Meet The Family Behind The Lending Business Thriving In Challenging Times

When Robert and Trudy Simpson opened Loan Market Bowral in May 2019, there is NO way they could have predicted what the next few years would bring [including a surprise addition to their own family!]. 

But that didn’t deter them. 

Through sheer hard work, determination and a real fire in the belly to create a family-oriented lending business in the Southern Highlands, Loan Market Bowral is now a busy and thriving local biz.

They’ve employed a wonderful local team of people which is allowing Trudy to step back from the operation [which was the plan all along] and it’s Robert and that team that are focusing on scaling and continuing on with their mission to become the local trusted advisor in lending. 

We caught up with Robert and Trudy to find out more about how this business grew in it’s start-up phase, how it impacted their family and what’s next on the horizon for Loan Market Bowral. 

1 :: What was the motivation behind opening Loan Market Bowral?

Robert :: Trudy was a stay-at-home mum and after nearly twenty years in the bulky goods industry doing a lot of travelling [I was rarely home], we wanted to start and build a business that allowed us to stay local and give both our careers a kickstart. 

Trudy :: We looked at this as a way we could combine my background in administration, Robert’s interest in the finance world and spend more time with the children.

2 :: How did Loan Market Bowral become the way you could do that? 

Robert :: I met Daniel Zarkovic of Loan Market and he talked to me about how I could become a mortgage broker and do it part time for interest sake rather than as a full-time career.

But after spending time with Dan  – he’s in the top 100 mortgage brokers in the country – I realised this was a great opportunity for us to give opening Loan Market Bowral a red-hot crack rather than starting slowly and building gradually. 

So we committed to that and opened the shop in May 2019.

3 :: And you certainly gave it a red-hot crack! 

Robert :: Yep, we were definitely all in and did most of it ourselves, supported by Loan Market. And Dan’s experience and him mentoring us was instrumental in us learning and scaling quickly. 

Trudy :: We decided to open the shop and then I found out I was pregnant with our third child! 

Robert :: The back office was a nursery for a while and the three kids would run around the office in the early days! 

Trudy :: It was a busy time – Robert was working while I was labour, and I went back to work a week after I gave birth – but we were both committed to the end goal of making Loan Market Bowral a success, so we gave it everything.

4 :: And that’s reflected in the growth of the business, hasn’t it? 

Robert :: Everything was against us. We opened Loan Market Bowral just before the fires and then two years of Covid and we had less than 100 people on our email database, but we took the opportunity to build the right foundations so that when we could scale, we could do it with ease. 

My view is if you’re planning for growth, you should be investing in preparing for that 8-12 months ahead of that projected growth. So you’re ready for it!

Trudy :: We traded right through the pandemic and were thankfully in an industry where demand was high. It gave us a good foundation to work with.

5 :: How many on the team now? 

Robert :: There’s five of us now, which is great. We actually only really built the team up in the last four months, in preparation for the business to keep scaling in 2022. 

Employing locals and providing a flexible workplace is really important to us. 

Trudy :: We get it. We’ve got a family and kids too, so providing a flexible and supportive environment for the team aligns with our own family values.

6 :: Robert, being named Loan Market Bowral is unusual, isn’t it? Tell us about how that happened. 

When we first started, the business was known as Loan Market Robert Simpson because Loan Market don’t normally postcode identify. 

Mentored by Daniel, we opened our own office and hit a lot of milestones quickly that you normally hit down the track. We did it all up front which was pretty cool. 

Plus, I was keen to change the name to Loan Market Bowral,  so it wasn’t all about me and my name. 

We want to attract and retain great staff who can grow and potentially take over the business too. That’s more viable if the business is called Loan Market Bowral. 

So we pitched it to head office last year and now we’re known as Loan Market Bowral. Only a small amount of Loan Market businesses across the country are known via their location so that was a big win for us. 

7 :: What can a Loan Market Bowral client expect when working with you and your team? 

Robert :: Our unique difference is speed. The application process, the post settlement service, the technology we have that streamlines everything for both us and the client – it adds up to a quick and positive outcome and experience for them. 

We live and breathe technology. Clients don’t have to dig up a whole lot of paperwork – we do it all for them. The technology we’ve introduced into the business has streamlined our processes and procedures, so we have strong efficiencies which allows us to scale with ease, provide quick turnarounds for the client, as well as making the whole process pretty stress free for them. 

Trudy :: We’re very connected to our clients objectives. It’s not just a transaction for us. We get to know who they are, what their goals are – both financial and personal – it all matters. 
And we’ve actually become good friends with a lot of our clients. 

Robert :: From the very first appointment, the whole journey is a relationship building exercise for us. It connects us to their outcomes and objectives. 

8 :: What’s the long-term vision for Loan Market Bowral? 

Robert :: Growing the business and investing in more local staff is a priority, for sure. We want to be known as the local trusted advisor to reach out to when it comes to lending – that’s the dream. 

We’ve hit plenty of milestones earlier than expected which has been great, so now it’s a case of consolidating that and building on it because the Loan Market brand has a lot to offer. 

We’re helping people across the board – business affiliates, new clients, existing clients, new staff, our current team and their families – that sort of stuff really excites us.

9 :: And finally, tell us what you both love about living and running a business in the Southern Highlands. 

Robert :: We’re both born and bred here, and we love it. There’s been a lot of travel for me, but I’ve always known this is the place for us. 

Trudy :: It’s a safe area and the kids love it. We love being close to our families who are mostly here too. 

Robert :: Our weekends are filled with visiting uncles and aunties, kids’ sport, riding bikes, heading to the park and hanging out with our dogs. 

Trudy :: It’s definitely our forever place.

The Loan Market Bowral team is committed to helping locals secure the right loan for their immediate and future goals – whether that’s for a first home, third investment property, refinancing, business investment or buying a new car. Excellent customer service is the core priority and are always happy to chat to Southern Highlanders keen for lending advice and expertise. 

Contact the team via their website here or call the office on 4862 1215. 

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