When you look back at your life, can you pinpoint a moment that shaped the trajectory of your future? It could be an experience, or even something said to you that altered your outlook on life. For a young KC Wilson, this moment came in the form of his father’s frequent assertion, “If you’re extremely technically competent in your field, you will always find success.“ These words pushed Wilson to place great value on education, always pursue excellence, and ultimately open the successful business he runs today. Read on to see what you can learn from his story!
A Different Kind of Compliance
In 1994, Wilson launched KC Wilson & Associates, a fast-growing financial support services organization focused on the secondary mortgage market. Following a successful career in mortgage banking in Orange County, Wilson’s company was well-positioned for success under his seasoned leadership.
Simply put, KC Wilson & Associates operates as a support service for the financial industry. Every loan has specific criteria for approval by its lender, and KC Wilson & Associates ensures each loan meets those requirements.
First and foremost, they must determine if the documents supporting the loan are correct and properly delivered for a lender or purchaser of said loan to receive an advance on their credit line or to release funds. Essentially, Wilson’s team evaluates whether or not the documents provided support the borrowing and meet the standards of their client to mitigate risk of default.
Advice to Business Owners
Over the past 25 years, Wilson has gained a great deal of insight from running KC Wilson & Associates. For example, one valuable lesson he learned early on was the importance of diversification.
To illustrate, Wilson shared that for a time, he found that his business had a significant percentage of a single type of financial institution as clients. Although they were getting good business, they weren’t maximizing their potential. By diversifying their clientele, KC Wilson & Associates was able to improve the health of their business and increase profits. A win-win!
He’s learned that to be successful, you must be strategic. Wilson sums up this strategy in a simple business standard:
I don’t do business that doesn’t make money. And I don’t do business just to keep the doors open.
He explained that throughout the lifetime of KC Wilson & Associates, there have absolutely been “ups and downs”. However, by sticking to this philosophy and committing to very sound business practices, KC Wilson & Associates has become the successful business it is today.
The Biggest Factor in Success
In addition to savvy business decisions, Wilson also largely attributes the company’s success to his team. He shares,
The biggest factor in being a successful business is the people who work for you. If the people who work for you support you, you will have a heck of a lot easier time doing business.
Today, most of Wilson’s management-level employees have been with him for over a decade. In an industry where sky-high turnover is the norm, this shocking statistic makes one wonder, “How?!” The answer is a combination of vigorous screening and careful nurturing of his team.
He shares that it is imperative to understand and be able to pinpoint who has the necessary skills and natural attributes for a given position. From this point, a good leader can educate their team with industry-specific knowledge. However, those core skills and attributes must be present for the employees to be successful. (And, in turn, for your business to be successful!)
Once you have high-quality people on your team, the next challenge is to keep them there. For Wilson, one way he works towards this goal is with a unique bonus plan tailored to his team and company culture. Additionally, he believes in ardently supporting his employees.
With this perfect mix of tangible and intangible rewards, KC Wilson & Associates has consistently maintained a shockingly low turnover rate for their industry.
Why SDP?
A client of Southland Data Processing’s since 2017, KC Wilson & Associates could not be happier with their partnership with SDP. When we first began working together, Wilson knew that his business’ biggest areas for improvement were timekeeping, human resources, and legal.
By implementing SDP’s timekeeping and workforce management solution, KC Wilson & Associates now has complete visibility over their workforce. Not only has this allowed them to manage much more effectively, but it has also saved the business money.
Additionally, with the help of SDP’s HR On Demand service, human resources and legal compliance are now a breeze.
Looking back on the past two years, Wilson happily shares,
We as a company are far better off now because our employees know where we are, we know where we are, and everyone’s on the same page. We don’t have any of the same issues… You guys are a life-saver – we appreciate you so much!
Every day, clients like KC Wilson & Associates remind us why we do what we do. We’re in the business of helping other businesses, so if you’d like to see what “better” could look like for your business, then let’s talk to see if SDP has the right solution for you!
SDP Client Spotlights: Celebrating Our Clients
Every month, we highlight one of our amazing clients with the SDP Client Spotlight. Here at Southland Data Processing, we’re in the people business, and strive to always put our clients first. So if you or your organization is interested in becoming our next Client Spotlight, please contact us at [email protected] and we’d love to hear your story!
Photo by KC Wilson & Associates