RAMS Managing Director Jake Bromwich is passionate about small business, after all, he spent the first 10 years of his career in business banking. Now, after 4 years at the helm of arguably one of Australia’s most recognisable home loan brands, Jake has RAMS Home Loans on a growth journey and he wants to encourage prospective small business owners who are motivated and passionate about customer service to make contact.
Under its franchise model, RAMS is represented in every state and territory around Australia, and in the last 12 months the franchisor has welcomed 17 new franchise owners as part of their growth strategy, taking them to 62 franchise territories. In fact, Jake has set a goal to reach 80 approved franchise territories by the end of 2022, effectively doubling the footprint of the business from when the target was set; a target he’s confident of achieving.
“Small business is the backbone of our economy, collectively hiring more people than any other employment type, while also creating economic growth,” says Jake
“At RAMS we have an important role to play here, enabling driven, customer-oriented people to channel their energy into helping customers realise their home ownership dreams. Through ownership of their own business, each of our franchisees can then not only generate an income and lifestyle, they can also offer employment opportunities as they hire staff.”
“We’ve been delighted to welcome our new franchisees to our RAMS family and I look forward to seeing their journey as we help them build their businesses. I always say, our franchisees’ success is our success, and it’s important to us, and ultimately our customers, that our valued network succeeds.”
It would seem Jake’s mantra holds merit given a third of the RAMS franchise network has remained loyal to the brand for over ten years, with 10 of those being with RAMS for over 15 years, a point certainly not lost on the highly regarded franchise industry executive.
“I’m really proud that we are not only able to attract amazing people to our business, but when we do, they want to stay for the long term,” says Jake.
“Combined, that equates to well over two centuries of home lending experience, and that’s just our longer term RAMS family members. That’s invaluable as a specialist home loan provider, and our new-to-RAMS recruits come into the business with all that experience to tap into, to learn from. You simply can’t buy that experience.”
One particular statistic stands out for Jake, and that’s the fact that 35% of the business’ new franchisees are women. Jake is proud that RAMS can support female small business owners; in fact RAMS now has more female franchisees than ever.
“Diversity within our network is extremely important, and to know we are supporting women in business is something that makes us really proud.”
Indeed, from seasoned business owners to those who are taking those first big steps, RAMS has welcomed a diverse range of women franchisees in the last 12 months. While their business ownership experience may vary, they all have one thing in common; a passion for helping people.
Take Sonia Ghaneh, Franchise Principal for RAMS Dandenong District in Victoria, who commenced in March this year. Sonia is no stranger to business ownership, having run her own consultancy business for nearly 10 years and helping many individuals as well as company directors from different industries to start up and operate their businesses more efficiently and effectively. Sonia is also well qualified academically, holding Masters Degrees in Accounting and Finance, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialisation in Human Resource Management. With so many career options available, why then choose RAMS?
“It was the culture from the outset, pure and simple,” says Sonia.
“I’ve loved setting up and building my consultancy business, which I still run, however I was seeking a newer business opportunity, a new challenge. I’d had some interactions with RAMS previously and they were all positive, so I was well aware of the brand, but I hadn’t really considered working with them at that time. However, my interest in customer interaction, numbers, and finance in general, was the main reason I chose to explore this new field.”
“From the very beginning of this new journey I’ve loved the inclusivity. The interactions with everyone I’ve spoken with have been so positive and supportive, even down to other RAMS franchisees who spoke highly of the way things are run. They were so helpful.”
“Now I’m looking forward to bringing my business building skills to my new RAMS Franchise while also helping customers in my community achieve their home ownerships dreams.”
Donna Turner, Franchise Principal at RAMS Newcastle West NSW, has customer service in her DNA, but unlike Sonia who came fresh to RAMS, Donna has a long term history with the RAMS brand having worked as a Home Loan Manager in Newcastle as far back as 2006.
At just 15, Donna completed a traineeship with the Dept. of Housing before moving across to insurance as a broker where she worked with the same company in her native Dubbo for 8 years before moving to Newcastle and working with a very large broker firm.
“But the call of home lending was strong, and it wasn’t long before I joined the initial RAMS office in Newcastle. It was a wonderful time where I not only fell in love with the RAMS brand, I also developed the skills and business sense that tempted me to take the leap into owning my own business,” says Donna.
And since that day in mid-September last year, when Donna officially became the owner of her own small business at RAMS Newcastle West, she says she couldn’t be happier.
“I love having control of my own destiny. I know it’s just early days and I’m not afraid of hard work, which I know as a small business owner is what’s required, but I’m also adventurous. In fact I recently bought a caravan with my husband; we love camping. So I look at my RAMS business as a way to work hard, but it also allows me to play hard.”
If you’re anything like Sonia or Donna, or any of RAMS’ current network of [62 franchisees] for that matter, and want to own and operate your own small business helping Australians into the home of their dreams, RAMS would love to hear from you.
If you’re ready to apply to join the RAMS family, get in touch and we’ll take you through the steps.
PH: 1800 616 082