Connective Excellence Awards Profile

June 4th, 2018

Bianca Patterson first embarked on her career as a mortgage broker in 2011 and quickly established herself as a rising star in the WA industry by earning a place in The Adviser’s Young Broker of the Year ranking in 2013. Since then, she has continued to shine, winning at least one major industry award every year.

Two years ago, Bianca launched her own business, Calculated Lending and in 2017 was awarded the Empowerment Award at the Connective Excellence Awards. This reflected both her remarkable success in her first year in her own business, and her emergence as an outstanding female role model in the WA mortgage broking industry.

We know you love to hear from your successful broker peers, so we asked Bianca to tell us more about herself, her business and what motivated her to enter the 2017 Connective Excellence Awards.

Q1. Tell us a little about yourself. 

I have been a broker for seven years and launched my own business, Calculated Lending, about two years ago. I have a degree in Politics and Law and before becoming a broker, I worked in property. So, I didn’t come from a banking background, I jumped straight in to the broker role with no banking or lending experience.

My company, Calculated Lending, is a boutique finance company located in Mount Lawley, WA. We provide custom solutions for home and investment lending, as well as commercial and development finance. We specialise in delivering outstanding personalised service and advice leading to long-term positive results.

Q2. Why did you enter the 2017 Connective Excellence Awards/Empowerment Award?

A year into launching my business, I found that I had more free time than I have ever had in my career, so I chose to use it to give back to the industry. I did this by getting actively involved in the MFAA and by offering my support to other brokers. During this time, I acted as a sounding board and mentor to many new to industry brokers (and some very experienced brokers) and helped them through their challenges. These were issues such as new business generation, business planning, self-confidence, work life balance and burn out and succession planning.

I entered the Connective Excellence Awards, Empowerment Award as I wanted to stand up as an example to other women in our industry. I wanted to show them that it is possible to run a business, have a fulfilling life and help each other – we don’t have to choose, and we don’t have to be in competition with each other.

If the last two years have taught me anything, it is that there is nothing more inspiring and powerful than a group of women who support each other.

Q3. What did you include in your submission that helped you win the award?

I took an honest look at my year, my challenges and my successes and then shared them in my submission. Sometimes when we enter awards, I think we focus on saying the right things -what we think the judges want to hear. In my entry for the Connective Excellence Empowerment Award, I simply shared my journey.

Q4. How did winning positively impact you and your business?

For me, entering and winning the Empowerment Award was not about publicity or business generation, it was something I felt I needed to do for myself. Starting a business can be a challenging and often lonely experience, so being recognised as the winner of this award cemented my decisions over the previous 12 months and gave me recognition for the hard work and sacrifices I had made.

As a business owner we don’t often stop to recognise our own achievements, and this was my way to do it. Most importantly, during such a testing time in our industry and in the Perth property market, it gave me the confidence and drive to keep pushing for excellence in every aspect of my life.

Q5. What advice would you give your broker peers about entering the 2018 Connective Excellence Awards?  

I would recommend that all Connective members enter the Connective Excellence Awards in 2018!  Apart from the recognition of being named a finalist or winner, it is a great opportunity to reflect on your year, revisit your goals and business plan and to brainstorm ideas on how to improve yourself and your business in the year ahead.

Q6. Did you enjoy the experience? Was it fun?

The Gala Awards night was one of the more memorable evenings of my career!  I was overwhelmed with how many of my peers took the time to come up to me and congratulate me for my success. It was such an inclusive and positive evening and I can’t wait for this year’s event!

2018 Connective Excellence Awards yet? There are more categories and more ways for you to shine this year. There’s still plenty of time to get your entry in. Check it out here