Scaling with the Right Clients

Business Planning

Question of the Week

Scaling with the Right Clients

Happy Friday, all!

We are on the second to last MDB podcast of 2022! I chat with Christopher Dale, CFP and the founder of Life After Grief Financial planning. Through his practice, Chris helps clients in grief navigate financial matters by providing objective, impartial, and confidential financial advice.

In the episode, Chris shares how his life experiences, including the loss of a parent and a child, catalyzed him to narrow in on the niche of his business. He also shares his strategies and tactics for keeping the company impactful and profitable as it grows.

 

Episode Highlights

A mission-driven business is a life passion.

Chris has a precise definition of a mission-driven business: “I describe it as a life passion turned into a career where you never feel like you’re working.”

That definition certainly rings true for Chris, who started his financial planning firm to step away from his stressful corporate job and focus on his family. It also allows him to use his life experiences to help others navigate death and illness.

“I had all of this grief life experience, and then you couple this with the financial experience, and I’m uniquely suited to help somebody that is exactly like me,” Chris said.

 

Owning a niche can lead to unexpected opportunities.

Chris knew he had found his perfect niche when he couldn’t find any other companies that provided financial expertise to clients experiencing grief. But while marketing his niche to clients, he also connected with financial advisers aspiring to learn more, which led to opportunities he didn’t imagine initially.

“It evolved into me making an online training course, and the feedback that I got from it was wonderful,” Chris said.

 

Grow with the right clients.

At this point in his career, Chris doesn’t have to grow his business that fast. He’s instead prioritizing picking the right clients for his skills and services than picking clients he’ll have to stop serving in the future. By being picky with clients, Chris can have a unique relationship with each person.

“When I look at my client base, there’s not one individual that I would like to shed,” Chris said. “That’s a pretty good feeling.”

Even though Chris is holding capacity at the moment, he’s still laying the foundation to grow his business in the future by nurturing the marketing for his services. However, as a business owner, he appreciates that he doesn’t have to pick between growing his business and spending time with his family.

“If I have to choose between something to do with my boys or my wife or bringing in new clients, I am going to absolutely choose to impact my family,” Chris said.

 

Quote of the Week

“When I look at my client base, there’s not one individual that I would like to shed. That’s a pretty good feeling.” – Chris Dale

 

Task of the Week

When was the last time you reviewed your client list? Anyone that’s not the right fit? Take some time to review your clients and ask yourself if you’re working with people who are a good fit.

You can also learn more about Chris and his practice at the links below:

 

Resources + Links

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