Forging Ahead: Adapting and Improving in 2021

To those who thought 2021 would be a welcome relief from 2020, this week showed that we certainly aren't leaving our troubles behind. That doesn't mean we should lose hope. 2020 was a year of growth for many in our industry, despite the turmoil. 2021 is seeing the seeds sown in 2020 come to fruition. Some of those seeds planted were bad seeds, but most of the seeds are part of the evolution forward. 

We saw much growth in 2020, and we have much more planned for this year. So in 2021, our focus is to continue to evolve and improve the organization. We're going to be better every day to serve the communities that need us the most right now.

Adapting to Change in 2020

EPM said goodbye to a lot in 2020. We lost some team members who didn't buy into the mission, vision, and culture plan through the New Normal adjustments. Some people left when we hit some bumps in the road and were unsure if they were in the right place. We had people leave their positions to join our executive leadership and continue to serve and dedicate themselves more to our organization.

While change is often not easy, everything happened exactly as it was meant to. And thanks to everybody on our team across the nation- even those who are no longer with the organization- we experienced a 300% financial growth last year! I am truly grateful to everybody who had a hand in our transformations this year.

God Protects the Bold

This kind of growth didn't come by chance. It came from hundreds of minds coming together to find solutions and think differently. It came from an executive leadership team who saw the value their people had to bring to the table and made room for their ideas— even when we may have disagreed. It came from those who believe in and follow the EPM Way—specifically, those who weren't afraid to Speak Courageously and put action behind those words.

The EPM Way is intended to drive our behaviors within the organization and in our day-to-day lives. The days where work and home life were separate are long gone. Covid put the final nail in that coffin. While it has been an adjustment, now we have the opportunity to live and work much more authentically and honestly.

Our new generation of employees has been drawn to that authenticity. Our 100 new hires in 2020 can expect and trust that they won't have to compromise their values or keep quiet as not to ruffle feathers as we advance. They can speak candidly and have their considerations met respectfully. They can voice their expectations that a code of morality and responsibility to our communities and each other is followed without fearing that disagreement will result in a loss of respect of value as a team member. 

Our team has learned that we all have to get over ourselves for the greater good. Because that's what's great about this industry. Financial services are all about serving others and empowering them. It's about Lives, not Loans. It's figuring out what we can bring to our communities to make people better. Everybody on our team has an important function in making that happen.

Pay It Forward and Honor Our Communities

Home Ownership builds wealth in our communities to help address our social and economic problems together. Our industry is the backbone of a lot of the human spirit. Homeownership has shown to drop domestic violence, dependency, suicide. It's the ultimate wealth builder that leads to less social unrest and many awful things in this world.

We're in the personal development business. Looking ahead, our priorities will be looking at how we can make people the best version of themselves. It's truly been my honor to serve over the past decade at EPM. The growth we have experienced shows us the value of our leadership, paying it forward to our communities and our country's future. We look forward to Empowering People More in 2021.