoun shares how some things have changed while some are still the same.   As an Aussie broker, in the early days, the head-office leads proved a lifeline to help him get in front of more people - which in turn boosted his experience and his confidence.   Over time, as Whitlam's reputation grew, he found he went from being the hu...

  Occasionally, it's easy to label high performing brokers as a 'machine' who just pump out the deals like a production line.   In reality, like many high performers, Nathan Taddeo shares that his success is really a combination of many attributes brought together.   And, this has evolved over time as the business has reinvented itself.   From a 'one stop finance shop', they decided to divest thei...

He might be Wyld by name, but when it comes to the lending solutions, Joel Wyld is anything but.   As the founder of Peasy, Joel's honesty in this interview is refreshing in that even though the team @ Peasy are committed to exceptional service standards, he readily admits there are still opportunities for improvement, which will bring about future growth.   After transitioning out of AFG and into...

With a passion of helping other people, Sean Soole took his brokerage from a small operation to quickly having several divisions across multiple disciplines - namely conveyancing, insurance and property investment.   For the mortgage business, he grew this by acquiring trail books, putting on loan writers and building an efficient 'back end' to his business.  And he got it down to a fine art - whe...

If you were judging Daniel Pym purely by office location, you'd think he's got it made to be sitting in Australia's highest performing Ray White office and writing up 7-figure deals to cardiologists, executives and other members of Sydney's high-income community. But that would be a narrow assessment. The truth is that over 15+ years of broking, Daniel has made more mistakes than most, and had som...

When some people start their business, it's to build a company that will outlast them.  For others, like Victoria Coster, it was simply a means to support her young family. But what started out as a part-time venture run from a small office in Parramatta has grown into a highly regarded agency that's now helping thousands of consumers fix their credit problems. This was achieved through key strate...

Troy Chapman is the founder of Country Wide Wealth, a boutique financial planning practice that has seen exceptional growth since it's inception 10 years ago.   As a business banker turned financial advisor, Troy Chapman recognised that to turn his practice into a business of substance would require more than just delivering outstanding service to clients.   For that reason, he sought to approach...

Tanya Somerton is on a mission to help people move onwards and upwards in their life during what is no doubt generally regarded as a less-than-ideal experience, divorce.

Every once in a while, a person comes along who sets standards for others can aspire to in terms of results and contribution. Andrew Mirams is such a person. A former banker, Andrew decided to take control of his own destiny by establishing a business where he could offer superior outcomes, services, and solutions to his clients. And though this mantra is the fundamental proposition of many broker...

Arguably, the most renowned agri-broking business in Australia is Robinson-Sewell Partners, which has experienced significant growth since its inception in October 2010. In this interview, co-founder Brad Sewell takes us behind-the-scenes where he shares several insights that have enabled them to build their preeminent reputation and run a highly profitable brokerage. Part of their strategy for su...

As an industry veteran, there are few roles that Debbie Hutchings hasn't been involved in. Formerly a banker with a broad range of experience, for the past 10 years, Debbie has been successfully operating her finance business in Brisbane's sunny northern suburbs.