Lengthy industry experience helps a professional make the most of their strong foundations
Nearly two decades of financial industry experience has honed Lena Ohanjanians, principal broker at Fuse Mortgage Inc., to a fine edge – building on her already strong foundations as a speaker of multiple languages.
“I started my career at CIBC in January 2004, where I was hired as a Bilingual Mortgage Specialist,” she told Canadian Mortgage Professional. “In the two years there, I discovered my passion for helping clients with their home financing and decided to transition to CIBC’s Brokerage arm (HLC) to develop my business as a self-employed mortgage agent.”
This initiation into the industry came about due to a happy coincidence, Ohanjanians recounted.
“A friend who was working at CIBC at the time suggested I apply for a bilingual position that had come up, saying I would be perfect for it,” she said. “I was considering a career change at the time and decided to take an interview.”
Subsequently, Ohanjanians started her own brokerage, Ultimate Mortgage and Finance Solutions, in 2010 with three other business partners.
Lena Ohanjanians, principal broker at Fuse Mortgage Inc., told CMP that her brokerage had been preapproving clients with the assumption of a three-quarter-basis-point hike in September, assuming those customers wanted to choose a variable rate.https://t.co/e0IMM1oNds
— Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine (@CMPmagazine) August 18, 2022
“In 2020, after 10 years of partnership, I decided to start my own firm Fuse Mortgage Inc. in order to work on my own brand,” she said. “I truly believe I was meant to be a mortgage broker and feel grateful to be in this industry.”
So far, the mortgage industry has proven to be the ideal platform for Ohanjanians to maximize her skills in doing what she really wants to do: “helping others achieve success.”
“This applies to all our clients and my team members, and I’m grateful that my role allows me to do both,” she said.
“This is a wonderful business where we can help people achieve their goals and help improve their financial situation. It can be very rewarding, but you have to be dedicated, persistent, and have the financial capacity for ups and downs in business.”
In her career so far, Ohanjanians said that among the most important lessons she has learned is to trust her gut “and always do what feels right, even if it seems like it’s going to be difficult.”
“Sometimes that means more work, time, and energy, but it will always pay off,” she stressed. “It’s those ‘trust-your-gut’ decisions that will change your business, and your life, for the better.”
