"Money's a big part of being a broker – I don't know if it's pure greed"

Broker's honesty about the financial – and personal - rewards of mortgages

"Money's a big part of being a broker – I don't know if it's pure greed"

“With money comes more opportunities and a better lifestyle,” explained mortgage broker Sheena Campbell (pictured). “Better things, more comfort. I don't know if I would ever be satisfied with enough - I don't know what enough is. I don't think I'm ever comfortable. So, there's always more… what's next, and money's always a big part of that. I don't know if it is just pure greed. I like to have something to work towards, always.”

Campbell, who is today managing director of her own business Campbell Financial, is remarkably good company and remarkably honest, too, about her motivations – her candour is as unusual as it is refreshing. And, as she suggests, the financial rewards of being a mortgage broker are a perk for a job she genuinely enjoys.

“I throw everything I have into what I do,” she told Mortgage Introducer, “so, I feel like being able to work in an industry that proportionately rewards you for the work that you do is important to feel valued in the job, and that you can perform well, and that people get the best from you. I enjoy it as well. It's a nice coincidence that the thing I enjoy doing, actually, is lucrative. I wouldn't need to look to do anything else. I'm happy with being a mortgage broker. It’s very rewarding.”

Campbell initially started her working life waiting in night clubs, bars and restaurants, which aren’t - it seems - as different from the mortgage world as one might imagine.

“It’s fast-paced, it's chaotic, it's not boring,” she reflected. “I think the people management aspect of it is fairly similar. People are people at the end of the day. If you can deal with people in one industry, you can deal with them in another.”

In her early 20s, Campbell switched to finance, working in a call centre at Santander . She was promoted and, in her words, ‘fell into’ mortgages.

“I'd always been fascinated by banking and money,” she said, acknowledging her materialistic side. “I like things. I had to pick a career path that would be lucrative to do the things I enjoy.”

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How difficult is it to become a self-employed broker?

Campbell acknowledges that going self-employed in 2019 was probably the hardest moment of her career, assuming that she would be successful because she had done well at Santander.

“That was a steep learning curve,” she said. “It was frustrating. I don't think I actually give it much thought as to how hard it would be when I left. I think it's so much easier now, because I'm not worried about many of those things that concerned me at the start, but when I left Santander and was in the broker world for that first year, it was so much harder than I thought it would be.”

One key change, it seems, has been overcoming her shyness.

“I have so much more confidence,” said Campbell, “I think that's the biggest change, just the confidence to deal with people and because I am more experienced now. I've seen every type of mortgage case ten-fold. I have no worries or concerns about my ability to help people. I think my only real concerns or worries now really are getting good at running a business and managing people, because that's totally different from being a good mortgage adviser.”

Adaptability is key to being a good broker, in Campbell’s view – and it’s not always an easy job.

“The mortgage market changes so quickly and client expectations of us have changed, so drastically, even in the short time that I've been an adviser,” she noted. “Trying to do the best by our clients, because we're the face of the business, and if it doesn't go well, it's on us and having that duty of care at a real kind of personal stakes kind of level, to get everything right for those sorts of clients, at the risk of your business, at the risk of a bad review, at the risk of a bad customer outcome, at the risk of getting slapped on the wrist by compliance, to stay up late and process applications until midnight, and not see your own family. It's tough.”

Beyond the material benefits – for example, the holidays in the United States which she enjoys - the role is personally rewarding, Campbell explained.

“That gratification that what you do is important,” she said. “It makes a difference. Well, yes, other professions are, you know, variably, more important than arranging finance for someone to buy a home, but it really feels like your involvement in the process and your guidance is really, truly valued by the people who need it in that moment.”

Campbell added: “You really do feel like you're meant to be there with them to guide them through. And why shouldn't you get paid for that as well? It just all works very nicely.”