Tag Archives: Business Owners

Aligning for Success: Choosing the Right Environment for Your Advisory Practice with Mindy Diamond (Ep. 68)

Advisor, Education, Finance, Financial, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In this episode, Duncan MacPherson sits down with Mindy Diamond, founder and CEO of Diamond Consultants, to explore the pivotal question every advisor grapples with: Should I stay or should I go? Mindy shares insights from her latest book, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”, which isn’t merely a guide on moving firms but rather a tool to help advisors get crystal clear on their ideal work environment.

They dive into themes of loyalty fatigue, cultural alignment, and the significance of self-assessment to make informed, client-centered decisions. Mindy and Duncan also discuss how confirmation bias can limit advisors and highlight the importance of scenario planning for both growth and succession.

Tune in to gain clarity on your practice’s future, hear powerful success stories, and understand why every advisor should continually reassess their professional landscape, even if they’re content where they are.

Resources

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Connect with Mindy Diamond and Diamond Consultants:

About Our Guest:

Mindy launched Diamond Consultants in 1998, developing it into one of the leading financial advisor recruiting and consulting firms in the nation—transitioning more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets under management.

Drawing from her own entrepreneurial experience, Mindy fostered an approach that goes beyond recruiting. She and her team work with advisors years before they’re ready to move, educating them on trends, helping them evaluate economic models and understand their enterprise value, and creating a roadmap of options they might never have considered.

The goal: That every elite advisor finds exactly the right place for their business and clients to thrive, whether it’s at a wirehouse, regional, boutique, or independent firm—ultimately achieving what Mindy calls “Your Best Business Life.”

Mindy is considered one of the industry’s top thought leaders and is regularly quoted by national media such as The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, The New York Times, and CNBC, and is a guest author on industry publications including WealthManagement.com and Forbes. Her podcast series, The Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors (formerly Mindy Diamond on Independence), has become what many consider their “go-to source” for education on the industry landscape.

Additionally, Mindy is the author of the Amazon bestseller “Should I Stay or Should I Go”  – a book for financial advisors that offers a strategic thought process and road map to professional self-discovery when considering change.

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Elevate Your Practice – The Power of a Partial Book Sale with Ted Jenkin (Ep. 67)

Advisor, Education, Finance, Financial, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Join host Duncan MacPherson as welcomes back serial entrepreneur Ted Jenkin, CEO of Oxygen Financial and President of Exit Stage Left Advisors. Together, they explore the powerful concept of a partial book sale and how it can help financial advisors grow upmarket by refining the client relationships they manage. They discuss why letting go of the “wrong” clients can be one of the most liberating moves an advisor can make—and how it often leads to growing deeper relationships with the “right” clients.

If you’ve been feeling like your current book of business is becoming a plateau rather than a path, this episode will guide you through the steps of creating professional scarcity, improving client engagement, and increasing your firm’s enterprise value. Learn why managing fewer relationships, but with a more exclusive focus, not only elevates your enterprise but also enhances client outcomes.

Ted shares insights into why specializing, rather than generalizing, creates professional contrast that attracts ideal clients—and why your next best move might be downsizing the number of clients you serve while maximizing your fulfillment and profitability.

Resources:

Connect With Duncan MacPherson:

Connect with Ted Jenkin:

About Our Guest:

Ted Jenkin is a serial entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in building and selling successful businesses in various sectors, such as finance, media, insurance, bookkeeping, and technology. As the President at Exit Stage Left Advisors, Ted helps small and medium-sized business owners maximize their valuation and get top dollar when they sell their companies.

Ted has multiple credentials in the financial industry, including Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist, and Accredited Wealth Manager Advisor. He is also a national media personality, appearing on various outlets such as Fox, CNN, HLN, The Weather Channel, WSJ, CNBC, and more. Ted hosts a national entrepreneur podcast called The Shrimp Tank and a national small business television network called America’s Small Business Network. His mission is to empower and educate business owners and individuals on how to achieve the highest possible multiple when they sell their business.

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The Power of Personalized Gratitude: Building Client Loyalty with Cathi Durrell (Ep. 64)

Advisor, Business, Coaching, Consulting, Education, Finance, Financial, Financial Advisor, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Join Duncan as he sits down with Cathi Durrell, co-founder of Lavish Cards, to discuss the power of personalized gratitude in building lasting client relationships for Financial Advisors. Discover how sending customized cards to clients can enhance your client retention strategies, foster loyalty, and increase client advocacy.

Cathi shares insights from her 12+ years of experience in helping Financial Advisors use hand-crafted greeting cards to make a lasting impact with clients.

Tune in to learn:

  • Why Thanksgiving cards can give your business an edge over competitors
  • How to make gratitude part of your daily routine to deepen client relationships
  • Real stories of financial advisors using gratitude to boost referrals and client advocacy
  • The BRAG method: How Belonging, Recognition, Appreciation, and Gratitude drive client engagement
  • A look at Lavish Cards’ One Card at a Time program designed for financial professionals

This episode is full of actionable strategies to humanize your client experience, foster stronger client loyalty, and generate organic referrals.

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Cathi:

 

About Our Guest:

Cathi Durrell, along with her husband Glen, who is a professional photographer, are the owners of Lavish Fine Art Cards, a company they co-founded 11 years ago. Lavish has grown extensively over the past 11 years and specializes in catering to the bespoke communication needs of their clients. The entire crew at Lavish are committed to creating and supplying the highest quality greeting cards. In her spare time, Cathi enjoys traveling and exploring “the back-roads” with Glen, in search of the next image for Lavish.

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Unlock Success in Family Dynamics and Next-Gen Wealth with Jackie Wilke (Ep. 60)

Advisor, Business, Coaching, Consulting, Education, Finance, Financial, Financial Advisor, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Are you ready to become the indispensable advisor who guides entire families through wealth building and legacy planning?

Remember, it’s not your client’s responsibility to introduce you and it’s not the family member’s job to ask. You must be proactive and cultivate relationships across the family tree!

In this enlightening and highly relevant episode, Duncan MacPherson speaks with Jackie Wilke, VP of Advisor Consulting at First Trust Portfolios. They provide a step-by-step guide to progressively foster relationships with your clients’ family members (including the next-gen wealth inheritors).

They discuss:

  • How to initiate the conversation with the “family phone call”
  • How to position yourself as a valuable resource for the client’s family (you must lead with a give, not an ask!)
  • Major opportunities to create educational content and develop social proof
  • Connecting with the sandwich generation
  • The sweet spot between high-tech and high-touch
  • How to adapt to the evolving needs of the next-gen
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Jackie:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

Jackie Wilke is a speaker, author, consultant, and coach for select partners of First Trust, a firm known not only for its robust investment product line which includes UITs, ETFs, SMAs, and VAs (to name a few) but also for its commitment to the growth of financial advisors. Jackie’s focus is business development and innovation including expertise in helping financial professionals, teams, and the next generation of high-net-worth individuals/households and multi-generational families. She is also the author of Insights & Innovations, a business development blog for financial professionals and enterprises.

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Transitioning Next-Gen Wealth with Tom Deans (Ep. 56)

Advisor, Business, Coaching, Consulting, Education, Finance, Financial, Financial Advisor, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The complexities of passing on a legacy and managing family dynamics can be overwhelming, especially for first-generation business owners.

As their advisor, how can you help prepare their heirs and transition wealth smoothly?

Find out as Duncan MacPherson speaks with Tom Deans, Ph.D., intergenerational wealth expert, speaker, and best-selling author of “Every Family’s Business” and “Willing Wisdom.” They explore how advisors can improve client retention and referrals by addressing one of the biggest unmet needs of self-made first-generation business owners and professionals — continuity and succession planning.

They discuss:

  • Major challenges faced by business owners during succession planning
  • How advisors can set the stage for successful wealth transfer
  • Why multi-generational family meetings (with the advisor present) can be incredibly powerful and revealing
  • Strategies for addressing complex family dynamics
  • A sneak peek into Tom’s upcoming book: The Happy Inheritor
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Tom:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

Tom Deans, Ph.D.’s research and thought leadership on the subjects of wealth transfers, preparing heirs, and family dynamics have made him an in-demand speaker and webinar presenter. He is the author of the best-selling family business book of all time, Every Family’s Business: 12 Common Sense Questions to Protect Your Wealth, listed by the New York Times as one of the top ten books business owners should read. His second book, Willing Wisdom: 7 Questions Successful Families Ask, offers a creative process to bring transparency to a family’s estate plan. More than two million copies of his books are in circulation.

Dr. Deans gives more than 100 speeches a year on the subject of intergenerational wealth transfers, preparing heirs, and business succession planning. Over the past 17 years, he has delivered more than 2,000 keynote speeches in 28 countries on four continents. He has also provided advanced training to advisors employed by the world’s largest financial institutions, law firms, and accounting firms.

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Leaving No Stone Unturned: How to Maximize Your Exit Strategy with Ted Jenkin (Ep. 54)

Leaving No Stone Unturned: How to Maximize Your Exit Strategy with Ted Jenkin (Ep. 54)

Advisor, Business, Coaching, Consulting, Education, Finance, Financial, Financial Advisor, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Want to receive maximum value for the business you’ve worked so hard to build?

The key lies in being proactive with your exit strategy.

Dive into a thought-provoking conversation between Duncan MacPherson and returning guest Ted Jenkin, CEO of oXYGen Financial and president of Exit Stage Left Advisors. Together, they uncover practical insights to streamline your operations, improve client acquisition, and scale your credibility – ultimately garnering a higher multiple for your business.

They discuss:

  • The critical role of recurring revenue in enhancing enterprise value
  • Creating “proprietary” value as an advisor
  • Using client testimonials and online reviews to build trust
  • How to leverage AI for content creation (with a list of helpful resources)
  • How an exit plan helps you de-risk in the face of uncertainty and volatility
  • Navigating the HR and legal parameters of a sale
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Ted:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

Ted Jenkin is a serial entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in building and selling successful businesses in various sectors, such as finance, media, insurance, bookkeeping, and technology. As the President at Exit Stage Left Advisors, Ted helps small and medium-sized business owners maximize their valuation and get top dollar when they sell their companies. 

Ted has multiple credentials in the financial industry, including Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist, and Accredited Wealth Manager Advisor. He is also a national media personality, appearing on various outlets such as Fox, CNN, HLN, The Weather Channel, WSJ, CNBC, and more. Ted hosts a national entrepreneur podcast called The Shrimp Tank and a national small business television network called America’s Small Business Network. His mission is to empower and educate business owners and individuals on how to achieve the highest possible multiple when they sell their business.

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Shaping Your Branding Strategy: How to Run a Client Advisory Council with Mike “Cy” Cajthaml Jr. (Ep. 53)

Shaping Your Branding Strategy: How to Run a Client Advisory Council with Mike “Cy” Cajthaml Jr. (Ep. 53)

Advisor, Business, Coaching, Consulting, Education, Finance, Financial, Financial Advisor, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In your mind, you have a certain brand image and value proposition for your business. Do your clients see it the same way?

Are your clients well-equipped to tell your story for you and be your biggest advocates?

Join Duncan MacPherson and Mike “Cy” Cajthaml Jr., a business consultant at Pareto Systems, as they delve into the power of client advisory councils in uncovering unmet needs, elevating the client experience, and achieving professional contrast. You will learn a turnkey approach to simplify the process and make client advisory councils a routine best practice.

They discuss:

  • The complete process and logistics from ramp-up to execution to follow-through (with an example)
  • How to conduct effective, agenda-driven discussions that lead to actionable insights
  • How to position the idea of advisory councils to your clients for the first time
  • Why client feedback can result in improved referability
  • The added benefit of finding a renewed sense of purpose for advisors
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Mike:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

Mike “Cy” Cajthaml Jr. has distinguished himself in the financial services industry over a remarkable 17-year career, marked by his vibrant and effective leadership style. He’s deeply committed to enhancing business and practice management strategies, always focusing on the achievement of his clients’ goals.

Mike’s career in the financial service industry was initiated at a major insurance-marketing organization, where he played a pivotal role in advising financial advisors nationwide on product solutions and marketing strategies. After dedicating six years to advising and coaching in the financial realm, Mike transitioned to become a financial advisor, collaborating with his father in Overland Park, KS. Their partnership managed substantial asset portfolios, leveraging a variety of insurance products. Mike’s firsthand experience with the Pareto Process, coupled with his insights from working with successful financial advisory firms, reinforced his belief in its transformative impact.

Driven by his conviction in the Pareto Process, Mike embraced the role of a Pareto coach. His unique blend of wholesale and retail experience empowers him to assist numerous advisory firms in integrating these processes, ultimately enabling advisors to realize their ideal lifestyle.

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Harness the Power of AI: Game-Changing Strategies for Modern Advisors with Craig Kirkpatrick (Ep. 52)

Harness the Power of AI: Game-Changing Strategies for Modern Advisors with Craig Kirkpatrick (Ep. 52)

Advisor, Business, Coaching, Consulting, Education, Finance, Financial, Financial Advisor, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Whether you like it or not, the world is quickly adopting artificial intelligence (AI).

Now, the choice is yours: Do you want to get on board and leverage AI to improve your business? Or do you want to risk falling behind other advisors?

To stay ahead of the curve, Join Duncan MacPherson and Craig Kirkpatrick, founder of Act-Three Consulting, to learn how to use AI to save time, connect better with clients, and expand your knowledge along the way. This insightful conversation will expand your thinking around how AI is here to serve you, not hurt you.

They discuss:

  • A methodical approach to AI prompting for better results
  • How to use AI for faster content creation (with insights about navigating compliance)
  • A list of up-and-coming AI tools that may be relevant to your business
  • Real-world examples of successful AI applications
  • Why the “human touch” will become even more important with the adoption of AI
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Craig:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

With over three decades of seasoned experience in the financial services sector, Craig Kirkpatrick is committed to educating advisors to help them better serve their clients. His Act Three journey is characterized not just by his prior achievements, but with relentless curiosity and dedication to empowering financial advisors through the understanding and application of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technologies.

Craig deeply values the potential of AI to enhance client interactions in financial advising, advocating for its integration as a tool for smarter decision-making and stronger relationships. His interest in blockchain, with certificates by DACFP and CAIA, underpins Act Three’s vision of understanding through education. Craig also co-founded Orinda Asset Management, where they launched pioneering liquid alternative mutual funds. Before Orinda, Craig co-founded Kensington Investment Group which launched one of the first long-short REIT mutual funds, a REIT preferred fund, and a global infrastructure fund. Craig is a grounded professional, who, through Act Three, continues to explore and advocate for the future of financial planning and asset management, guided by innovative technologies.

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From Organic to Scalable Growth with Bill Sowell (Ep. 51)

Advisor, Business, Coaching, Consulting, Education, Finance, Financial, Financial Advisor, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The transition to fee-based services has prompted advisors to prioritize fee-worthiness, with clients focusing less on cost and more on perceived value.

Plus, the complexities of relationship management may be amplified in a B2B upscaling model.

In this episode, Duncan MacPherson speaks with Bill Sowell, CEO of Sowell Management, about the distinction between salesmanship and stewardship, and what it takes to cultivate lasting client relationships. They also talk about the shift from a B2C organic growth model to a franchise-ready B2B upscaling model.

They discuss:

  • Being a consolidator versus adopting a methodical organic growth model
  • How Bill’s firm struck a powerful balance between the proverbial Wall Street-Main Street dynamics
  • Why advisors should never lose sight of relationship management
  • The path to strong advisor partnerships and an effective fit process
  • How technology and the Great Wealth Transfer are shaping financial services
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Bill:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

Bill began his career in the financial services industry in 1990 and quickly became a top producer within the industry. In 1995, he began a fee-only practice now known as Sowell Management, which services a broad spectrum of some of the top Independent Advisor Representatives (IARs), and Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) in the United States. He and his wife, Cindy, have worked as a team for more than 20 years. Bill is a bridge builder. He is passionate about helping advisors see an independent and prosperous future and guiding them through the entire journey.

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Rejuvenating Client Relationships with Matt Cardella (Ep. 47)

Advisor, Business, Coaching, Consulting, Education, Finance, Financial, Financial Advisor, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Advisors, are you looking for ways to rejuvenate your client relationships?

Creating a meaningful impact in their lives is only a part of it. It’s equally important that your clients know (and appreciate) your value and process!

In this episode, Duncan MacPherson joins Matt Cardella, a financial advisor at Raymond James. Matt shares how his business has achieved professional contrast and improved relationships with a process-driven approach.

They discuss:

  • How to make your message more compelling by thinking beyond the technicalities
  • The significance of converting ideas into intellectual property
  • Connecting “authentically” with your clients
  • How to make your clients appreciate you more
  • The path to greater work-life balance as a financial advisor
  • And more

Connect With Duncan:

Connect With Matt:

Promotions:

About Our Guest:

Matt began his career at Edward Jones in 2002 with a strong desire to help people make good financial decisions. In 2003, Matt hung out his shingle in Hinesville, Georgia. After 17 years, he made the change to Raymond James. Matt, along with his team, helps families and business people with their investments, but there is much more to it than just money. Matt and his team are committed to supporting their clients in every aspect of their lives, and finances are just the beginning. They recognize that financial well-being impacts many other areas of life. Their commitment to provide personalized and comprehensive planning goes far beyond investments. They help their clients navigate toward a brighter future with financial confidence.

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