This week, Supreme Lending’s own Sarah Middleton, Chief Growth Officer & Chief Marketing Officer, joined HousingWire President Diego Sanchez on the Power House podcast to talk about what it really takes to grow in today’s mortgage industry—and why she chose to bring her leadership to Supreme.
In this candid conversation, Sarah dives into how she evaluates a company before making a move and what today’s top-producing branch managers need to thrive—aka, the “Branchpreneur“ mindset. From Supreme’s product strength to our tech-forward, AI-driven marketing approach, Sarah shares why she believes Supreme is uniquely positioned to win in today’s market.
🎧LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE HERE:
👉 What it Takes to Be a “Branchpreneur” with Sarah Middleton
HousingWire // Spotify // Apple // YouTube
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- Why product depth and speed-to-market are essential for mortgage success
- How Supreme is investing in AI, onboarding, and operational excellence
- What makes Supreme Lending’s M&A strategy stand out
- The power of leading with humility, discernment, and common sense
- How “Branchpreneurs” can find a home where they’re truly supported
SARAH’S 26 NON-NEGOTIABLES
What I Look for Before I Join a Mortgage Company
Sarah doesn’t make a move lightly. Below is the full checklist she uses to evaluate a mortgage company—what she calls the “Branchpreneur” Filter.
Leadership
1. The CEO has to be active in the business day to day.
2. True humility is something that doesn’t need to be shouted from the rooftops; you just do it without fanfare or telling everyone how humble you are.
3. Wants to genuinely help others: It’s easy to write a check, but when you say you want to enrich lives, what do you actually do that doesn’t need to be broadcast?
4. Spouse/Partner/Friends matter. Can they maintain relationships with quality people? Your circle matters. I want to know who is in your circle.
5. Do you allow teammates to speak into you when the path you’re on is wrong? Better said, “How do we get to the right answer?”—no matter who has the answer.
Culture
6. Culture of Excellence: I want to play for the Mets, not the Rockies. I made the decision to be around champions. Is mediocre play acceptable in the organization?
7. Bigger isn’t better if you’re just losing money. I want to be somewhere financially responsible to themselves, but also to the “Smart Branchpreneur.” I lived in the P&L world. You can do really well if you’re smart with expenses; the same goes for corporate.
8. Bloat: Corporate overhead that’s unnecessary can crush your rates. Operations must be efficiently run. You can do this if you hire the best, as they often do the work of 2–3 people.
9. Layers only work in layer cakes; I wanted a flat organization. The 2:1 ratio was important, or at least close to it. Sales should be 2x vs. Support staffing at 1x. This tells me if you’re bloated and if your rates are suffering.
Product Savvy & Time in the Chair
10. Product tactics and strategy matter. You don’t gain that without depth and history with investors, and you have to dig for the next thing to help LOs win.
11. Again, revisit champions. Do you have the best in this chair? You can win a lot of deals, and LOs can crush it if they understand how important products are—especially today.
12. Products must also onboard new products quickly. How fast can you get a product to market to compete?
Servicing
13. “Smart Servicing”: Can you read the markets? Get in, get out, and play the markets to your benefit.
14. Full Seller Servicer: If you’re a sub-servicer, you’re in a perilous position, and I saw it way back and still see it today.
15. Warehouse lines matter. They need to be the best—gold-star level. Have you ever triggered your covenants? Most never ask this really important question.
Technology
16. Tech: What’s the deck, and how are you adapting to change to become more efficient and cost-effective?
17. Most CEOs don’t have a clue about tech. I wanted to see if there was a CEO who had this as an expertise. It’s tough to find, but yes, it’s out there.
18. Cisco: So undervalued, but if you don’t have it, wait until it happens.
Operations
19. Operations: Best in business. Speed and efficiency.
20. How many touches? The fewer, the better. Fewer touches mean lower costs.
21. Extreme ownership: Seasoned underwriters who know their craft and also specialize. The same goes for closers and processors.
22. Attitude from the top down: How do you really feel about LOs in operations, and how do you work together?
23. Speed: If you can’t get an answer quickly, deals die. Expectations on turn times—are they person-to-person, or does your ops team hide?
Branch Support
24. Branch support matters—most don’t get it. I grew up with branch support going way back, and most companies don’t support nor see the value. If it takes your IT desk hours or days to respond, you’re going to lose.
Compliance & Legal
25. Compliance/Risk: Two words, and this is really important. Do they apply “common sense”? What is truly the risk? I’ve seen great compliance people and awful ones who literally run people out of organizations because they’re so mean.
26. Legal strength matters. I wanted to know: Do you have a strong, reputable legal and compliance team? Not just capable, but discerning—teams that know when to fight, when to protect, and when to lead with common sense.
WHY IT MATTERS
At Supreme Lending, we believe who you build with matters. Sarah’s story is a testament to the kind of intentional, purpose-driven leadership that defines our culture. If you’re looking for a company that checks all the boxes—this episode is a must-listen.
📣 Want to learn more about joining Supreme Lending?
Reach out. We’d love to talk.