Can a Single Parent Build a Brokerage From Scratch and Still Be There for Their Kids?
Beyond The Numbers With Christian StevensShow Notes
Kaylene Edwards is the managing director of Flexify and one of the more honest, self-made stories to come through Beyond The Numbers.
She grew up in commission housing, bartended her way through her twenties, and bought her first property at 21 — sleeping in her car between shifts to save the deposit. She later moved into banking as an assessor, watched brokers submit loan after loan, and eventually thought: I can do this better. So she did. Flexify was born, and she's been building it ever since — as a single mum, without a mentor, figuring it out in real time.
But this conversation goes well beyond the origin story.
Kaylene talks candidly about what it really takes to build a broking business from scratch — the social media strategy she's used from day one, why she'd rather get six likes from the right people than a million views from the wrong ones, and how she's doubling her team heading into FY27.
She opens up about building a niche she didn't choose — self-employed borrowers and property investors — and how 20% of her Brisbane-based book ended up in Kalgoorlie. She also gets into what she believes is holding women back from staying in broking, and what a genuine solution to that might look like.
If you're a broker trying to build something real from nothing, or just want a reminder of what backing yourself actually looks like — this one's for you.
1:13 Working as an Assessor — Watching Brokers and Thinking She Could Do It Better
7:13 The Moment She Saw What Brokers Got Paid
13:22 FY27 Plans — Doubling the Team and Launching Paid Ads
16:40 Social Media Ad Strategy — What She's Actually Testing
19:23 Do You Want Exposure or Do You Want to Get Rich?
24:27 The Hardest Parts Nobody Warns You About
29:09 Why Women Leave Broking — and Her Idea to Fix It
35:26 AI and Automation — What's Actually Saving Her Time
48:29 Sleeping in Her Car to Save Her First Property Deposit
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 Kaylene Edwards:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayleneedwards/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flexify.au/
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.