Antonius van de Kerkhof, more commonly known as just Tony, is the visionary founder behind Victor Delta Kilo, an enterprise offering finance strategies for high-net-worth individuals and a platform for personal development. Tony’s inspiring journey began with leaving home at 19 to live in China for four years, where he became fluent in Mandarin, laying the groundwork for his global perspective. Upon returning to Australia, he seamlessly balanced a family-oriented lifestyle with a successful career in finance.
Having spent four years at NAB, finishing up as a Branch Manager, Tony ventured into entrepreneurship, establishing Jacobson and Kerkhof Finance. The venture’s success led to the creation of Finance Family several years later, with a subsidiary “Conveyancing Family,” only recently being added to the portfolio, bringing the team to 15 people, and showcasing Tony’s versatility. Despite managing multiple ventures and taking the time to pursue his passion for helping others in finance, business, and life, the technology skills he espouses to other business owners allow Tony to still annually write $67,000,000 in lending with minimal support.
As a Finance Strategist and personal development author, Tony’s mission is to assist finance professionals and individuals interested in self-improvement and business growth. He emphasizes that the tools to transform lives are within reach, it’s just a matter of learning how to use them.
Today, we sit down with Tony to get more insights into his career and understand where his success stems from.
Q. What inspired you to leave home at 19 and live in China for four years?
Tony: I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life and Accounting at university just seemed so irrelevant and arbitrary. I figured going to a place that could not be any further from Melbourne, Australia, would be a good place to learn new things and broaden my horizons!
Q. Can you share any key lessons you learned in China that shaped your approach to life and business today?
Tony: In China, I learned we’re all people, looking to make our way through life as best we can. The difference is that, culturally, the approach is nothing like it is in the West. I learned to be more accepting and humble.
More importantly, I learned to work really hard for what I want. It’s very competitive in China, so you have to outwork everyone else, and that’s a valuable skill in life and business if you want to achieve something. I also learned Mandarin, which comes in very handy.
Q. What motivated you to transition from a branch manager role at NAB to start Jacobson and Kerkhof Finance?
Tony: Being in the bank, I got to deal with all sorts of people. I noticed that the people with the most freedom over their time seemed the happiest and most satisfied. When I realised 80% of these people were successful business owners, I decided I wanted nothing less than that, regardless of how many years I needed to sacrifice to get there.
Q. What challenges did you face when starting Jacobson and Kerkhof Finance?
Tony: The biggest challenge was scaling. Inevitably, that involves bringing other people on board. Another big challenge is always wondering what’s next and learning to balance cash flow with growth.
What I learned from those challenges is that you must hire based on culture and alignment with your own values. I also learned that money coming in doesn’t equal money in the bank, so making decisions based on projected income is not a good idea. Being safe, even if it means going slower, is less likely to sink the ship.
Q. Could you elaborate on the journey of establishing Finance Family and Conveyancing Family as subsidiaries of your primary business?
Tony: Jacobson and Kerkhof Finance was run between Luke, my co-founder, and me. As we improved our formula for success, we realized there were a ton of bankers out there who had the skill set and capability to become amazing brokers. They just needed to be at the right place.
As Finance Family headed towards becoming the main business, a conveyancer I had worked with for 10 years asked us if we could take a stake in her business, and help it grow with our business process expertise and Finance Family support. It was a no-brainer kind of deal as the two services go hand in hand, so that’s how it started.
Q. How do you balance running multiple successful businesses while still actively lending and teaching?
Tony: Well, having the right process is everything. We have cutting-edge business processes, methods, and technologies. So, brokers who want to improve without giving up their business by joining the Finance Family can still learn these crucial techniques via my app, Victor Delta Kilo. That allows me to help these brokers and add value to the industry as a whole without diverting too much of my attention. Finding areas that overlap is key because one process can support the other and so on, leading to greater growth.
Q. We hear you’re writing a book, what led you to that and what is it about?
Tony: During COVID, I did a lot of reading and I realized there’s a mixed bag of content in the self-development space. I realized there isn’t something geared towards young adults. So, I thought to myself, if there was one book I’d want my children to read as they go into adulthood, what would it be like? I don’t think that book exists, so I’m writing it myself as a gift. I think it also suits people who want to start reading self-development books but don’t know where to start.
It will have all my distilled knowledge, based on the life experiences that have shaped me. The very first topic I discuss is self-awareness, which is the foundation of all self-improvement. It allows us to hold up the mirror and fix the one thing we can control–ourselves. If a person doesn’t develop their self-awareness, life just happens to them. They lose control and lose direction. That’s what I want my book to help people with. Young or Old. It’s never too late to learn. In fact, in China, there is a saying. “Huo Dao Lao, Xue Dao Lao” which loosely translates to, “Live to an old age, Learn to an old age.” I loved that when I heard it!
Q. How do you see the role of personal development in achieving financial success?
Tony: I think there is no success of any kind that can be accomplished without personal development. While we all leave the factory at birth with a set of preferences and talents, working hard and focusing on areas of improvement is essential to achieving any level of success. Whether in your personal life or at work.
Q. What advice would you offer to individuals seeking to grow their businesses or improve themselves?
Tony: I would recommend courses and working with a business coach. Find leaders in your field and dare to be vulnerable with them. Let them know what you’re trying to achieve, show them that you’re self-aware enough to realize you don’t know everything, and be candid about the fact you aspire to be on their level.
Most successful people have a genuine desire to help others because they understand there’s room for everyone. So, find a mentor and work to surpass them. Then, find the next mentor, and so on. To be surpassed is the dream of any good mentor!
Q. How do you see the future of the finance industry evolving, especially for young professionals?
Tony: I see technology playing a bigger and bigger role. Technology is taking over all the boring tasks so we can focus on creativity and personal connection. As such, I think emotional Intelligence will become more and more important to young professionals. They don’t teach that in schools and yet it’s probably the biggest factor for success.
Q. Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self at the start of your entrepreneurial journey?
Tony: Stack habits, focus on the small things that add up, fall in love with boring work that needs to be done, develop skills, and focus on finishing large projects. I’d also tell myself to avoid beating myself up if I’m doing my best and moving forward. If it doesn’t feel like it, have a good night’s sleep and keep going the next day!
To stay up-to-date with Antonius van de Kerkhof and his business Victor Delta Kilo, visit his website or connect with him on LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok.
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