Many people want to work within the financial sector by getting involved in the mortgage industry to earn an outstanding income. However, while the earnings are good, it’s about much more than what you can make while working in the mortgage industry. It’s about what you can achieve and how you can make a difference in the lives of others. When you better understand what it takes to succeed, you can develop the right mindset and prepare yourself for the obstacles that will come your way. 

Eduardo G. Perez Jr.’s success story shows that anyone can turn their dreams into reality when they’re passionate and willing to put in the effort. As the co-founder and CEO of Equity Prime Mortgage, a licensed mortgage lender with operations throughout the country, he’s responsible for handling dozens of crucial tasks to keep the business thriving. Some of these tasks include overseeing sales and taking care of both professional and business development. And, despite his extensive to-do list, he continues to remain productive while helping his company succeed. 

“We started Equity Prime Mortgage in 2008, one of the worst times for real estate and the mortgage industry because of the economic downturn that led to the well-documented recession. The job wasn’t easy at a time when homebuyers didn’t have much trust, and everyone was feeling relatively low due to the economic uncertainty. Still, we managed to get through it,” shared Eduardo G. Perez. “Our company got through such difficult times because we set goals and worked on them together as a team. In addition, we’d worked as a broker for three years before the start of the company and decided that it was in our best interest to serve as a lender and then serve the brokers to the best of our ability.” 

If the economy’s crash taught Eduardo Perez anything, it’s the importance of learning how to adapt quickly and make fast yet efficient decisions that lead to better results. In addition, he knew that it was vital to keep pushing and keep working to boost morale for other employees and keep people feeling empowered. 

“It wasn’t always a walk in the park, but we addressed specific challenges and used mentorship and insights to our advantage to complete various tasks. We work together as a unit with brokers, employees, and loan officers to provide a better experience for consumers that allows them to live the American dream,” shared Perez. “Anyone thinking about getting started in this industry needs to understand the importance of collaboration and working well as a team. They should also have a passion for what they’re doing and a willingness to continue studying until they know everything there is to know about this industry. With knowledge, determination, and some experience comes success.” 

Equity Prime Mortgage continues offering a variety of products designed to fit different financial needs and is known as one of the top mortgage bankers in the nation. Eduardo G. Perez Jr.’s effort has helped the company achieve such a notable accomplishment while putting his all into everything he does and earning outstanding awards of his own for his excellence.

Continual growth, excellent staff retention, and, of course, profitability are the hallmarks of a successful business. But, what leads a company along the path to success? Culture expert Jay Doran believes three things unite all exceptional businesses; A willingness to embrace conflict, a growth mindset, and a well-defined corporate culture.

Of the three, says Jay Doran, defining culture – and making it a fundamental part of everyday working life – is key. He’s the CEO and visionary mind behind Culture Matters, an advisory firm that helps companies succeed and grow without losing sight of core values. Jay says, “the margin of profit in knowing your culture is related to how employees interact with each other and their customers. More profit is the result of more productive interactions.” When a company has a clearly defined corporate culture it unifies employees, creates a harmonious working environment, and increases staff retention. Having a growth mindset and being willing to embrace conflict are essential in defining culture – and embedding it into all facets of a business.

For Jay Doran, companies with an open-minded approach to inclusivity and diversity of thought are the ones that flourish. For him, conflict is not something to be avoided. He believes that when approached maturely, conflict is a useful tool to help organizations learn and grow. He says, “Learning takes stress. If the ‘collective we’ is going to understand culture, then they must do this through open conflict.” Jay uses conflict as a way to better understand a counterpart’s beliefs, thoughts, and point of view. However, he adds, “Stress needs responsibility so that a culture does not break down, so people do not break down.”

This ability to welcome diversity of thought underpins a growth mindset. Successful companies recognize the value in continually challenging working and social norms. According to Jay Doran, these companies will continue to adapt to market changes and keep moving forward. His obsession with culture stems from a personal aim to “live a life helping people think, act and do in more beneficial ways.”. Specifically, this involves working with senior leaders to solve problems in the context of productivity, strategy, turnover, profit, and brand alignment. He is on a mission to help companies understand that great corporate culture goes beyond free coffee Fridays and annual gym memberships. It is instead woven deeply into the fundamental fabric of a business.

Defining culture is not an easy task, but it gives an enormous return on investment. As Jay Doran says, “Cultural development beyond catchphrases or buzzwords takes serious and methodical work. But, the payoff is exponential both financially and emotionally.” For Jay, it’s the ultimate key to successful business, and companies with a  growth mindset that embrace conflict will reap the rewards.

As the blockchain space continues to grow, companies within the sector will often experience their fair share of challenges. It’s not uncommon for these particular companies to want to experience substantial growth without knowledge on building brand awareness or creating more of a buzz around their brand. Fortunately, those within the blockchain space can rely on the Paradox Group for assistance. The Paradox Group is a digital advertising agency that works with DeFi, FinTech, and Blockchain companies.

“While founding Paradox, we quickly realized that there was this massive gap where companies wanted to experience substantial growth but weren’t sure how to do so. And, unfortunately, the publications didn’t know how to bring in more clients. So it became a major issue for these business owners that wanted to succeed,” shared Milo McCloud, the Co-Founder & Creative Director of the Paradox Group. “We wanted to provide a way to fill this gap, so we decided to start the business and help create more awareness for the advertisers. The goal was to create a consistent revenue stream for publications, which we’ve managed to do within such a short period.”

The company initially launched in 2019 and has been working feverishly to bridge the gap between advertisers and publications ever since. The customer-centric company puts the customers’ needs first to create an enhanced experience for its clients. In addition, the Paradox Group has had to overcome numerous challenges over the past several years, such as making it easier for companies to understand how the company could help them in the simplest way possible.

“We wanted the customers to realize that we could make a significant difference, so we decided to build a fully functional marketplace for advertisements. The client can purchase advertising space and have a dashboard available to keep track of each campaign’s performance, making it easier to see what works and what doesn’t,” shared McCloud. “We’ve established partnerships with some of the leading publications and have invested heavily into the awareness of Paradox. We want companies within the blockchain space to know that we’re here to help. As a result, we’ve been able to build trust amongst the community of publications and advertisers who’d like to work with us. Gaining that trust was most important to us.”

Building trust in such a young market was the top priority for Milo McCloud and the team at the Paradox Group. The company has since taken several essential steps to expand its publishing network and cover more industries while stabilizing revenue for the clients and the company itself. The Paradox Group has already partnered with several great companies, including Quora, Brave Browser, and Opera, with plans to join more partnerships with other leading companies within the next few months.

The company hopes to expand even further into different digital advertising routes while working with several new industries to help them experience substantial growth. Paradox’s goal is to form long-term partnerships with its clients to help them take advantage of cost-efficient advertising methods while keeping client delivery as a top priority.