Knowledge and credibility matter in business, he says
As a professional poker player turned specialist property finance broker, Connor Ross (pictured) has found a fresh passion that truly captures his imagination. When he was playing cards he used logic, strategy, mathematics, body language and psychology to try to gain an advantage over his opponents – and some of those skills serve him well in his role today.
“There is a little bit of strategy in bridging, which obviously comes into poker massively,” Ross told Mortgage Introducer, as he reflected on his move into financial services, within the bridging, development, commercial and buy-to-let markets. “There is salesmanship in poker which you wouldn't expect because you think it's just a card game. There's a lot more selling yourself in poker than you think there would be, but also I'm very lucky that I'm pretty good with numbers - that's definitely my strong point. I was doing maths in my head for seven years when I was playing poker, and when I'm on a phone call with a client now, it's quite helpful to be able to play the loan-to-value puzzle in my own head and be able to relay numbers very quickly to clients.”
As the Hampshire-based owner of BridgeCross Finance (the name of which smartly includes his first initial and surname) Ross has been in the industry now for three-and-a-half years, and two-and-a-half of them in the specialist space, which he clearly loves. The career move aligned with his new lifestyle when he met and settled down with a teacher, moved out of London and became a father of two. He needed a pursuit that wasn’t nocturnal. He trained and cut his teeth within the mainstream market, but specialist finance is evidently a much better fit for him. “I'm more of a logic-based thinker than an emotionally-based thinker,” Ross explained. “Mortgages and protection are very emotionally driven because they usually involve someone's home that they're securing on. I'm not brilliant on the emotional side, so dealing with, investors, and developers, I find that much more interesting, and it's a very fast-paced environment, which I enjoy. I've got some clients whom I've seen go from just owning their home to now owning three buy-to-lets as well as their home. You're seeing them scale up and then you see the numbers get bigger, their quality of life get a little bit better, and I enjoy going on that ride with them.”
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An entrepreneurial approach
Now in his early thirties, Ross shares his clients’ ambition, and is clearly entrepreneurial, with plans to scale up his business and bring staff on board to support him. “You get one life - I think I'd regret it in 20 years or so if I didn't go for it,” he said. “I like being my own boss. There was a reason I went into poker and I think it's just the freedom that it gives you. I like making the decisions. I like doing things my way.” How important, then, is money to him? “It's a big driver,” Ross said. “It's more about what money allows you to do.”
He estimates that around 70% of the business that BridgeCross Finance does currently is bridging, 20% buy to let and then the remaining 10% is split between commercial, residential and secured loans. “When I was employed, you would turn up on the Monday and there were leads sitting there waiting for you,” Ross said. “The challenge I'm currently facing at the moment is juggling the lead generation stuff with the marketing side of the business. At the moment I'm working half eight till half five every day, and then also maybe 8pm until midnight most nights, so I'm doing a lot.”
Ross understands the importance of keeping business real. “Be authentic,” he said. “Obviously, it’s not like I've been doing this 20 years, so in my situation, where I'm a one man band at the moment, you lean into that, lean into what your strengths are, and then, as it gets bigger, you can mark it.” He added: “Demonstrate knowledge, and establish credibility. Clients put their trust in you. If you can just show them that you're knowledgeable, it's irrelevant how long you've been in the game. As long as you know what you're doing, that's the thing that matters.”
