Mortgage and protection broker, Access Financial Services, has added its one hundredth broker.

It has achieved this in five years after its founder, Karl Wilkinson, set up Access FS as a one-man band in April 2017.

It also doubled revenues in its last financial year, ending 30th April 2022, compared to the year before. Its ambition now is to not only double the number of brokers in the firm, but to enable them to double their earnings. It will do this by broadening the number of products brokers can offer their customers whilst providing business growth support and training that covers much more than the usual ‘product knowledge’ training. Its aim is to help all its advisers to be earning six-figure sums by working with them to implement bespoke strategies into their own core businesses.

While many of the brokers and advisers joining Access FS do so from other adviser firms, many join via the company’s academy which brings in talented individuals from outside of the mortgage industry. The academy takes them through their CeMAP exams, teaching them how to provide advice. Access FS also welcomes people who formerly worked in banks but who have left with the ambition to become a mortgage broker.

Half of the brokers currently part of Access FS are specialist protection brokers, the other half advise on both mortgages and protection. Access holds general insurance permissions so that its brokers can offer the whole range of insurance products.

Karl Wilkinson (pictured), CEO of Access FS, said: “It’s a great achievement that we have managed to attract one hundred advisers to join us in just five years from a complete standing start. We try to do things a little differently from other broker firms, creating a collaborative environment for brokers to help each other rather than competing with each other. There really is plenty of business out there to go round.

“Protecting the customer and providing best advice is our number one priority, so our compliance standards are high but with a common-sense approach. Many of our brokers who have worked at networks and other broker firms report that the way Access FS works is like a breath of fresh air compared to what they have known previously.

“Our ambitions now are to continue to grow and to double in size in the next 12 months.”