Hey, So: Miles Robinson

Hey! So, who are you? Give us a little intro.

Hey! I’m Miles, the Chief Commercial Officer for Haysto. I’m an experienced senior leader within the property and finance sector, and have spearheaded sales and operational teams of over 120 people.  

Before coming to Haysto, I sat on the executive committee at Trussle and recently led the business through its acquisition to Better Holdco, an $8bn business in the US. 

I’ve advised various head of department, directors, and CEOs on strategic decision-making and how to support growth and enhance performance across their businesses. 

My background means I’m well-versed in using technology to maximise operational efficiency and customer experiences - so Haysto’s a perfect match! 

But work isn’t the only important thing in my life. I’m a husband and father to three  wonderful kids - we love nothing more than going on long dog walks as a family. I love football - watching and playing! Keeping fit is really important to me, for both my physical and mental health. It’s important to be able to switch off! 

What drew you to work in the mortgage industry? And to Haysto in particular?

I left college at 17 and have worked in sales ever since. I started with new cars and cold-calling … yep, literally out of the yellow pages 🤭. 

I joined L&C when I was 19, making me one of their youngest ever advisors. I was able to really leverage the skills I’d learned in previous roles, giving me a huge determination to succeed. I’ve always loved pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and the financial services sector felt like the right place to build a career and realise my potential.

What’s the best bit of your job? And what’s the biggest challenge?

I love to build businesses and see them grow - whether that’s headcount, revenue, or most importantly seeing people evolve and realising their own potential. 

In my last two roles, we’ve taken junior brokers to become experienced advisors, and I’ve seen people with no experience become high performing brokers within a matter of months. I’ve seen people join as case managers and fast-track themselves into management within a short period - all because of their tenacity and commitment. If you’re willing to learn, listen, and be resilient, sales is a skill set which can see you become very successful very quickly. 

The biggest challenge in any growing business or start-up is getting the right balance of working hard, striving to deliver growth targets and goals, all while maintaining a fulfilled and engaged culture.  

What’s a piece of advice you’d give to someone wanting to get into the industry?

Get stuck in when you’re at the start of your career. This is when you’re learning the most. Opportunities and promotions take hard work and some sacrifice, so the sooner you start learning, the better. 

It’s also important to learn resilience. There will be some things that you aren’t good at straight away, things that take time and dedication. There’s discomfort in all journeys to success. 

If you could make one impossible thing possible, what would it be?

I’m really passionate about schools educating our young people about finances. Things like mortgages, credit cards, and what is ‘good’ and ‘bad’ debt should all be taught in financial literacy classes. Most of this stuff is actually pretty easy for children to understand. Many of the most successful people are educated in business at an early age, normally through family business or coaching.                 

I’d make it possible that every single student in the UK is educated on finance, business, and getting set up for career success.