The CEO1440 Show

John Jurkovich

Welcome to the The CEO1440 Show! We’re here to guide bankers on their journey to becoming successful brokers and to help existing brokers elevate their skills and strategies. Join us for insightful discussions with industry experts covering topics like compliance, marketing tactics, business growth, personal development, credit expertise, and strategic planning in the financial services sector. Get ready to thrive in the dynamic world of mortgage brokerage with our actionable advice and valuable insights!

  1. Why Hiring a Virtual Assistant Feels Risky (And How to Fix It) | With Joan Paloma

    MAR 3

    Why Hiring a Virtual Assistant Feels Risky (And How to Fix It) | With Joan Paloma

    Hiring a virtual assistant shouldn’t feel like getting married, committing to college, or buying a car—but for a lot of people, it does. In this episode of the Mortgage Broker Builder / CEO 1440 Show, John Jurkovich sits down with Joan Paloma, founder of Virtually Assistant, to break down a simpler, lower-risk way to use virtual assistants—without long-term contracts, full-time commitments, or paying for hours you don’t use. If you’ve ever thought: “I don’t have enough work for a full-time VA” “I don’t want to sign a 6–12 month contract” “I tried Fiverr and it was a mess” “I don’t want to manage software, logins, or seats” “I don’t even know what I’d delegate” This conversation is for you. We walk through a VA-on-demand / block-of-hours model that lets you scale up when you’re busy, scale down when you’re not, and only pay for productive work. No guilt. No wasted payroll. No babysitting. Whether you decide to use a virtual assistant or not, the goal of this episode is simple: 👉 help you buy your time back and use your 1,440 minutes a day more intentionally. 🔗 Resources & Links Mentioned 👉 Get started with a Virtual Assistant (VA-on-Demand): http://www.themortgagebrokerbuilder.c... 💡 Mention Mortgage Broker Builder to get $100 off the Starter Pack (your first 50 hours). 👉 Only need help with Social Media posting? https://portal.dubsado.com/public/for... 👉 Virtually Assistant Website: https://virtuallyassistant.com/ ⏱️ What’s Covered in This Video Why hiring a virtual assistant feels risky for most people Why full-time VA models don’t fit businesses with ebb & flow Joan’s background and why agencies trust her team Common VA tasks: video editing, social media, outreach, CRM, admin How the block-of-hours / VA-on-demand model works How projects are managed using Asana Quality control, escalation, and fixing mistakes Software tools (Canva, Drive, Dropbox) — without extra seats Pricing, payments (Wise / PayPal), and fast onboarding How business owners actually buy their time back

    36 min
  2. The Most Underused Tool in Real Estate & Lending Right Now | With Raf Howery of Kukun

    JAN 9

    The Most Underused Tool in Real Estate & Lending Right Now | With Raf Howery of Kukun

    Brokers & Agents: You don’t stay top-of-mind by “checking in” or sending recipe cards. You stay top-of-mind by delivering real, personal, useful info—every month. In this episode of The CEO1440 Show, I sat down with Raf Howery, CEO of Kukun, a platform that lets you: Stay connected with every client post-closeDeliver hyper-personalized value every month (without lifting a finger)Become more than “just the LO”—you become the advisor Here's what we break down: ✅ How Kukun helps you send 40,000+ valuable touches per year—automated ✅ Why their PICO Score is lightyears ahead of Zillow estimates ✅ How to use renovation data to create CMA-style email plays ✅ The text/email alerts that trigger real convos (and stop EPOs) ✅ How to use QR codes to capture leads at events, open houses & online ✅ A feature coming soon that could change the first-time buyer game If you’ve ever asked, “How do I stay in front of my database in a way that actually matters?”—this is your episode. Raf’s team built a tool that banks white-label… and now brokers like you can use it for less than $84.00 per month with the coupon code JOVC300X  @ https://mykukun.com/agent/payment-wall Want scripts + tutorials on how to use this? Join the Mortgage Broker Builder community. Link in bio. Here is a KuKun Video Demo.  https://www.tella.tv/video/kukun-home-manager-dashboard-b0nz #CEO1440 #MortgageBrokerBuilder #ClientRetention #LoanOfficerLife #PostCloseMarketing #HomeValueTools #RealEstateTech #Kukun

    44 min
  3. Chris Smith (The Conversion Code) Talks Mortgages, Marketing & The Future of Lead Conversion

    2025-10-08

    Chris Smith (The Conversion Code) Talks Mortgages, Marketing & The Future of Lead Conversion

    Chris Smith — bestselling author of The Conversion Code, co-founder of Curaytor, and one of the top marketing minds in real estate — joins The CEO1440 Show to talk about how loan officers and agents can finally stop chasing leads and start building a brand that attracts them. Chris has helped companies like dotloop (acquired by Zillow for $108M) and built Curaytor into an Inc. 500 SaaS powerhouse, growing it to eight figures in annual recurring revenue using the exact blueprint from The Conversion Code. In this episode, we break down The Mortgage Conversion Code — what actually converts in 2025 — and why top producers are winning with content, systems, and brand, not cold calls and rate sheets.  What You’ll Learn Why brand is your real funnel — and how most LOs ignore it How to help agents (instead of begging for business) Facebook ad plays that actually convert listings to leads The “CMA-a-thon” concept every LO should steal Why doing things that don’t scale is the secret to scaling How to turn clients into long-term referral sources Why different is better than better — and how to make that your brand strategy About Chris Smith Chris Smith — also known as Conversion Chris — is a bestselling author, digital marketing expert, and speaker. He co-founded Curaytor, an Inc. 500 company helping real estate and mortgage professionals master lead generation and conversion. Before that, he served as a C-level executive at dotloop, helping lead its $108M acquisition by Zillow. Chris has spoken at NYU, HubSpot INBOUND, and events with Gary Vaynerchuk, and his book The Conversion Code is required reading in marketing courses at Johns Hopkins University. His work has been featured in Adweek, Forbes, and Fortune, and his mission is simple — to help professionals stop chasing leads and start attracting clients. Connect with Chris Smith Website: theconversioncode.com The Conversion Code (Book): Amazon Link Join His Email List: conv.codes/email Join His SMS List: conv.codes/text Instagram: @chris_smth TikTok: @conversioncodechris Twitter/X: @chris_smth LinkedIn: Chris Smith on LinkedIn Facebook: facebook.com/conversioncodechris Join The Mortgage Broker Builder Community Get the tools, scripts, and systems to scale your mortgage business with confidence. Join free: MortgageBrokerBuilder.com/youtube Listen to More Episodes Watch, listen, and learn from the top minds in mortgage and real estate: 🎙️ The CEO1440 Show — Where Brand Meets Business. #CEO1440 #ChrisSmith #ConversionCode #MortgageMarketing #MortgageBrokerBuilder #LoanOfficerLife #Curaytor #RealEstateMarketing #BrandOverLeads #MortgagePodcast

    55 min
  4. 11,000 Seniors a Day = Untapped Deals. Reverse Mortgages Demystified | With Steve Wolf of V.I.P. Mortgage

    2025-09-23

    11,000 Seniors a Day = Untapped Deals. Reverse Mortgages Demystified | With Steve Wolf of V.I.P. Mortgage

    Brokers: You’re sitting on reverse mortgage gold and not even looking. Every single day, 11,000 Americans turn 65. Almost none of them are being pitched reverse mortgages. That’s insane when you realize most of them own homes, are sitting on massive equity, and are looking for options to improve their lifestyle without adding another monthly payment.     So why are brokers ignoring this? Because too many still believe reverses are: Confusing Risky Hard to close Full of regulatory headaches In this episode of The CEO1440 Show, I sat down with Steve Wolf (aka The Reverse Mortgage Wingman) from V.I.P. Mortgage to blow up those myths and show you how this misunderstood loan could add $20K+ to your quarterly income with just a few conversations. Here’s what we cover inside: Why brokers are sleeping on the biggest demographic shift in the market How to start without extra licensing or certifications What kind of borrower is the right fit (and who’s not) Why reverse is the most regulated loan in the business—and why that’s a good thing The entire process, simplified: from first convo to closing How Steve acts as your personal closer + educator so you don’t need to know every detail Steve has 50 years of mortgage experience, 20+ focused solely on reverse, and he’s still taking calls on Saturdays. This isn’t theory—this is a roadmap for adding high-margin deals to your pipeline while everyone else is chasing refis and rate shoppers. If you’re serious about standing out in a crowded market, creating new income streams, and serving a massively underserved population, this episode is your playbook. Connect with Steve: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-wolf-1735a9161/ Phone 520-975-1900 Got questions about growing your business? Join our free Mortgage Broker Builder community where brokers swap scripts, tools, and growth strategies.  Link in Bio Or, schedule a call and we’ll look at what’s holding you back and build a simple plan to scale. #CEO1440 #MortgageBrokerBuilder #ReverseMortgage #LoanOfficerLife #MortgageNiche #VIPMortgage #TheWolf #SeniorHomeLoans #BrokerTips

    1h 4m
  5. From Follow-Up to Follow-Through: Build a CRM That Actually Closes | With Deven Gillen of Hova Digital

    2025-09-01

    From Follow-Up to Follow-Through: Build a CRM That Actually Closes | With Deven Gillen of Hova Digital

    Loan officers: Your company CRM is not going to save you. This week I brought on Deven Gillen, founder of HOVA Digital, to talk about what’s actually working in marketing for mortgage pros—and what’s not. Deven’s the real deal. He left a full-time job, started his own company, and now helps over 60+ loan officers build custom CRM systems designed to convert, not just “follow up.” We broke down: Why every LO needs to own their personal brand How to use video to stay top of mind (and stop losing deals to forgetfulness) The biggest mistakes LOs make when using CRMs Why it’s not about doing “more”—it’s about doing the right things consistently How to stop being just another drip campaign and start building connection Deven’s not just a “CRM guy.” He’s a systems builder, a strategist, and he’s showing LOs how to scale without losing their voice or their time. If your CRM feels clunky, lifeless, or like it belongs to your company more than it belongs to you—this is your episode. Let’s get your brand working for you. You can check out what Deven’s doing at https://www.hovadigital.com/ — or message me and I’ll make an intro. He’s picky about who he works with, but if you’re ready to actually implement instead of “just thinking about it,” I’d highly recommend him. #CEO1440 #MortgageMarketing #LoanOfficerLife #CRMforLOs #VideoMarketing #MortgageProspecting #MortgageBrokerBuilder #HOVA

    53 min

About

Welcome to the The CEO1440 Show! We’re here to guide bankers on their journey to becoming successful brokers and to help existing brokers elevate their skills and strategies. Join us for insightful discussions with industry experts covering topics like compliance, marketing tactics, business growth, personal development, credit expertise, and strategic planning in the financial services sector. Get ready to thrive in the dynamic world of mortgage brokerage with our actionable advice and valuable insights!