I caught up with Christopher Jonson of My Finance Agent – an exceptional residential and commercial mortgage brokerage with offices in Alexandria and Bathurst. We’ve been providing the business with bookkeeping, payroll, and BAS services since 2020 and enjoy a close, collaborative working relationship with the team. Chris, works fluently and easily with our people, is a great communicator, highly responsive, and always open to suggestions that will improve our workflow together.
Let’s learn a little more about Chris and My Finance Agent…
Chris; please tell us about your business.
“I established My Finance Agent in April 2014 offering both residential and commercial mortgage broking. The company has its own licence, which gives our team and our clients greater flexibility and a wider range of lending options because we are not tied to any particular bank or lender.”
How did you get started in your industry what has the journey been like?
“My journey began studying a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance and Marketing at UNSW, then working in insurance with GIO, while completing my Master’s degree.
I had a 2-year stint in Ireland from 1998, working for an insurance company before returning to Australia in 2000. I accepted a role with Aon Insurance, eventually transitioning into the business and strategic planning side of the organisation. In 2005, while leading a huge international project for the business, my father passed away. This was a very emotional time for me and a turning point in my career. Looking for a fresh start, I resigned from Aon and moved into commercial mortgage broking, where I honed my skills until 2014, when I decided to go out on my own, and My Finance Agent was born. For the first 2 years, I worked alone, employing my first admin staff member in 2016.
As the business flourished, we outgrew our original premises in Kingsford and moved to Alexandria, where we are currently based with a team of 10.
How would you describe your leadership style?
“I’d say my leadership style is communal and collaborative, I like to get everyone involved and I’m highly team orientated.”
What makes your company stand out in the market?
“I would say it’s the personal care we have for every client, the family feel we’ve created, and our continual drive for improvement, that allows our business to shine and stand out in the industry. So much more than a transactional business, My Finance Agent is driven by educating and assisting people to achieve financial freedom and wealth through property. Our long-term purpose is to help create a legacy for generation after generation.
We have our own proprietary app for clients to use. A central source of data for them to review their whole financial situation and set savings goals.
And we focus on being a real community player, offering sponsorships, competitions, and seminars for clients and key partners. We also host a “Professional Power Hour” breakfast every month, which is an open invitation for our key partners. Each attendee describes how they helped a client and shares something they have done that is a ‘game changer’. It is a wonderful transfer of knowledge in a trusted and collaborative environment.”
What challenges have you encountered?
“There have been challenges along the way. For example, trying to do the number of things that I have in my head and delivering them properly. And always feeling anxious because I want to do them all – and do them well.
Staffing has also been quite a challenge, as it is for most business owners. I quickly discovered how competitive the market is for acquiring good staff. Finding the right people, who not only possess the skills you require, but who embrace and enhance your values it is tough.
What would be your advice to others looking to solve similar challenges?
“My main piece of advice would be to gain a really strong understanding of what your business values are and what you are doing it for. Understanding yourself and living and breathing those values in every interaction will help attract the right people.
“We identified our guiding values as; integrity, transparency, continual improvement, education, and community, underpinned with financial literacy.
Gaining clarity in our purpose and service principles was pivotal in building the right team.
I’m personally driven every day by life and learning and making change. Being able to change others’ lives for the better gives me happiness. I believe this genuine purpose is felt by the team, is infectious, and fuels My Finance Agent’s client-focussed spirit.”
Finally, Chris, how do you define success for your business?
“For me, being successful means being valued highly and respected by our clients, and working with a happy and productive team. Money and being profitable is not the major driver.”
To Conclude…
We’d love to ask a few questions about the service we provide to you…Firstly, can you tell us what were you looking for in a bookkeeping service?
“I was simply sick of doing it myself, and my business coach advised me I should be using my time more effectively. The need for a bookkeeper was magnified when I employed my first member of staff. Payroll cannot be done by an amateur who doesn’t know what they’re doing – it has to be right.”
What made you choose Blue Amber?
“I got to know you, Lucy, through BNI where I was a member for 4 and a half years. As our relationship and mutual trust grew, choosing Blue Amber (then UBS) was an easy decision.
How would you describe the value of our product/service in one sentence?
“Fantastic, constant conversations with Tylah make things more efficient.”
