8. Larry Zhou, Li

It was while he was working in the banking industry that Larry Zhou worked out what customers really wanted from a bank, but were not getting: options, unbiased advice and longevity of relationship. These values became the base for Link Capital Finance nearly five years ago.

Based in Fairfield, Victoria, married father and active tennis player Zhou started out as a graduate banker in 2007, but broke away to start his business with the support of “a great family and close circle of friends”.

His broking business is modelled towards property developers and high net worth commercial property investors. The vast majority of his loans settled last year were for development finance – in fact Zhou settled the highest proportion of development loans in our top 10 list – and the rest was mostly made up of commercial real estate deals, with a small percentage of equipment and asset finance thrown in for good luck.

Thinking back to his years working at the major bank he says he never fit into the culture and had no passion for it, but now as a commercial broker, he finds there is never a dull moment. “I wanted to be in the business of helping other business’ grow,” he says. “I love working with entrepreneurs and admire the way they see the world; there’s a story behind every business and every project.”

But over the past year Zhou has noticed a change as banks shift their lending appetites. The major banks are exhibiting a strong preference in reserving their lending capital to their existing and well established customers, he says.

However he adds that even the banks seem to be a little confused about their own appetites. “We hear a lot of ‘we’re open for new business’, but in reality new clients seeking funding face massive headwinds and scrutiny,” he explains. This added scrutiny has meant Zhou is spending more time drafting submissions and providing more in depth analysis.

With the bigger banks tightening, Zhou and his team are finding opportunities passed to alternative lenders. He says a lot of external capital seems to be coming into the Australian market, providing much needed funding options.

This is where the importance of a commercial broker comes in. Zhou says he is seeing a lot of restructures within the banks, and “more than ever”, he is hearing from customers that high turnover of bank staff is affecting their businesses.

As such, he is finding more and more commercial clients open to speaking with commercial brokers, keen to understand what is available for them in the market. “The key opportunity now is to establish solid relationships in times of uncertainty, there are examples of clients who we’ve been speaking to for years before we complete a transaction,” he adds.

Total value of commercial loan settlements: $101,500,000
Number of commercial loans settled: 23
Average commercial loan size: $4,413,043
Years as a commercial broker: 11
Aggregator: AFG