Nathan Blissett is the founder and principal mortgage adviser at Dwello Mortgages in Telford..
HOW IS YOUR JOB IMPACTED BY UNCERTAINTIES IN THE ECONOMY? My job is heavily weighted on the base rate fluctuation of the Bank of England so 2023 proved to be a challenging year. Things have finally started to open up on that front now and it is hoped the rate will continue decreasing month-on-month - it makes my job a lot easier and my clients a lot happier.
WHAT’S YOUR VIEW OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – AN OPPORTUNITY, THREAT, OR BIT OF BOTH? I’ve only recently given it a go and in all honesty I’m very impressed. We now use it in all forms of life, including Siri or Alexa, but I’ve just started using Bard by Google and it makes researching a breeze. I believe it is something that should definitely be embraced.
YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH IN THE WORKPLACE? The team we have at Dwello is almost like a Marvel Avengers dream team! I’ve got a lot of expertise to fall back on with my non-executive partners and the new staff we have on board. I would be lost without them.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN YOUR JOB? Managing client expectations in a very vibrant and ever-changing market. Working your way around lenders’ criteria is a challenging game I play day in and day out, but it keeps me on my toes for sure.
YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTS? In a business sense it would be creating Dwello Mortgages. It’s something I always wanted and I never lost the ambition to do it. The timing of the move was almost like the stars aligning and I knew it was the right step to take. Outside of business it's my wife and kids, along with my Wembley play-off winners medal with Bristol Rovers . . . but don’t tell the wife I said that!
PET HATES? Loud talkers and Manchester United fans.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF SOME WISE ADVICE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Keep going. Things will come good in the end. Also the Cheltenham Festival race results from last year.
HOW DO YOU RELAX AWAY FROM WORK? Dinner and drinks with the lads usually or a good Netflix series binge. It all depends on being able to find the remote control.
FAVOURITE THING ABOUT SHROPSHIRE? SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM OF CHOICE? I love the region’s scenery. Coming from the West Midlands, we are not exposed to this much green so it's refreshing to take it all in. My favourite social media platform would be Twitter - it’s basically the new version of the news from all around the world. I rarely post, however, I’m actually a bit of a fly on the wall character.
EARLY BIRD, OR NIGHT OWL? Early bird now. What with kids, work and football, the batteries are forever on charge.
DREAM DINNER PARTY GUESTS, DEAD OR ALIVE? Usain Bolt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington and J. Cole.
WHAT WOULD YOU COOK FOR THEM? My Jamaican chicken soup with jerk chicken, rice and peas and steamed veg.
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY WOULDN’T KNOW. I used to be a breakdancer in my teenage years - Peter Crouch’s robot hasn’t got anything on me!
AND FINALLY . . . WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NEXT 12 MONTHS HAS IN STORE FOR YOU, AND YOUR BUSINESS? We are just focused on scaling as efficiently as possible and acquiring more market share in our industry. The markets have settled and the confidence from consumers has come back to hopefully make this year dwarf the previous one in comparison.
