You want to study mortgage broking in Australia but don’t know where or how? Watch this interview with one of our students, Amanda. She completed two workshops of the Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking (FNS40821) and the Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management (FNS50322) with Entry Education. Between her studies, she set up her own finance business, Tailored Finance Group. Read her story below:
Interview Transcript
Luise: Okay. Well, I just wanted to welcome you, Amanda, from Tailored Finance Group and really appreciate you spending the time today to have a chat about your finance and mortgage broking career. So before we get started, I just wanted to go through, I’ve got about eight questions I’m going to ask you. So the first one is, how did you start as a mortgage broker?
Amanda: Yeah, sure. Okay. So, look, I have worked in the finance industry, the real estate game, and I’ve been an account manager, you know, over the past 20 years. So I felt with, a mixture of all of the skill sets that I had developed through at those industries, brokering was something I’d always wanted to sort of touch base on. And at the end of the day, it’s about building relationships, providing excellent customer service. We all felt that pinch of covid. So I also wanted a business that would, stand the test of time. And having a young family, something that was flexible with having, my daughter, she’s really young, so I don’t want to miss out on those important stages. So I just felt like yeah brokering was the right fit for me.
And you know, as they say, brokerage is proven to thrive in any market. So it was just something that I was like, I’m going to try it and and here I am. So, yeah, it feels like it was the right choice.
Luise: Great. Thank you. So what’s the biggest achievement you’ve had during your career in finance? Because you’ve been around for a little while.
Amanda: Look, customer service was always the thing that I seemed to really thrive and had really my strength was in, over the years in the different industries of finance and real estate and account management, customer service awards were always something that I was always receiving, which was, really lovely to be recognised for that.
But honestly, the the things I’m the most proud of is just helping people, reach their financial goals. It’s amazing to be able to do that and be in a position that I can help people, you know, filter through and achieve those those life dreams, I suppose, on a daily basis. Yeah.
Luise: Fantastic. So tell us about an experience or something funny that happened to you while working in finance.
Amanda: Finance is such a serious, serious game. Funny. Oh, okay. So I do remember when I first met my now husband, he was after a car loan so he wanted, you know, want to get some finance. I thought ok this guy actually could be a really good opportunity, you know, to vet this guy. Let’s let’s see. So I was able to do a bit of you know, like credit background did a finance check on him without seeming like I was a bit of a stalker.
Plus, it, you know, made me look good to him, gave me some brownie points. So, yeah, it was definitely a good speed dating technique, I suppose. So it’s probably something that I always think back to. When we first met, it was quite a funny, funny scenario.
Luise: What sort of car did he buy?
Amanda: He ended up getting a van. It was a work van.
Luise: So hey, there you go. Well yeah, I wasn’t expecting I wasn’t expecting that for an answer. So that’s really actually is funny. But obviously it’s, you know, worked out in your favor. So that’s fantastic.
Amanda: He’s now my husband, so
Luise: So what makes a successful broker? Tell us, your secret.
Amanda: Oh, look. Yeah, there’s a broker in every corner. You know, I think at the end of the day, being genuinely interested in your clients, I think, you know, building relationships and caring about your clients. I think that’s that’s going to set you apart from every other broker, you know? So investing in them genuinely as a person, they’re everyday people. They just need someone that they trust and can rely on to help guide them through the complexities, of the banks and the lenders. It’s really daunting. So I think if you know, if you consider your client before the money, you know, at the end of day we’re all working for money.
But if you really consider your client your client’s needs and you be genuine. The success will come. Yeah, that’s my that’s my sort of thing that I tap in to sorta try and make me be successful anyway.
Luise: And that’s a really popular one and obviously a really great one for sure. So what advice do you have for new finance or mortgage brokers who want to start their career?
Amanda: Yeah, look it can be daunting and hard and I think it’s finding the right people at the start to try to sort of, you know, go to for advice. I think it’s in two parts. If you want to start your own own business, I would strongly start suggesting like to talk to aggregators, get out there while you’re doing your studying, talk to the aggregators, get a bit of a feel for what they offer, what they expect from you to then take you on.
Not every aggregator will take a new to industry broker either. So there’s certain requirements that you have to meet. Also a mentor. A mentor, you know, make sure you have a really good mentor. I think that that’s crucial to your success and your confidence building in the industry. And then again, you know, if you don’t want to start your own business, you know, you’re looking into, different companies that you’d like to work for.
LinkedIn, I find a really, really good platform for networking, you can network with as recruitment companies on there that you know they’re more than happy to talk to you industry just based you know relevant contacts yeah but just start networking and just start talking to those people that you’re going to need to after you finish a study. Hey.
Luise: So why did you decide to do the finance or mortgage broking course?
Amanda: Yeah. Well, look, I was working in the industry, before I had my daughter, I was working at Asset Finance. I wanted to study then, but it wasn’t as easy to study when I was working full time and they didn’t really seem to be the fast track options available, you know. And then being a new business owner now obviously the certificates definitely a requirement and then obtaining the diploma, which I’ve just done recently. So I wanted to do that in order to, you know, advance my skill sets. And I think it is important being a business owner to learn those additional skills that you do in the diploma Great.
Luise: So why did you choose Entry Education as your course provider?
Amanda: Yeah. Look, I looked around, you know, as you do. You shopped around a few places. I do. I felt that Entry were good because they offered to fast track, they offered correspondence and they were quite reasonably priced as well. And then, you know, upon completing the fast track with yourself, I was then offered the opportunity to enrol in doing the upcoming diploma, which also was delivered via fast track by a two day workshop, which was really convenient for me with my daughter at home.
And then yeah I decided to complete the diploma with Entry Education, Just because I knew you, I felt really comfortable with you as well as a trainer, and I just felt like I was going to be really supported with, with yourself an Entry Education. Right.
Luise: So probably follows on to the last question. How did you find the workshops? I’m assuming they suited your lifestyle.
Amanda: Yeah, they definitely suited my lifestyle with the young family being able to do as a fast track, you know, like the diploma in itself, it can take up to two years to do a diploma, you know. So I was able to complete that in four days, which is amazing, you know, just with having that flexibility. I just that was a really, really good way to do so, to have a small sort of network of people that you can interact with and having, you know, the trainer yourself, just having you as a really one on one contact was really, really helpful.
Luise: Great. Awesome. Well, thank you very much for your time. Again, obviously, I understand you’re very busy at the moment with the young family, but, thanks for spending the time enjoying that.
Amanda: I really. Really appreciate it. Yeah, thank you for having me. I appreciate your time as well.
