Beyond The Numbers With Christian Stevens

Christian Stevens
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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. Aug 12

    From Zero to $60M: How This Ex-Banker Built a Brokerage in 12 Months

    Jay Nash is the Founder of Empire Finance Mortgage Brokers, based in Shepparton, Victoria. After studying accounting, spending time at Westpac, Bendigo Bank and ANZ, and building nearly a decade of experience, Jay made the jump into broking 18 months ago — writing $60 million in his first year. This conversation goes well beyond moving from banking to broking. Jay breaks down the reality of launching a brokerage from scratch, why his first 18 months were both exciting and brutal, and how he went from solo operator to building a team with brokers and offshore loan processors. He talks about regional broking, asset finance, commercial clients, word of mouth, social media, learning to say no, and learning that success is not just about writing big numbers, but creating something sustainable that gives you back time with your family. If you're a banker, broker or finance professional trying to build a stronger business, serve clients better and create more freedom without burning out, this one's for you. 0:19 — From Accounting To Banking — Westpac, Bendigo Bank & ANZ 2:21 — What Banking Taught Him — Team Culture, Commercial Lending & Credit 5:15 — Why Broking — Building Something For Family, Not KPIs 7:42 — $60M First Year — Regional Lending, Smaller Deals & More Transactions 11:00 — FY27 Focus — Better Systems, Smarter Growth & More Family Time 13:50 — Learning From Others — Podcasts, PD Days & Peer-To-Peer Support 14:38 — Lead Flow — Shepparton, Word Of Mouth & Accountant Referrals 18:56 — Sustainable Growth — $80M Settled And Why Volume Isn’t Everything 22:15 — Social Media Strategy — Being Real, Building Trust & Staying Visible 25:52 — Finding The Right Niche — Regional Lending, Commercial & Self-Employed Clients 30:31 — Burnout Warning Signs — When Growth Starts Costing Too Much 37:31 — What Jay Would Do Differently — Saying No And Asking For Help 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 Jay Nash: LinkedIn: https://www.instagram.com/empire_finance_brokers/ Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-nash-123363a6/

  2. Aug 6

    The Mortgage Broker Credit Skill That Gets More Deals Approved

    Avalon Bevan is the Founder and Mortgage Broker of Five Islands Finance, helping clients across Shellharbour, the South Coast and beyond navigate lending with a practical, relationship-first approach. After nearly ten years in loan processing, support and writing loans, Avalon launched her own business in December 2024 while raising three young boys — building around profitability, lifestyle and long-term client trust. But this conversation goes well beyond starting a brokerage. Avalon breaks down what it takes to go from support role to self-employed broker, why word of mouth is not enough, and why brokers need to build a brand to stay resilient through market changes. She also talks about self-employed clients, referral partners, credit policy, and running a business with three kids under four — showing that you can build a sustainable brokerage without doing everything the old way. If you're a mortgage broker trying to grow your brand, work smarter and build a business that fits your life — this one's for you. 2:08 — Starting In Broking — From Admin Trainee To Mortgage Broker 4:56 — The First 18 Months — Salary Replacement, Profit & Freedom 7:48 — Solo Operator Reality — Bottlenecks, Marketing & First Hires 12:17 — FY27 Growth Plan — Marketing, Content & Brand Building 13:01 — Word Of Mouth Isn’t Enough — Why Brokers Need Visibility 20:52 — Advice For New Brokers — Find A Mentor Who Actually Helps 22:14 — The Industry Debate — Part-Time Brokers, Deal Quality & Standards 24:46 — Policy Isn’t Black And White — Exceptions, Credit Papers & Common Sense 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 Avalon Bevan: LinkedIn: https://www.instagram.com/fiveislandsfinance/ Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avalon-bevan-72430a133/

  3. Jul 31

    How AI and Personal Brand Will Reshape Mortgage Broking

    Sam Panetta is the Founder of Broker Coach and host of the Broker Coach Podcast — built around helping mortgage brokers grow stronger, more valuable businesses through strategy, accountability, community, marketing and sales. After starting in smash repairs, moving through futures trading, mortgage broking, credit, financial services and business ownership, Sam has turned Broker Coach into one of the fastest-growing coaching communities in the broking industry. But this conversation goes well beyond coaching. Sam breaks down why most brokers are not struggling because they cannot write loans — they are struggling because they do not know how to market, sell, choose a niche, build attention or position themselves properly. He explains why Broker Coach was built around strategy, accountability and community, how the crew has grown to more than 70 brokers in just 18 months, and why the next wave of broking will reward specialists who understand content, paid ads, personal brand and attention. From $12 million month milestones to AI making loan writing easier, influencer-style brokers, peer-to-peer learning and the future of broker consolidation, this is a direct look at what modern mortgage brokers need to understand next. If you're a mortgage broker trying to grow lead flow, build a stronger brand, find your niche and move from being “just the broker” to running a real business — this one's for you. 0:34 — From Smash Repairs To Finance — Property, Trading & Finding Broking 5:23 — From Broker To Coach — Building Aureus, Selling Up & Starting Again 8:39 — Marketing Times Ten — Why Sam Decided To Out-Market The Industry 11:14 — Inside The Crew — WhatsApp, Help Desk, Masterclasses & Long Lunches 14:06 — Joining Broker Coach — Game Plans, Coaching Tiers & Content Library 15:41 — FY27 Goal — 125 Members And A Hard Cap 18:01 — Where The Industry Is Heading — AI, Attention & Specialist Brokers 19:50 — The Average Broker Problem — Why $18M A Year Is Not Enough 20:26 — Marketing, Sales & Niches — The Skills Brokers Must Learn 25:30 — Broker Coach Success Stories — Harley, Nathan, Loop Loans & Attention 29:36 — Advice For New Brokers — Niche, Paid Ads & Content 31:33 — Girl Dad & Emotional Intelligence — Family, Leadership & Coaching 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 Sam Panetta: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampanetta/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sampanetta_/

  4. Jul 28

    “It’s Done in 30 Seconds Now”—How AI Changed Her Brokerage

    Jordan Chantry is the Founder and Principal Broker of MVM Finance Group, a Melbourne brokerage built around relationships, not transactions. After starting in broking at 18, Jordan spent more than a decade working across admin, broker support, broking, operations and team management before launching MVM Finance Group in 2023 with a four-month-old baby at home. But this conversation goes well beyond starting a brokerage. Jordan breaks down how she built a business around limited hours, young kids, strong systems and ruthless time management,settling just under $50 million in her first year, taking six months off after having her second child, then still settling close to $61 million the following year. She talks about outsourcing, AI, client communication, database referrals, social media, and why brokers become the bottleneck when they touch too many parts of the file. She also gets into building a workplace that actually works for parents, hiring a team of mums, bringing on a five-month-pregnant employee, and why flexibility is not a weakness when the right people are in the right roles. For brokers trying to grow without working 70-hour weeks, Jordan’s story is a sharp reminder that better systems, clearer boundaries and smarter people can build a better business. If you're a mortgage broker, brokerage owner or finance professional trying to scale sustainably, use AI properly and build a team that does not depend on you for every decision — this one's for you. 2:21 — 10 Years Of Lessons — Learning What To Do And What To Avoid 4:10 — Starting MVM With A Baby — Building A Brokerage From The Couch 9:16 — Life As A Business — Time, Outsourcing & Mental Load 11:34 — No 70-Hour Weeks — How Jordan Works Around Young Kids 14:37 — AI For Assessments — Faster Responses, Cleaner Files & Better Approvals 19:44 — Inside The Team — Customer Care, Marketing & Offshore Support 22:06 — $50M In Year One — Database, Referrals & Personal Network Growth 24:41 — FY27 Growth Plan — $61M Settled, 30% Growth & Brand Building 27:14 — Hiring Mums — Flexibility, Talent & Looking Past The First 12 Months 34:57 — The Five-Year Vision — Brokers, Office Culture & Removing Key-Person Risk 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 Jordan Chantry: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-chantry-51b17610a/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanchantry.mvmfinancegroup/

  5. Jul 20

    How This Mortgage Broker Wrote $105M in Settlements

    Yousof Ahmadzai is the Head Broker of FlintInvest - Flint’s professional investor client network - and a specialist in helping property investors structure finance, scale portfolios and move quickly when opportunity appears. After eight years across CBA and ANZ, Yousof moved into broking and has quickly become one of the most active investor-focused brokers in the country. But this conversation goes well beyond investor lending. Yousof breaks down how FlintInvest settled $260 million in FY26, how he personally generated more than $105 million in settlements, and why professional investor clients need a very different level of structure, speed and post-settlement strategy. He talks through lender sequencing, borrowing capacity, equity releases, 90% LVR strategies, third-tier lenders, SMSF pathways, and why great investor broking is not just about getting one loan approved, it is about building the next three to five moves before the client even buys. If you’re a mortgage broker, brokerage owner or finance professional trying to understand investor lending, build better referral ecosystems and scale without losing client experience — this one’s for you. 1:47 — Banking Background — CBA, CommSec, ANZ & Finding Property Finance 6:21 — Scaling FlintInvest — Investor Strategy, Policy & Client Experience 7:17 — A Broker’s Daily Rhythm — 20–30 Conversations A Day 14:45 — B2B Funding Opportunity — Furnishing, Training Programs & Business Growth 24:01 — Speed To Lead — From 5 Leads To 200 Inbound Opportunities 27:25 — FY26 Results — $105M Personal Settlements & $260M FlintInvest Volume 34:42 — FY27 Goals — Doubling FlintInvest & Scaling Axios 37:16 — Team Structure — 5 Credit Analysts, 4 Processors & Post-Settlement Reviews 44:11 — Investor Policy Changes — Borrowing Capacity Down 30–50% 46:36 — Finding The Next Solution — How Good Brokers Respond To Policy Shocks 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 Yousof Ahmadzai: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yousoforbion/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yousof.orbion/

  6. Jul 17

    The Lifetime Client Strategy Every Broker Needs

    Dustin Irwin is Senior Director of Corporate Sales at Cotality, leading the banking and finance sales team across Australia and New Zealand. In this episode, Dustin breaks down how property data became one of the most powerful tools in modern broking, from the early RP Data days to Cotality’s PropertyHub, now used by thousands of brokers and associates to order valuations, generate property reports and create better client conversations. He explains why the best brokers are no longer just writing loans, but using data to reduce uncertainty, build trust, shorten the buying cycle and turn one transaction into a lifelong client relationship. He also shares what high-performing brokerages are doing differently, why broker market share has pushed past 80%, how AI could change local market updates and client communication, and why trust still comes down to credibility, reliability, intimacy and low perceived self-interest. If you’re a broker trying to separate yourself from the market, become more fluent in property data and build stronger client relationships — this one’s for you. 2:34 — The Aussie Home Loans Moment — When Property Data Went Mainstream 7:13 — 30 Years In Property Data — From CD-ROMs To Cotality 12:40 — CoreLogic To Cotality — The Rebrand, Vision & Property Data Truth Set 19:39 — PropertyHub Explained — Valuations, Reports & Broker Workflows 22:10 — What’s Coming Next — Energy Efficiency, Climate Risk & Property Resilience 25:30 — What Top Brokers Do Differently — Lifetime Clients, Not Transactions 28:42 — Advice For New Brokers — Learn The Property Market, Not Just Lending 31:48 — AI & Local Market Updates — Scaling Better Client Communication 34:13 — Building High-Performance Teams — Hire Smarter People Than You 41:27 — The Trust Equation — Credibility, Reliability, Intimacy & Self-Interest 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 Dustin Irwin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustin-irwin/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cotality_au/

  7. Jul 11

    The Culture Behind a High-Performance Brokerage

    Matt Pongrass is the Managing Director and Broker at Balaton Financial, an award-winning independent brokerage specialising in residential, commercial, business, asset and SMSF lending. Matt has ranked among Australia’s Top 100 brokers for five consecutive years. But this conversation goes well beyond another bank-to-broker story. Matt breaks down how he built one of the highest average loan-size brokerages in the country, why he deliberately avoided rate-driven clients from day one, and how Balaton Financial has grown from a small operation into a 20-plus person business with five relationship managers, four credit analysts, seven loan processors, two settlement officers and a new head of IT and tech. He unpacks the private-banking style structure behind the business: credit-first thinking, relationship managers, roundtable deal workshops, proposal documents, and why the best complex lending starts with character, cash flow and collateral. If you're a mortgage broker, brokerage owner or finance professional trying to move beyond transactional lending and build a proper advisory business, this one's for you. 0:53 — From Macquarie To Broking — Credit, Sales, Risk & The Jump At 30 6:45 — Highland Balaton Financial — The New Property-Finance Joint Venture 8:33 — Choosing The Right Client — Why Matt Avoided Rate-Driven Lending 14:23 — Negative Gearing Changes — The Real Borrowing Capacity Impact 18:14 — Inside The Business Model — 5 Relationship Managers, 4 Credit Analysts & 7 Processors 28:17 — The Growth Plan — Highland, Relationship Managers & One Shared P&L 31:07 — No Social Media Strategy — Growing Through Client Service & Referrals 37:49 — The $14M Portfolio Lesson — Why Honest Advice Comes Back 43:22 — The Broking Industry Problem — Low Barriers, Poor Mentoring & Consolidation 47:29 — Open-Book Leadership — Pay Well, Share The Numbers & Align The Team 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 Matt Pongrass: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-pongrass/

  8. Jul 9

    The New Standard for Mortgage Brokers in Australia

    Matthew Hollinworth is a Flint Director and founding broker at Flint Newcastle. With experience across accounting, CBA business banking and mortgage broking, Matthew brings a rare mix of technical finance knowledge and client-facing energy to complex lending. This conversation goes well beyond the bank-to-broker story. Matthew breaks down how he moved from accounting into CBA business banking, why his first years in broking were like drinking from the fire hose, and how referral partnerships helped him build a self-employed and investor-heavy client base. He also opens up about joining Flint, moving from solo broker to director, how that shift has already led to a record lodgement month and a $100 million FY27 target. He dives deep into the biggest changes facing brokers right now: AI, offshore credit teams, Newcastle’s growth, self-employed lending policy, company structures, the 2026 budget changes, negative gearing, CGT, and why simple vanilla lending may become harder to defend as technology improves. If you're a mortgage broker trying to grow beyond doing everything yourself, or a finance professional working with complex clients, this one's for you. 3:59 — Business Banking Lessons — $1M Secured & $250K Unsecured Lending 7:37 — Referral Partner Strategy — Accountants, Planners & Shared Values 13:00 — 300% Growth Lesson — Why Support Teams Unlock Scale 19:15 — Inside Flint Engine — Nepal, Credit Teams & Remote Culture 25:09 — Record Growth At Flint — Biggest Month, Biggest Deal & $100M FY27 Goal 27:41 — AI In Mortgage Broking — Claude, Email Agents & The Next 12 Months 39:22 — 2026 Budget Changes — CGT, Negative Gearing & Borrowing Capacity 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 Matthew Hollinworth:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollinworth/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollinworth_flint/

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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
    38
  • Rating
    Explicit

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