For Capricorn to have grown its turnover and profit by 30% in a single year is a significant achievement, but to have done it during a period that brought seismic changes to the economy, the way the world communicates, and its clients’ financial health is truly special.
Its specialist lending services, talented team, exceptional introducer relationships, and use of technology are central drivers of this fast growth.
Its use of a unique model where it is part-owned by its advisors – also the most productive and best remunerated in the industry – completes the unique alignment of this business.
At Capricorn, everyone truly does win together.
Specialist services
Capricorn advises on an extensive range of mortgage products as part of the guidance it offers through the homebuying journey, but, above all else, it is the quality and specialism of its services that make it a force to be reckoned with.
With offices in London, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and the language skills to service 90% of the world population, Capricorn is a truly global business.
It is also the largest introducer of business to the majority of its lender partners in this space and, in turn, is often able to offer exclusive rates, products, and service to its customers.
Capricorn’s operation of a unique dual AR model, sitting under Openwork for regulated UK business and CFBUK for commercial and international lending, also sets it apart from the competition.
As the largest AR in the CFBUK network, Capricorn conducts business with over 100 commercial lenders. Offering such a large array of options, whilst also operating a collaborative and proactive internal referral scheme, helps to drive huge business volumes.
This leads to exceptional consumer outcomes and an additional revenue opportunity for its advisors.
The firm’s focus on private, high net worth (HNW) clients is a similarly vital aspect of its specialist services and commercial success.
The team centres its efforts on arranging large loans, which typically sit around the £2m mark, for residential and commercial clients who, for whatever reason, do not fit on the ‘High Street’. This addresses a gap in the market and supports underserved borrowers with notable commercial impact.
Technology is a non-negotiable aspect of growth
Technological enhancements are key to any successful modern-day business. This is especially true of Capricorn which uses tech tools to deliver its international support services.
Leading end-to end mortgage platform Smartr365, a key business partner since 2017, plays a significant role in this.
Though face-to-face meetings remain at the heart of Capricorn’s personalised service (with the team frequently meeting clients in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, and tier one cities in China), Capricorn also offers a completely online solution using Smartr365.
Clients can scan a QR Code to build a mortgage profile which will be automatically shared with their Capricorn advisor.
From there, advisors will communicate with the client using their preferred method. Tech tools allow Capricorn to service clients across the globe and therefore remove any limits on its growth. Its role in the company’s success cannot be understated.
Introducer base is a cut above the rest
Capricorn’s extensive introducer base is a further fundamental element of its fast growth. The firm continues to grow its base, both in the UK and internationally, by drawing on the best in the business.
Signing an exclusive five-year service agreement with Dexters, London’s leading independent estate agency, was central to this expansion last year.
Capricorn is already London’s fastest growing premier mortgage broker but it has huge global ambitions, and partnerships such as this are crucial to making these goals a reality.
As a key player in the advisory community, Capricorn receives 30,000 HNW, central London referrals per annum. Some advisors still note their USP as their ability to handle the vast quantities of paperwork involved in a mortgage application.
However, Capricorn is firm in its belief that the majority of this work will be largely automated inside 12 months.
Once this happens, this access to a huge volume of high-quality clients, paired with high-quality advisors, will become an even more valuable USP.
People power
Notwithstanding this, a business plan is only as powerful as the people implementing it. In 2021 alone, Capricorn welcomed fifteen advisors to support its expansion plans.
This includes recent graduates and experienced financial professionals who have been selected through Capricorn’s Graduate and Fast Track recruitment schemes.
The firm has also bolstered its internal development efforts to ensure that the team can offer bespoke financial solutions with confidence.
This training covers sector-specific skills and education on ‘kaizen’ or the belief in constant improvement. As a result of this training, Capricorn has the most productive advisors in Openwork and the broader industry by some stretch.
Capricorn’s advisors are rewarded generously for their specialism, talent, and dedication, with its top advisor earning over £600,000 in personal income last year.
Many advisors also earn over £100,000 per annum less than a year into their career. You would be hard-pressed to find another brokerage which can rival this level of success whilst also delivering exceptional results for its introducers and their mutual clients – as evidenced by their consistent 5* rating on Google.
It is Capricorn’s specialist services, international focus, use of technology, and talented team then that facilitate its fast growth.
The team is immensely proud of the expansion of its unique proposition and ability to share this success through the growth equity scheme that it implemented in 2022.
Where else can a mortgage or protection advisor deal with a global HNW client base, in a largely automated fashion, with endless opportunities for personal development and ultra-high income, whilst also sharing in the capital value of the business itself? Capricorn’s model and unique strengths are allowing them to disrupt the sector and grow at a phenomenal pace. It does not plan to stop any time soon.
Conor Murphy is CEO and founder of Capricorn Financial Consultancy
