Meet Wayne Rand
What’s your name and role at Complete Commercial Finance?
Wayne Rand, consultant.
How long have you worked in commercial finance?
I started work in a bank at 18 and have been in financial services for 36 years, spending ten of these in commercial finance.
What do you love most about the job?
The satisfaction which comes from knowing that you’ve done the right thing for people is what drives me. After starting an independent brokerage several years ago, I’ve not probably done half as much business as I could have, but I’d rather give businesses good advice, even if they go elsewhere or don’t end up using finance, because it’s the right thing to do.
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
Any time that I’ve come up with a solution which has helped a business prosper when it hadn’t been able to access funds elsewhere.
What’s your ambition professionally and personally?
Professionally it’s to make a difference to as many businesses as possible. It was wonderful to get a small revolving credit facility agreed for a PR company which needed to boost cashflow, post-pandemic, when other lenders wouldn’t support them.
Personally I’ve got a bucket list of 72 entries, and I’m on #15, so there’s plenty left to achieve! My youngest daughter bought me a leather-bound, folio engraved Dad’s Bucket List for my 50th birthday with a note that said, ‘Write a list and get on with it!’. I spent a year thinking about what I wanted to do – some goals are small, some big, and I’m slowly working through them. I’d love to spend a Christmas and Hogmany with the whole family in a castle in Scotland.
What’s a surprising fact people may not know about you?
I’m terrified of ghost trains as when I was a little boy I went on one with my dad and it broke down mid-way. The ghosts and ghouls had to push us out and I was terrified! Ever since then I’ve given ghost trains a wide berth.
Other surprising facts are that I used to be a lifeguard, I belong to a local pub quiz team called The Old Gits, and as an open water swimmer I’ve swum the length of Lake Coniston in the Lake District.
What’s the question you’re most often asked by clients?
When will interest rates come down again! I think we’re stuck with where we are at for a while. Rates were unsustainably low for a long time and things needed to adjust, but assuming things will settle around the 3-4% mark, everyone still wins whether you’re a saver or a borrower.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
In business, always deal with the stuff which keeps you awake at night, and personally, always try to stay relevant to your children – pay attention to what’s going on in their world and take an interest.
If you had one piece of advice for business owners, what would it be?
Don’t borrow a penny unless you have to, which may sound strange advice from a commercial financial adviser. Some companies are very good at strategy, but others overextend themselves and borrow too much – keep goals realistic and achievable.
