Owner of Lending Connections Donna Baden says businesses looking to grow can benefit from a range of free resources and support
When Donna Baden, owner of Brisbane-based mortgage broking business Lending Connections, planned to grow her business, she took steps to ensure her investment would pay off. This meant taking the time to reflect on her business values, refining her systems and getting clear on the kind of workplace she wanted to build.
“It all started when I was at a networking event and met a couple of ladies that specialised in HR. I asked them directly, how a HR company could benefit my business,” she says.
That conversation led her to the Queensland Government’s Industry Workforce Advisor (IWA) network, where she met with Eleanor. The IWA initiative helps Queensland SMEs plan for their workforce needs and build capacity to meet future demand. It was a turning point for Donna, who had been reflecting on past hiring challenges and looking for ways to improve.
“It was great timing for me because I’ve been looking at what I need to do to grow my business and build my team,” Donna says.
Like many busy small business owners who are focused on delivering for customers, workforce planning wasn’t always front of mind for Donna.
Eleanor helped Donna access free tools and resources available to support her business, including the Government’s HR Support Grant and Business Chamber Queensland’s Workforce Evolve program.
Through Workforce Evolve, Donna accessed coaching, training, and practical tools to create policies, develop onboarding materials, and write a business plan – essentials she says are often overlooked in small business.
“There were many things in the program that I never knew. And in the past, I had thought a lot of these topics were just for bigger business, but it helped me realise that these were all tools that I could apply within my own business.”
Building a team with shared values
As someone who prides herself on long-term client relationships and offering personalised, values-based service, Donna says Workforce Evolve helped to clarify how important it was to bring people into the business who would share her approach.
“As I grow my business, it’s important that anyone I hire really aligns with my values. And I suppose that it’s only just been recently where I’ve really understood what my values are,” she said.
“It’s helping people. It’s having empathy – many of my clients come to me for help during important and often difficult times in their life. Whether that’s getting into the housing market, redundancy or starting again after a marriage breakdown.
“So it’s about building a relationship, always adding value and going above and beyond for each and every client.
“I’ve looked after some of my clients for 15 years, so forming a positive relationship and being a reliable resource is extremely important.”
Donna had built a deep knowledge of the mortgage products available in the market and holds a diploma in financial planning – points of difference she wanted to maintain as her business grows.
“I pride myself on the fact that I have accreditation with over 40 different banks. I’ve gone through special training to be able to sell those banks’ products and to be able to offer the very best lending solution that’s right for my client’s needs and circumstances.
“I needed systems in place to ensure that we could maximise that level of expertise and offer a high level of service at every touchpoint in the business from enquiry through to loan finalisation.”
Support from the IWA program and the Workforce Evolve team gave Donna tools and guides to use directly in her business and she used the HR grant to develop tailored employment contracts and workplace policies.
“I wanted to have everything running smoothly before looking at recruitment again.
“By having these systems and processes in place, it will make it easier for me to grow my business, take holidays and handle enquiries without compromising on our service offering.”
The Workforce Evolve program also offered Donna the flexibility she needed to fit learning into her schedule.
“During a busy week, I was able to complete one of the learning modules on my phone while I was waiting for my kids to finish sport,” Donna said.
But what stood out most was the personal coaching and workshop sessions.
“It helped me stay focused and retain the content better because I had set aside the time and other distractions were less tempting.
“The personal coaching session was another opportunity to ask questions specific to the business. Isabella helped me to identify further systems and improvements that would position the business better for growth.”
For other Queensland businesses thinking about growing their teams or setting up systems for the future, Donna’s advice is simple: take advantage of the support on offer.
“I would recommend Workforce Evolve to other small businesses and particularly somebody that is just starting out.
“The process allows you to develop clarity around what you want for your business and will ensure that you can put the right systems in place to achieve that.”
