Clearwater Finance

Tell us a bit about your business and Clearwater Finance.

Absolutely. Look, my business was established in June 2023, so we've been trading for just over 12 months. We're going very well, and I was at a juncture where, as a sole operator, I wanted to find ways to improve the business and get some time back.Being a small enterprise, as most brokers know, you're working 7 days a week, long hours. So, I was trying to look at ways to improve some of the systems within my business and find ways to better serve my customers. We approached VA Platinum and May (Watson), and they put us through the process to get a virtual assistant.Now, after trading for nearly 14 months, it's been exceptional. We brought the VA on just before Easter, and the 3-month probation expired just the other week. It's been phenomenal how much that has changed things for me.

How did you find our process in terms of finding your VA?

It was really good because they provided a couple of options for me. We could either get someone that was green or someone with experience. There was also the choice of whether they worked inside the VA Platinum office facilities or worked from home.As a broker taking my first step into hiring an employee, I was very careful and particular about privacy and ensuring data security because that's paramount in this changing world. Being able to have someone work inside the building gave me comfort. And since they're working remotely, I also wanted to know they were getting support because, as we saw during COVID, people were getting isolated and left alone. The model you had, where they could work in the office and still have support, was great.And even though my assistant, Lerry, was green, she's fantastic. She's had a lot of life experiences. There were also some very good candidates, and through the interview process, we found out who was better suited to us personality-wise.

In terms of your time, how much has having a VA given back to you?

That's a great question. I was just talking to someone earlier about that. When I went through the process, my goal was to get a VA who could take 22 days' worth of work off me. That's effectively 40% of my workload gone, freeing me up to either work fewer hours or spend more time on business development. It’s still a 7-day business, but having that flexibility during the week allows me to focus on BD roles and work on the business.The reality is, after just over 3 months, Lerry is probably doing 50% to 60% of my admin work now, which is mind-blowing. It has freed up so much time for me to work on the business. We all know that when we're working through our pipelines, it can take 2 to 3 months for that to flow on, so I can really see the fruits of that coming through.

40

Workload
Gone

50%-60%

Admin Work
Owned by VA

Immeasurable

More Freedom and
Flexibility

In terms of freedom, you have a wife and 2 kids, and you don't want to be working long hours. Has that given you more time with your family?

That was what drew me to the industry in the first place—being able to pick my hours, work from home, and have flexibility. Now, I can do more of that. My kids are getting older, and the demands are in different areas. It's great because it gives me the ability to attend more functions and network more—not just for the business, but also within the broking industry, to expand the footprint. I've also been able to be more active in the local Chamber of Commerce, which helps build the business.

In terms of your settlements, has having a VA helped increase the number of lodgments?

Because I had to invest time in training the VA at the beginning, there was a slight drop in work volume, but the lodgments and settlements have remained the same, if not slightly increased. What it has allowed me to do is start diversifying my business into asset and equipment finance and commercial deals.If the VA can look after one area, like residential, it frees up my time. That's where I've been investing time—building the other pillars of finance to diversify income and support more businesses and clients as a result. So, I think that groundwork is really going to pay off.

Will you go and see your VA in Cebu in the near future?

We hope to see you there. I'd love to. I'm not a very well-traveled person, but I would love to get up there and meet Lerry. We're on Teams meetings several times a day. I believe in the importance of interaction, not to be overbearing, because she's an adult, and I trust her to manage her time and get tasks done. But for that personal touch, I'd love to visit. Whether it’s this year is unlikely—let's get into the second year of business, and then maybe I'll take the family there.

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