How appli Home Loans survived launching amid COVID-19

Giving advice to those entering the field

What advice would he give to newcomers just entering the field? “The biggest advice I have is get connected, get plugged in. If you’re going to be an originator at a broker shop, make sure to find a broker shop providing resources and tools and training and knowledge. Or if you’re going to open your own company, you’ve got be able to find those resources and opportunities for you to learn and grow. That’s going to be vital.”

He credited AIME with helping his company grow. Before coming across the group, he had not been able to find a group as supportive, he said. “I got involved in AIME the moment I found out about it,” Dionne said. “Up until that point, I was on the broker side since I started in this industry 12, 13 years ago fresh out of college and it was always ‘figure it out yourself.’ There was no support, no nothing. I know there are other organizations out there, but I feel like AIME was the first with a gut punch saying ‘hey brokers are better. We’re really focused here’.”

AIME’s accessibility has made an impact on his business, he added: “There were people and an outlet for me to reach out to,” he said. “Having the people, the resources, the training – we use everything they provide to the fullest advantage because we see the value of what it’s helped us do on a personal level.”

Eager to give back for all he’s gained at AIME, he noted he now is one of two “state captains” in his Florida base along with Laura Ray, of Liberty Mortgage Lending Group Inc. Advocacy state captains are volunteers who are active in their local community and are a driving force for state-level legislative efforts. Community state captains, for their part, are volunteers who are active in their local community and are a driving force for amplifying AIME’s initiatives on social media.

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