Best in Class – the business excellence podcast
Best in Class - the business excellence podcast
Podcast Description
What makes a business truly exceptional?
Best in Class is the podcast that dives deep into what industry-leading companies do differently — and how you can apply those lessons in your own business. Hosted by Martin Drake from Higher, each episode features honest, practical conversations with founders, leaders, and disruptors who are raising the bar in their space.
From customer experience and operational models to leadership mindset and innovation, this is where business leaders go to get inspired, sharpen strategy, and learn what it really takes to be best in class.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
This podcast focuses on themes such as customer experience, operational models, leadership mindset, and innovation, with episodes exploring topics like the importance of empathy in service, the advantages of a team-based business approach, and technology's role in amplifying human connection.
What makes a business truly exceptional?
Best in Class is the podcast that dives deep into what industry-leading companies do differently — and how you can apply those lessons in your own business. Hosted by Martin Drake from Higher, each episode features honest, practical conversations with founders, leaders, and disruptors who are raising the bar in their space.
From customer experience and operational models to leadership mindset and innovation, this is where business leaders go to get inspired, sharpen strategy, and learn what it really takes to be best in class.
In this first episode of Best in Class, host Martin sits down with Martin Baker of Fluent Money to explore how putting the customer truly first isn’t just good service — it’s smart business.
Fluent Money is on a mission to disrupt the mortgage industry by delivering a radically better customer experience, underpinned by empathy, operational innovation, and thoughtful use of technology. Martin shares how they’ve moved away from the traditional lone-broker model and instead built a scalable, team-based approach that supports customers every step of the way — without sacrificing the human touch.
From eliminating jargon and ego to using tech that works with people, not instead of them, this episode is packed with insights for any business leader looking to build a company that’s genuinely best in class.
Key Takeaways
- Fluent Money is simplifying how customers access funding in a complex, jargon-heavy industry.
- Empathy isn’t soft — it’s a commercial advantage, especially in financial services.
- The mortgage process often disempowers customers; Fluent is flipping that dynamic.
- Technology should amplify human connection, not replace it.
- A team-based model offers scale without sacrificing service.
- Digital engagement must respect the customer’s time, preferences, and vulnerabilities.
- Real disruption starts with asking: what problem are we solving?
- Listening to practitioners and customers leads to better, more scalable solutions.
- Continuous improvement and reassessment are key to staying “best in class.”
Chapters
00:00 — Introduction to Best in Class
02:10 — Fluent Money: A Disruptor in Mortgages
07:29 — Empathy in Customer Experience
13:04 — Team Model vs. Individual Brokers
19:29 — The Role of Technology in Mortgages
25:27 — Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Disclaimer
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