Hannah Abbey

I attribute a lot of my success to how I was raised. My family wasn't well-off growing up, and I learned early that if you want something, you have to work for it — nothing gets handed to you. That mindset has shaped how I approach every opportunity since. I keep realistic expectations when it comes to advancement: if I want something, I know I have to put my head down, do the work, and earn it.

This industry can be a tough place to be taken seriously at first, especially if you're starting on the phones. My advice would be: put your head down, do excellent work, and let that speak for itself — but don't stop there. Being good at your job isn't always enough; you have to advocate for yourself too. And don't underestimate the value of empathy along the way. Collections can feel like a hard, transactional industry, but the people who are best at it are the ones who can build real trust with someone going through a difficult financial moment. That's a strength, not a soft skill — lean into it. Most importantly, don't get comfortable too early. It's easy to hit a certain level and think, 'this is probably as far as I'll go.' I've had to actively push back against that mindset in my own career. Keep believing you're capable of more, and keep putting in the work to get there, even when it's uncomfortable.

Debt collection is such a niche field because it sits at the intersection of two very different mindsets. You have people coming from a customer service background, trained on the idea that the customer is always right. And then you have people from a traditional collections background, whose approach is closer to: 'I don't care what the consumer says — you owe a debt.' The real skill is finding the balance between those two. You have to establish rapport and trust with someone who owes a debt, help them understand you're actually there to help them get out of it, while still being clear that the debt needs to be repaid. Taking a human approach to that balance is, honestly, the hardest thing to teach.

My family is always number one. I have two little ones at home and a husband, and they're the first thing I think about when I'm making any decision, business or personal. Beyond that, I try to make sure I'm prioritizing what's actually best for me. Earlier in my career, I got comfortable — I'd settled into thinking, 'this is probably as far as I'm going to go.' I had to pull myself out of that mindset and remind myself that I was capable of a lot more. Putting value in myself and in what I actually want, rather than just what everyone else assumes I'm capable of, has made a real difference.