My newsletter today is about thanking you – friends, family and clients – for your ongoing support.
But I’m doing this in such a way where there’s a deeper thought. It’s a thought about hard work and integrity, two things I’m very passionate about.
I’ve been in mortgage broking for just on 4.5 years now. Long Property’s going well, however when I reflect on my 6 years prior to broking, nothing was particularly successful…
• My first job out of uni was in investment banking at UBS. This was the most enviable job for any commerce/ finance graduate at the time, in fact is still probably is. However I never loved the work, nor was I particularly good at it, and I only lasted a couple of years.
• Next came Ladybub (now Mumgo.com.au), this was a successful eCommerce business, and it is still going strong today. My wife and I started the business, however we were only involved for a short while before getting bought out by Catch Group, neither of us can claim responsibility for how the business has evolved since then.
• Lastly, I was the co-founder of MELT. This was an innovative hospitality concept, we raised venture capital from prominent investors, but it ultimately failed and we lost money.
You can look at these experiences in different ways. There were highs and lows, but I felt lost after MELT. There were no obvious avenues through which I could advance my career.
Coming back to finance was always the safe place for me, since that’s what I had studied at uni, and that’s where I had the most amount of experience. However I remember worrying that I had been out of the game for too long, and it would be difficult getting back in.
Anyway fast forward to today, and it turns out a large number of clients at Long Property actually come from those networks I established during the early years of my career. These are the same people who could have easily written me off after any of the above false starts.
Perhaps you (as clients/ readers) are the group best placed to explain why you stuck with me.
My guess is that it’s because I’ve always worked really hard and I’ve always been genuine. I think it’s also because the best possible client outcomes and experiences are always what have driven me.
Arguably working hard and acting with integrity actually defines success. Irrespective of the outcome.
So maybe those false starts weren’t really false starts after all??
Here’s thanking you for your ongoing support, and let me assure you… the hard work will continue!
Daniel Gold
