09/04/2026
One year ago today I walked away from a secure job with a salary, insurance, and benefits to go out on my own as an independent mortgage broker and branch manager.
I was terrified.
What people don't realize is I didn't leave with a pipeline. I didn't leave with leads, referral partners, or relationships built over years in the industry. I left with nothing but a belief that I could build something, and the willingness to do whatever it took to prove it.
Here's what nobody tells you about entrepreneurship.
You will work harder than you ever have for less certainty than you've ever had. You will invest your time, your money, and your energy into things that don't always pay off the way you expected. Your expectations will be wrong, sometimes about the timeline, sometimes about the outcome, sometimes about people. And the lessons that come from those moments are never free.
You will sacrifice time with the people you love to build something you believe in and hope that one day it all makes sense to them too.
You will show up to rooms where nobody knows your name. You will make phone calls that don't get returned. You will hop on Zoom calls at 10pm because someone needs help and you told yourself you'd always be available. You will answer the phone pretty much every time it rings because you know what it feels like when nobody picks up.
And you will do all of it with no guarantee that any of it works.
What carried me through was a principle I work to live by, your true worth is determined by how much you give in value rather than how much you take in payment. Lead with value. Build real relationships. Play the long game. Trust that the right people will notice.
A year ago it was me and one other loan officer, Diana Aldana figuring it out together. Today the team has grown to 13 people and we are just getting started!
To Diana for trusting me from day one. To every realtor partner who trusted me with their clients, that trust means everything and I don't take it lightly. To everyone who has referred business my way, you didn't have to do that and I am genuinely grateful. To every client who chose me, thank you for believing in me before I had all the proof. And to the people who called me crazy and said it wouldn't work… enjoy Labor Day off.
A special thank you to Kevin Blanco, the person who called me every month for two years telling me I was worth more. You listened to every doubt, every moment of uncertainty, and never let me settle. This doesn't happen without you.
And above everything else, trusting that the results are in God's hands. All I can do is put in the work every single day. This past year has shown me that is enough.
Year two starts today!
