This episode is sponsored by Fuse National Conference 2024 In this spirited episode of Broker to Broker, host Marc Summers learns the business benefits of selflessness & support from the Senior Loan Officer at Open Door Lending, Kristin O'Neil!  Kristin shares her invaluable perspective and strategies, from a career that has seen the best and worst the industry has had to offer. She joined the wholesale channel just two months before the crash of 2008, and has become more resourceful and resilient for it.  Kristin exemplifies why brokers are such an invaluable resource for their community, as she shares her expertise with assisting Self-Employed borrowers, how the worst of 2008 helped us learn to better serve the current market, and how to get the most out of your local community, and the broker community, through selflessness:   “Brokers have such a great, great community. I can't say enough, it’s opening doors to things that you would have never done or pushed yourself to do before, like, being on a podcast or being interviewed by MPA, or meeting your congressman. That's just something I would have never considered doing. It's pushed me outside of my comfort zone in so many ways. And I think that's really where you grow, when you feel uncomfortable. When you're scared, that's where you see true growth.”  Kristin states “a few years ago, I started to pay attention to the people who were really excelling, and they were all the people who have an honest abundance mindset, about giving without expecting anything in return. I think that's 100% true. It's never tit for tat. All the friends that I've met through AIME are people that I could call, like any of my best friends, with any question. We just happen to do the same thing as a job.I can think of a dozen people I could call with any question, and they would answer it without hesitation. And I do the same. So if I've recently worked with a new partner or tried a new program, I try to share as much knowledge as I can because honestly, it comes back tenfold.” Key Points: 3:41 - Entering Wholesale in 2008: Timing and Fallout 9:41 - 2008’s Market vs. 2024’s Market 16:46 - Servicing Self-Employed Borrowers 22:11 - Joining the Broker Community 26:09 - Make the Jump: Attending Fuse & Other Broker Events