Broker on mission to help her regional customers thrive

This is branded content for Thrive Broking.

Emma Murphy is a finance broker with a difference. For one, her office is a caravan. And two, she's ready to hit the road and come to you to talk about your business and your financial goals.

With 29 years of finance experience behind her, Ms Murphy launched her own business, Thrive Broking, almost two years ago and since then has travelled far and wide to visit customers.

"Travelling is one of those things that I really love, getting on the road and meeting people," said Ms Murphy, who is based in Thornton in the Hunter Valley but spent many of her early years with her family on a farm in regional Queensland.

"I like to be able to talk to people, find out about them and their business and what they want to achieve. If someone says, 'Come out Emma and see what we do', I'll hitch up the van and go. I don't need a second invitation."

At the moment looking forward to meeting and talking to many people at AgQuip Field Days in August, Ms Murphy's goal for her business is to provide a more personal style of broking with a focus on building relationships that last throughout her customers' financial journey.

"We're not a transactional business," said Ms Murphy. "I operate on a client-for-life philosophy leveraging my financial expertise and banking connections, and negotiating hard with our panel of lenders to get the best outcome for each of my clients and their business.

"One of the most important things for me in being a good broker is developing those relationships and friendships with customers and always being available to them. People tell me what they want to achieve and I help them achieve that as their dedicated finance partner."

Ms Murphy's professional journey in the world of finance began a little by accident, in a reflection of the determination that has helped fuel her career.

The day after finishing school, she caught a bus to Goondiwindi - an hour away from her family home - and went business-to-business introducing herself and inquiring if there were any jobs available. She accepted a full-time position in the accounts department of a local solicitor's office as well as a weekend job at a local fish and chip shop.

Studying at the same time as working, Ms Murphy eventually walked into a job at the Commonwealth Bank where she worked her way through various departments including merchant inquiries, fraud, branch systems customer service, payroll, mortgage broking and financial planning.

Wanting a more flexible lifestyle that allowed her to spend more time with her family (Ms Murphy has 16-year-old triplets), she decided to set up her own business and came up with a name that summed up her vision.

"I'm focused on helping my customers thrive," she said. "I've always enjoyed working with people to make their goals happen no matter how big or small they are and seeing their success.

"The most satisfying part of my job is receiving that finance approval and calling my customers to let them know the exciting news, 'Your loan is approved'."

Thrive Broking began working with its first customers in February 2022 and now has more than 1187 with the majority of her new customers coming through referrals. And just five months after launching her business, Ms Murphy was named a finalist in the Connective Asset Finance Excellence Awards in the Rising Star category.

With an in-depth equipment knowledge, Thrive Broking offers specialised asset financing solutions from vehicle, truck and trailer finance, to equipment and machinery finance, but can assist with any finance needs.

"I especially like the varied aspect of machinery and equipment and there's nothing better than seeing someone take delivery of a boat or something big like a harvester or a crane," said Ms Murphy. "Or even a new caravan to be able to head off on a nice holiday."

To find out more visit thrivebroking.com.au or speak to Emma at AgQuip 2023 in Gunnedah from 22 August to 24 August.