The Five Minute Interview with Erbil Erbil, Business Development Manager, Bridge Invest

By Tony Sanchez 18th November 2019

Bridge Invest is a principle lender who provide smart, property-backed bridging to a range of borrowers. They pride themselves on giving fast decisions which they always deliver on.

Bridge Invest have a simple model with no red tape, just fast and flexible funding that you can count on.

We speak to business development manager, Erbil Erbil:

What is the best thing about being in the bridging finance business?

I have been in bridging since 2017 can easily say that not one day throughout this period was the same.

Every deal is different which has kept me on my toes and ultimately empowered me to review quirky deals very quickly.

I was actually very shocked with the vast network that one can create in a short span of time, of course starting my career on the borrower-side with developers played a huge role in this.

I have really enjoyed the interesting stories that are behind the enquiries, which I always try to understand before falsely risk-profiling borrowers.

What keeps you focused?

I asked the exact same question to one of my mentors not so long ago, and he gave me a two word answer with absolutely no thought – “School Fees”.

My daughter Arya is only a 1 year old so no huge costs at this moment in time, that said, I would say my greatest motivation is providing a better future for her.

What qualities do you look for in your employees or colleagues?

I would say that over-time your colleagues become more like family than anything else, mainly because we spend most of the day in the office.

It is very important to be able to know the team on a personal level and get long. Teams need support each other and endorse one another’s abilities.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

120% optimist.

What did you want to be as a child?

I was going to be the next skipper for Arsenal…when that very reasonable dream fell through, I joined the property world and never looked back.

What will be the greatest challenge facing the bridging finance industry in the coming months?

“Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful” – Warren Buffet

In the following months I expect a lot of landlords to be afraid of the fluctuating property prices who will most likely wait for some clarity in the political space before considering taking on a new projects.

On the other hand, those that choose to make the most out of the current situation will be completing some VERY profitable deals. Like they say ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade’.

Who or what makes you laugh?

Seth Rogen is really funny.

Do you dread Monday mornings?

Absolutely not. When my friends or family dread Mondays I always recommend that they reconsider their career prospects and move on to something else.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

A full head of hair.

With whom would you most like to have dinner?

I would like to have dinner with Bruce Lee. I watched ‘Enter the Dragon’ on a weekly basis when growing up and very much admired his view on life.

The sheer discipline and work ethic was a great inspiration.