You can’t edit your own essay.

(yes the featured image quality stinks. It is the best I could find.)

When we started our past mortgage company in 2006 it was a time of unrest in the market much like today. For the next few years, we watched the implod-o-meter rack up a list of company fatalities. 

In 2006 we had 4 people, no families yet, and small personal overheads. We would joke that we were “too small to fail.” 

But in looking back and watching the market today I realized that it wasn’t the fact that we were small that made us be able to survive and grow in a market of unrest…

It was that we had clear market positioning and a plan of creating value for our clients (the case study you can find on our website dives into this in detail). 8-5 was for working “in” our business on loans and with borrowers. And the evenings were for working “on” our business. I believe you have to give attention to both “in” and “on.”

In today’s environment, we will see companies of all sizes throw in the towel. It’s happening as we speak. 

But the silver lining is we are also seeing companies of all sizes; from single originators to large companies thrive. I have been speaking to many teams all summer that are full steam ahead and it’s exciting to see their drive.

The common thread these groups and individuals have is they have their strategy in place and are executing it daily in the real world and online creating content that is adding value in their markets. 

So it’s my hypothesis that size (large or small), although each comes with there own list of challenges when navigating this market, is not what will determine success moving forward.

It’s their planning and execution. Do you have a unique selling proposition? And if so, are you keeping it a secret by not doing anything with it or are you getting your message to your market? Are you adding more value than you are taking from your market?

If I were to start a mortgage company again right now, which I have no plans to do, all my focus would be on strategy and my first stop would be to get a coach. If I still had my company and wasn’t feeling as enthusiastic as I could be about my ability to navigate the next 24 months I’d get a coach to help me focus on a pivot or realignment of what I was doing currently.

The takeaway I’m trying to leave you with is…

You can’t edit your own essay.

Fortunately, in the mortgage industry, there are many great coaching organizations that all have their own style. As an originator, you have options to align with one of them that fits your personality.

Here is a list of a few that come to mind in no specific order.

This is not an ad nor do I get any incentive for listing these companies, nor is this a complete list of the options available. 

I just want to help create more of the winners in the market and hopefully get a shot to work with some of them as part of their growth journey.

Christine Beckwith at 2020 Vision
Carl White, Mortgage Marketing Animals
Next Level Loan Officers
Rick Ruby and The Core