First Monday

First Monday?

More like First Friday off in a very long time.

This morning Jenny and I left for Canton, TX to something called First Monday Trade Days.

It's about a two hour drive from our house and it was a nice drive without the kids in our ears.  Jenny had been to Canton before to get decorating items so I have to admit I was a little skeptical about spending the day doing something so unmanly.

We went searching for a project....looking for some unique office furniture that I can re-finish.  After eleven years of executive furniture, I'm ready for something cool, rugged, and most importantly: cheap.

The major thing I wanted to get checked off my list was a desk.  And I did it.  Got a really rustic architects desk that I will need to make some alterations to.  It needs shorter legs (more practical for me sitting at my desk all day) and the top needs to be refinished.  Real excited about it and it was less than $200.

Jenny found a really cool dealer who had a lot of random stuff.  He had several bulky furniture pieces and she latched onto one piece that she wanted for her art studio at home.  But after careful consideration, I decided to make the piece mine!  It will look great in my office!

I had the opportunity to visit with a gentleman who brought a whole bunch of "junk" (literally) to sell because he had too many things in his barn.  He had an old fan that caught my eye and after a little negotiation, I made it mine.  Thought it might like cool with my other rustic stuff.

Last thing I found was a couple of chairs to put in front of my desk for guests to sit at.  The best part was negotiating them down to half of what the tag had listed.  Negotiating was the best part of the entire day!  The chairs and other items need some cleaning up, but I think now I've got the basics to start my new office.

After a long (in a good way) day, we headed back home.  We stopped at Fuzzy's Taco Shop on the way home and split a margarita, and I admitted to Jenny that I was wrong to be skeptical of Canton.  It was a great day with plenty of manliness! 

This weekend will be busy--gotta get all of this furniture ready to go so I can start my new job next week.

My partner in this thing called life

Behind every good man is a great woman.  And this is true.

Today's blog post is about my partner--where we've been and where we are now.

I met her my junior year of college and she intrigued me.  I was finally focused on academics (and not  bull riding) and it was in an upper-division finance class that I met her.  She was the lone girl in the class and I admired her from afar but never introduced myself.  One day while talking to our professor I made a comment about my rodeo career.  She overheard this conversation and for some reason she was intrigued.

Later I found out she was interested because she had a sister--a barrel-racing sister who loved rodeo. She thought I could be the perfect match for her sister--a smart guy, a business major, and a cowboy to boot.

Jenny tried to set her sister up with me but nothing ever developed and the following semester Jenny and I shared a business policy class together (I a finance major and she an accounting major) and as fate would have it, we were placed in the same group for this class. Due to the nature of this class we would spend a lot of time together, along with the other two members of our team.  Although we respected each other, our relationship did not develop into anything more than a growing friendship.

I graduated from college one semester ahead of her and I moved about three hours away to pursue my mortgage career while she remained at school to finish her final semester.  It was during this time that something more serious started to develop.  As the old saying goes, distance makes the heart grow fonder.  While she should have been studying for tests and I should have been preparing for my work day, we were instead discussing every topic under the sun for hours on end (via cell phone discussion-texting wasn't even on the scene yet).  I started to visit on weekends and only left at the very last minute in order to be at work promptly on Monday morning.  I slept but my heart was awake. --Song of Songs 5:2

Jenny and I when we began dating

Graduation time came for her and we had to figure out where this left us.  She had worked at a CPA firm throughout college and her boss made her an offer to buy into his business.  But she knew that her college town was not where her heart wanted to stay.  After a couple of months of trying to figure out the next step, we moved to the Fort Worth area together.  Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. --Proverbs. 19:21.

She started her new job as an accounting professional, and I continued to work as a loan officer.  I began my cold-calling.  (Not knowing anybody in the area proved to be a little difficult when you are in sales.)  It was an exciting but stressful time.  We believed in ourselves and in each other and we pushed forward.

I worked.  She worked.  After about six months we were on our feet. We bought our first home, a gorgeous but modest one-story and moved in on Thanksgiving Day.  We celebrated with lunch at Denny's and then went home to unpack.  Fortunately there wasn't much to unpack and we were left with time to beam with pride at our new purchase.

I worked from our {new} home office and diligently aimed to provide great service to my clients.  I also became licensed to sell homeowners insurance and very often I provided homeowner's insurance to my mortgage clients.  In the mean time Jenny was working many hours, especially during tax season.  We were proud of what we were doing--proud of the life we were building.  The following fall after the Thanksgiving move-in, we were married.  Inscribed in my wedding band: A Deal's A Deal.

As I grew from home office to executive suite to professional office building to high-rise, Jenny put her mind to work as well.  She worked as a public accountant, a real estate investor and agent, an insurance agent, and a mom.  So many times she debated whether or not she should come work with me in the mortgage business--whether it be as a loan officer or an accountant or even a personal assistant.  But over and over she decided it was better not to work together at the mortgage company.  From what we had seen from other couples working together, there could be some serious downsides.  We didn't want to ruin our young relationship or create work tension.  But no matter what, we always supported each other in our work endeavors.

Time passed and I worked and worked and worked, and in the midst of this we had children.  Made friends.  Coached sports teams.  Experienced heart-breaking losses.  Emotional roller coasters.  Growth.  A removal of selfishness.  Closeness to God.  Purchased a larger home.  Traveled.  Loved
deeper.  Good times.  Together.

Jenny and I with our family

Life was great.

And then I told Jenny, "You know what, babe?  It's time for a change."   She knew I needed a new dragon to slay, and she fully supported the subsequent alteration in my career path.

And so began the succeeding chapter of our lives: Xcel Lending. A wife of noble character is her husband's crown. --Proverbs 12:4

Welcome to my blog, and my company, Xcel Lending.

This is me now

This blog is the journey of Xcel Lending.

My vision for Xcel comes from my experience:

It began in college as I was completing my finance degree.  I made a decision during my senior year to start writing home loans on a part-time basis for an escrow and mortgage company.  After college I became the full-time sole loan originator in the mortgage division of this company.

Fresh out of college

Eight months later I re-located from New Mexico to Texas to get away from the dust and tumbleweeds! Having no business contacts and fueled with nothing but a desire to succeed, I worked months on end to close my first loan, and then many more months until I had a consistent amount of business.

I made sales call after sales call and over months and then years I had enough business to hire employees and start my own branch.  A few years after managing my branch (while continuing to originate loans), I was promoted from branch manager to vice-president of retail lending.  As I shifted from sales to operations I worked tirelessly, spending many early mornings and late evenings at the office.  I improved at what I did and who I was, and my next title became Chief Operating Officer/Senior Vice President.  It was the highest position I could achieve in the company.  I worked in mergers and acquisitions, compliance, audits, risk analysis, and warehouse line management. For eleven years at the organization I worked my way to the top, and the mortgage division grew from one loan originator (myself) to $100 million per month in production.  I have a lot to be proud of.

But.

Fast forward to this moment today.

I have worked eleven years for this company and it is my last week as a corporate executive. These past eleven years have formed my vision for what I will do next.  I sit in my office with floor to ceiling glass windows and stare at the downtown traffic as I think upon what I have helped build and what I will now build.  In this economy many would say that I am crazy for leaving my corner office.

It is time.

Time to start afresh.

Time to live out my entrepreneurial dream: freedom in making growth decisions, freedom in determining my qualify of life.  Freedom from traffic.  Freedom from an unhealthy amount of stress.

I consider my co-workers.  Many of them have worked by my side for years.  We have grown together.  We have been through ups and downs.  They are my friends...and they inspire me to dream for my own.  My dream for my new business is to create a positive and supportive work environment.  I want to lift others up and value their contribution and importance--not only as employees partners but as human beings.   Teamwork makes the dream work.

I dream of Friday afternoons at the office where my team and I BBQ on the back porch grill as together we celebrate a great week and look forward to the weekend.  I imagine myself toasting a great year at the Christmas party as each employee opens a Christmas bonus check.  When I look back upon the last eleven years, the moments that gave me the most gratification were the ones where I gave of myself, contributed to others lives, and helped individuals take a step up.  I pray I can bless others, give, make a difference.

I dreams of opportunities for others and not just for myself.  It is more blessed to give than to receive.  --Acts 20:35

I dream of growing as a leader.  I dream of passing a legacy onto my children.  I desire the autonomy to make executive decisions on a daily basis.

I dream of treating every client with value.  Of creating a place where all employees respect every client.  Clients who become friends.  Clients who become repeat clients.  I aspire to have a work environment where me and mine are proud of who they serve.  Of being completely humble and gentle and patient. --Ephesians 4: 2

I dream of valued relationships with business associates, vendors, and partners.  Again, those who will be, or already are, friends. I value integrity and no one will question it.  May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. --Psalm 25:21

I dream.  I lead.  I serve.

Fresh out of the corner office

Welcome to my blog!