The self-employed division of Just Mortgages is reporting encouraging early results from its New Starter Boost initiative, launched in January 2025 to help advisers move into self-employment with greater certainty around income and pipeline.

Over the past 12 months, 24 advisers have joined the programme, which is designed to tackle two of the most commonly cited concerns for those leaving employed roles – how to secure business in the early months and how to manage cashflow while transactions complete.

At the heart of the scheme is a commitment to provide pre-qualified appointments booked directly into advisers’ diaries by the firm’s client servicing team.

The focus, the firm says, is on confirmed appointments rather than unvetted leads, allowing advisers to concentrate on advice delivery and relationship building from the outset.

According to the business, the average case size generated through New Starter Boost appointments has exceeded £1,500, suggesting that early activity is translating into meaningful income for those involved.

The initiative also incorporates an interest-free commission advance scheme, intended to support advisers through the longer completion timelines often associated with mortgage transactions.

This is designed to provide short-term financial breathing space while advisers establish their client base and revenue stream.

WIDER SUPPORT PACKAGE

New Starter Boost sits within a broader infrastructure offered by the self-employed division, including mentoring from area directors and day-to-day assistance covering marketing, compliance, training and business development.

Alongside this, Just Mortgages continues to invest in centralised marketing and lead generation support. Its digital marketing package, available as part of the initiative, delivered 82 five-star Google reviews in January alone and generated 8,750 Google Search impressions.

Local SEO data showed 22% of locations ranking first, 18% within the top three and 25% within the top 10 during the same period.

Ben Allkins, head of mortgages and protection at Just Mortgages, said: “New Starter Boost was created to remove the biggest barriers advisers face when moving into self-employment, which are uncertainty around where business will come from in those initial months and how they’ll pay their bills without a steady pay cheque.

“The success we’ve seen in the first year shows there is strong demand for structured, meaningful support.

“The fact these are booked appointments rather than leads, combined with the quality of business being written, is giving advisers confidence and momentum from the start.

“We’re really pleased with how the initiative has performed and, with strong interest in the division continuing, we’re hopeful even more advisers will benefit from the programme in 2026.”

For advisers who establish themselves within the self-employed model, there are further progression routes available. These include the opportunity to expand permissions into areas such as business protection, equity release and commercial finance.

“Advisers can also move into business principal roles, recruiting and managing their own teams with access to leadership and management training from the brokerage.