Zion Financial founder upped tools and built his business from scratch on Queensland's booming Sunshine Coast
When Beau Flanders packed up his life in Melbourne and headed north in 2022, he had a clear-eyed view of what he was walking away from and a less certain picture of what lay ahead. He'd spent eight years working for a brokerage in the Victorian capital, had watched Queensland property appreciate sharply for some of his clients, and had grown tired of the suits and the long commutes.
"Melbourne felt overconsumed," Flanders recalls. "The lifestyle there was never really me." The white Queensland beaches were calling, as was "the freedom to build something on my own terms".
Love was also a major factor in Flanders' sea change; his partner Shakira was already living on the Sunshine Coast.
Within months of touching down in the Sunshine State, Flanders had registered Zion Financial – a name inspired by Utah's Zion National Park – and the challenge of building a mortgage brokerage from scratch began.
"I was genuinely starting from zero," says Flanders. Working on his mindset mattered as much as working on his pipeline. "I went deep on personal development in those early months. I genuinely believe that shift from desperation to attraction was one of the most important things I did for the business."
On the practical side, aggregator outsource Financial linked Flanders up with a lead generation group, which gave him momentum while he found his footing. From there, it was about immersing himself in the local business community – meeting accountants, property professionals and business owners, letting conversations find their natural rhythm. "Up here, one good conversation tends to lead to another," he says. "People are genuinely willing to help."
The challenges have been real.
Hiring has been surprisingly difficult. The Sunshine Coast's appeal as a lifestyle destination means the candidate pool can skew towards people seeking a change of pace rather than those hungry to build something. "Some people have worked out brilliantly; others haven't," says Flanders. "Finding people who have the skills, the attitude and genuinely fit the culture of what we're building is harder than I expected."
The second sustained challenge has been the discipline of running two professional services businesses – Zion also houses a financial planning business. "Running a mortgage broking and financial planning business simultaneously, while also being a business owner, means your attention is constantly being pulled in different directions," says Flanders. "Learning to channel dispersed energy into getting one thing done at a time has been an ongoing discipline and something I continue to work on."
Flanders also worries that incoming changes to negative gearing, coupled with stricter serviceability requirements, have complicated things for his core client base of 30–49-year-old property investors trying to build wealth through property.
But getting the keys to his Flinders Lane, Maroochydore, office made it all worthwhile. "We designed our space to be open and inviting. And when people walk in off the street, say g'day and end up becoming clients just from that initial conversation, you know it's working. That's what being part of a community really feels like."
Today, Zion houses two mortgage brokers and a team of support staff – with love of Beau's life Shakira acting as marketing and operations director. Monthly volumes have tripled.
A growth region
In many ways, Zion's growth over the past four and a half years parallels the Sunshine Coast's boom. The region, which stretches from tourist hotspot Noosa through surfing magnets Coolum and Maroochydore and down to the verdant Glass House Mountains, saw a massive influx of post-COVID migrants who were drawn to the crisp air and laid-back lifestyle. It's made the Sunshine Coast one of the hottest property markets in the country.
Now, the clientele is starting to mature. "I'm now seeing a growing group of young professionals in their 30s who've built equity somewhere and are thinking seriously about their next move," says Flanders. "The Coast seems to attract people who actually want to build wealth, without the corporate grind that usually comes with it."
“We designed our space to be open and inviting. And when people walk in off the street, say g’day and end up becoming clients just from that initial conversation, you know it’s working”
The diversity of what's being purchased reflects this dynamic. Apartments by the beach, family homes in the hills, new builds in master-planned developments – there is, as Flanders puts it, something for every stage of life. Infrastructure has kept pace: roads, schools and community facilities are well maintained, while the hospitality and restaurant scene has lifted considerably. "It's a genuinely great place to raise a family, and that's become central to why people choose to put down roots here."
As for sustainability, "I don't carry that worry," Flanders says of concerns that population growth could outrun the region's capacity. What he sees is a region maturing in positive ways – economic diversification beyond tourism, a more permanent kind of resident, and a council he believes has broadly kept pace with demand.
Looking ahead three to five years, the ambition is defined less by scale than by character. Or, in Flanders' words, "sustainable growth, without losing what makes us us". The goal is not to become a corporate giant but to be a trusted, go-to firm on the Sunshine Coast.
Life on the Sunny Coast
When Beau Flanders isn't helping Zion Financial's clients navigate the property market, he's making the most of everything the Sunshine Coast has to offer. He appreciates the people above all else. "Everyone seems to lead with warmth up here. You meet someone once, and somehow you're already mates," he says.
Outside of work, a typical week might involve cycling with his daughter on the back of his bike, exploring corners of the Coast they haven't yet discovered together, or heading out camping and four-wheel driving with family and friends. He also runs a weekly co-working day with friends who operate their own businesses – finding a cafe or shared space to set up together.
"It keeps the creative energy going," he says. Flanders values the well-maintained streetscapes, the connection to Indigenous history, and the simple fact that the sea and the hills are never far apart. "I love how the Coast keeps getting better – and how you can feel that every single day."
