🏡 From Retail to Independence: Why I Took Control of My Mortgage Career

🏡 From Retail to Independence: Why I Took Control of My Mortgage Career

Let’s cut the fluff. If you’re in the mortgage world—especially on the retail side—you already know: it’s not what they promised.

You got in to help people, make an impact, build a career with real potential. But somewhere between the corporate quotas, rate markups, and compliance bottlenecks, you started to feel stuck.

I know that feeling because I lived it. And I did something about it.

This is the story of how I went from being a cog in the retail mortgage machine to running my own show as an independent broker with Edge Home Finance.

And if you’re a loan officer looking for more, this might just be your wake-up call.

🎯 Retail Taught Me the Game—But It Couldn’t Help Me Win It

I started at a large national lender—name brand, big team, lots of structure. I learned fast and worked harder. I was making it work, helping families, hitting numbers. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t really in control.

Every loan had to fit their box.

Every decision ran through layers of red tape.

And every time I saw a client get stuck with a higher rate or fewer options because of our limited lender menu, it hit me right in the gut.

I wasn’t serving people the way I knew I could.

💡 The Truth No One Tells You About Retail

Here’s the thing: retail isn’t built to make you successful—it’s built to make them successful. You’re doing all the work, building the relationships, generating the leads, and they’re controlling the process, the pricing, and your paycheck. Your manager...your manager's manager...your manager's manager's manager, are the ones making money off of your blood, sweat and tears. They are out playing golf, taking trips, and living life, while you are stuck.

You’re not the boss. You’re the brand ambassador. And that realization hit me like a freight train.

So I made the decision that changed everything.

🚀 I Went Independent—and I’ll Never Look Back

I first started looking at opening my own brokerage. It made a lot of sense, and I could do whatever I wanted. But after talking to a few friends in the industry, I chose to partner with Edge Home Finance, became my own CEO, and stepped into a world where:

✅ I set the pace
✅ I shop over 100 lenders
✅ I get my clients the best deal—not the one that lines someone else’s pockets
✅ I keep more of what I earn

No overlays. No micromanagement. No begging for better pricing.

Just me, my clients, and the freedom to serve them at the highest level.

💬 Real Talk for Retail LOs

If you’re a loan officer grinding 60-hour weeks for a company that gives you limited products, mediocre pricing, and no real ownership of your business—you’ve got to ask yourself:

What are you really building?

If your answer is “their business,” not yours—it’s time.

I’m not saying it’s easy. But I am saying it’s worth it.

🔥 Ready to Take the Leap?

I’ve been where you are. I’ve made the leap—and I’m winning on the other side.

If you’re even thinking about going independent, let’s talk. I’ll give you the real deal: no fluff, no sales pitch. Just what I wish someone would’ve told me before I made the move.

📲 Shoot me a DM, send me an email, or grab 15 minutes on my calendar. Let’s talk about how YOU can take control of your mortgage career.

You don’t have to build someone else’s empire. You can build your own.

Let’s go.