Your clients and future clients want you to have an exit plan. None of us can guarantee that we'll be here tomorrow. None of us can guarantee that our business will be here or that "mother nature" won't destroy our firms. Because I work with advisors, individuals always ask me for tips and recommendations on hiring an advisor.   During many conversations, they'll often tell me that they're afraid to hire a solo-owner or small firms, mostly because of continuity issues. When you work for a firm and leave, chances are that  clients will become their clients.  (Hopefully, until they find you).   If you were to die tomorrow, someone at the firm will help them.  So

Dear {FIRSTNAME} I was reading an article this morning, on ThinkAdvisor.com  about "Research magazine's Advisor Hall of Fame, now in its 25th year" Three advisors have been added to their Hall of Fame. Here's the article: http://www.thinkadvisor.com/2015/11/30/2015-advisor-hall-of-fame (there is a link on the page to see the article "in full" and if you're not a member of the site, you can join for free. Here's what I, as someone who helps my clients grow their firms, found interesting to read. Niches They all have developed niches.  Some around AUM, some around the people they work with (single women).  Over the years, the AUM of their niche has grown.  At least one company is openly picky about

13 Key Steps for More Business Growth in 2016 If your game plan for 2016 includes shifting into high gear, you’re in for a big surprise! Growing is NOT about the next "bling” or even about spending time on social networking sites. To grow your firm, you need to grow yourself! To grow your firm, it's helpful to tweak and refocus your firm’s foundation and make it super- strong. Want more clients or more referrals from your clients? Not having enough are  symptoms of a weak, inconsistent, and crumbling business foundation that often doesn’t have a niche, ideal client profile, or a plan to guide your activities. Working too many hours a week? Productivity down? That’s

I'd really appreciate your help with this... I'm working on some new and exciting projects... aimed at helping advisors improve and scale their practices. And I want to make sure that I address what's most important to you and your business. So would you please do me a big favor by taking a couple of minutes to answer 3 questions? Just (anonymously) tell me your single biggest challenge that you're struggling with in your financial business, it would really help me out. And more importantly, your response will help me focus my upcoming emails, new video series, and a summit I'm hosting to the topics you specifically want to know about, too. CLICK HERE for my super-quick survey