Unsolicited Advice with Denise Laframboise

Episode 37: Are You Paying With Money Or Time? In this episode of Unsolicited Advice, we unpack one of the most common blind spots holding business owners and top-producing agents back: underestimating the true cost of their time. Drawing insights from mastermind calls with high-performing agents across different provinces, this conversation explores what really goes into decisions around hiring s...

EP 36: Mindset Tips For When Things Go Wrong In this episode of Unsolicited Advice, we dive into one of the most important mindset shifts a mortgage professional—or any business owner—can make. Mistakes are inevitable. Conflict will happen. But how you respond to those moments is what determines whether your business stays stuck or continues to grow. Through real-world examples and a relatable par...

EP 35 Why Discovery Calls Skills Are So Important In this conversation, Denise Laframboise emphasizes the importance of mastering discovery call skills to effectively identify ideal clients in the mortgage brokerage industry. She discusses strategies for weeding out non-clients, understanding client needs, and learning from client losses to improve future interactions. The conversation highlights...

EP 34 What Is The Great Game Of Business? Summary In this conversation, Denise Laframboise discusses her transition to the role of Chief Operating Officer at BRX and the significant changes that followed. She emphasizes the importance of transparency in tracking financial metrics and forecasting, which has led to improved team engagement and business performance. Denise introduces the concept of t...

Episode 33: Denise Only Hires Moms I caught a bit of flack in my circles for how I hired in my mortgage business. "Denise is the woman who only hires moms." Here's the truth. I hired the people who applied and the people who fit the roles. Capable. Experienced. Coachable. Invested in the business and the clients. Many of them happened to be mothers. There is often a stigma around hiring someone wi...

Episode 32: How Did I End Up in a Leadership Role at a Large Brokerage? I get asked all the time how I ended up in a leadership role at a large mortgage brokerage, and the truth is… it wasn't the plan. My only focus in the beginning was building a strong mortgage business and serving clients well. I came into the mortgage industry from healthcare with no formal mortgage training, just my own exper...

Episode 31: What You Need to Level Up Your Business Letting go can be one of the hardest parts of leveling up your business. For so long, you've been the one doing it all — every client call, every file, every system in your head. It's not that you don't trust others; it's that this business is your baby. But holding on to everything yourself is exactly what keeps you from growing. As leaders, we...

Episode 30: Save 2 Hours a Day Making This Change in Your Mortgage Business If you're feeling buried in your inbox or spending too much time managing internal tasks instead of helping clients, you're not alone. As my team expanded, I started noticing inefficiencies creeping in—duplicate emails, overlapping tasks, and far too much time spent managing the workflow instead of focusing on clients. Tha...

Episode 29: How to Execute Fast As mortgage brokers, we're pulled in a hundred directions—so finding ways to get more done in less time is always a hot topic. I get asked often how I'm able to execute so quickly, and for me it comes down to a few simple but powerful habits. Clarity is key. When you know exactly what you're working toward, it becomes easier to spot which steps you can skip, delegat...

Episode 28: Is Working in the Mortgage Industry Stressful? Is working in mortgages really that stressful? Some people even claim it's more stressful than being an air traffic controller. But let's put that in perspective. Coming from a background in healthcare, where mistakes can literally put lives at risk, the mortgage industry simply doesn't compare. Yes, there are tough files and demanding cli...

Episode 27: Hiring Support That Actually Works in Your Mortgage Business One of the biggest shifts in growing a mortgage business is realizing you can't do it all yourself forever. At some point, the late nights and endless files start costing you more than they're helping. That's usually the moment agents start thinking about hiring. The question is—who do you bring on? Some agents go straight to...

Episode 26: Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable A valuable lesson I've learned as an entrepreneur is this: you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. In this business, there will always be things you've never done before—but you'll need to figure them out anyway. The more you push yourself into situations that feel intimidating, the more you build the muscle to handle whatever come...

Episode 25: Why I Love Working with BFS Clients Self-employed clients are some of the most rewarding people to work with in this business. I'm genuinely obsessed with learning how their businesses run—how they spend, save, scale—and digging into the financials to figure out what makes it all tick. But here's what I really want you to hear: this isn't a niche to avoid just because it looks a little...

Episode 24: Working on Mortgages Outside of the Province I'm licensed in almost every province across Canada—but I only do mortgages in Ontario. That surprises a lot of people. The truth? Just because I can do out-of-province deals doesn't mean I should. If something goes sideways and I don't have the local knowledge or the right contacts—lawyers, municipal offices, accountants—I'm not in the best...

Episode 23: Connecting With Your Network When You Start Starting out as a new mortgage agent can feel overwhelming—especially when you're trying to figure out how to get your first few deals. In this episode, I'm talking about one of the most overlooked (and completely free) ways to start building your mortgage business: your network. That means your friends, family, your hairdresser, your estheti...

Episode 22: Where to Put AI in Your Business Right Now The secret's out—I use AI every day in my business, and I think you should too. It helps me draft emails, transcribe Zoom calls, dig into research, and come up with social media ideas faster than ever. But let's be clear: it's not replacing the human side of what I do. It's not a wall between me and my clients—it's a tool that keeps things mov...

Episode 21: Mastering the Discovery Call: Save Time, Find the Right Clients Take the time to hone this skill — because it's one of the most important in your business. Your discovery call is where everything starts. It's how you figure out what your client really wants. It's how you qualify, build trust, and protect your time. When I started getting more intentional with how I ran these calls, eve...

Episode 20: Social Media is a Tool to Grow Your Mortgage Business I built my mortgage business on social media—and not by going viral, but by showing up consistently and being real. I get asked all the time how I did it, and the answer is simple: social media is just another tool to help people know, like, and trust you. I'm breaking down exactly how I've used social to grow a business that's buil...

Episode 19: Master Pre-Approvals to Protect Your Time and Build Client Confidence A strong pre-approval sets the tone for everything that comes next — for you and for your clients. I'll walk you through why it's important to collect all the documents right away, how showing clients both their best- and worst-case numbers helps them stay realistic, and why a full, detailed pre-approval makes it eas...

Episode 18: Every Market Is Hard. Positivity Is Your Power Play. The truth is, market has its challenges—and this one is no different. But instead of waiting for things to get easier, what if you leaned in? What if you used this moment to adapt, pivot, and offer what other mortgage professionals can't? In this episode, I am talking about how hard markets create space for smart, strategic mortgage...

Episode 17: What Jiu Jitsu Is Teaching Me About Business After watching my daughters thrive in Jiu Jitsu, I jumped in too. Now I'm training regularly, competing, and learning lessons I didn't expect—lessons about discipline, mindset, and resilience that I have been able to apply to my mortgage business. Whether it's staying composed under pressure, understanding the power of leverage, or knowing w...

Episode 16: Running a Mortgage Business While Raising Kids When I started in the mortgage industry, I hid that I was a parent, afraid clients wouldn't take me seriously. I kept my worlds separate—until I realized so many others were juggling the same chaos. Instead of hiding it, I leaned in. I took calls with kids in the background, let work and home life coexist, and built stronger connections be...

Episode 15: Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should I'm opening up about a hard truth in the mortgage industry: just because we can do a mortgage doesn't mean we should. As mortgage brokers, we don't get paid until a deal closes—but that doesn't mean every deal is the right deal. Sometimes, the best advice we can give a client is to stay with their bank. Other times, it's having the tough co...

Episode 14: Why Collaboration is Good for Business I'm opening up about why I choose to share my business practices, insights, and strategies — even if it might be viewed as "training the competition." People often ask me why I'm so open about how I run my business. But here's the truth: when we collaborate, we all get better. I'm diving into why collaboration in the mortgage industry isn't just g...

Episode 13: Choosing the Right CRM for Your Mortgage Business Once your mortgage business gets busy, keeping track of everything becomes essential. A CRM can streamline your processes, keep you organized, and help you scale—but choosing the right one at the right time is key. I've spent years coaching agents on CRM selection and strategy, and in this episode, I'm sharing my insights on when to inv...