Building a successful brokerage is not just about writing more volume. It’s about building the people, systems, processes and expertise that allow the business to keep progressing as it grows.

In Episode 011 of Brokers in Progress, we sit down with Son Pham of Rethink Financing, who has been a broker since 2011 and has helped grow Rethink from a predominantly residential brokerage into a business with around 30 people, including 19 brokers, settling around $1 billion last year.

Son shares how Rethink expanded into commercial lending, why building the right systems and processes became essential as the business grew, and how the team has created a more structured approach to managing increasing volume and complexity.

In this episode:

→ How Rethink expanded from residential into commercial lending

→ How Son's "conveyor belt" approach helps build systems that support growth

→ Why Son believes he should have hired earlier and learned to delegate

→ How real deal scenarios and lender relationships help brokers develop commercial expertise

→ Why solution-based broking means finding the right lending structure, not just the lowest rate

Whether you’re looking to move into commercial lending, building a team, improving your systems, or working out how to scale a brokerage without everything relying on you, this conversation offers plenty of practical lessons from Son’s experience building Rethink Financing.

00:00 - Why Solutions Matter More Than Rates

00:12 - Inside Son Pham's Rethink Financing

02:15 - The Shift That Opened Up Commercial Lending

03:03 - Running a Brokerage Like a Conveyor Belt

04:20 - The Advantage of Having Services In-House

05:46 - How Bankers Helped Son Learn Commercial

07:44 - Weekly Deal Workshops That Build Broker Knowledge

09:26 - Son's Biggest Lesson About Hiring

12:29 - Treat Every Client Like Your Only Client

18:15 - Turning Residential Brokers Into Commercial Specialists

21:14 - How AI Is Speeding Up Loan Processing

23:15 - Why Commercial Clients Create More Opportunities

Son Pham is the Co-Founder of Rethink Financing and an experienced mortgage broker with a background in financial planning.

Son began his career in financial planning before moving into mortgage broking, initially helping his existing advice clients with their lending needs. He later co-founded Rethink Financing in 2017, initially building the business around residential lending before expanding into commercial finance.

Today, Rethink has around 30 people, including 19 brokers, and settled around $1 billion last year, with approximately 70% of the business now focused on commercial lending.

Son has played a key role in building the systems, processes and team behind that growth. His experience spans commercial lending, complex deal structuring, broker development and building a brokerage designed to support clients across different parts of their financial and property journey.

• LinkedIn | Son Pham
• Website | Rethink Financing
• LinkedIn | Rethink Financing

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Brokers in Progress for more real conversations about growth, systems, leadership, and what it actually takes to build a successful brokerage.

🎬Produced by Chris Bates and the studio team at www.alcove.com.au

The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as financial, investment, or credit advice. It does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of the information to your circumstances and seek advice from a licensed financial adviser, mortgage broker, or other qualified professional before making any decision. Canopy Private Pty Ltd holds Australian Credit Licence 558709.

Building a successful brokerage is not just about writing more volume. It’s about building the people, systems, relationships and support that allow the business to keep progressing over time.

In this episode, we sit down with Jeremy Fisher of 1st Street Financial, who has been a mortgage broker since 2002 and has built a 21-broker business settling around $1.2 billion a year.

Jeremy shares how 1st Street Financial has evolved from a one-person operation into a multi-office brokerage, why he chose to build around experienced brokers, and how giving brokers ownership within the business has helped create a strong and long-standing team.

In this episode:

→ Why Jeremy believes experienced brokers can thrive inside the right environment

→ How 1st Street Financial built a support model around specialised offshore teams

→ The role of lender relationships, processes and automation in a lean brokerage

→ How local branding and community involvement helped build 1st Street Financial’s reputation

→ What changing technology, regulation and market conditions mean for brokers

→ Why adapting to change is becoming an essential part of building a brokerage for the long term

Whether you’re building a team, improving your systems, thinking about support, or working out how to keep a long-established brokerage progressing, this conversation offers plenty of practical lessons from more than two decades in the industry.

00:00 - Meet Jeremy Fisher of 1st Street Financial

01:42 - From Solo Broker to a 21-Broker Business

04:19 - Building a Brand Through Local Visibility

05:26 - Putting Client Relationships First

07:08 - Why 1st Street Hires Experienced Brokers

08:32 - Giving Brokers Ownership and Freedom

10:08 - Growing Through Relationships, Not Recruitment Ads

11:23 - The Value of Being Part of an Experienced Team

14:14 - Why Jeremy Wishes He Got Support Earlier

17:09 - Adapting to Change as the Brokerage Grows

20:34 - The Shift From Broker vs Bank to Broker vs Broker

23:12 - Exploring AI Without Replacing the Broker

28:03 - Why Existing Clients Come First

31:06 - Building Specialist Offshore Support Pods

32:15 - Growing a Brand Through Community Connections

Jeremy Fisher is the founder of 1st Street Financial and has been a mortgage broker since 2002.

Over more than two decades in the industry, Jeremy has built 1st Street Financial into a 21-broker business settling around $1.2 billion a year, with offices across Sydney, Queensland, Melbourne, the Central Coast and South Coast, supported by a dedicated team in the Philippines.

His focus has been on creating an environment where experienced brokers can run their own business within the business, while benefiting from strong lender relationships, shared processes, automation and support.

Today, Jeremy continues to look at how 1st Street Financial can evolve, including the use of AI and automation to improve the customer experience while keeping the broker relationship at the centre of the business.

• LinkedIn | Jeremy Fisher
• LinkedIn | 1st Street AU
• 1st Street Financial

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Brokers in Progress for more real conversations about growth, systems, leadership, and what it actually takes to build a successful brokerage.

🎬Produced by Chris Bates and the studio team at www.alcove.com.au

The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as financial, investment, or credit advice. It does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of the information to your circumstances and seek advice from a licensed financial adviser, mortgage broker, or other qualified professional before making any decision. Canopy Private Pty Ltd holds Australian Credit Licence 558709.

Building a bigger brokerage isn't just about adding more volume. It's about knowing what needs to change, what needs to be protected, and how to bring people, systems and businesses together as you grow.

In this episode, Chris Bates sits down with Bryce Deledio from UFinancial.

Bryce has been involved in mortgage broking since 1998, with UFinancial starting in 2008. Today, Bryce says the business has a loan book of around $6 billion, settled close to $2.2 billion in the last financial year, has 35 brokers and around 160 employees across its broader financial services businesses.

A major part of the conversation is how UFinancial has approached growth through acquisitions, diversification and its employee broker model, and what Bryce has learned about making those decisions work beyond the transaction itself.

→ How seven directors with different strengths have become a business advantage

→ How UFinancial moved towards an employee broker model

→ Why integration and cultural alignment matter beyond the acquisition price

→ What Bryce has learned from 14 different transactions

→ Why Bryce believes "the mortgage is the transaction and the relationship is the asset"

→ How UFinancial approaches culture when bringing new businesses into the group

→ Why people shouldn't always be the answer to a process problem

For brokers and business owners thinking about growth, M&A, team structure or the next stage of their business, this conversation offers a practical look at what it takes to keep progressing without losing sight of the people and relationships that built the business in the first place.

00:00 - Why Leaders Must Evolve as Their Business Grows

00:16 - Inside UFinancial's Growth and Seven-Director Model

03:08 - What Changes at Every Stage of Scaling

05:13 - Bryce's Journey From Broker to Business Leader

06:10 - Why UFinancial Turned to Acquisitions for Growth

08:03 - Why Cultural Alignment Matters More Than Price

08:51 - What Makes a Brokerage Valuable to Buyers?

10:34 - Building an Acquisition Strategy Through Relationships

13:44 - Building a Financial Services Ecosystem Around Brokers

15:43 - The Mortgage Is the Transaction, Trust Is the Asset

17:45 - Why UFinancial Moved to Salaried Brokers

20:45 - Finding the Right Brokers, Not Just More Brokers

21:55 - Protecting Culture When Bringing Businesses Together

24:40 - Balancing Brand Identity With Group Integration

26:45 - How Joining a Larger Group Can Renew Growth

28:42 - Why Hiring More People Won't Fix Broken Processes

30:05 - Knowing What to Change and What to Protect

Bryce Deledio is the CEO and one of seven directors of UFinancial.

Bryce has been involved in mortgage broking since 1998, after being introduced to the industry through his family’s involvement in financial services.

UFinancial began in 2008. Today, the business has a loan book of around $6 billion, 35 brokers and approximately 160 employees across the group, including its financial planning, accounting and asset businesses. Bryce also explains that the group has completed 14 transactions as part of its growth strategy.

• LinkedIn | Bryce Deledio
• LinkedIn | UFinancial
• Website | UFinancial

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Brokers in Progress for more real conversations about growth, systems, leadership, and what it actually takes to build a successful brokerage.

🎬Produced by Chris Bates and the studio team at www.alcove.com.au

The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as financial, investment, or credit advice. It does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of the information to your circumstances and seek advice from a licensed financial adviser, mortgage broker, or other qualified professional before making any decision. Canopy Private Pty Ltd holds Australian Credit Licence 558709.

Building a successful brokerage isn't just about writing more loans. It's about finding the right market, building the right team and creating a business that can grow beyond the principal broker.

In this episode of Brokers in Progress, we sit down with Nathan Smith, Director of the Birdie Group. Nathan is approaching 10 years at Birdie and has grown the business from a solo brokerage into a team of around 40. Today, the Birdie Group spans mortgage broking through Birdie Wealth, as well as conveyancing, property management and law.

Nathan shares how focusing deeply on the Sutherland Shire helped Birdie build a strong local brand and reputation, why the group expanded into complementary services, and how a people-first approach has shaped its culture and growth.

In this episode:

→ Why Nathan chose to niche geographically rather than by client type

→ How Birdie expanded from mortgage broking into complementary services

→ How flexibility, regular one-on-ones and career paths help build loyalty

→ The leadership lessons that come with growing a larger team

→ How Birdie integrates its offshore team as part of the wider business

→ Why finding good people and protecting the brand guide long-term growth

Whether you're building a brokerage, growing a team or thinking about how to create a business that can progress beyond your own loan writing, this conversation offers plenty of practical lessons on building for the long term.

00:00 - Meet Nathan Smith of the Birdie Group

02:31 - From Solo Broker to a Multi-Service Business

03:52 - Why Birdie Chose a Geographic Niche

05:27 - Expanding the Brand Into New Services

06:41 - Building a Workplace People Want to Join

10:28 - Letting Good People Shape the Growth Plan

13:04 - Building the Next Layer of Leaders

16:12 - Why Good People Stay at Birdie

20:28 - Protecting the Brand Above Anything Else

22:00 - Making the Offshore Team Part of Birdie

23:26 - The Brokers Who Thrive at Birdie

25:27 - Solve the Problem, Not Chase the Tech

26:41 - Building Long-Term Partner Relationships

28:57 - The 10-Year Mindset Behind Birdie Wealth

Nathan Smith is the Director of the Birdie Group, a group of businesses spanning mortgage broking, conveyancing, property management and law.

With around 20 years of experience as a broker, Nathan has spent the past decade building Birdie from a solo brokerage into a team of around 40, with a strong presence in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire.

Nathan’s approach is centred on finding good people, building roles around them and creating a workplace where they can grow. That includes regular one-on-one conversations, flexible working arrangements, clear career paths and a strong focus on long-term relationships.

In this episode, Nathan shares what he’s learned from building Birdie over the past 10 years, from geographic niching and expanding into complementary services to developing leaders, integrating an offshore team, protecting the brand and continually improving the client experience.

• LinkedIn | Nathan Smith
• LinkedIn | Birdie Wealth
• Website | Birdie Wealth

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Brokers in Progress for more real conversations about growth, systems, leadership, and what it actually takes to build a successful brokerage.

🎬Produced by Chris Bates and the studio team at www.alcove.com.au

The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as financial, investment, or credit advice. It does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of the information to your circumstances and seek advice from a licensed financial adviser, mortgage broker, or other qualified professional before making any decision. Canopy Private Pty Ltd holds Australian Credit Licence 558709.

Building a successful brokerage isn't just about writing more volume. It's about creating the environment, systems, and relationships that make long-term growth possible.

In Episode 004 of Brokers in Progress, we sit down with Clint Waters, founder of AXTON Finance. Clint has been a broker for more than 20 years, and today AXTON has a team of eight brokers settling more than $500 million a year.

Clint shares how his role has evolved from being the principal broker saying yes to every client and writing every deal, to stepping back and building an environment where good brokers can become great.

In this episode:

→ Why Clint believes experienced brokers can achieve more inside the right environment

→ The shift from principal broker to building the platform around the team

→ Why settlement volume alone isn't enough to measure a successful brokerage

→ How AXTON is centralising knowledge to make better, more consistent decisions

→ Why efficiency and broker productivity will matter more as the industry evolves

→ The role brand and reputation play before a client even speaks to a broker

→ Why human relationships are becoming more valuable as AI becomes part of the broking process

→ What it means to play the long game with clients, even when the best advice is to wait

Whether you're building a team, trying to improve your brokerage, or working out how to step beyond writing every deal yourself, this conversation offers a practical look at what it takes to build for the long term.

01:54 - From Principal Broker to Building the Platform

04:24 - How Technology Changed the Brokerage Model

06:32 - Creating a Home for Experienced Brokers

09:45 - Why Brand Opens the Door With Clients

13:13 - Stepping Back Before Burning Out

15:12 - Building a Team Around Shared Values

19:32 - Why Great Broking Is a Long Game

23:13 - Where Brokerage Consolidation Is Heading

30:07 - Centralising Knowledge for Better Decisions

32:35 - Building AXTON’s Premium Brand

36:47 - Wrap Up and Next Episode

Clint Waters is an experienced mortgage broker and the founder of AXTON Finance. He has worked in mortgage broking since 2003, helping clients across a wide range of residential, investment and commercial lending needs.

Based in Melbourne, Clint has spent more than 20 years in the industry and has built AXTON into a team of eight brokers settling more than $500 million a year.

Today, his focus extends beyond writing loans to building the systems, culture and environment that help experienced brokers perform at a high level, while maintaining a strong focus on long-term client relationships and quality credit advice.

• LinkedIn
• Website

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Brokers in Progress for more real conversations about growth, systems, leadership, and what it actually takes to build a successful brokerage.

Produced by Chris Bates and the studio team at www.alcove.com.au

The information provided in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as financial, investment, or credit advice. It does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of the information to your circumstances and seek advice from a licensed financial adviser, mortgage broker, or other qualified professional before making any decision. Canopy Private Pty Ltd holds Australian Credit Licence 558709.