Four kids, one business: farm-tough mortgage trailblazer mom
From $2,000 and no clients to an award-winning brokerage, mortgage adviser Elyce Peters (pictured) has built The Mortgage Girls on resilience, partnership, and a deep commitment to helping everyday borrowers.
From crossroads to co-founding The Mortgage Girls
Peters entered the mortgage industry in 2015, weighing up two very different offers – adviser support or stepping into an existing advice role. That moment became a turning point for her career.
“As I explored both options, it became clear I didn’t want to build something for someone else – I wanted to build my own business,” she says.
Leaving the café where this realisation hit, she called Holly, her former boss at National/ANZ Bank. The pair were total opposites – and that was exactly the point.
“She was everything I wasn't – we were complete opposites which was perfect. My weaknesses were her strengths and vis versa,” Peters says.
Soon after, they took the leap.
“We launched The Mortgage Girls in August 2015, starting from scratch. No customers and $2,000 each in the bank account,” Peters says.
Those early years were hands-on and hectic: building templates and systems and slowly growing a client base. Peters still vividly remembers hiring their first team member and pushing through the fear of expansion. Today, that risk has clearly paid off.
“But look at us now... Winning awards, amazing team and clients! I am super proud of what we have accomplished... and we could not have done it without each other!”
Driving change in a shifting mortgage industry
From the outset, Peters and Holly “stuck out” in a traditionally conservative space.
“We were young, female, and kinda loud,” she says. “Now, there’s far more diversity, especially more women and younger advisers entering the industry which has been fantastic to see. I love this!”
For Peters, one of the most positive developments in broking has been this cultural shift towards collaboration and support – not just for clients, but among advisers themselves. Technology and smarter systems have also transformed how they work, making the process easier for clients without losing the human touch.
The result, she says, is an industry that’s better equipped to adapt to constant change in lending rules, bank policies, and economic conditions – all of which directly affect borrowers.
Resilience, family, and a “lifestyle” career
Behind the business story is an equally powerful personal one. Peters built The Mortgage Girls while navigating major life milestones.
“Another would become a wife to my amazing husband Liam and then a parent to four amazing kids whilst running the business,” she says. “Sometimes life throws you curveballs and you just need to handle it... but then you look back and think.... how the hell did I do that... but you just do.”
Growing up on a farm taught her that “life isn't always fair... but you need to just keep going anyway” – a mindset she now brings to her clients, her team, and her role as head adviser and founder of The Mortgage Girls, where mortgage advice isn’t just a job, but “a commitment... a lifestyle.”
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