Brumbelow, former Waco Title exec, launches leadership development business

Entrepreneurship is difficult to ignore when the lure of building a successful venture takes hold.

That appeal motivated title company executive Amanda Brumbelow to start a new business.

ARDÚ Business Advisors is a niche leadership development and business coaching firm. ARDÚ is an acronym for articulate, refine, develop and unveil.

Brumbelow will be one of the only business coaches in the country solely focused on small business title companies. She said she’s only aware of one other business coach who’s a member of the American Land Title Association (ALTA). That particular business model focuses on implementing a sales strategy.

“There is a need across the country to help title company owners elevate above the day-to-day operations to see more clearly how to scale his or her business,” she said. “I have seen larger companies acquire many small business owners because the owner didn’t know how to ‘ARDÚ’ the business.”

Brumbelow resigned in December as director of closing operations at Springdale-based Waco Title Co., one of the state’s largest title companies. She started in the title and closing industry when she was 19 years old and also owned a child care center.

Brumbelow worked at Waco Title for nearly 10 years and built several unique programs, including training for new closing agents.

The Northwest Arkansas Business Journal recognized her in 2014 as a member of its Forty Under 40 class.

“Waco Title is a great company full of amazing people, and I’m thankful for what I learned and proud of what I accomplished there,” she said. “I decided it was time for me to spend my energy building something that is mine. I know that my expertise as an executive and a prior business owner can help small businesses in the title insurance industry scale.”

She said ARDÚ wouldn’t be her only endeavor.

“Now that I am self-employed, I can and will do more because I work for the energy I get from doing something that I love,” she said.

Brumbelow said she’ll take on a few clients in the first quarter of this year. She also plans to attend ALTA conferences to grow the business nationally.

Brumbelow’s departure is another senior-level exit at Waco Title.

CEO Patrick Curry resigned in August to establish title agency Allegiance Title Co. of Arkansas in Fayetteville. In early October, Allegiance announced Brian Blackman as the company’s vice president and general counsel. Blackman was previously COO at Waco Title, where he worked since 2013.

“Change is never easy, but it opens up opportunities that no one could see before,” Brumbelow said. “I’m excited how the new [Waco Title] executive team has grown and look forward to what they do next.

Waco Title hired Sara Heck, who worked the previous eight years for Arvest Bank, as Curry’s successor.