They don't look like the typical financial services outfit…
Those living in in Gloucestershire may have noticed the return of a high street mortgage broker in the form of boutique firm Hudson Rose. They don’t look like the typical financial services outfit and, on first glance, their office could be easily mistaken for a tattoo studio or a sweet shop.
But look beyond the brightly coloured exterior and inside, sporting a multi-coloured Mohican, one will find a highly experienced mortgage and protection advisor, Graham Taylor (pictured top). He’s a man on a mission – to make financial advice relaxed and unintimidating. To get to know each client and keep their individual needs at the heart of every transaction. Hence their motto – “not all suits and ties.”
Taylor founded Hudson Rose in February 2018 after a long career as a mortgage advisor working for the likes of London & Country, Capital Private Finance, and HSBC. But not only was he ready to do it alone, he was ready to do it his own way.
Now with three high street offices across the county (Nailsworth, Cirencester, and Cheltenham), a team of brokers, an administrator, and a marketing manager, the ‘unique Hudson Rose way’ is clearly working for them.
While the first high street office was something of an accident, its position near a busy roundabout with lots of passing traffic quickly began to pay off. The two branches that followed were carefully selected for their proximity to traffic lights. People slow down in the cars and wonder what goes on inside a Hudson Rose office. Funky colours, neon signs, cool artwork, and even a beer fridge. These are not the things that people expect to see in a mortgage advisor’s office, and that’s probably why they feel comfortable to pop in for a cup of tea and a chat.
Of course, just presenting themselves as funky and fun isn’t enough to keep the leads coming in. The Hudson Rose team know that they have to work even harder than their suited and booted counterparts in order not to be accused of ‘style over substance’. They pride themselves on offering seriously high service levels - taking as much time as needed to chat to every client, offering an online client portal to make the fact finding and document sharing processes as customer friendly as possible and even sending a cool tea-towel as a ‘thank you’ gift on completion.
“People might think that our style would only attract younger first-time buyers, but we have a huge range of clients, many of whom have been buying and selling houses for years and appreciate a fresh approach,” Taylor pointed out. “The vast majority of our leads come from personal recommendation because we strive to give five-star customer service to every single client.”
So, what does the future hold for an alternative mortgage advisory firm with an ever-growing brand? Taylor is keen to expand further with more offices and more brokers and perhaps be able to offer more financial services under the Hudson Rose umbrella.
The Hudson Rose approach sets the firm apart from the competition and offers a whole new mindset for brokers and clients alike. It could be seen as gimmicky or radical but, one thing’s for sure, it’s working.
