Building a World Class Financial Advisory Firm
Financial Services is a relationship business. The bond between a financial advisor and a client is very personal. The challenge for financial advisors is to extend that relationship of trust
What Is Strategy?
Recently, I met with a very successful business owner who told me that his strategy for growing his business was to get referrals from satisfied clients and centres of influence.
From One Generation To The Next
We first met Norm when we launched our Practice Development Program sponsored by Great West Life. Norm was one of 32 qualifiers who signed up for the program. In our
Lessons My Father Taught Me
The death of a parent is a defining moment in our lives. My father died in March. I was conducting a workshop in Des Moines, Iowa for a group of
The Second Principle of Entrepreneurship
The first principle of entrepreneurship is Optimization i.e. always working at the highest level of your capabilities. For some entrepreneurs, the obstacle to optimizing is a mindset – a mindset that has them playing what
The First Principle of Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs want to make a difference in the world. However, there is a fundamental distinction in the way in which entrepreneurs operate. That distinction is grounded in the difference between
What Differentiates Entrepreneurs and Employees?
Entrepreneurs can avoid many of the problems associated with growing a business by recognizing the differences between employees and entrepreneurs. There are two important distinctions we can draw between entrepreneurs
Lessons from Costa Rica
For the last 11 days, I have been in Costa Rica with my wife, Wendy. We came here as guests of Sun Life of Canada. I had a speaking engagement
The Most Important Word in Business
When I give a presentation, I often start out by asking the audience the following question: “If you had to choose one word that is critical to the success of
The Entrepreneur as Achiever
Throughout history, human behaviour has been informed and influenced by archetypes. The Oxford dictionary defines archetype as: (1) original model, prototype; and (2) typical specimen. For centuries, philosophers, and, more
The Drive To Excel Further
What motivates someone who has built an eight figure financial advisory firm to continue growing? For John Nicola, the founder and CEO of Nicola Wealth Management, it is the desire to
Lessons My Mother Taught Me
My mother died recently, only ten months after my father passed away. The depth of my grief seemed overwhelming. Taking the time to mourn is important. With my dad, I
From Art to Science. . .
What does it take to build a sustainable business? For Don Leitzell, it was the ability to combine the art and science of business building. Don started his financial services
Lessons From India
I just returned from a ten day business trip to India. During my trip, I learned many lessons about life, business and people in India. Hopefully, you will find these
Individual Roles, Capabilities and the Right Organization – Part 5
This is the fifth of five blogs that describe individual roles, individual stratum thinking capabilities and the right organizational structure (or as we say, defining the Requisite Organization). Today I'll
Individual Roles, Capabilities and the Right Organization – Part 4
This is the fourth of five blogs that describe individual roles, individual stratum thinking capabilities and the right organizational structure (or as we say, defining the Requisite Organization). Today I'll
Individual Roles, Capabilities and the Right Organization – Part 3
This is the third of five blogs that describe individual roles, individual stratum thinking capabilities and the right organizational structure (or as we say, defining the Requisite Organization). Today I'll
Individual Roles, Capabilities and the Right Organization – Part 2
This is the second of five blogs that describe individual roles, individual capabilities and the right organizational structure (or as we say, defining the Requisite Organization). Today I'll describe working
Individual Roles, Capabilities and the Right Organization
This is the first of five blogs that describe individual roles, individual stratum thinking capabilities and the right organizational structure (or as we say, the Requisite Organization) you need to
The Client Attraction Conversation – Part 2 of 2
In my last blog I described a simple framework for structuring client attraction conversations. The structure of the opening of an interview is You/Me/Us/We. In Part 1 we covered the You/Me part of the attraction
The Client Attraction Conversation – Part 1 of 2
There is an art to attracting clients. You can utilize a simple framework for structuring client attraction conversations. My friend and colleague, Bill Whitley says: “If you know how to
Business Plan: Defining Your Opportunity
Your Business Plan starts with your Business Definition. The four components of the Business Definition are: Vision Mission Values Business Opportunity Your Business Plan is the articulation of your Strategy for growing your business.
Living Your Values: The Power ofActions
A value is a thing or condition we consistently act upon to get and to keep. A value is a vector – a direction with a force. The clearest indication
Four Fundamentals of an Effective Mission Statement
In my last blog, I described how we worked with Joel to develop the Mission Statement for his business: “Financial Security Through Informed Decision Making.” Let’s review the four fundamentals in preparing