Broker firm owner on proving her doubters wrong - by having children and a career
Broker Amanda Law is a successful mortgage broker, heading up a business that carries her name. But, if she had listened to her detractors when she fell pregnant nearly 20 years ago, she would have thought that her career was over.
Having successfully managed to maintain a mortgage career and bring up her children – a daughter born in 2007 and a son born in 2008 - Law (pictured) urges the young women following in her footsteps that they can be a mother and thrive in business as well.
Comments made directly to her, Law recalls, by older, male managers in the bank where she worked, were hardly encouraging.
“There were a few comments,” she said, “that I wouldn't be in a mortgage job when I came back, I wouldn't probably want to do it, I’d find it too difficult trying to do that and having kids, because I wanted to go back part time. It probably wouldn't fit.
“It wasn't even the fact that, I think, they thought I wouldn't want to do it. It was the fact they thought I couldn't do it and it wouldn't be an option. Back then, I did think it was hard. I'd spent all this time and hard work doing CeMAP and observing people, other mortgage advisers, and putting a lot of time and effort in.”
Law may have felt written off, but she was emboldened to show her doubters that they had underestimated her.
“It just made me more determined,” she said. “In all honesty, I thought ‘I’ll prove you wrong - I will do it’, and I did. You can do both, you can be a mum and have a career. I've always been career-driven. I wanted to keep that part of me, even when I became a mum, and I've managed it.”
Law worked part-time initially and returned to full-time work when her children started school. In fairness, her employers did enable her to combine her work and parental roles.
“I have to say everywhere I’ve worked, they have been pretty flexible,” she said. “I wanted to be the one to do the school drop off in the morning or the nursery drop off in the morning and I have to say every employer I've worked for has been really flexible.”
Even so, the industry has come on leaps and strides in the years since, in Law’s view.
“Now we're doing flexible working, hybrid working,” she noted. “If you look at the likes of The Mortgage Mum, they're all about empowering women. I would encourage anyone who wants to do it, to go for it. You need to be driven, you need to have the passion for it, but you can do both. It's not easy, it's hard work, but it's so rewarding. I think it is good for your children to see that you can do both, because you want them to have a work ethic as well.”
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Brokers should tell clients how good they are
Last year, Law went self-employed and set up her own business, Amanda Law Mortgages – a trading name of Aberdein Considine – in Scotland. It’s important as a broker, she believes, to emphasise your ability.
“It's about putting yourself out there and not being afraid to tell people how good you are at what you do,” she said. “I found it very natural speaking to clients. It didn't come naturally saying good things about myself and putting yourself out there on social media for business.
“When I first had to do a first video post, I think I did about 150 takes, but you have to be able to put yourself outside your comfort zone, and I would say I've done that recently. Just say how good you are. There's heaps of other brokers out there who are good - what sets you apart from everyone else?”
A good broker will put their clients at the heart of everything they do, suggests Law, and communication with clients is key.
“You want to take the stress out of it for them, and be flexible - no one size fits all,” Law reasoned. “Some people want a call when the kids are in bed. Some want to do a WhatsApp call at lunchtime from their car. So, flexibility is important and listening to the client about what they want; being open and honest, if something that a client wants, is not going to work. Tell them.”
Brokers need to take a long term view of their customer relationships, Law believes.
“It's not just a case of, ‘that’s your mortgage, bye’, it's everything else that comes after that,” she said. “When their mortgage is up for renewal, getting in touch and keeping that communication there. If you know they have a child and they maybe want to change their protection cover, review their cover. If they want to move house, you want to be that go-to broker that they come to. It's a lifetime care that you provide.”
