Today we have another interesting interview for you all! If you read the comments here often, you will probably have seen Roland around. He is a very loyal commenter, unlike most people I like to know who is reading my blog. So I asked him about who he is, very quickly I realised that he has some qualities that people look for in role models. Please give a warm welcome to Roland Millward!

Firstly, could you please give us an overview about yourself?

I am now in my early fifties (where did the time go?), married with a grown up daughter. I live in Wiltshire though I was born in Derbyshire and still have a great love for Chesterfield Football Club where I used to go every Saturday with my grandfather when they played at home. Although it is now a long journey I still try and get to several matches a year.

How, and why, did you begin your career as a Mortgage Broker?

I am one of those people that has always yearned to have their own business. I left school with little in the way of qualifications mainly because I hated school so much. I do though however love to learn new things which may make my previous statement seem contradictory. School does not always teach in the right way to suit the needs of each child and it is a lesson businesses can learn that each customer is an individual.

I started working in a department store and eventually got into management. Still longing to be my own boss I took a career change and started a driving school which was quite successful but after a while it becomes rather bring.

I decided to enter financial services after selling the driving school business and became employed as a mortgage consultant working within an estate agents. This is where I learned the ins and outs of the mortgage business.

Of course becoming my own boss was never far from my mind and so as soon as it was prudent set up my own brokerage and have never looked back.

Who, or what, is your inspiration in life and business?

With regard to ‘who’ in your question I prefer to take the ‘best bits’ of people and copy those things that would work for me. I don’t think you should try and copy someone in every aspect but rather be yourself and apply good principles to your life. Richard Branson for instance with his branding image works fine for large businesses but not necessarily small ones. His attention though to customer service is something to be considered and also the way he manages his businesses by giving his managers more control and making work ‘fun’ for his staff.

How do you keep yourself motivated?

That is a good question. Every day I think to myself “What can I achieve today? What can i do better?” I also make sure that i never stop learning. Just because you have done something for many years does not mean you know everything. I find helpful to to build up a network of like minded people that I can bounce ideas off and enjoy a some business banter. This I find helps when you get those days of weeks when maybe thing are not going that well.

What were your goals when you started? Have you achieved them yet? If so, how did you manage this?

My goal has really been to build a solid business that would keep me in a comfortable lifestyle with the freedom to make choices that too much growth would not allow and never to have to work for anyone else again.

Yes, I have achieved this. the business has been built up by providing clients with the best advice possible and service to match. It has taken time to make sure that attention to every detail in the business has been right for the customer. I now have a very loyal customer base who come back time and time again, plus they recommend their friends and family which saves a fortune on advertising!

At any point have you thought yourself or your career as a “failure” or had any major problems? If so how did you manage to get through this and what did you learn?

I have never regarded anything as a failure. With problems I always try and learn from them and make sure that wherever possible contingency plans are in place. A few years ago my office was destroyed in a huge fire and that was certainly a problem at the time. It took many 14 hour days to get over that! It is always best to move on as possible and not look back. I read in a magazine many years ago this statement, “Never look back because that is the way to the lunatic asylum!”

You are very interested in Social Networking, why is this? What results have you seen from this so far?

This is early days yet but I am finding that Twitter certainly looks promising and is helping me create a network of followers that I could potentially do business with both getting new customers and in becoming one to them.

Have you any advice to give to those currently in the position you were in when you first started your career?

Go for your dream! Make sure that is realistic and that you have the skills to do it. Learn the skills and get the knowledge. Research your market and make sure you plan your business well. Get advice and listen to as many people in business as possible. Don’t be put off by doubters and negative types but do be realistic. If you want to sell artificial legs for hamsters and vets tell you that there isn’t a market they may have a point.

Your blog is about business, what made you make this?

I have always loved business and talking about business and writing a blog just seems a great way to help others.

What plans do you have for the future?

I want to make sure that my business thrives in this economic downturn. Mortgage brokers have been particularly affected and so it takes more effort to make things work. It is a challenge but one that will make the business stronger if it is met.

I recomend you to follow Roland on twitter, read his blog and read his guest posts that will be appearing here on Success Circuit hopefully every week!

Thank you for reading, and thank you to Roland for such an interesting interview.

Shane