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Prominent industry figures Tim Brown and Murray Lees have joined a Sydney broker in a business mentoring reality show.
No More Practice is a six-part series that debuted on Foxtel channel Sky News Business on Sunday.
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Leapfrog Financial owner Dominique Bergel-Grant is doing battle with an accountant and a financial planner to win a business support package worth more than $100,000.
Ms Bergel-Grant is being mentored by MFAA president Tim Brown, while the other two mentors are from the Financial Planning Association and Certified Practising Accountants.
Connective director Murray Lees is one of the four judges.
Mr Brown told The Adviser that the reality show would help lift the profile of broking and the MFAA.
“I believe it will demonstrate to the public how much the industry has evolved, and for those that have not dealt with brokers, that we are on par with the CPA and FPA industries,” he said.
The filming of No More Practice occurred between April and July. Ms Bergel-Grant said it had been a challenging and pressurised experience.
She said that Mr Brown’s other role as Vow Financial chief executive meant he was able to offer a lot of good advice on the day-to-day requirements of building and running a business.
She had minimal contact with Mr Lees, because he was one of the judges. “Murray certainly played the role of a judge very well and was suitably intimidating,” she told The Adviser.
Ms Bergel-Grant said she expected Leapfrog Financial to benefit from the national coverage.
“It’s great exposure, and hopefully there will be a few phone calls and email inquiries as a result,” she said.
“It’s an interesting public dissection of the business – everything’s uncovered, there’s no hiding from anything – but hopefully that means longer-term clients and relationships.”
Ms Bergel-Grant said one of the lessons she had learned during the filming of No More Practice was the importance of mentoring, whether from a peer or a business coach.
Mr Brown also said it was important for established brokers to receive ongoing guidance, and confirmed that he still has a mentor.
“A good mentor will keep you honest in relation to your objectives and is good to bounce ideas off,” he said.
“Generally, they are independent of the business and a good mentor will be honest and suggest alternate solutions.
“The best mentors are generally someone you respect and you will listen to. It could be an ex-boss or someone who does it professionally.”
[Related: An industry to be proud of]
