Beyond The Numbers With Christian Stevens

Christian Stevens
  • 4.6 (9)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Beyond The Numbers is the podcast for mortgage brokers who want to build businesses that last. Hosted by Christian Stevens, five-time Best Broker in Australia and CEO of Flint. Each week, Christian delivers practical Deep Dives on the skills and systems that drive real results, alongside Industry Titan conversations with the leaders who've built something exceptional. No fluff, no theory – just the playbooks and lessons you need to grow a sustainable, profitable broking business.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    The Attention Economy: Why the Broker Who Shows Up Online Wins All the Clients

    Robbo Roper is the founder of Trusted Finance and arguably the most followed finance mind in Australia — 1.7 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, built entirely without spending a single dollar on advertising. But his origin story isn't what you'd expect. He spent a decade as a high school maths teacher, built a 15-staff tutoring centre on the side, and only stumbled into mortgage broking when Covid shut his business down overnight and his income went to zero. This conversation goes well beyond the follower count.  Robbo breaks down exactly how he went from posting one video a day hoping for one lead a month, to generating 500–750 qualified leads per week through a 30-question intake form that filters out everyone who isn't serious. He gets into his three-pillar content framework — education, entertainment, inspiration — why he deliberately made himself harder to contact, how he turned 11 hero videos into 40–60 daily posts across every platform, and the fork-in-the-road decision that transformed him from mortgage broker into a full-scale marketing business. If you're a broker trying to figure out social media, or wondering what's actually possible with consistency over five years, this one will reset your benchmark. 1:05 — From maths teacher to mortgage broker — how Covid shutting down a 15-staff tutoring centre sparked the pivot 7:21 — The turning point - The moment Robbo knew social media had changed everything 13:08 — The 6,900 posts framework - why consistency is the only secret 19:00 — The 3-pillar content strategy — education, entertainment and inspiration, and how to hijack the For You page across every platform 24:57 — Live content creation demo — Robbo films a real video in real time showing the hook-problem-solution structure, segment-by-segment filming and in-app editing 35:05 — 40–60 posts per day from 11 hero videos — the repurposing system, trial reels, and the fatherhood video that hit 48M views and generated 70,000 followers overnight 41:34 — What most brokers are doing wrong — reactive content, RBA-day-only posting, and why the willingness to fail is the real barrier 45:14 — The brand risk nobody talks about — running Trusted Finance solo with zero staff, the "if you die tomorrow" question, and what the next chapter looks like Learn more about Flint: https://flintgroup.au/  Connect with Christian Stevens:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/propertyfinance/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmrstevens/  Connect with Robbo Roper: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbo-roper-online-marketing-expert-88a56024b/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trusted.finance/

    49 min

  2. 29 APR

    Can a Single Parent Build a Brokerage From Scratch and Still Be There for Their Kids?

    Kaylene Edwards is the managing director of Flexify and one of the more honest, self-made stories to come through Beyond The Numbers. She grew up in commission housing, bartended her way through her twenties, and bought her first property at 21 — sleeping in her car between shifts to save the deposit. She later moved into banking as an assessor, watched brokers submit loan after loan, and eventually thought: I can do this better. So she did. Flexify was born, and she's been building it ever since — as a single mum, without a mentor, figuring it out in real time. But this conversation goes well beyond the origin story. Kaylene talks candidly about what it really takes to build a broking business from scratch — the social media strategy she's used from day one, why she'd rather get six likes from the right people than a million views from the wrong ones, and how she's doubling her team heading into FY27. She opens up about building a niche she didn't choose — self-employed borrowers and property investors — and how 20% of her Brisbane-based book ended up in Kalgoorlie. She also gets into what she believes is holding women back from staying in broking, and what a genuine solution to that might look like. If you're a broker trying to build something real from nothing, or just want a reminder of what backing yourself actually looks like — this one's for you. 1:13 Working as an Assessor — Watching Brokers and Thinking She Could Do It Better 7:13 The Moment She Saw What Brokers Got Paid 13:22 FY27 Plans — Doubling the Team and Launching Paid Ads 16:40 Social Media Ad Strategy — What She's Actually Testing 19:23 Do You Want Exposure or Do You Want to Get Rich? 24:27 The Hardest Parts Nobody Warns You About 29:09 Why Women Leave Broking — and Her Idea to Fix It 35:26 AI and Automation — What's Actually Saving Her Time 48:29 Sleeping in Her Car to Save Her First Property Deposit Learn more about Flint: https://flintgroup.au/ Connect with Christian Stevens: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/propertyfinance/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmrstevens/ Connect with Kaylene Edwards: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleneedwards/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flexify.au/

    55 min

  3. 22 APR

    Why 2026 Might Be the Best Time in History to Be a Mortgage Broker

    Simon Lewis is the founder of Broker Capital, a trail book lender built specifically for mortgage brokers who want to grow — without selling what they've spent years building. In this episode, Simon unpacks how trail book funding actually works, why most brokers don't realise they're sitting on a borrowable asset, and how Broker Capital is funding deals in as little as two days. He breaks down the four main reasons brokers come to him — growing a team, buying out a partner, acquiring another book, or consolidating debt — and why the banks simply won't touch most of these situations. But this conversation goes deeper than product. Simon shares what a high-quality trail book actually looks like under the hood — loan age, clawback rates, run-off, growth trajectory — and why the average book transacted at nearly 3x in FY25. He talks about the consolidation wave reshaping Australian broking, why the smaller operators are feeling the squeeze, and what ambitious brokers should be doing right now to capitalise on it. He also opens up about what it's really like being four months into building a business from scratch — wearing every hat, figuring it out in real time, and why he believes the broking industry is in a golden window that won't last forever. If you're a mortgage broker sitting on a trail book and wondering what your next move is — this one's for you. 3:45 The Beginner's Guide to Trail Book Funding 9:00 Acquisitions 101: Buying a Book With $0 Out of Pocket 12:40 What Makes a Good Borrower — and Who Gets Declined 19:10 The 4 Reasons Brokers Come to Broker Capital 23:15 What Makes a High-Quality Trail Book (Run-Off, Clawbacks, Loan Age) 25:20 Biggest Clawback Horror Stories 30:25 Generalist vs Specialist: Where the Industry Is Heading 33:00 The Long-Term Vision for Broker Capital Learn more about Flint: https://flintgroup.au/ Connect with Christian Stevens: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/propertyfinance/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmrstevens/ Connect with Simon Lewis: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonlewisbrokercapital/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonlewis_brokercapital/

    39 min

  4. 15 APR

    The Traineeship Model That Produces $100 Million Brokers From Inside Your Own Business

    Chris Raymond, founder of Unconditional Finance, joins Christian Stevens on this week's episode of Beyond The Numbers. With 25 years across banking and broking — from loan documentation and credit analysis to becoming a #1 BDM nationally — Chris built Unconditional Finance from a single relationship that generated $67 million in his first year as a broker. But it wasn't overnight. From going all-in on one referral partner after lying about his experience to building a 25-person team running over $300 million a year, Chris opens up about the deliberate, unglamorous decisions behind that growth — the foundations-first philosophy, why he refused to blow up his back office chasing volume, and how he's used an internal traineeship model to promote brokers who write $60–70 million in their first year. He also talks about the equity conversations nobody has with their team, what it actually takes to step off the tools, and why he still believes relationship-based business will always outperform the social media lead machine. If you're a mortgage broker, brokerage owner, or anyone building something in financial services from the ground up — this one's for you. 4:55 $67M in Year One — From One Referral Partner He Lied To 7:00 How Unconditional Finance Grew to 25 People 10:30 Managing Gen Z Brokers: Cuddles vs. Boot Camps 13:15 Why Brokers Need to Specialise (Not Just Settle Loans) 17:00 The Back-Office Philosophy That Stopped Him Blowing Up 21:30 Getting Off the Tools: The Traineeship-to-Broker Pipeline 26:00 Equity, Ownership, and Keeping Your Best People 29:00 Writing 300M and Still Up at 4:30am: The Real Cost of Big Numbers 33:00 Expansion Plans, Acquisition Offer, and What's Next for 2027 38:00 Three Referral Partners, 14 Properties, and His Biggest Investing Mistake Learn more about Flint: https://flintgroup.au/ Connect with Christian Stevens: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/propertyfinance/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmrstevens/ Connect with Chris Raymond: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymond-chris/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris_unconditionalfinance/

    53 min

  5. 8 APR

    How 1,000+ Mortgage Brokers Are Earning Extra Revenue Without Extra Clients

    Julian Fayad, Founder and CEO of LoanOptions.ai, joins Christian Stevens on this week's episode of Beyond The Numbers. As Australia's first AI-powered loan comparison platform, FBAA Industry Champion of the Year, and a Deloitte Tech Fast 50 company, Julian has been building AI in financial services since 2020 — years before it was mainstream. He joins Christian to unpack the full story of how it happened. But it wasn't a straight line. From building a loan matching engine in an Excel spreadsheet at midnight, to walking away from a publicly listed company during COVID with nothing but his non-compete removed, Julian opens up about what it really took to build LoanOptions.ai from the ground up into a team of 35 with operations in Australia and New Zealand. He speaks candidly about the difference between AI hype and AI that actually works, why he refused to let lenders pay to rank higher on his platform, and the coming product releases he believes will triple the business in 12 months. This episode is a rare look inside one of Australia's most exciting fintech companies — and the obsessive, uncompromising founder who built it. If you're a mortgage broker, business owner, or anyone curious about where AI in lending is actually headed, this one's for you. 3:15 - From Admin to State Manager: Julian's Path Into Finance 6:00 - The Midnight Excel Spreadsheet That Started It All 8:16 - Why COVID Changed Everything — and Led to LoanOptions.ai 11:30 - Refusing to Let Lenders Pay to Rank Higher on the Platform 13:00 - From B2C to B2B2C: Finding the Business Model That Actually Works 20:45 - What "AI Native Business" Actually Means (and Why It Matters) 29:32 - Team Culture: How Julian Runs a Team of 35 Mid-to-Late 20s 37:54 - What's Coming Next: New Products, NZ Expansion & the Partnership That Could Triple the Business Learn more about Flint: https://flintgroup.au/ Connect with Christian Stevens: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/propertyfinance/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmrstevens/ Connect with Julian Fayad: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianfayad/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianfayad/

    48 min

  6. 1 APR

    How This Broker Got 2.7 Million Views Without Spending a Dollar

    Leigh Morris, mortgage broker and founder of SFP Financial, joins Christian Stevens on this week's episode of Beyond The Numbers. As a former financial planner turned content creator, Leigh has built a following of 50,000+ across social media, hit 2.7 million views on a single video, and books out his calendar weeks in advance — all without spending a dollar on ads. But the journey wasn't overnight. From posting every week for months with barely any views, to making a personal promise he wouldn't stop until a video hit a million — Leigh opens up about what it really takes to build a brand from scratch while running a lifestyle brokerage by design. He speaks candidly about the mistakes, the grind, and the decisions he'd do differently — including why he'd never buy a loan book again, and how he built an offshore team that handles 600 client reviews a year so he doesn't have to. This episode is an honest look at content, consistency, and what it means to build a business around your life — not the other way around. 5:12 - Why a Financial Planning Background Makes You a Better Broker 10:45 - Starting From Zero: Posting Every Week With Barely Any Views 16:36 - How Viral Content Converts Into Booked Meetings 22:13 - Designing a Lifestyle Business: The Team Structure Behind SFP Financial 30:10 - The Offshore Team System & 600 Client Reviews a Year 35:47 - What He'd Do Differently: Why He'd Never Buy a Loan Book Again 38:23 - FY27 Goals: Paid Ads, More Content & Stepping Back From the Day-to-Day Learn more about Flint: https://flintgroup.au/ Connect with Christian Stevens: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/propertyfinance/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmrstevens/ Connect with Leigh Morris: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leighjmorris/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/financial.leigh/

    42 min

  7. 25 MAR

    Niche Brokerage: How to Scale to $80M by Owning One Community

    From arriving in Australia with just $1,500 in his pocket to becoming the #1 mortgage broker for the Nepalese community — Raj Sapkota’s story is one of relentless grit, smart strategy, and playing to your strength. In this episode of Beyond the Numbers, Christian Stevens sits down with Raj to unpack the immigrant mindset that turned a cleaner's wage into a multi-million dollar property portfolio and a thriving broking business settling $80 million this year. Raj shares the raw truth behind his early broking years — bad mentors, no support, and having to figure it out alone — and how turning those struggles into content became his greatest business weapon. From a viral investor journey video that flooded his phone with 30+ calls a day, to posting property education every morning before 5am, Raj's strategy is as disciplined as it is authentic. His philosophy is simple: educate first, sell never — and the results speak for themselves. If you're a mortgage broker, property investor, or aspiring entrepreneur trying to build something from nothing, this one's for you. 1:01 — Raj's Story: $1,500 & A One-Way Ticket to Australia 8:08 — "Property Is Shelter in Nepal, Wealth in Australia" — the mindset shift that changed everything 13:35 — Niching Down: Why Raj Went All-In on the Nepalese Community 15:30 — The Viral Video That Generated 30+ Calls a Day 26:37 — Why Raj Chose Flint Over Building His Own Business 31:34 — The Mentorship Crisis — what went wrong before finding the right support 35:22 — On Track for Top 1% — what's next for Raj in 2025 Learn more about Flint: https://flintgroup.au/ Connect with Christian Stevens: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/propertyfinance/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmrstevens/ Connect with Raj Sapkota: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajkumarsapkota/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raj_mortgage_broker/

    37 min

  8. 18 MAR

    19 Suicides in 1 Year: The Dark Side of the Mortgage Industry

    Rhianna Farnan, Chief Communications Officer at Derwent Finance and mental health advocate, joins Christian Stevens on this week's episode of Beyond The Numbers. As FBAA Tasmania State President, Artemis Ambassador, and the 2025 Better Business Awards Thought Leader of the Year, Rhianna shares the story behind building one of Australia's leading mortgage broking firms - starting from a bedroom at just 18 years old. But the journey wasn’t smooth.From a failed Melbourne expansion that nearly brought the business undone, to pioneering TikTok for mortgage brokers and generating more than 150 leads a month, Rhianna opens up about what it really takes to build something over a decade. She speaks candidly about the mistakes, the pressure, and the moment things almost collapsed - including a time when the business was struggling so much they couldn’t afford to buy groceries. This episode is a raw look at resilience, rebuilding, and what it takes to keep going when everything feels like it’s falling apart. If you're a mortgage broker, business owner, or anyone building something from scratch, this one's for you. 5:13 — The Melbourne Expansion That Nearly Destroyed Everything 8:17 — Running a Business With Your Partner: The Honest Truth 11:30 — Why She Founded a Mental Health Event for the Industry 19:07 — How TikTok Became Their Biggest Lead Source (150/Month) 22:29 — Viral ≠ Leads: The Content Strategy That Actually Works 31:42 — How the Back Office Is Structured (Offshore, Settlements, PA) 36:23 — The First Date Was a Disaster — Here's What Changed 39:19 — Balancing Ambition, Kids & Knowing When to Step Back 50:10 — Where the Mortgage Broking Industry Is Heading Learn more about Flint: https://flintgroup.au/ Connect with Christian Stevens: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/propertyfinance/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmrstevens/ Connect with Rhianna Farnan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhianna-farnan-055a2716b/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/rhiannafarnan/

    52 min
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4.6
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Beyond The Numbers is the podcast for mortgage brokers who want to build businesses that last. Hosted by Christian Stevens, five-time Best Broker in Australia and CEO of Flint. Each week, Christian delivers practical Deep Dives on the skills and systems that drive real results, alongside Industry Titan conversations with the leaders who've built something exceptional. No fluff, no theory – just the playbooks and lessons you need to grow a sustainable, profitable broking business.

Information

  • Creator
    Christian Stevens
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit

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