Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Bryan.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I joined Mid America Mortgage in 2015 as a Residential Mortgage Loan Originator. It’s a “God story”, if you will. While there is no formal statement that says faith is a core value of the company, this is the first thing that stood out to me when I contacted Tom Schmidt, our Magnolia Branch Loan Production Manager. “Hi, this is Tom Schmidt,” begins the voicemail, and it concludes with, “Thank you and have a blessed day.” My background is in the typical corporate environment where a person’s faith is not usually displayed, and certainly never added to a voicemail. And this is exactly the confirmation that let me know I was in the right place!
After being laid off from my former job as Plant Controller in the food manufacturing industry, I thought, “What can I do for the rest of my life that allows me to avoid the daily Houston commute?” At first, I thought about becoming a Real Estate Agent, but I knew I did not want to show homes. The idea of mortgage lending came to mind, so I googled “How to start a mortgage bank”. Quickly. I snapped myself back into reality and remembered that I’d owned businesses before, and I know longer wanted or had the means to invest the capital to build anything from the ground up. I would need the support of many people to be successful in any endeavor. I knew I needed to join a company that would allow me to chart my own path, but provide the back office support, infrastructure, etc. that would allow me to focus on building the business. I needed to go work for a mortgage bank, not build one. And of course, I would need to convince the mortgage bank to hire me with no experience. Piece of cake, right? So I signed up for my NMLS licensing course.
Before I could finish my course, I was offered a job as a Sr. Cost Accountant in the Oil and Gas Industry. This job came with a pay cut and demotion, but, being in Houston, I thought the move of industries was a good one. This complicated things. Now, I needed to find someone to hire me with no experience, allow me to set my own hours, and not report to an office from 8am to 5pm. This wouldn’t be hard at all, right? I knew that I would need to know someone who had their own mortgage company and who believed in me enough to allow me to build my business outside of “normal” hours.
On January 31, 2015, I attended the Launch Party and Networking Event for Women Empowering Change. Networking and supporting other people who are living out their purpose is something I have always enjoyed. So, even though I was tired, and even though I wanted to back out of attending the event, I wanted even more to support the founder of Total Beauty Ladies Events and WEC, Shunte Gamble. So off I went to attend. At the Launch Party, many women got up and talked about their personal journeys and success stories. One in particular stood out to me. Her name was Alissa Jones, She was a sexual abuse survivor and author of the book, “The Stones That Built Me Strong”. I had my own story of being the survivor of childhood sexual abuse so I immediately felt connected to Alissa. When her speech concluded and she announced that she was a Mortgage Lender, I was choking back tears. This little “God Wink” told me that nobody but God had brought me into that room that night, and if I would follow him, he was going to support me in my own journey.
It was a couple of weeks before I felt courageous enough to “cold call” Alissa. Once I did, she answered all of my questions and was very encouraging. She directed me to her Loan Production Manager, Tom Schmidt. My confidence about securing the position dropped once I realized that Alissa was not the person who would be making the hiring decision. That is, until I called and received Tom’s voicemail. Once again, God was confirming the path he had laid out for me.
Fast forward to my first call with Tom. I knew I needed to be very convincing that, although I knew nothing about mortgages, I could learn, and I knew how to build my business. So much of being a Mortgage Loan Originator is really branding, reputation, community involvement, sales and customer service. I had proven my ability to do all of those things with my other businesses, and I shared some of those things with Tom. “Wow”, said Tom, “Everything you just said is exactly what we teach here in Magnolia. Can you come in Saturday for an interview?” Mind you, I live in Sugar Land and I don’t drive North of I-10 except to fly out of Bush Airport. “Absolutely”, I replied to Tom. The interview went well, and within 3 months of meeting Alissa on that fateful night, I was a bona fide Residential Mortgage Loan Originator for Mid America Mortgage’s Magnolia Branch.
Has it been a smooth road?
The excitement alternated with fear and doubt, since it would take me another 5 months to close my first mortgage loan. By early August, there was a very real possibility that I could be let go for failing to produce. At the same time, my daughter was going through medical testing to determine what was causing the very serious health scares she was having. By late August, I had to make a decision. If I kept trying to do both jobs, I would fail at both. On one hand, my job in Oil and Gas offered a salary and excellent benefits. On the other hand, my job in Mortgage Lending gave me unlimited earning potential, the opportunity to be there for my daughter, and the flexibility to live out my purpose in life, whatever that might be. Giving up a salary seemed reckless. I am single and nobody was going to pay the bills if I left my salaried job. Nonetheless, the decision I made in faith was to leave my salaried job and become a full-time, commission only Mortgage Lender.
Less than a week later, my daughter was admitted to the hospital for approximately 10 days. Because of the decision I had just made in faith, I was able to complete my work and be there for her at the same time. When she needed to be home schooled for the next 6 months, I didn’t have to request time off of work. God had already set the path for me to be there for her many months ago when I received the layoff from my career as a Plant Controller. Sometimes what we feel as a loss is really God setting us up for the road ahead. The first several months were scary. Bills were missed and tears were shed. Yet, God spoke onto my heart that as long as I took care of my daughter, as long as I showed his love to the people he placed in my path, and as long as I was a good steward of the gifts he entrusted me with, he would take care of me. And he has.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Two years later, I am earning substantially more than I was at the job I left. I have become very skilled in working with self-employed borrowers, international borrowers, and borrowers who need a personal touch to make it through the emotions of one of the biggest purchases of their life. I have worked my way up to the bottom of the top producers list in my office, and know that, in just a few more months, I will get to the top of the list and stay there. My clients trust me with referrals to their friends and family. The Realtors I work with trust me with their own home purchases and refinances, and their own families. I am able to be here for my daughter and drop everything if she needs me, while still taking care of my clients. I was invited to be the VP – Education for the National Association of Professional Mortgage Women’s Houston chapter and am serving in that role for the 2017-18 term. I’ve made great friends in the mortgage and real estate industries and share in the ups and downs of business and life with them. I have earned unanimous 5 star reviews from my clients across all social media platforms. In just two years, I have removed any doubt that this was the path I am supposed to be on.
Because of the way that Mid America Mortgage’s leadership team, from the CEO down, and the Magnolia Branch Management team, Tom Schmidt, Debbie Thompson, and Pam Allee, serve their team, we are able to serve others better. They lead by example, with humility and grace. Without a leadership team pouring themselves into their employees, the employees are left empty, with nothing to pour into the clients who matter. I have not encountered a single person at Mid America Mortgage, from setup, to processing, to underwriting, to closing and funding that doesn’t approach their job with a spirit of service to others.
There are many reasons to work for a company. And I cannot think of a better reason than “Because I know this is exactly where I am supposed to be.”
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Houston is a city of unlimited opportunity. Two years ago, I attended networking events and didn’t know anybody. Now, it is unusual for me to walk into a room and not know at least a few people. It’s so neat to see people who I’ve introduced to each other form successful collaborations. The city seems big, but it is full of people who want to support, encourage and motivate one another. If you are thinking of making a change and are not sure, I encourage you to visit sites like Meetup, Eventbrite, and Facebook Events and learn about all of the networking and professional development opportunities Houston offers. Pick one, and just take the first step. It can be intimidating to walk into a room full of strangers. It was for me! Many of the events are free or cheap, and most serve wine or cocktails to make the idea of finding a friend in a room full of strangers less daunting. Just keep going, and before long, you will find so many people who are willing to mentor and support you, or connect you to someone who can.
Contact Info:
- Address: 33300 Egypt Lane, Suite K600
Magnolia, Texas 77354
Serving All of Texas including Fort Bend County - Website: www.midamericamortgage.com/melissa-bryan
- Phone: 281-299-7229
- Email: melissa.bryan@midamericamortgage.com
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