Meet Jen Farmer of Neat Loans

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Farmer.

Hi Jen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Even though I currently serve as the Chief Marketing Officer for Neat Loans, I started my career as an adjunct English instructor at Broward College in South Florida. I graduated from the University of Central Florida with an Honors B.A. in English, but transitioning into the workforce during the 2007-2008 financial crisis was not ideal. So when I got the offer to join Broward College’s English Department, I was thrilled. Broward College serves a diverse student population; it represents people from 198 different countries and who speak 184 different languages.

So what does teaching English have to do with a marketing career? A lot, I’d argue.

It was here that I learned the power of simplicity in communication. I didn’t realize it then, but I was building the groundwork for my success as a marketer.

Eventually, I looked outside of teaching and joined Sheridan Healthcare as their marketing communications specialist. I may not have been a marketing major, but I knew how to break down complex ideas into something easy to understand. And at Sheridan, they needed that skill on their marketing and business development team.

I’m the type of person who will jump into any project and help where I can. Throughout my 20s, Sheridan gave me exposure to everything from marketing campaigns and sales proposals to lean process improvement and KPI development. And year by year, I gained new responsibilities as well as the trust of the organization. After two successful mergers, I was suddenly working at a Fortune 500 company instead of a local healthcare business. I was appointed to lead the content division for 5 corporations (Sheridan Healthcare, EmCare, AMSURG, AMR, Evolution Health) and 30+ distinct lines of business, including anesthesia, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, neonatology, radiology, ambulatory services, and medical transportation. I was also selected to be part of the CMO-level team for determining brand architecture, positioning and messaging for the new organization.

It came as a shock to my closest friends when I left its scale and stability to join start-up Pie Insurance as Employee #3. But I believed in Pie and its founders. And there, I filled in the gaps to my Fortune 500 marketing education as performance marketing replaced brand marketing. Pie has grown exponentially since those early days, and it brought me to where I am today: CMO of Neat Loans.

Neat Loans is a fintech company that has done amazing things in the mortgage industry. Most mortgage companies provide pretty websites, but behind the scenes, they still operate and produce loans using the same antiquated mortgage tech developed in the 1990s. At Neat, we’ve built the first new loan origination system in over a decade, and we’ve removed the menial and frustrating parts of mortgage.

I think one of the most exciting parts of my job today is watching people interact with our brand due to recently released tv commercials. It was a huge team effort to get them produced on time and on budget, and we are just entering into a whole new phase of growth.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When I was in my early 20s, I had the endurance necessary to work 80-hour weeks, year after year, without a vacation. But even then, it was not an easy way to build a career. I put a lot of pressure on myself to join any available projects, study books on marketing during my spare time, and attend conferences around the country. And eventually, my work impacted my health and my personal relationships.

I always looked up to my dad who had a tireless work ethic himself. He was a firefighter for 47 years, and when he wasn’t at the firehouse, he often had various side jobs. As a kid, I’d watch him walk into the house at 7:30am, crack open a soda, change into new work clothes, and then leave for his next job. In the summers, I’d go with him to paint school buildings or clean pools. It didn’t feel like a chore, just quality time with my dad. And even as a kid “helping,” he made sure whatever I did was done correctly. When work was over, my dad was still looking to help others. He’d help me build forts for social studies projects, he’d fold laundry with my mom, and he’d cut the elderly neighbor’s grass.

I mention this story about my dad to say that working hard is never smooth or easy, and I was well aware of this going into my career. If I had to offer any advice for people going forward, it would be to add time into your day for yourself. Take charge of your health because without that, you can’t help anyone.

We’ve been impressed with Neat Loans, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The housing market is the hottest it’s ever been, and there are no signs of it slowing in the immediate future. When it comes to the mortgage-lending process, though, there are infrastructures and systems very much stuck in the past. People these days want transparency and personalization. Neat was created with the singular mission to clean up the entire home financing experience.

Thanks to first-of-its-kind, proprietary technology, Neat’s clients bring a more reliable bidding strategy to a competitive real estate market. These tactics include:
1. A clear understanding of what income and savings they need to qualify for a home loan;
2. How to approach their max offer for bidding war situations;
3. A path toward securing a home loan 3x faster than any other lender; and
4. Greater opportunity to compete with cash offers through Neat’s fully underwritten Platinum approval, which also backs $50,000 of their earnest money.

Simply put, Neat provides a mortgage without the mess.

And this summer, Neat Loans has launched its first national television advertisements.

In the first 3-part series of 30-second spots created by Otherworldly Productions, Neat showcases how we’re disrupting the crowded mortgage industry. And with a name like Neat, we wanted to do something, well, neat!

How could we encourage homebuyers to snap out of their dependence on meaningless mortgage pre-approvals and check out Neat Loans? The answer: a behind-the-scenes look at the slow industry, of course.

In a second 30-second spot created by Hidden Woods Productions, Neat showcases the competitive and stressful world of home buying through the game of musical chairs. The real estate market is aggressive, so the pressure is on for buyers to offer the most competitive bid possible. Luckily, this is where Neat has a competitive advantage to help homebuyers win.

What does success mean to you?
Success is deeply personal. For me, success is a combination of creative fulfillment, financial freedom, and feeling in control of my destiny.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.neatloans.com