The Intermediary –- June 2026 - Flipbook - Page 97
B RO K E R B U S I N E S S
Opinion
leap and
of growth
uch like the
first decade,
infrastructure
and support will
continue to play a
crucial role in the
growth and success of self-employed.
Despite wider market and economic
turbulence, application numbers have
remained strong. The hope is that as
conditions improve later in the year,
we see further growth as we work
towards 500 self-employed advisers
and ultimately 1,000 nationwide.
Market conditions aside, there’s no
doubt that going self-employed is a
f
leap of faith
– especially in those early
stages. Not only are advisers worried
about making that adjustment as
a business owner, there are real
concerns about where customers
come from and how bills get paid
in the interim.
These are completely valid and
key barriers that any brokerage or
M
network should look to address to
enable advisers to make the move with
confidence. For any adviser weighing
up a move into self-employment,
key components to look for from
a brokerage or network is support
with leads and lead generation, as
well as the likes of a commission
advance scheme – enabling advisers
to focus on their clients and building
their business.
Once up and running, advisers
should identify who they can turn
to for advice or mentoring and what
day-to-day support looks like with
sales, marketing and compliance.
Just as important is determining what
training rout
routes are available to be the
best broker they can be.
As we look ahead to the next 10
years of self-employed, I think this
point cannot be understated. We
are certainly seeing a trend where
many advisers are looking beyond
that one-man-band operation and
are keen to build out a team around
them. Becoming a business principal
is the natural next step for many self
selfemployed advisers and a route tthat
will only expand.
To that end, an important point tto
clarify with any brokerage or netw
network
is what gameplan is in place to
support advisers with their leadership
journey, expansion plans and ttheir
own recruitment. Many experienced
advisers are comfortable opera
operating
as a lone wolf and do so at a very high
level. It is a completely different
skill set to then go and build, lead
BEN ALLKINS
is head of mortgages and
protection at Just Mortgages
and mentor a team. It doesn’t come
natural to all and requires specialist
training and support.
Future plans
Recruitment alone can be a real
obstacle – whether it’s finding
admin staff, additional brokers or
protection-only advisers. For a busy
self-employed adviser trying to do the
day job, finding the right talent can be
a massive headache. Some networks
will charge for the privilege of finding
those recruits, while others will offer
that free of charge – through in-house
recruitment specialists, academy
propositions or a combination of
the two.
As the self-employed model
continues to evolve in the decades to
come, the focus will be as much about
helping advisers take the leap, as it is
helping them build for the future.
The next 10 years will be defined
by those networks and brokerages
that can provide not just a route
into self-employment, but the
support, infrastructure and
leadership pathways needed to turn
successful advisers into successful
business owners. ●
June 2026 | The Intermediary
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