RCG Mortgage owner on selective hiring and ambitious expansion

“Everybody told me I was going to fail,” he said. “When people tell me that, as you’ve seen from starting the mortgage business at the crash, I’m like, ‘watch what I’m gonna do for the industry.’ So, I did that. We started with me and two people, and now we have grown into a company with over 40 employees.”

RCG Mortgage’s achievements speak for themselves. “Last year, we were ranked the number one mortgage broker originator on the east coast and #10 broker originator in the country. We’ve really done a lot of amazing things to get here, and I feel like we’re just starting. I feel like there’s so much opportunity for us and skies the limit.”

Realtor-centric approach

While others chased after refinance booms and internet leads, Russell focused on cultivating strong relationships with real estate agents. He recognized the value of realtor referrals in driving the purchase business forward, a strategy that has been instrumental in RCG’s success.

Russell emphasized the importance of having a solid business plan. “Number one is a business plan,” he said. “You can’t get to where you want to go until you plan it out. In our business, there’s no half-assing it. You have to be hyper-focused and strategic in your approach.

“I’ve always been very realtor-based. So when I built my company, that’s been my focus. Now, especially in a rising rate environment, when the refi stuff is kind of gone away, I think we’re like a century, not even a decade or century low for refi applications. We are still doing our thing with purchase business and are still very successful.”