Meet Karl Lanham
What’s your name and role?
Karl Lanham, I am one of the co-founders and directors at Complete Commercial Finance.
How long have you worked in commercial finance?
I have been working in the sector since 2005. There are many aspects of my job I really like, but I think the element I enjoy most is building relationships; getting to know our clients as individuals and their businesses.
We work with companies of all shapes and sizes, from startups to PLCs. Our job is to act as the link between our clients and our panel of lenders.
In order to do this effectively, I need to have a good understanding of their operating model: what they do, how they do it and who they work with.
What’s been your career highlight so far?
Starting my own brokerage alongside Michael has undoubtably been the highlight of my professional life.
Whilst the Coronavirus pandemic and the associated lockdown measures have presented significant challenges to many of our clients, I am proud of the advice and assistance we have offered throughout this period.
We have established solid foundations for the business through challenging times and I am really excited to see what the future holds.
What’s your ambition professionally and personally?
My professional ambition is to establish us as the brokerage of choice for clients, suppliers, banks and professional advisers in our local area.
I would also like to see the team develop and grow further. We have some excellent people working with us and there many others currently working in the financial services sector who do a fantastic job for their clients.
We want to be the obvious choice for those looking for a change of direction in their career and who want to take control of their own destiny.
We are all about building long-term relationships and that goes for our partners, consultants and associates as much as for our clients.
From a personal perspective, I want to provide a happy life for my family.
What’s the question you’re most often asked by clients?
When dealing with a client for the first time they tend to be focused on the rate of interest and fees (understandably).
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“People can deal with bad news, but they hate surprises”.
I have always taken this to mean that, if you are ever in a position where you have to deliver news a client is not going to like, don’t delay, do it as quickly as possible.
The advantage we have is that we deal with a huge variety of lenders which means we are almost always in a position to help, but we may have to go through a few rejections before we obtain the right offer.
If you had one piece of advice for business owners, what would it be?
I would not presume to offer general business advice, as I have not been running my own business long enough to offer an informed opinion. Specifically thinking about our clients, I would say that, finance is no different to any other key supplier relationship in your business, and working with someone with experience, knowledge and connections is vital.
