BLOG INTERVIEW CHRIS WILLIAMS
MORTGAGE ORIGINATOR CHRIS WILLIAMS BY JEAN PERRY
Los Angeles mortgage originator Chris Williams worked for private industry and the federal government before opening his business.
His career began when he was a senior in college. Recruited by the Los Angeles branch of Deloitte Touche, now Deloitte, Haskins and Sells, he went to work as an auditor, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After a year at that prestigious company, he went to work for the Internal Revenue Service.
“I worked five years in the IRS’real estate audit group,” he recalled. In his off time, he took a home study course in real estate. He passed the state exam, got a salesperson’s license, and went to work for Century 21. He was there for six months. Again he used his off time to study for a broker’s license.
He passed that exam too. By now he knew he’d found his passion: putting money to work. Wanting to see, as he puts it, “the bigger picture. . . ” of what money could do, he left the IRS and went to work for the Family Savings and Loans Bank, In Los Angeles.
It was a challenging time for small banks and Family was one of many S&Ls that closed, in a time of bank mergers and acquisitions. Chris was doing loans for residents of Compton and South LA. He was watching the whole banking scene and listening to customers’ experiences. “Consumers were getting hurt and being taken advantage of financially. The government wanted to give them a safety net from greedy lenders.” Wanting the best for customers, Chris went to work for Sun West Mortgage. “When I first got into mortgages there was little regulation but things changed. I had to stay educated. I had to do a lot of reading. “Soon, he went out on his own to do mortgage lending. He hasn’t regretted it.
His advice to entrepreneurs in any enterprise: “If you want to be self-employed, you have to take a risk. When you’re young and you’re hungry you should be able to do more and sacrifice more. The bottom line is: give it all you’ve got. Entrepreneurship is not a nine-to-five job. “Business procedures change. Stay updated. After you learn the field, find your niche.
Specialize. You can’t do everything. With a niche, you become an authority. When you grow, so does your business.”
To students and workers changing careers, he says: “Once you narrow down what you think you‘ll enjoy, go volunteer in that industry for two to three months. See how it functions in real-time. You may be surprised! Get educated on how people are treated in that industry. What are the unspoken realities? What experiences do you have to have to be promoted? How will you get those experiences?
“When you make mistakes, learn and move past them. Don’t throw past mistakes into the present. Do that and you’re not going to see your opportunities. Follow your passion, but include service. Ask yourself how you can use what you do, not only to earn a living but to help others. It’s also important to get a good mentor.”
Contact Chris at Twitter: christopherwilliams@Wi89.
Call or leave him a message at: (310) 215-3401.