Broker profile - Josh Ugo, Finicky Finance

Josh Ugo is the Director of Finicky Finance, a Sydney based finance brokerage that has been experiencing rapid growth by specialising in asset finance for small business since it opened in 2017. Josh operates a highly successful business model with a diverse offer, and services a wide range of customer requirements.

We know you love to hear about your successful peers, so we asked Josh to tell us more about Finicky Finance and how Connective Asset Finance supports his business growth.

How did you get into the finance business, Josh?

I studied for a Commerce Degree in Accounting & Finance at Sydney University, so I was always headed for a career in the financial services industry. While I was at Uni, I worked part-time handling the financial aspects of my Dad’s business, so I had first-hand experience of how small businesses use finance to operate and grow. Straight out of Uni I took a PAYG job at a finance brokerage and learned the ropes. Once I was proficient, I decided it was time to open my own business.

Why did you choose Connective Asset Finance as your aggregator?

The conversations I had with the team while I was looking for an aggregator to help me start my business were great – everything was open, up front and on the table. I knew exactly what I’d be getting – it was all transparent and it was easy to see Connective Asset Finance was the better option financially.

The offer was also good – excellent training and education program, IT Platform was included, and the support services were exactly what I was looking for. I felt that the Connective Asset Finance offer was in line with my business objectives.

Tell us a bit about your business model?

Finicky Finance focuses on servicing small to medium businesses. Whilst we mostly finance business assets like cars and other business vehicles as well as machinery and equipment, we can also provide a wide range of other types of business loans.

How do our services help you in your business?

Connective Asset Finance helps me in so many ways. Firstly, the lender panel is very extensive. I can have accreditations and access to more lenders than if I just go direct. That means I have a better, more responsive service to offer my clients.

A good example is one customer who needed a best product offering from a type of lender I’m not usually accredited with. My Connective Asset Finance BDM, Phil Meehan, helped me get the outcome the customer needed by organising a fast accreditation with the right lender for their needs. Both me and the customer got great service on that one – very fast, very timely, very supportive.

I have a great relationship with my Connective Asset Finance BDM. Phil helps me with deals, helps me grow my product knowledge – he’s very keen and passionate and that motivates me a lot. Brent Starrenburg is also great in that respect.

The entire team at Connective Asset Finance are there to provide support and they get back to me right away when I need anything. I’m also impressed by the events and training on offer – they’re all very good. Right for my kind of business and in line with my goals.

How have we helped you grow your business? Have we helped you increase revenue?

Since I started Finicky Finance and joined Connective Asset Finance 14 months ago, revenue has been building and increasing constantly. I’ve had a lot of support from my BDM to help me grow my client base – introducing me to new referrers, accessing new areas of business with new lender introductions, and even introducing me to a few potential clients.

Most importantly, I get a lot of support to meet and build relationships with new lenders. This is the key to success – new lenders mean I can potentially offer my customers new services. And the Connective Asset Finance Lender Panel is growing all the time.

All the services provided help me do more deals – so the business has grown faster than I expected. There is plenty of assistance on offer – I’m currently looking at using the Connective Digital Marketing Hub to step up my communications. I mostly get business through word of mouth and my referral partners, so this is important to keep my business front of mind with all my customers.

What do you think sets us apart from other aggregators?

I guess it’s the personal things that make all the difference. For example, I travel a lot to Melbourne and see clients there. If I need somewhere to work, I just go into the Connective office and they set me up and make me feel at home. You get real personalised support too, the relationship I have with my BDM is great.

Overall, I am very happy with how my business is progressing with Connective Asset Finance. Having happy customers is very rewarding and as mentioned, my business has grown a lot faster than I expected, so that’s very rewarding too.