How covid helped Jo Croft reduce office hours and grow her volumes

The Successful Adviser by James McCracken

Based in northern New South Wales just shy of the Queensland border, when COVID hit last year and borders were closed, for 8 weeks Jo Croft was unable to drive to her Brisbane office to see staff and clients.

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and Jo had to find a new way to keep the business running. And do it fast.

Suffice to say, Jo found a new level of leadership and decision making that caused her to empower and support her staff to take more ownership over their roles and the outcomes being delivered to clients.

Like many a broker, Jo has embraced technology to operate remotely, which has proved to be a game-changer.

She is saving around 9 hours per week in commuting, which is time that can be spent on better servicing clients, operating the business and quality of life.

Moreover, despite the challenges, Jo’s volumes have grown year on year, and there are no signs of slowing down.

In this interview some of the topics we cover include:

• Leveraging technology to provides operational efficiencies and operate remotely
• Strategies for being a more effective business owner and manager for staff who are interstate
• How to do an effective succession plan for the business
• How to build a trusted local reputation in a ‘greenfields site’
• And what Jo would do differently next time if she was to start all over again

If you want to connect with Jo, you can reach her on her Facebook business page or via Instagram.