loanDepot loan consultant and lead singer of As Cities Burn, TJ Bonnette, shares his thoughts on balancing passion and profession.
Copyright Stuart Ballew 2011
Mornings are sacred in the Nashville, Tennessee home of loanDepot loan consultant, TJ Bonnette. They are an essential part of his routine because, like most busy people, moments of solitude are hard to come by these days.
He scrolls through emails sipping black coffee waiting to shift gears into dad mode once his daughter, Finley, needs to get ready for school. Today is a big day for the single father of one. After following up with a few borrowers and fixing breakfast, he'll finish packing suitcases in preparation for a multi-city tour as the lead singer of the Nashville-based band, As Cities Burn.
Multitasking comes naturally for Bonnette, as he is a person of many talents. By day, you can find him about town networking with new agents and helping borrowers navigate the home loan process. Off the clock, he'll command the attention of thousands of fans at music venues across the country. But first things first, he needs to get ready for work. Black skinny jeans and a loanDepot t-shirt should do it for a typical day at the office. His casual attire complements a laid-back personality befitting of his Louisiana roots.
Bonnette isn't shy about sharing his creative pursuits with his colleagues at the Brentwood branch. In fact, they are very supportive. As one of his branch's top producers, his fellow loan consultants jokingly refer to him as "the Rockstar." While the name suits him, he admits that music and mortgage land at opposite ends of the spectrum. His philosophy for success is to approach everything that he does, whether with customers or on stage with passion and purpose.
Life Before Loans
As Cities Burn met back in 2003 when its five members, including his younger brother Cody, were attending LSU. The band cut their teeth playing small gigs around Baton Rouge while trying to stay on top of their studies. As their popularity gained momentum in the local music scene, opportunities came pouring in. It wasn't long before the band was picked up by the Seattle-based record label, Tooth and Nail, who provided the financial backing to produce their first record. As Cities Burn quickly earned tremendous respect for their progressive take on the post-hardcore genre. They were making money and in high demand. At their peak, the band was playing nearly 250 shows a year.
Joining loanDepot
The stars were aligning for the group of young artists, but in 2006, Bonnette's new marriage saw him leave As Cities Burn for a new life in Mississippi. The couple's plans to start a family made finding a new job with a steady income and reasonable hours a necessity. Of course, corporate America would be a stark contrast to life on the road. Shortly after finishing school and earning a business degree, he landed his first job in the mortgage industry at a mid-sized loan servicer.
Bonnette moved around the country working for a variety of mortgage companies. It wasn’t until he met Brian Covey during a brief stint at Movement Mortgage when he could see that loanDepot was going to be the place for him.
When Covey moved to loanDepot in 2016, Bonnette knew he was onto something. "Covey was one of the best guys in the industry. After he made the move, I wanted to see what the company was like for myself." Hours of independent research uncovered a forward-thinking company that was growing at an exponential rate. Bonnette was drawn to loanDepot's innovative technology and 20-20-like vision for where the industry was headed. He decided to apply for an opening, and the rest is history.
Music and Mortgage
As Bonnette settled into his new role at loanDepot, he longed for a creative outlet. Music was still a significant part of his life, and he reunited with As Cities Burn in late 2016. Not before long, their new record began to take shape. Two years later, As Cities Burn released Scream Through The Walls - their first album in ten years.
Bonnette's music covers a variety of topics ranging from political commentary to mental illness to the erosion of individual identity caused by society's collective addiction to social media. For example, one of their songs, 2020 AD, explores the difficulty of finding meaningful personal interactions in a hyper-connected world.
Words of Wisdom
Many years in the industry has given Bonnette a unique perspective on the business - one he enjoys sharing with new loan consultants just starting in the industry. His experience has revealed that "relationships are a number one priority and building ones that will last require being comfortable in your own skin. Authenticity is an important trait every great loan consultant needs to have in order to be successful."
As Cities Burn has over 11,000 followers on Instagram. If you want to see them live, tour dates are available on their website. You can also listen to their music on YouTube and Spotify.