308: How 1 DM Can Change Your Business

00:00:06 Ryan Wiley
Welcome to the mortgage game. I truly, truly believe that building a mortgage business, a successful one is like playing a game. There's winners, there's losers. There's certain things you try. Some of us are playing checkers while others are playing chess. I've had the ability to coach and mentor hundreds of mortgage brokers. I myself built a very nice business. So now I want to distill all that information, all the things I've learned from that and bring it directly to you in a simple to understand way. I hope you enjoy.


00:00:38 Ryan Wiley
Okay, welcome to the Mortgage Game Podcast. West Coast Wiley here coming to you live from not the Dodge Ram studio today. As you've been seeing these past couple of weeks and every week, we're going to bring an in -person interview to, if I deem it to be warranted, someone who's doing something awesome in the industry and just... pull the curtain back on what they're doing and get to know them a bit more. And so today we have Kendra. Hello, Kendra.


00:01:04 Kendra Bartels
Hello, Ryan. How's it going?


00:01:05 Ryan Wiley
Going good. Going good. And so Kendra has quite the story. Kendra is a newer agent, I would say. And first off, how long have you been in the industry for?


00:01:16 Kendra Bartels
I got licensed the end of February in 2025, and I joined Tango and Team Wiley May of 2025. So like just over. A year and a bit, really.


00:01:26 Ryan Wiley
A little over a year, but OK. And so I just want to go back to the beginning. But I also want to like you've been doing a bunch of mortgages these past 12 months. And that's what we're going to talk about. And really, the theme of this is anyone can do this. And we're going to sort of get inside your head. We're going to hear from you. We're going to hear the things you're doing right now, the things you're doing to get here, the challenges you had up front, the times where you were just second guessing yourself and like going, Jesus, this. Like, is this really what I want to do? Like, do I want to do this? I want to understand the family dynamic somewhat. But before we get into all that, I want to go back to when you opened me. And for those who don't know what that is, shame on you. But it is when you reach out to someone who's not expecting it. And so what was your thought process when you sent me an Instagram video?


00:02:12 Kendra Bartels
Oh, my thought process was one after listening to a Mortgage Game podcast, probably. You talked a lot about opens and the Instagram video opens were kind of really coming a thing on your podcast and talking about the more I know that. Where I was in the industry, I felt like I just wasn't where I needed to be. I wanted so badly to be a part of Team Wiley, but I knew having done zero mortgages at that point that that just was not a possibility, having listened to your podcast so much. So I figured if I can't join Team Wiley right now, why wouldn't I ask the person of where I want to go? So I reached out to where I wanted to be one day and said, hey, if you were me, what would you do? And you graciously answered that question.


00:02:58 Ryan Wiley
So for more context there, because people are like, yeah, whatever. She opened Ryan and that's great. You actually sent me a video and you were cooking in your kitchen, I guess, where you cook and you were holding a child and there were noises going on and backgrounds and the house was disheveled as all houses are with young kids. You were just like, yeah, whatever. Like, this is me. This is life. I'm talking to you, Ryan. And so this is where I want to be. Do you have any advice for me? And I was like, ah, OK, I got to jump on a call with you. I was like, I will definitely jump on a call with you just because of that. And this is me telling everybody listening that there are opportunities. There is money to be made. There is glorious things on the other side of a little bit of awkwardness or a hard conversation.


00:03:43 Kendra Bartels
Absolutely.


00:03:44 Ryan Wiley
And so you did that. We got together on a phone call and I realized, OK, I can see something in you, but we're not set up to take on new agents. But I have someone on the team who will mentor you. And so we made the introduction and it was a fit. And now here we are 12 months later. And so, so cool. Okay. I want to give some context here in the past 12 months. Was there times in those 12 months where you were like, this is way harder than I thought, don't know if I should be doing this. Like, can you walk me through the emotional roller coaster?


00:04:20 Kendra Bartels
I probably can't even count how many times I had those thoughts of like, should I be doing this? Am I cut out for this? Especially in the beginning, there was so many days where I'd wake up with those thoughts or something would happen. And I'm like, how do I even fix this? Like, I don't have the tools to deal with this. But I did have the tools. I'm very thankful for you, my mentor, Amy, our whole team. Like, I just I had all the tools to deal with it. So it was realizing in all of those emotional roller coasters that the tools are all before me and I just need to go access them. I think Janine said it when you interviewed her of like, I still wake up some mornings. Like, oh, yep, that's the last mortgage I ever did. Like, it's those thoughts that like I still have all the time of like, I can't do this. Maybe I'm not cut out for this. And then usually later that day, my phone rings or I get an email or something of a client asking questions and being like, oh, no, I can still do this. I'm equipped to handle this.


00:05:07 Ryan Wiley
Yeah, that's a regular thing. Even seasoned people, they question themselves a lot of times as I did in my career. And you're like, geez, is this for me? Like, I don't know. Like, because there's just so many challenges and every day you're getting thrown curveballs. What do you know now that you would tell yourself 10 months ago? Like, was there something that happened along the way where your belief system, your confidence just shot through the roof? Because I saw it. I could see it. I was like, there was one day when we were on our newbie call on Wednesday and I go around and we just go, what are you doing? What are the challenges you're having? What are your wins? And you just went, and you sounded like an actual mortgage broker. And I was like, whoa, what happened here? So did something happen like, At home, you just personally, like when did the switch flip on?


00:05:53 Kendra Bartels
So earlier this year, I was not quite a year, obviously, into the industry. And me and my husband were talking and it was very much like, OK, I either need to make this work or figure out something else that's going to work. Because the reason I got into mortgages, being a mortgage agent, was so that I could support my family a little bit. I'm very thankful I have the best husband. the best friend, the best person in the whole wide world to do life with. And I wanted to help provide for our family in a way to do all the fun extra stuff. And it kind of got to the point where it was like, OK, this is fun. But, you know, is it a business? Is it actually making money or is it just a fun hobby? So we had that conversation and it was like, OK, I have to either make this work or it's time to find something else. So after that, I just made it work. And there was just no questions of if I was going to make it work or not. It was a sink or swim. You just do it.


00:06:46 Ryan Wiley
And so did the dynamic in the family change somehow with that? Because like you and your husband are best friends. You're all seems like you're on the same page way more times than you're not. Did just hearing him say it or you say it aloud, like what was the connection there? What happened on that conversation where you just felt empowered to like, this is what I'm going to do?


00:07:06 Kendra Bartels
I don't think anything changed like dynamically. I think it was just more mindset for me of you're either going to do this now or you're just going to stop. And if you choose to do this, you just you have to do it like there's just not an option to quit. I didn't want to look back five years from now and say, oh, look what I could have done. Look what I could have been doing and just actually do it. OK,


00:07:28 Ryan Wiley
I love it. And so to give everyone listening and watching some more context. Walk me through like a typical week, like not the hour by hour, but how many hours are you spending on this? When are you prospecting? When are you when is the daycare kick in? When is it not? Like, can you give the listeners an idea of that?


00:07:46 Kendra Bartels
I guess context for that. I have two littles. I have a three year old daughter and a one and a half year old son. So we are in the 202 life right now, which is crazy, but so good. I got licensed when I was on maternity leave with my son and I knew I didn't want to go back to the job I was doing. I was working in the preschool world and I actually always thought I was going to be a homeschool mom, stay at home mom, not work, homeschool my kids. And God humbled me in my plans over his. And here I am. So I originally started doing it with my kids at home full time. And I would say last September, I think it was, I started sending my daughter every other week for one day to a home daycare. And then we slowly transitioned to my son going. And then it was every week. And then it turned into two days a week now. So my kids go Tuesdays and Thursdays to daycare. So Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, I have them at home with me all day. And they just know that mom kind of works. In terms of hour -wise, I've never kept track of the hours I work because I would say with three and a one -year -old. That changes every single day, kind of the timing of when I work. I work during naps. I work when I go to bed. I work before they get up. When they're awake, I try to be, you know, in mom mode more than necessarily work mode. Obviously, they know mom works. So sometimes we're outside playing and I've got my laptop underwriting files. My daughter loves to get her little laptop out and sit beside me and help me do mortgages like mommy, as she says and tells people. So I would say that timing wise, I've never kept track of my hours. And I know that that's something I should do to see where I can. better my business now. But I am a firm believer in work -life integration, especially as a mom of littles and littles who are at home versus work -life balance. Because if I'm integrating my work into my life, I can actually get more done and be a better mom at the same time.


00:09:33 Ryan Wiley
And it's a time and place right now where you're at. Like this isn't a forever spot. So you're just there.


00:09:38 Kendra Bartels
Oh, absolutely. One of my favorite things about you is like you shut the brain off and you just get to work because the brain's going to tell you,


00:09:39 Ryan Wiley
of my favorite things about you is like you shut the brain off and you just get to work because the brain's going to tell you, give you all the excuses. of why you shouldn't do it, why you couldn't, you should go do here. And maybe even mom guilt factors in and starts coming in and wife guilt. And like, you're just like, oh my God, what? And you're just like, and you go, and you stay as laser focused as you can. And you're like, I'm just going to build the best business I can within this timeframe. Hence why sometimes you show up or calls in your mom's garage. And we're like, oh, that's cool. But you're like. This is just my life. This is just where we're at. And I'm just I'm here. Whereas a lot of other people wouldn't even be on the call. They would be off coming up with excuses. But you show up to the calls.


00:10:22 Kendra Bartels
It's just showing up for yourself every day, though, whether it's the meetings or your kids. Like once you just do the first part of showing up, doing the work comes a lot easier after.


00:10:30 Ryan Wiley
Hundred percent. So I have mad respect for you and what you're doing. And it's you know, you've got a ton on your plate. And so let's get into the foundations of your business. You've got social media. You've got prospecting. When you're a brand new agent or a newer agent, those really should be the focal point of where you're at, building referral partner relationships, building a brand on social and prospecting. And so can you sort of walk us through what you're doing right now and where? your files are coming from?


00:11:03 Kendra Bartels
Yeah. So right now I'd say a majority of my files are coming from a few different referral partners I work with. Social media is definitely one that I get quite a few from. And I'm now starting to see, I wouldn't say past clients yet, but like referrals from clients are starting to like past clients are coming in, which is super, super fun. I've now hit the point in my career too, where I've got some friends and family reaching out. I think as a new agent, I expected all my friends and family to come and like flock to me and want me to do their mortgages. And I realized, oh wow, they don't know me. Kendra, the mortgage agent, yet I have to show them that I know what I'm talking about and I'm here to stay. So I've hit that point where friends and family are coming, which is really fun. Yeah, but I would say socials and I've got some really key referral partners that I've been able to make amazing relationships with where most of my deals are coming from right now.


00:11:48 Ryan Wiley
And are those referral partners, realtors, financial advisors, a bit of both?


00:11:53 Kendra Bartels
A bit of both. I've got a few key realtors for sure that I work with. A large book of my business, I would say, is Real Estate Investors. that. So I've got a really big key realtor partner I work with on a lot of stuff like that. I'm not necessarily getting rid of some of the parts of my business, but slowly transitioning, especially since getting my Smith Maneuver certification into investor kind of driven focus in my business for sure. Not just because I have a really big key realtor partner I work with, but that is a lot of my book of business I've noticed is people who either are investors or want to become investors.


00:12:23 Ryan Wiley
Maybe that's scratched the itch a bit. Like you started to see, oh, I have a passion for this, like to talk that language and provide value. Absolutely. And so Those key referral partner relationships, where did those come from?


00:12:34 Kendra Bartels
an email or an open that's where they've all come from one of mine i simply knew him knew of him kind of thing and sent an email i was like hey i hear me know some of the same people i love what you guys are doing with your business i'd love to just get together and chat and hear more about it and your story and what you want to do next so after a really great conversation we decided to be pretty cool to work together you know one or two client transfers between us referrals and here we are now kind of figuring out how to grow our businesses together which is really awesome i'd say the other ones like opens on instagram i have yet to really pick up my phone and make a cold call i am not that person whatsoever but videos like i sent you have brought me so many not even partners, just amazing people into my life that I've gotten to know that I never would have gotten to know if I wasn't in this industry, just through connecting with them, whether it's their stories and then posting their kids or just saying, hey, thanks for following my social media. I love social media and I'd love to know why you're here and what you want to see from me. I've been able to really get to know some awesome people beyond just as realtors, financial planners, mortgage agents actually understand who they are and why they do what they do too.


00:13:45 Ryan Wiley
Well, that's cool. So you had a plan. you executed the plan and then you just didn't stop and then it started working yeah guys so when you do your opens are they copy and paste text are they voice memos are they video opens a combination of however you're feeling that day i've never done copy and paste text that's just not who i am i just couldn't do that so a lot of minor video opens if i can very rarely are the audio i usually try and go for the video because i know for me if i see an audio message from someone that i don't know i'm not as always keen to click it but if i see a video that's actually their face i'm much more inclined to click it because i know it's that person and it doesn't seem as you know automated right so uh


00:14:02 Kendra Bartels
never done copy and paste text that's just not who i am i just couldn't do that so a lot of minor video opens if i can very rarely are the audio i usually try and go for the video because i know for me if i see an audio message from someone that i don't know i'm not as always keen to click it but if i see a video that's actually their face i'm much more inclined to click it because i know it's that person and it doesn't seem as you know automated right so uh would say nine times out of 10, they are video messages for sure.


00:14:29 Ryan Wiley
And so you send a video message. Do you do a follow up after if they don't respond?


00:14:35 Kendra Bartels
That is probably a part of my business that would help me immensely if I actually did that. Instagram is kind of where I do a lot of my prospecting, I would say. On Instagram, everything gets buried so quickly that it's so hard to do that follow up. But that is something that looking back, I should have implemented. Absolutely.


00:14:51 Ryan Wiley
So cool. So cool. I was talking to an agent last week and Same thing. He's three and a half years in. He'll do 25 to 30 mil this year. No help, nothing. And everything came from video opens on Instagram DMs.


00:15:04 Kendra Bartels
It's much more personable. When I get them, and I've gotten a few now, it just feels way more personable than a message or, you know what, even an audio message is amazing, but that video is just that much better to receive, I think. Yep.


00:15:18 Ryan Wiley
Someone walking their dog going, hey. I checked out your thing and they try to find some commonality, some common ground between their profile and you and whatnot. And yeah, it's such an underutilized prospecting tool. And I don't understand why more people don't do it. And I should probably start talking about it more again because I sort of shifted to voice memos, but the video opens. There's probably seven, eight brokers. I know that do it religiously. It's changed their business. And they're two to three years in now doing it. So cool. Now you've done a bunch of stuff. You've spent some money on some marketing things. You've been approached, like you've thrown a bunch of shit at the wall. Is there stuff that looking back that you've done where you've spent your time and or money that was just a waste of time? I know nothing's a waste because you learn from it, but take that out and just go, yeah, I probably shouldn't have done that. Like for me, it was building a website. Complete waste of probably 30 hours of my life building a website. Can you point out a couple of things on your end? Anything that stands out?


00:16:18 Kendra Bartels
I think for me right now, it would be all of the really cool things that are coming out in our industry that I've spent time exploring and learning about. There's all these new shiny objects of tools and software and all of these kind of things. But in our industry, an Excel spreadsheet, you can run your business off, no problem. I have more than an Excel spreadsheet behind me and I'm building it like that on purpose. But I had to step back, especially over the last couple of months since. My business has grown so much in the last few months to really look at, OK, what am I actually utilizing and what are those shiny objects that I need to stop chasing? And that would be those shiny objects over the last year is these cool softwares. They're fantastic. All the makers of these are absolutely wonderful and probably amazing mortgage brokers, too. But there's just so much coming at us in this industry and as a new agent. I really had to focus in on just getting the basics down before I start exploring some of these really cool things that aren't maybe applicable to my business yet anyways.


00:17:13 Ryan Wiley
Ah, that's some great insight. So as they say, back to basics, the grassroots stuff that builds 100 % commission -based sales. Business, starting conversations, creating content, following up with people, doing what you say you're going to do, following up with people, following up with people, like even if they don't respond, following up with people and just reminding them that you're here and what you do. Yep. So cool. So cool. Before we jumped on this, you pointed out, I said, hey, what's one thing you would? Tell someone or your earlier version of you 10 months ago or nine months ago or 18 months ago, what would you say? Like something you've learned and you want to share what you said to me? Because I thought that was it was the mantra for my mortgage business. So I'd love to hear what you had.


00:18:02 Kendra Bartels
The boring things are what works. So and I was trying to say it may be not even boring, but the repetitive things. It's just doing the things that, you know, yourself, all of the other mortgage podcasts in our industry, all of it boils down to. just do the things pick your thing it doesn't have to be opens it could be cold calls it could be real term eating it could be whatever you want it to be if you just pick one thing and do it at some point it's going to work and guess what it's probably going to get boring and repetitive and that's when i find myself chasing that next shiny object and i have to reel myself back in and go okay no have i done my boring things because my boring things are what are actually showing me people that I can help in this industry and finding the clients that need that. It's not the shiny things at all.


00:18:49 Ryan Wiley
Shiny things are dinging your credit card.


00:18:51 Kendra Bartels
Yeah, 100%. Like 100%. Think of a factory worker.


00:18:54 Ryan Wiley
of a factory worker. They sit there all day and they do whatever on the assembly line and they do. That's the job. It's like we need to take that mentality into this industry and go, that's the job. Mortgages aren't sexy. To go get mortgages, you need to do a bunch of really fucking boring things like over and over and over again. And you've figured that out way earlier than most people have. I'm very thankful for that,


00:19:22 Kendra Bartels
very thankful for that, though. And I I contribute that to obviously being a part of Team Wiley has been one of the biggest blessings and having Amy as my mentor specifically being around. People on Team Wiley, like it's the boring things. I think sometimes people can look at like our amazing team. And I know I look up to so many people on it and be like, oh, I wonder what they're doing. What are they doing today? Like they're probably doing something spectacular. And it's like, nope, they're picking up their phone. They're doing an open. They're sending an email. They're making a phone call. That's it. It's nothing shiny at all. But that's what you have to do in this industry. That's what it's all about. And there's nothing shiny about it all the time.


00:19:58 Ryan Wiley
Yeah, that's well said. And it's like, think of the celebrities on the red carpet. When they're on the red carpet, it looks awesome. And they're like, oh, my God. But if you reverse engineer that all back, they still had to put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you. They still went to the bathroom. They still had to go talk to the kids and talk to whatever it was. They still do all that stuff. So the people in our industry crushing volume, when you actually go and sit with them for a day and hang out with them, there's nothing glamorous about it at all. Not one thing. And the people who are doing the glamorous things, they just have a different business model for different reasons. But the average broker, they're sitting there just, I don't want to say grinding, but you don't walk away going, oh my God, I learned that. It's like, wow, I just realized I need to just do the things I'm uncomfortable doing.


00:20:47 Kendra Bartels
Yes. Right? Everything is about mindset and just getting to the point of, okay, I just have to do it and then going to do it. That's the biggest thing I've learned in the last 15, 16 months, whatever it is.


00:20:58 Ryan Wiley
I said it earlier on this podcast already. And one of my favorite things about people in general is when they ask advice or they cease and then they just go do it. Like they execute fast,


00:21:09 Kendra Bartels
they execute


00:21:09 Ryan Wiley
fast, fast, fast, fast, fast, fast. They execute because they're on version. By the time other people are thinking about it and me, I'll do it Monday and I'll do it at the end of the month because I got the thing. And then they're on version one of it. And the person who executes fast is on version six or seven. And they move so quick and they iterate so like they're just way ahead. You execute fast in a world where no one's expecting you to. And you don't have to because you have every excuse in the world to not do that. And that's pretty cool. That's a superpower of yours. If you don't just do the things,


00:21:45 Kendra Bartels
you don't just do the things, though, when are you going to do them? I think that's the biggest thing, though. If someone has told you, hey, I think you should do this. Hey, you should do your opens today. Hey, whatever it is. If you don't just do it, when are you going to do it? You're just going to put it off and be like, oh, I should have done that earlier.


00:21:59 Ryan Wiley
That's a good one. So if you don't go do the things now, when are you going to do it?


00:22:03 Kendra Bartels
Yeah.


00:22:03 Ryan Wiley
That's awesome. So I always talk about building your business, the business you want three years from now. You have already figured out, hey, you went and learned fulfillment. You learned the underwriting with the help of Amy and you like you've been in files and whatnot. And now you have fulfillment person hired. Is that correct?


00:22:27 Kendra Bartels
Yes. Yes, I do. So you outsource fulfillment from win to win.


00:22:28 Ryan Wiley
So you outsource fulfillment from win to win.


00:22:30 Kendra Bartels
So she comes in at commitment and takes it all the way until fund it.


00:22:36 Ryan Wiley
So commitment to compliance.


00:22:37 Kendra Bartels
Commitment to compliance. Yep.


00:22:38 Ryan Wiley
And obviously. You have to pay someone for that. And when you're early on, your mindset is like, shit, I got to keep on. Like, I'm barely making money as it is when I have my expenses and my splits and all the things. And you're just like, am I actually going to make money off this job? So the mindset of going to hire someone, like, how did you connect the dots on that?


00:22:58 Kendra Bartels
It only took me one file because what I realized was that I was sitting there while my kids were playing. trying to work on the documents for conditions and get them into the lender and order the appraisal and do those very tedious things. And I looked at my kids were playing and I was like, man, I would really love to be playing with them right now. What would I pay to be playing with my kids right now during the day? And that really changed my mindset of, oh, I'm going to go pay someone X amount to be able to take back some of my time. So to me, the amount that. fulfillment has taken off my plate, has given me back immensely in my business as well, but also more specifically in my personal life with my kids and my husband, obviously. I don't have to be up late at night, you know, renaming documents and putting together signing packages. I can wake up in the morning and do what I need to do and find more families that I can help versus all the tedious document stuff.


00:23:57 Ryan Wiley
Wow, that's powerful because... The natural progression of those thoughts is it buys back my time so then I can go prospect more and make more money and bring it in. And naturally that's happening. But your first go to was what would I have to pay to go spend more time with my family?


00:24:15 Kendra Bartels
I think also, too, I'm very thankful that I get to. you know, pay someone to do an amazing job. So my fulfillment, Candice does my fulfillment. I love you, Candice. I know you're going to listen to this. And I love being able to support one another mom. So Candice is a mom like me and support someone else and their family. So one of the reasons I'm in this industry and me and my husband have big goals one day to be able to support ministries we love and support other people in ways that maybe they can't support themselves and hiring out just for both. Both of us, because it's a conversation I had with my husband before I hired of should I spend this money when I'm not even making a lot? Was that I also get to feed other people, right? Like when you hire someone, you're paying someone to live, whether that's a VA across the world or whether that's your neighbor or the kid down the street to film your social media, like you're paying another human being. And that feels really good to be able to offer that to someone.


00:25:14 Ryan Wiley
Whoa, that's powerful. Seriously.


00:25:18 Ryan Wiley
That gets dialed into your why.


00:25:19 Kendra Bartels
Absolutely.


00:25:20 Ryan Wiley
Really, really cool that you have that mindset. A lot of people skip that part or they don't actually sit down and think about that part. So you're like, hey, this is going to help me spend more time with my family. Free me up to do the things I truly love doing and the money making tasks in my business. And then C, in no specific order, C, I'm supporting another family and helping them live the life they want to live and whatnot. Wow, that's cool.


00:25:47 Kendra Bartels
Like as I grow and will need hopefully more support, that is a goal of mine. I want to be able to, you know, hire people, whether that's other moms who have kids at home, to be able to do work and tasks that they can incorporate into their life, how I've incorporated being a mortgage agent into our family life.


00:26:04 Ryan Wiley
Wow, that's awesome. That says a lot about you, how you frame that, how you said it, because none of that was about you. It was about giving back. So where does that come from? You said you want to help with ministries and whatnot, you and your husband. That's like, can you give me like the lowdown on that? What's your thought there? What's the goal of you two? And like, why are you thinking that way? Who instilled that in you?


00:26:26 Kendra Bartels
In terms of supporting ministries and stuff like that, that's just a goal me and my husband have had. Our faith is very, very important to us. We know lots of people who are in various ministries to spread the gospel and that kind of stuff. So we'd love to be able to support them, you know, feed their families exactly how I'm thankful I get to feed. you know, my fulfillment person's family in a sense. We'd love to be able to help people continue to do that. It honestly does come from my faith and just the love I get and I get to experience from Jesus and how I want to, you know, spread that life and that love to other people. I love that. I'm trying to word this better and I keep tripping over my words.


00:27:03 Ryan Wiley
That's okay. That's just, we're going to keep this going too. Nikki, maybe don't even add this out. Let's see. You're good. You're good. This is real. This is real. I know.


00:27:11 Kendra Bartels
I know. I caught you off guard.


00:27:12 Ryan Wiley
caught you off guard. None of this is scripted, by the way. Those watching, and I want this, let's keep this in the video, in the podcast. Zero of this is scripted. This is not a scripted where I send, hey, here's five questions I'm going to ask you. We don't do that here. This is just, we don't know what's coming because it's extremely authentic. Sorry.


00:27:30 Kendra Bartels
That is true. That's okay. Yeah. Where it comes from, honestly, is just the grace and mercy that I've received in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Like, that's the best way I can word it. I am nothing but a sinner when it comes to my court. He went to the cross. And he died for me. And because of that, I am free from the shame and guilt and sin in my life. And that's where that comes from. We want to help support the people who also believe in that, obviously in ministries. And just the love and grace I receive is what I want to give to other people. So I attest my business and what has happened in the last year and a half to the Lord. I have woken up every morning since I started this probably in January of this year. when i really just got down on my knees and said like god blow up my business burn it to the ground and every morning i wake up and say you know what burn it to the ground make that the last mortgage i've ever done because i don't want to hold on to this business too tightly and every time i've gotten lower than low and praying that and really just said you know what take it i i don't want it anymore please take it away from me show me what else i'm supposed to do my inbox or my phone blows up with clients that need my help so it's been made very clear to me that this is the path i'm supposed to take and i want to keep walking that faithfully and it has been made clear to us that this is a way that we can do those things that we want to do so you know we really want to eventually be business owners one day both me and my husband together obviously my business is me we'd like to do something else one day together as well we'd love to support ministries we really hope to be real estate investors we're very thankful that we bought our first house at 23 so we'd love to one day own some more real estate as well and yeah, be able to be landlord someday too, which would be really cool.


00:29:09 Ryan Wiley
Okay. Well, that was a mouthful.


00:29:12 Kendra Bartels
You know me, Ryan. It's always a mouthful.


00:29:15 Ryan Wiley
It is, but you know, that was you and you came out and that was good. I love it. I love your answer. That was deeper than regular answers. I get. So more real. So it's the honesty, though.


00:29:26 Kendra Bartels
the honesty, though. Like if anyone were to come up and ask me, you know, how my business got to where it is or why I'm here, that's the answer. I have told many people on our team and many people I've talked to just about being a mortgage agent and even a lot of my clients when they ask, why are you doing what you do? That's my honest answer. And I won't hide that.


00:29:44 Ryan Wiley
It's great. Don't change. Never. So I want to get to we're going to wrap this up in a couple minutes here, but I want to get to the point of. What's now? What are you doing now? What's the passion project now? What are you focusing on in your business now from a foundational piece you're spending energy building and also a prospecting piece for lead generation? Can you touch on both of those?


00:30:09 Kendra Bartels
So foundational piece, me and Candice are working really closely together to get my client fulfillment and client care process on the second half really dialed in. The last two months or three months, I guess, I went through. a significant growth in the amount of files I was working on and doing. And so I needed her to come in and really work on that with me. So we're really, really dialing in that process, just trying to figure out what is best for us, but also for our clients.


00:30:34 Ryan Wiley
So your client journey. You're getting your client journey mapped out.


00:30:37 Kendra Bartels
Oh, absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Especially for the beginning part, I've got a lot more dialed in now, I would say. I'm a bit opposite than a lot of people. I actually do not docs up front or the no doc, no talk as some people do it. I usually do a client intake form and then I do a discovery call. Not always a full application, but I've swapped that and I found a lot of success in that over the last few months. So working on the second half now to get that dialed in. For prospecting right now, and I guess like what's going on in my business, I'm really focusing on. transitioning into the real estate investor world, working on a lot of calf damming things. What does that look like? And I'm really focusing on how to help young Canadians like me and myself and my husband really become investors. So that's where a lot of my social media is going to be pushing. That's where a lot of my prospecting is going to be pushing more towards realtors who really have that as well. Young people who want to hear that message, who want to get ahead. And, you know, by the time they're 30, want to call themselves land. landlords that's phenomenal do you because early on your career and this goes for everyone listening you just you actually don't have the plan you're kind of just waking up every day kind of just doing shit trying stuff and and even experienced mortgage brokers do you feel like you have like a bit of a plan like a bit of a blueprint right now where you're like okay i kind of know exactly where i should be going what i should be doing like


00:31:38 Ryan Wiley
phenomenal do you because early on your career and this goes for everyone listening you just you actually don't have the plan you're kind of just waking up every day kind of just doing shit trying stuff and and even experienced mortgage brokers do you feel like you have like a bit of a plan like a bit of a blueprint right now where you're like okay i kind of know exactly where i should be going what i should be doing like Do you feel like you have your finger on the pulse of that?


00:32:06 Kendra Bartels
Slowly but surely, yes. I'd say halfway there. I think I've really discovered... what avenue in our industry I want to focus on because there's so many different niches, we call them, right, that you could focus on. I loved my first time homebuyers and I really stuck to that when I first came into the industry, like a lot of us do. But I realized my love and my passion for the investors out there, especially the young investors or those who want a house hack, those who want to have basement suites in their first houses to offset their mortgage payments. That is where I found my passion. And so that's just where I'm. putting full force my energy into.


00:32:40 Ryan Wiley
House hack.


00:32:41 Kendra Bartels
We're bringing back the house hacking.


00:32:43 Ryan Wiley
That's a good one. And so people are going to watch us who aren't even mortgage brokers and they're going to fall in love with you and they're going to go, I want that girl in my corner. We'll put her contact info. It'll be in the description. Like, so reach out to her. I know how she's wired. I know what she does behind the scenes. I know the support team she has. You're in really good hands. Even as a new agent, you are in phenomenal hands. Let's wrap this up. Is there anything you want to say, someone listening to this podcast, someone who's on the struggle bus, mindset's down, they're kind of like, I don't know if I can do this. I know we touched on it before, but do you have like some last thoughts you want to just throw out there to anyone to give them some inspiration to maybe change their life 12 months from now?


00:33:27 Kendra Bartels
For the new agents, I think specifically, because when I first came into the industry, I was really trying to find things for new agents. Find a mentor. The brokerages are awesome. They all have different things. You can interview everyone, but find a mentor. Amy is my mentor, and I absolutely love her. We have spent more hours than I can count together over the last 15 months, and I am so ever thankful for her. She is brilliant. She's a genius. She's obviously part of Team Wiley. What an amazing part of Team Wiley. I'm very thankful that I have her, so find a mentor. And if your mindset's down and you're just not sure what to do today, just do one thing. Maybe it's one text message, one phone call, one video. Just do one thing because that one thing, once you do it, will make you realize, oh, I could probably do another one. It really didn't take me that long. Well, I could probably do a third one. It really didn't take me that long. And before you know it, you've made five social posts to post for the week or you've done five reach out to past clients, whatever it could be.


00:34:26 Ryan Wiley
While vacuuming, while cooking something, while cleaning. Yes, yes.


00:34:29 Kendra Bartels
Yes, yes. And to the moms, I should say this too, to the moms who have young kids, it's okay that it's chaotic. I think that as moms, we have to lean into the chaos instead of running for it or trying to fix it. And for all of the people that know me, a lot of my friends have been like, how do you do it with two kids at home? I lean into the chaos, you know? AirPod Pros, Apple Please Sponsor Me, are fantastic. They cancel out the noise and the running around and the trucks being thrown everywhere when you're on the phone with your BDM or your client. They actually are fantastic. But just lean into the chaos of your life. And you never know where you'll end up in a year from now.


00:35:09 Ryan Wiley
Kendra, that's phenomenal. That was our family motto earlier. It was beautiful chaos. Yeah. And that would actually be a tattoo I'd get. I don't have a tattoo if I ever got one. I actually was thinking that might be one I would actually get. That's a good one. Either way, Kendra, you're an absolute fucking rock star. I have mad love and respect for you and everything you've done. I just want to say thank you for coming on.


00:35:29 Kendra Bartels
Thank you for having me. Thank you for thinking I'm cool enough for this. Kendra a year ago would never believe that she'd be on the mortgage game. Let me tell you, I think I listen to every episode in a few weeks and I would never have thought in a million years I'd be sitting here. So thank you.


00:35:43 Ryan Wiley
No, thank you. You're helping and inspiring people that you'll never even know about. Has nothing to do with you and I. It's the other people, like seriously, like you are and you will never, ever know. So I just. I know you are. So like I said, much love, much respect. That's it, kids. So if you want more info on Kendra, for whatever reason, you're not even a broker and whatnot, we will put her contact info in the description. Otherwise, that's it, kids. I appreciate the support with The Mortgage Game. And please keep listening. And peace out. Okay. Bye, everyone.