From Employee to Entrepreneur: Marianne's Mortgage Journey (S2,E5)

Talk FS

In this episode, Ryan Venner interviews Marianne Lombardi, a self-employed mortgage advisor with 17 years of experience. Marianne shares her journey from being an employed mortgage advisor to starting her own business, highlighting the challenges and rewards of self-employment. She discusses the importance of community support for mortgage brokers, which led her to create Mortgage Chat, an online platform for brokers to connect and share knowledge. Marianne emphasises the value of flexibility in her work-life balance and the lessons learned from past financial crises.

Chapters:

00:00 Marianne's Journey to Mortgage Advisory

07:54 Transitioning to Self-Employment

11:06 Navigating Challenges: The Impact of COVID-19

17:12 Building a Community: The Birth of Mortgage Chat

24:24 Future Plans and Community Initiatives

Takeaways:

Marianne transitioned from a cashier to a mortgage advisor at West Bromwich Building Society.

The 2008 financial crisis led to her redundancy, which opened new opportunities.

Working at Countrywide exposed her to a wider range of mortgage solutions.

Going self-employed allowed her to provide personalised service and build relationships.

Flexibility in her work schedule has improved her work-life balance as a mother.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time but reinforced her decision to stay self-employed.

Marianne's business has grown significantly since going self-employed in 2019.

Mortgage Chat was created to support mortgage brokers and foster community.

The community provides a platform for sharing knowledge and experiences among brokers.

Marianne is passionate about educating young people on credit management.