Shawn Malkou is the CEO and broker-owner of X2 Mortgage in Chandler, Arizona — named the #1 Mortgage Broker in the Country Under 30 for 2024, and projecting around $70 million in personal production this year.
In this episode of Chasing Excellence, he joins host Tony Thompson for a candid conversation about an unlikely path into the industry: 8-9 years as a YouTube content creator before burnout, a volleyball coach's tip that changed everything, and a job offer that collapsed right after he got licensed — which turned into the best break of his career at a small three-person brokerage. He founded X2 Mortgage in 2021 and has since grown it to a team of about 20.
What You'll Learn:
- How Shawn went from burned-out YouTube creator to broker-owner of X2 Mortgage
- Why the IMB job that fell through led him somewhere better
- How he named X2 Mortgage for SEO and phone clarity during the 2020-2021 boom
- Why his weekly Monday sales meetings focus on metrics, not motivation
- His "lead by doing" approach to running a team
- Why he tells new originators to master production before starting a company
- How AI is freeing up time for originators to close more loans
Connect with Shawn Malkou:
X2 Mortgage: https://x2mortgage.com/shawn-malkou
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnmalkou/
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