Getting Started at YesCanDo

I joined YesCanDo in 2009 at the age of 17, back when YesCanDo was just a web design company. My dad, Steve Roberts, had started the business with my uncle to offer affordable, pay-monthly websites for his mortgage clients. Most of them were tradespeople or small local businesses who needed a simple way to get online.

We worked out of the same office as Roberts Financial Services, the mortgage advice firm my dad originally launched in 1992, the year I was born, as an independent financial adviser.

That’s where I got my start and started my learning journey. I learned to build websites using HTML and CSS and picked up a bit of JavaScript along the way.

Creating the YesCanDo Brand

As the business evolved, we saw how well the YesCanDo name was resonating with people. It was clear, approachable, and easy to remember. Because of that strength, we made the decision to expand it beyond web design and apply it across everything we offered: mortgages, property, removals, and media, bringing all our services under one trusted brand.

Evolving Into YesCanDo Money

In early 2011, Roberts Financial Services officially became YesCanDo Money. It gave the mortgage side a stronger, more modern identity and helped align the business with our growing brand.

Expanding the Business and the Team

In 2014, my brother Matthew Roberts joined the company. He had worked his way up to branch manager at Nationwide and had years of experience in mortgage advice. With his background and drive, he was a great addition to the team and helped us move forward.

Then in 2015, we launched both YesCanDo Removals and YesCanDo Property. Removals didn’t last long. It just wasn’t profitable enough, so we made the decision to close it the same year. That allowed us to focus fully on mortgages, property, and digital services.

Running YesCanDo Media

Also in 2015, I took over YesCanDo Web Design and rebranded it as YesCanDo Media. We expanded into marketing, filming, and content for other local businesses.

At the same time, I handled all the photography and videography for our estate agency, YesCanDo Property. Back then, video tours were almost unheard of in UK estate agency, something you’d only really see on multi-million-pound homes in the US. We brought that idea to local listings, making us one of the first in the country to offer professional video tours for everyday properties.

It pulled together all the skills I’d built over the years and gave our property side a more professional and consistent look.

Refocusing During Covid

When the pandemic hit in 2020, the property market came to a stop. We made the decision to close YesCanDo Property and focus entirely on growing YesCanDo Money.

While most businesses were slowing down, I focused hard on building our website and expanding our reach. I created new content and worked to attract mortgage clients from across the UK. By the time lockdown ended, YesCanDo Money had doubled in size.

All-In on Mortgage Growth

In 2022, I closed YesCanDo Media to focus full-time on YesCanDo Money as Marketing Director.

Since then, it’s been me, my brother, and my dad running the company together. We all bring different strengths and work well as a team. There’s no drama, just a shared goal to keep improving and helping more people.

We’ve grown YesCanDo Money into one of the UK’s top fee-free mortgage brokers, and we’re still building.

Looking Ahead with OneDome

Our next step is a partnership with OneDome, the housing and fintech platform behind Mortgage Intelligence.

Part of that is moving onto their AI-powered CRM system. It handles a lot of the admin that used to sit with our advisers, which means less time on paperwork and more time actually talking to clients. For a family-run firm like ours, that technology is what lets us look after more people across the UK without losing the personal service we started with.

Outside of Work

When I’m not working, I’m usually in the garden. I enjoy growing veg, houseplants, and the occasional tropical plant.

I also love travelling with my partner, trying new food, and restoring our 120-year-old home in Southsea one room at a time.