Tell us a bit about yourself
I am the Manager in the West Midlands area for Reach Commercial Finance and have over 18 years’ experience in finance, banking and invoice finance. I love talking to business owners and understanding what makes them passionate about what they do. It’s a great feeling when you are able to find funding solutions for clients which they may not have sourced or even known about without our help.
What’s the first thing you do at the start of your working day?
Make a cup of tea … or 2! I just don’t function very well without a good cuppa!
How do you plan out your day? A good old fashioned to do list, or more go with the flow?
To do list for me! When I was 19 I received some advice from an amazing boss and life coach… she said ‘Fail to plan, plan to fail’ and insisted I used a ‘to do’ list every day. I’ve never been able to have a productive working day without one since.
What’s your desk and workspace like?
Tidy!! I hate mess and especially working on a messy desk or workspace.
I have a home office, where I’ve been working mostly for the last 12 months, and my desk has a notice board above it with pictures of a few loved ones that inspire me to do well. I’ll be honest – there’s also a map of England pinned to it as I struggle to know where anyone is outside of the Midlands so when someone phones and says ‘I have a client in the North East’ for example, I can quickly revert to the map and roughly know where they are taking about!
What’s the best thing about your job?
I love helping people and this job really allows me to do that. Clients come to me with a problem regarding their finance or a request for finance and it’s great to be able to work with them and find options. If I don’t know the answer, I’m surrounded by some really fantastic people, so someone I know will be able to help.
Tell us about your approach with clients
The first thing I consider is that my clients are always introduced to me, whether that be via their accountant, a funder, an existing client, a networking or professional contact or a colleague – all of which have put their trust in me to do a good job. So I always treat clients as I would hope to be treated. I listen to their requirements, try and understand their business and what is important to them and then look for options for them. There is never any pressure on clients to take my advice – it’s just nice to be in a position to be able to find solutions for them. Making sure the client understands, so they can make informed decisions is the most important part of my role.
Who is the most interesting client you’ve dealt with?
Whilst I’d love to tell you some amazing story of the most famous person I’ve dealt with or the most extravagant business I’ve visited …. the truth is, there isn’t any!! And the most ‘interesting’ clients I have to talk about would involve a dusty warehouse or haulage yard and a complicated ledger that we managed to fund, where others couldn’t, or a business that was in difficulty and our funding helped them to turn the business around. These are definitely the most interesting and rewarding parts of my job.
That said I did once work with a manure wholesaler who, despite me politely declining, still insisted I took home a free sample of his award winning manure product to try in my garden. As you can imagine this made my 2 hour journey home pleasant with the windows open and my car smelt lovely for weeks after!
What do you do to escape the world of funding?
Outside of work I love to spend time with my family and friends, usually with a gin & tonic involved when there’s no kids around. I’m mom to my beautiful little girl, who keeps my husband and I pretty busy. In moments of free time I love to run or work out and listen to all sorts of music from pop to dance, but nothing too sad or sloppy! I love a good film or series on Netflix too, but nothing too scary else I’ll be sleeping with all the lights on for months after.
Get in touch with Chloe on chloe@reachcf.co.uk or 07720 098 530