How one mortgage broker grew his business through ingenuity, diversification and smart funding

Back in 2015 Craig Vaughan had an idea. Already running a successful mortgage brokerage (since 2007) he knew there had to be a better, smarter, more efficient way to write more business and create a better client experience without being insanely overworked.

Given that his concern was fairly universal for mortgage brokers, Craig decided the solution was a workflow engine specifically for brokers, geared around enabling teams to effectively allocate, time and track tasks to enable efficiencies and greater loan volumes to be written within agreed SLAs.

Outside the box solutions

As he set about researching a workable solution, Craig was unimpressed with off-the-shelf automation software packages available. They were generic and not designed with mortgage brokers in mind; most addressed part of the problem but failed to provide a complete solution; and importantly, none featured the type of workflow engine a brokerage would need to drive true scalable growth and address Craig’s main source of pain.

So, spotting an opportunity, Craig found himself a business partner and set about building his own broker management platform. Seeking funding for his big idea, Craig was referred to TrailBlazer Finance by another broker.

“Working with TrailBlazer was easy, seamless and stress-free. It was a very good end-to-end process. The team is very switched on and have a tremendous wealth of industry experience, so they understood my unique situation and were able to tailor a solution that perfectly served my needs. I had the funds within 30 days, which was ideal.”

The funding solution designed for Craig was unique in that firstly, it was secured against his trail book, and secondly, he was pre-approved for an amount that he was permitted to draw down over three years.

“The Facility Loan meant that I had the comfort and security of knowing I could draw down from that original pot of funding when I needed it. So, when I had to do an initial rebuild of the platform in 2018, I had instant access to pre-approved funding.”

In 2019 Craig launched his platform. Since then, the platform has gone from strength to strength with the global pandemic providing a catalyst for further growth as brokerages see the value in having visibility over their remote teams.

Craig is also still running his highly successful, growing brokerage.

Craig’s advice for other brokers?

“For brokers with an established book, given a lot of clients are stuck at home and more willing than ever to save money, there’s plenty of opportunity to help clients refinance or renegotiate the terms of their home loan. For those with a smaller book, now is the time to focus on referrals and sharpen your skills and processes so that when the floodgates open up for purchases in three to six months’ time, you’re ready to go.”

Craig Vaughan enjoying more work/life balance

Find out more about our Facility Loans.

Our purpose as a business is to help small to medium-sized white collar professionals like Craig thrive. Get in touch if we can help you do just that.