Entrepreneurship is in Evan Wade’s blood. Both his grandfathers and his parents were small business owners. Now as a mortgage professional, Wade has founded two separate mortgage brokerages, Philadelphia Mortgage Brokers and Epoch Lending. He also built a sophisticated technology stack that helps him differentiate himself in the mortgage industry. That tech stack is a major reason Wade was recently named Vice-Chair of AIME’s partnership committee. 

Wade joined the mortgage industry in 2015 when he was recruited to join a retail operation, but quickly realized the retail side was not for him. Wade took the leap and opened Philadelphia Mortgage Brokers with Paul Carson. The name served as the perfect organic SEO source, but Paul and Evan also lean on BAB Network partner leadPops to help generate leads. 

For Wade, technology is key. “At the end of the day, technology is everything for me because someone is going to figure it out,” he said. In his mind, technology is the key to providing your customer superior service and in turn, making your brokerage stand out. Not only is Wade an adopter of various technology platforms, including ARIVE, he also developed his own commission compensation software and started his own title company because local options weren’t up to his standards. Ultimately, he wants to build a business that will grow and survive long after him. “I don’t want to build a company that only lives because of me,” Wade said. 

As Vice-Chair of AIME’s partnership committee, Wade is focused on working with lender and vendor partners to improve the lives of Brokers and in turn their clients. The committee is focused on identifying new partners and streamlining processes with current AIME partners to better serve the borrower. 

Wade’s parting advice: “Whatever is in your heart that you want to do, just reach out and do it.” If you have a dream or goal in mind, go for it. Wade would rather go for something and fail than wonder what could have been. 

Notes:

Getting into the industry (0:51)

Starting his own brokerage (10:00)

Evan’s Tech stack (18:59)

Partnerships Committee (36:26)

Parting advice (40:07)

This Episode Is Sponsored By EPM.