Everyone has their unique story of how the title and escrow industry found them. Somehow it grabs us, and as the saying goes, “once you get in, you never get out.” 40 years after entering the industry, that holds true for Mike Kirby, President-COO of Truly Title. But not many can say they entered the industry at the age of 12.
“I just needed to type up a job application so I could get a job at the grocery store down the street,” Mike recalls. “So I headed into the office of the title company where my sister worked because she had a typewriter that I could use.”
As his sister stepped away from her desk to let Mike use the typewriter, the 12-year-old Mike had a visitor walk into the office looking for her, although Mike had no idea the guest was the owner of the title company, he stood up and greeted the man with what was perceived to be more professionalism than most escrow officers at the company, from the owners perspective.
The owner pulled Mike aside and offered him a job on the spot, even without a resume. .jpg?width=450&height=450&name=GSR%20Blog%20Ad%20(2).jpg)
Although he was hired simply to mow the lawn and clean the parking lot and restrooms, the owner of the title company believed “every man deserves a desk,” so he provided Mike with one for his personal belongings. However, along with the desk came the responsibility to complete random tasks placed on it by the team, which could include notes about copying microfilm, conducting searches, or any other duties a busy escrow office might need.
“It was my job to mow the lawn or clean the parking lot and restrooms, and then to 'clear my desk' each day by completing the tasks the team gave me. I didn’t want to let them down, so I completed everything that was put on my desk.”
STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Mike Kirby likes to stay ahead of the curve.
He had his first job at the age of 12.
By the age of 18, he was a licensed title officer.
Between the ages of 18 and 28, he participated with the Utah Land Title Association and assisted with proposals for many rules & laws affecting title in the state of Utah, and in 1991, he chaired the committee responsible for digitizing the county records and helped put them on the new innovation called “the internet.”
In 1993, the Salt Lake County Recorder's records came online, and in 1996, he chaired yet another committee responsible for executing the first level 3, fully electronic recording. Then, in 2000, he decided to open his own title company with hopes of building it around the simple concept of creating a paperless office.
“I’ve always had a thing against paper because systems that rely on paper are hard to scale,” says Mike. For instance, if a piece of paper is on one employee's desk, no one else can use it, whereas with technology, Mike believed he could create a more efficient business. So he developed his own paperless closing software called “Greenfolders,” which enabled his team to work on the same file at different locations without the need for paper, the one thing that limited scalability.
“I’ll never forget the day that it really clicked,” says Mike, recalling a conversation he had with Matt, one of his team members who commuted daily to the office, spending over 4 hours each day in transit. “This guy was in transit for over 4 hours each day for his job as a title examiner. I mean, talk about commitment!” But Mike knew that type of commitment was not sustainable. After meeting with the employee, they agreed that he should work from home (a new concept at the time) three days each week to see how it went.
Not only did it work, but thanks to Mike’s paperless systems, that employee could finally spend time with his young children and wife, who barely saw him due to his difficult schedule. Then one day, Mike met Matt’s wife, who had tears flowing down her cheeks.
“Thank you so much for letting Matt work from home; you probably don’t know this, but that one thing saved our marriage and our family!”
This got Mike thinking even deeper about the potential of working from home. If people could really operate efficiently from home, what could it mean for business?
THE POTENTIALS ARE ENDLESS
“You’re only as good as the people around you,” says Mike, reflecting on how he has built the team at Truly Title, which operates in 12 states. “If you can understand that everyone is a customer - that includes your team, your boss, and everyone else in the office - then you begin to treat your team better and you look for ways to make their life better.”
Today, the “customer” has more choices than ever for where to spend their day, so the “everyone is a customer” motto has pervaded through the halls of Truly Title.
As Mike describes it, if you help your team members accomplish their job to the best of their ability, they will, in turn, treat their customer to the best of their ability, and your business will grow.
So, what are Mike’s 3 principles for success?
1 - Take care of the internal customer (your team member).
2 - Take care of the external customer (your buyer, seller, real estate agent, or lender).
3 - If there is a problem with principle #2, refer back to principle #1.
As Mike reflects on his journey from a 12-year-old boy wandering into a title company office to the President-COO of Truly Title, these three principles have remained steadfast pillars helping guide every decision. In an industry where relationships are paramount and every interaction counts, Mike's commitment to treating everyone as a customer has not only shaped his success, but also transformed the culture of Truly Title.
From his early days mowing lawns to pioneering paperless technologies, his unwavering dedication to his team and clients alike serves as a testament to the enduring power of genuine care and consideration in business.
The Growth & Scale Report is published by CloseSimple, and explores strategies for growth and tools for scaling your title or escrow company. The report emphasizes the art of balancing growth and scale, with a focus on personal and organizational success stories. It aims to share insights from industry leaders who have navigated these challenges, providing a platform for broader conversations in the business landscape.
