Case Study

From Burnout to Break through: Rebuilding a Business and Creating a Legacy

Much Of The Loan Book Was Ageing

By late 2020, Peter, owner of Toowoomba Home Loans, was mentally and emotionally exhausted. After surviving the Royal Commission (as he was an adviser and broker), deciding to step away from advice (and bringing in new partners to re-build this arm of the business), and sustained years of slow but steady decline of his loan book, Peter found himself adrift. From a peak loan book of $605M in 2015, the business had slid to $485M by early 2021—and projections showed it was on track to decline even further. This was all while writing new business every year.

Much of the loan book was ageing, with a growing number of long-term clients downsizing or entering retirement. New business generation had slowed to a crawl. The team of four brokers was only writing $80M annually—primarily from refinancing existing clients - reactively. Peter himself wrote just $30M in that final year before reaching out. Internally, there was no clear strategy, no momentum, and no clear path forward.

challenges

Lacking Motivation & Structure

Rebuilding A Business
Peter reached out to Success & Broker after hearing about Ruan’s reputation for rebuilding broking businesses and his own success in business. From the first engagement in late 2021, Ruan stepped in as a quasi-General Manager—not by title, but through action—bringing strategic direction, accountability, and structure that had long been missing.

the game-changer

Working with Success & Broker

Together, they tackled:

Lead generation & prospecting: Implementing structured systems to re-engage existing clients (reviews and referrals...) and generating new leads through successful, well structured and mutually beneficial new partnerships.
Broker performance: Identifying capability gaps and setting clear expectations. A mindset of trail being earnt through maintenance, not ignorance was a big shift.
Scalable systems: Instituting processes for client engagement, meeting management, follow-up, and advocacy from the very first interactions.
Mindset shift: Re-energizing Peter as a leader and instilling a sense of direction and purpose in the team.
Peter also embraced the concept of succession—developing his next generation of brokers and preparing the business to thrive without his daily involvement. Initially, we were brought on to support Peter to exit the business within a defined time frame. Years on, he’s now even more motivated than ever to continue in his role.

Peter recalls:

THE POINT ISN’T DOING MORE — IT’S BUILDING PEOPLE WHO CAN DO IT THEMSELVES.

Mentally I was cooked. Now, I bait the lines while they fish—they’re learning to catch on their own. That’s the point.

results

Explosive Growth & Business Expansion

Loan Volume: From $80M/year at the lowest point to $155M/year. Despite losing a broker, THL is now aiming for $200M with two new recruits in place.

Loan Book: Recovered from a declining $485M to $520M, with a 12-month target of $600M. This has been achieved despite natural amortization and an ageing client base of downsizers.

Broker Productivity: Peter is on track 3x his $30M annual settlements by the end of this Financial Year

KEY BUSINESS WINS:

Lead Flow: Strategic partnerships have created a sustainable and mutually beneficial lead pipeline.
Processes: Meetings are shorter, more effective, and systematized, with clearer expectations and better client outcomes.
Leadership: Peter is focused on mentoring his team, setting a clear culture, and planning an exit strategy that rewards his legacy.
Vision: THL now has a pathway to continue beyond Peter—well-structured, values-led, and high-performing.

LESSONS & TAKEAWAYS:

Peter is focused on building out a highperforming team of brokers who will eventually take over the business. With a keen eye on succession, he's creating an environment where future leaders can thrive, and the THL brand can continue for generations.
Recruitment, systemization, and efficiency remain key themes—and a new broker is already onboarding under a flexible, future-focused model.

final thoughts

Control the process. Align with partners. Win the game.

The whole prospecting piece is the game-changer Ruan instilled in me.

Now, I control the process. It would be hard for anyone to tell our business apart from our referral partners—we’re that aligned.

    
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Ian Winn 
 24 September 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Ruan has been my mortgage broking coach for 6 months. Having owned a very successful mortgage  broking business and now a coach of many businesses he has unparalleled experience to share with his clients. He does this in a very clear and consultative manner. He is always looking for improvements and innovation for clients to implement in their businesses. He has a big picture approach which really helps you get out of the weeds when analysing your business. He has helped me grow my business and provide clarity to achieve my goals. Thanks for your support.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Anisa Buckley 
 14 September 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I have learnt so much from Ruan and the team at Success & Broker. Ruan's practical advice to me as a new broker has been incredibly helpful and I have incorporated many of his strategies and approaches into my own business.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Bree Rivers 
 14 September 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Working with Ruan has been great. He genuinely cares about your success and provides honest practical advice from his own experience that can be applied to get real results. I highly recommend Ruan to any broker wanting to grow.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Your favourite Bald & Bespectacled broker 
 6 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great weekly 50min session with Ruan himself, done online over Zoom with other brokers.

Intimate session of around a dozen people, including Ruan and the host.

If you're a new broker and have under three or four years of experience, and wish to get an insight into Ruan's mind + pick up tips and tricks, it's a very good six month-long training program.

Even if you're a more seasoned broker like myself (nine years in December 2026), it's worth an education session - I have a few pages of notes and thoughts.

Give it a go, brokers.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Christopher Dodson 
 6 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Thanks Ruan for your insight and warm approach
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Achani Kodippili 
 4 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. That was an amazing journey with Success & Broker. Excellent guidance is simply practical. Thank you team for the opportunity.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Sara Shome 
 1 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I’ve really enjoyed being part of Ruan’s Grow Broker Program. As a broker with an over 5 years of experience, it is easy to reach a point where you feel like you’re doing well but not really moving forward.
This program challenged me to rethink almost everything I thought I knew about broking, relationships, branding and what it really takes to build a sustainable career.

Ruan has an incredible ability to make you look at your business and thinking from a completely different perspective while providing genuine support and practical strategies that you can implement immediately and easily. It is not about quick wins or generic coaching. It is about building the right foundations and becoming a better broker and business owner.

The confidence and clarity I gained through the program played a crucial role in my decision to move into a BDM role. It helped me recognise where my strengths truly lie and gave me the self confidence to take that next step.

I would highly recommend Success and Broker to anyone who feels they have reached a plateau or wants to take their career to the next level. It has been one of the best self investments I have made.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Jonathon Rhydderch 
 22 July 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The Success & Broker course has been fantastic.

As a new broker, you learn a lot about the technical side early on: compliance, lending policy, structuring deals. But what nobody really teaches you is how to build a sustainable business around all that. Ruan's program fills exactly that gap, giving you so many practical, actionable ways to grow: daily habits and consistency, marketing that actually works for a brokerage, operations and systems that scale, and how to genuinely deliver a great client experience rather than just process loans.

What I liked most is that it's not generic coaching. It's built specifically around where you are as a broker, whether that's establishing strong foundations early on or working toward running a proper business with leverage and a team behind you.

The 'Broker Journal' kept me on track throughout the course and is a great reference point when i need to work on my business. It is like a blueprint for success.

All of it is delivered in a refreshingly warm, positive, and genuinely invested way. You can tell they actually care about your outcomes, not just ticking a coaching box. Big thanks to Ruan, and to Ryan too. Highly recommend to any broker serious about building a real business, not just writing loans.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Alex Ritchie 
 8 July 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Ruan and the Success & Broker team have been really helpful in getting us to think about how we operate, how we build out or team, and where we want to go.
Ruan is super knowledgeable, having spent many years as a broker running multiple firms. He asks the right questions and challenges your thinking.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Lachlan McKean 
 6 July 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I've worked with Ruan at Success & Broker for the last 12 months~ and it's been great.

Always makes time to discuss what's going on and the advice is invaluable.

If you're a broker thinking of using Ruan's services, it's definitely worth jumping on board.

From Burnout to Break through: Rebuilding a Business and Creating a Legacy

Much Of The Loan Book Was Ageing

challenges

the game-changer

Peter recalls:

results

final thoughts

serious about

growth?

scaling?

learning?

succession?

recruiting?

lead flow?

process?

brand?

socials?