Adam Stiles is the Member with the highest number of recommendations and has never missed a virtual event. He has now seen a 4 figure ROI on his TrustedLand Membership cost. We were thrilled to catch up with him and capture for you the main ingredients of his success.
1. What’s your background?
I’ve been a mortgage broker for 13 years which included an interlude as a Project Director for a Property Fund where we were lending 100% to developers a few years after the credit crunch. Whilst being a regulated broker looking after residential and buy to let mortgages, most of my business is bridging, development and commercial finance. I have a huge passion and interest in all things property development, and funding them is a lot of fun – no deal is the same, and they all have challenges. I started in brokering in my early 20s so previous jobs to that involved landscaping, labouring, gardening, tree surgery, chef, foreign risk analyst, Surrey Chambers of Commerce and running a horse drawn carriage business!
2. Which challenges or needs did you face in your industry that led to you to look for a solution like ours? What problem were you trying to solve?
I wanted to increase my exposure to developers as this was an area of my business I wanted to grow significantly. TrustedLand came highly recommended and the ‘go to’ platform for mutual collaborations with anyone from an architect to a highways consultant. There is a huge wealth of experience at ones fingertips, and I have learnt an inordinate amount about property development since joining. There is so much that as a broker we don’t get involved in within the process, so it’s been fascinating learning more about certain things like planning quirks!
3. How was the problem affecting you?
There are plenty of networking organisations. Some are truly awful, and some are rarely useful. TrustedLand felt like a very targeted group who were exactly the people I wanted to talk to.
4. Which possible solutions did you consider?
Contacting developers directly, but this would have been both time consuming and would have probably yielded few results.
5. Why did you choose to become a Member of TrustedLand?
I had heard of TrustedLand before, so it was already a recognisable name. It was an extremely eventful night in MIPIM a few years back where I met someone from TrustedLand. We got on well and invited me to a few drinks when we were back in the UK. To me it was a no brainer. Being in property, why wouldn’t you be a Member?
6. What do you think would have happened if you had not joined TrustedLand when you did?
I can confidently say I wouldn’t have as much exposure to developers, and nowhere near as much knowledge as I do now – and an infinite amount more to learn. That’s the beauty of the property development space – you’re always learning, which keeps it interesting. I’ve got developers who have been developing for 40 years. They still make mistakes and they are always learning.
7. Which risks did you consider?
The only 2 real risks are the cost of Membership and the time spent investing in TrustedLand. However you only really get what you put in timewise. You have to be proactive. If you sit back and wait for things to happen, they won’t. If you get involved, good things will happen.
8. What reservations did you have?
How much time I could commit, however with Covid I’ve managed to spend a huge amount of time on TrustedLand with the virtual events. The ease is great, and the speakers have been fantastic.
9. Which measurable benefits have you seen?
I’ve seen a 4 figure ROI on the Membership cost, I’ve learnt a huge amount, I’ve met a lot of great people who in turn have become clients, but more importantly, they’re friends now. I’ve had a massive amount of exposure personally and for the brand. There’s a real sense of community and support for each other which I’ve really enjoyed and embraced too.
