September 29, 2020
Mortgage Choice has launched the next series of events in its female talent nurturing program, Aspire. Aspire was launched in March 2020 with the objective of nurturing and building the female talent pipeline within Mortgage Choice.
Mortgage Choice CEO Susan Mitchell said, “The most recent MFAA Opportunities for Women Report revealed that the number of female brokers declined year on year. I’m proud to say that at Mortgage Choice, women make up 55% of our network, however there are fewer female franchise owners and we want to support more women to take the reins and step into franchise ownership. We see this as an opportunity to further develop the strength of this female community and invest in the growth of women across various roles within our network. To shift female representation in the industry, we must first start with ourselves and Aspire sets out to do that for Mortgage Choice.”
“It’s never been more important to help our franchisees become more resilient business owners. This year has been immensely disruptive, and we have been challenged to rethink the way we work. Learning how to acknowledge and manage stress and energy levels is a valuable tool.”
“The challenges that face men and women are different. This year, female small business owners across the country were thrown into working from home, which has made the juggling act more real than ever. This can be isolating for small business owners, which is why bringing our network together online to share their experiences, tips and tricks with their peers is essential.”
The latest instalment in the Aspire program is a series of online Masterclasses held by high performance coach Kate McKenna. The first masterclass, ‘Energy and Performance Management’ explored a range of practical tips to help improve energy and performance management.
Masterclass attendees were encouraged to go back to basics, challenge the status quo and get the most out of their teams. This was followed by a panel led by Kate and Emma Dupont-Brown, Mortgage Choice General Manager of Product and Corporate Communications. Panellists shared how they juggle their priorities and commitments, how they set boundaries and expectations with their clients and staff and how they stay organised, especially in this new era.
Ms Mitchell said, “Our panellists were insightful and vulnerable and shared real solutions with the audience from their own experiences. It was a testament to the strength of our community who are more than willing to help each other grow.”
Mortgage Choice franchise owner Caroline Jean-Baptiste said, “The Aspire program is a great opportunity for female brokers to come together for support and to build stronger networks. As a panellist, it was a great opportunity to share my experience in maintaining my energy and managing my performance while building a business and a family at the same time. Hearing other panellists share how they manage their daily challenges made me feel like I wasn't alone. The workshops
provided the opportunity to hear about the challenges fellow business owners and brokers were facing and I was able to take away valuable tips and insights to implement in my own business.”
“Mortgage Choice has a long history of inspiring female franchise owners who have built strong businesses. Our aim is to continue to nurture the next generation of talent within our mortgage broking and advice networks by giving our network the tools they need to grow and develop,” concluded Ms Mitchell.
The second and third masterclasses to be held in October will explore: ‘Mental Fitness and Building Resilience’ good mental fitness and building resilience both personally and across the team and ‘Goals, Values and Purpose’.
