"I hired people who were made redundant from previous jobs"

Kylie-Ann Gatecliffe, director and mortgage and protection advisor at KAG Financial, did not lack the years of experience needed in running a mortgage brokerage of her own. But when it was time to expand the business, she did not hesitate to tap the services of those who are new to the industry.

Gatecliffe (pictured) began her career in financial services with Barclays at age 17. She then qualified as a mortgage advisor in the bank’s flagship York branch, where her passion in helping clients move into their dream properties grew.

Learn what qualifications does a mortgage advisor need here.

In 2014, she moved into the world of estate agency and became an in-house mortgage broker. This, she said, further enhanced her love for helping clients. After a few years in the role, however, she felt she could do more if she was working with more freedom.

“There was a lot of corporate restrictions, without which I knew could make the client experience better,” Gatecliffe said. “So in 2017, I leapt into being self-employed and KAG Financial was born.”

Like many start-ups, there were a lot of challenges for Gatecliffe in the beginning, but she soon found her bearings and was able to expand her team.

“It was a huge risk at the time as we had just moved house ourselves, and I really had no idea where my clients were going to come from,” she related. “However, I hit the ground running and I’ve been busy ever since. I’ve never, ever looked back and was absolutely determined to make it a success.

“The team has grown from just myself working at my kitchen table to now a team of eight. I hadn’t actually set out to have a team, but when one of my clients was made redundant from his job, and he decided to move into the mortgage world – the timing felt perfect to have my first advisor join me.”

Gatecliffe was talking about Max Chambers, who joined KAG Financial during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chambers is now the director of business development at KAG.

“We moved into our first office which was just one floor in the middle of lockdown, which everyone told us we were mad for doing!” Gatecliffe continued. “I then had another three members of staff join me who were also made redundant.

“Then a year later, we expanded on to the second floor as the team had grown so much, and we needed more space for clients.”

According to Gatecliffe, they are now Selby’s highest rated mortgage brokers based on client reviews.

“We absolutely strive to go above and beyond for our clients,” she added. “We constantly get told we stand out to other firms as we are really approachable, and our office space is relaxed. Rather than people walking round in suits we ensure we make our clients feel comfortable.

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and my main aim when setting up the office was to make it a fun place to work. We work really hard for our clients, but we make sure we have fun as a team in the process and keep smiling, as this job can be really hard at times.”

There are a few more things that Gatecliffe is particularly proud of in their work at KAG and in her observation of the mortgage industry in general.

“I’m really proud of how much Press coverage we have had – as we have been featured in most of the mainstream Press outlets,” she said. “We try and stand out on social media, where most of our clients find us – by making mortgages less scary and easy to understand.

“It’s also great to see how the industry has changed, as when I first started, I was the only female in my team, and it was extremely male dominated. Now there are plenty of females in the industry.”

But if there is one thing that she appreciates as she looks back at everything she has experienced since entering the industry, it is working with people – some of which were made redundant in their previous jobs – to make KAG Financial the trusted mortgage brokerage that it is today.

“I am really proud of being involved with advisors that have come into the industry brand new and are now fantastic,” she said.

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