Achieving balance in a family business
Q: What makes mortgage broking an interesting career?
A: I have always been driven by helping people. Whether it was in my previous career in HR or with my community work, I get great satisfaction from it. I see my role as an enabler and an educator – helping people navigate through the system to find a solution that helps them meet their goals. They may be buying their first home in a tough market, building a property portfolio to secure their financial future, purchasing premises to grow their business, or building their dream property. Whatever their goal, I find it very rewarding to get their finance in place and introduce them to other like-minded professionals.
Q: What are some of the benefits and/or challenges of working in a family business?
A: We run Sattout Accounting Services in a very collaborative way, and keeping everyone happy all of the time can be a challenge. We see each other every day, but there is very little time for socialising, so we have to be mindful of enjoying our time together outside of work. I am probably the worst at avoiding work talk at family functions. We each have our specialty areas and this helps make the workplace harmonious.
Q: Do you have any advice on how best to manage work-life commitments?
A: I keep family at the forefront of all my decisions, and mortgage broking is a great career that allows this. I schedule my work week around what is important at home, and try to make sure I am present as a parent, wife, sibling and daughter. There are times when my workload can feel overwhelming, and I am getting better at looking after myself, ‘eating the frog’, and focusing on the most important tasks first. There can be many distractions in our roles, so I try hard to delegate where I can without compromising the customer experience.
Q: What are you looking forward to in the new year?
A: Sattout Accounting Services is relocating to new premises in 2018. I am looking forward to having a fresh, new work environment and the capacity to expand the team. I see 2018 as an exciting one for mortgage brokers who focus on solving problems for their clients and finding solutions to help them grow.
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