The Traineeship Model That Produces $100 Million Brokers From Inside Your Own Business
Beyond The Numbers With Christian StevensShow Notes
Chris Raymond, founder of Unconditional Finance, joins Christian Stevens on this week's episode of Beyond The Numbers. With 25 years across banking and broking — from loan documentation and credit analysis to becoming a #1 BDM nationally — Chris built Unconditional Finance from a single relationship that generated $67 million in his first year as a broker.
But it wasn't overnight.
From going all-in on one referral partner after lying about his experience to building a 25-person team running over $300 million a year, Chris opens up about the deliberate, unglamorous decisions behind that growth — the foundations-first philosophy, why he refused to blow up his back office chasing volume, and how he's used an internal traineeship model to promote brokers who write $60–70 million in their first year.
He also talks about the equity conversations nobody has with their team, what it actually takes to step off the tools, and why he still believes relationship-based business will always outperform the social media lead machine.
If you're a mortgage broker, brokerage owner, or anyone building something in financial services from the ground up — this one's for you.
4:55 $67M in Year One — From One Referral Partner He Lied To
7:00 How Unconditional Finance Grew to 25 People
10:30 Managing Gen Z Brokers: Cuddles vs. Boot Camps
13:15 Why Brokers Need to Specialise (Not Just Settle Loans)
17:00 The Back-Office Philosophy That Stopped Him Blowing Up
21:30 Getting Off the Tools: The Traineeship-to-Broker Pipeline
26:00 Equity, Ownership, and Keeping Your Best People
29:00 Writing 300M and Still Up at 4:30am: The Real Cost of Big Numbers
33:00 Expansion Plans, Acquisition Offer, and What's Next for 2027
38:00 Three Referral Partners, 14 Properties, and His Biggest Investing Mistake
Learn more about Flint: https://flintgroup.au/
Connect with Christian Stevens:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/propertyfinance/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmrstevens/
Connect with Chris Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymond-chris/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris_unconditionalfinance/
More from Beyond The Numbers With Christian Stevens
Corey Goldby is the Managing Partner of Source Financial and the founder of the Fat Profits Podcast. In just three years, he’s grown his broking and accounting businesses to a team of 35 — and is now preparing for the next major stage of that growth.
Damien Roylance and Vincent Moore have spent the last decade growing Entourage from a small brokerage into a five-office business with more than 50 people and a multi-billion-dollar loan book.
Mackenzie Jones is a finance broker at Flint and one of the newest faces in the industry. After starting at CBA, she made the jump into broking at just 22, bringing the same discipline, competitiveness and consistency that made her a two-time martial arts world champion.
Ryan Sweeney is the Founder and CEO of Front Financial, and at just 25 he’s already gone from broker to running a fast-growing finance business.
*Content warning: This episode includes an open conversation around suicide and mental health, including personal experiences with loss. Viewer discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to a support service.