Charity Ohlund

In summer 2016, I was in the process of buying a home in Prairie Village and was working with Fountain Mortgage on my loan. Six months after that, I joined the company.
I’ve worked for several companies over the last 20 years. A few have been awful. Most have been good. And two have been great – or what I consider to be the “best” among their competitors and performing as higher-level thought leaders in their markets. Fountain Mortgage is one of these great companies.

I’ve read dozens of books and articles and have attended several conferences and workshops that analyze what it really takes to make a company great. They all have their own ideas and share them in many different ways, but it seems to boil down to this;

The best companies achieve excellence in three areas:

People, Product, and Purpose

People
This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s actually the hardest part. Hiring and retaining the best people that represent your brand in a way you envision it is something that takes daily attention and focus from leadership. So how do great companies accomplish this? They give employees the opportunity and training to learn and grow professionally. They create teams that ensure employees are working with people they respect. (In other words, they hire for cultural fit.) And, most importantly, they inspire a vision for the company that every single employee believes in and works to achieve.

Product
In the best companies, all on board are united and working together to produce an excellent product or service, and they all consider it something of immense value. Whatever their role, employees at great companies strive for perfection in that role because they value their team, their customers, and they believe in their product.

Purpose
This is the most important part. Purpose is what separates good companies from great companies. The best companies have a clearly defined purpose, a reason for being, that everyone understands and considers crucial to the success of the company.
I wrote about our purpose (I called it mission) after our “Best Mortgage Company” win. But it continues to ring true at Fountain Mortgage and at every other great company. When you put your purpose in the center of your organization, it will inspire your employees. In turn, your employees will delight your customers. And your customers will deliver your profits.

We put our purpose in the center of everything we do. And that purpose is simple: To educate and empower our clients to make the best possible financial decisions for their families. A big dream. A little luck. And a lot of great people. That’s what it took to get Fountain Mortgage to where we are today. Our ownership team of Mike Anderson, Mike Miles, and Matt Cochran had a big dream and the maverick belief that a truly local mortgage provider would serve KC families better than any big bank ever could. (They were right). Then they surrounded themselves with the best team, the best referral partners, and the best clients. This is why we have experienced success beyond our wildest dreams. And it’s why I’m proud to call myself a “Fountaineer.”