Building a broking career one step at a time

Matthew Jukes’ first job after university was filing documents at an insurance firm. He didn’t know what he wanted to do or the best way to turn his interest in real estate into a career. But after becoming friends with a mortgage broker and learning about the industry, Matthew realised it was a career he was keen to pursue.

Through a family connection, Matthew was offered 12 months work experience at the Mortgage Choice West Perth office owned by brokers Simon and Shannon Hassett.

“I went into the office and I tried to learn from Simon and Shannon as best I could,” he said. “After those 12 months, they offered me a permanent job at the brokerage as a loan writer.”

Matthew worked as a loan writer for five years until 2020, when he decided he was ready to start his own Mortgage Choice franchise. Simon and Shannon gave Matthew their full support. They helped him get started by offering to sell him the loan book of clients he had been working with at their brokerage.

“I jumped at that offer,” Matthew said. “I’m forever indebted to them for giving me that opportunity.”

Matthew also appreciates all the support he was given by the Mortgage Choice WA head office as he transitioned into becoming a first-time business owner.

“The head office team was incredible through the whole process,” he said. “They answered all my questions and made sure I understood the Franchise Agreement so I knew exactly what I was getting into. I can’t thank them enough for the support they gave me and the faith they had in my potential.”

For the first year of running his own business, Matthew continued to work out of Simon and Shannon’s office. Now he has his own office in South Perth that he shares with two financial planners. He has bought another loan book and he recently hired a full-time staff member. She is currently providing administration support but will soon move into a loan writer position so Matthew can focus on business development.

“Having that support has already lifted my business to another level,” he said. “It’s allowing me to expand and take on new roles in the business. I’m now looking at ways of growing my business instead of just writing as many loans as I can.”

Matthew is also growing his business through connections he has formed within the Mortgage Choice network. He was selected to be part of the Mortgage Choice WA Peloton group – a nationwide initiative where each state creates a community of around a dozen high-performing brokers with strong growth potential. These connections allow the brokers to learn from each other and workshop deals together.

The Peloton group meets for a full day every month for a session guided by their Mortgage Choice state manager.

“We talk about growth opportunities, risks, marketing strategies,” Matthew said. “You get to connect with brokers that you wouldn’t meet otherwise. It's an incredible community and the discussions are really beneficial.”

Starting his own franchise was a huge career step for Matthew. Leaving his salaried loan writer position to become a business owner meant he had to back himself and his abilities, as well as taking on a lot more financial responsibility. But he knows it was the right move for him.

He said, “For me to get to the point where I wanted to be, I had to go out on my own. It was the right decision.”

With a strong drive to succeed, Matthew’s goal is to grow his business as much as possible. And after recently becoming a father, he’s keen to create an asset that he could one day hand over to his children.

“Now that I’ve owned my own business, I could never go back to working for someone else,” he said. “I want to make this business as big as I can. It's full speed ahead. I'm building something that I want to keeping working on for the foreseeable future. I honestly love this job. It’s the best job in the world.”