Mother and daughter Phoebe and Elodie Blamey work together at Melbourne brokerage Clover Financial Solutions, which Phoebe set up 12 years ago. Elodie became a broker last December and is a
finalist for Young Gun of the Year – Independent at the Australian Mortgage Awards 2021.
Q: Elodie, you have worked for your mum for eight years. What motivated you to become a broker last year?
A: Elodie: I have always just loved it. For the past eight years I’ve been jumping in and out of Clover Financial, working, travelling and exploring other opportunities. Last year, Phoebe started working onother projects, which opened an opportunity for another broker in the office. I had decided then to just make decisions, and this is where it ended up. I was lucky I could jump into it with the confidence that I was going to succeed.
Q: What’s the secret to a successful mother-daughter working relationship?
A: Elodie: It can be a challenge at times, but it’s all about trust. I call mum ‘Phoebe’ at work to separate it in my brain. I’m a total workaholic, so it means when we hang out on the weekends I’m often talking to her about my latest challenge and what we’re going to do about a tough situation. I think the only secret to working together is to align your goals for the business and never let work get in the way of family. Phoebe: There’s no secret, but what we’ve learnt is that we must draw a line between work and personal, and the other thing is that we consciously ensure our staff are feeling valued, productive and included. We just dance it out!
Q: What have you learnt from each other?
A: Elodie: So much – most of my lending knowledge has come from my mum, but the biggest thing is never giving up and to just trust myself. Phoebe: The most important thing I’ve learnt from Elodie is that it’s easy to get stuck in your ways, so having someone that’s new in the business just shines a light that there’s more than one way to do things.
Q: Phoebe, what has impressed you most about Elodie’s progress so far as a broker?
A: Phoebe: She has an absolute attention to detail that means most of her loans have been approved the first time they were looked at by an assessor. Combining this with her kindness has meant excellent outcomes for our clients. She also spends a lot of time learning from each lender, which means her credit knowledge is great.
Q: How can the industry encourage more women to become mortgage brokers?
A: Elodie: All we can do is keep everything fair and spread knowledge on the gender stereotypes of this industry. I think it looks like such a male-dominated industry from the outside, but I see and speak with so many women in the industry every day. There is such a prominent network of women in this industry. I attend a lady’s lunch that’s full of these ridiculously amazing women from PLAN Australia who just have the utmost respect for themselves and everyone else. I mean, this isn’t the ’50s anymore; we have the right to be successful if we work for it. I would say this is one of the most protected and suitable careers for women. I wish we were told about a flexible, exciting, challenging career choice at school.
Phoebe: Women are everywhere in this industry. I don’t think there’s any barrier to entry. I would like to see, and I’m more focused on, getting young people to join the industry.
Q: What are your future plans for the brokerage? Will Elodie take over one day?
A: Elodie: That’s my aim and what I’m working towards. Phoebe is currently working on courses and her book, The Happy Money Journey, leaving me in control of most loans.
Phoebe: We’re heading that way – she’s already put in some great initiatives, and I really feel she’s destined to take over.
