She felt that becoming a broker would allow her to help clients better
For most new-to-industry brokers, the first couple of years can be a challenging time in which they work extra hard to establish themselves in the industry.
For Young Gun Lauren Shuttleworth, the transition to broking came with an added challenge – looking after a newborn baby. The Gold Coast broker for Zillow spoke with MPA about making the Young Guns list for 2020 and how she balanced her foray into broking with the demands of motherhood.
Switching to the front end
Shuttleworth became a broker in 2016 after working in client liaison for about five years at a property investment firm.
She says she had a lot of experience helping clients at the back end and really wanted to help them at the front end too.
“I’ve always been a bit of a puzzle person,” she says.
“I just felt that becoming a broker would allow me to help clients better.
“I got my Certificate 4 while I was a client liaison but the company that I was with just gave me the opportunity to become a mortgage broker so I jumped in.”
Broking with a newborn
She says her greatest challenge was balancing work with the demands of a newborn baby after falling pregnant in the same month she became a broker.
“Because I was new to the industry I couldn’t really stop and spend time with my daughter. I didn’t have any maternity leave, so trying to juggle a new business as well as a newborn, I found, was pretty difficult.”
Taking only four days off following the birth of her daughter, Shuttleworth spent the early days of motherhood working at the computer with her daughter at her side.
“I have to admit, she was a pretty easy baby – she didn’t cry, she was pretty cruisy, so I could just put her next to me and do a few hours on the computer and then come back,” she says.
“My husband was very helpful as well. I had my mum for a few weeks and my mother in law lived down the road, so if I needed a little break then I did have them to call upon.”
Becoming a Young Gun
This year, Shuttleworth was named an MPA Young Gun after writing more than $48m in the 12 months leading up to selection. This was the highest amount in the group of 25.
She says building good relationships with clients has enabled her to create repeat business and win referrals. She also credits much of her success to being able to align with marketing companies that provide good leads.
While COVID-19 has come with its fair share of challenges, Shuttleworth says she aims to expand her business when life returns to normal.
