Becoming a financial adviser isn’t a career path that is widely advertised, in fact, there is a shortage of advisers in the UK market, and the sector is hungry for talent. Back in 2007, when Emmanuel started his journey into financial advice he admits that it was the perfect time for him to start his career. Working as an adviser for Barclays at the age of 22, he explains that it was a retention tool that worked, and he was looked after well – with a tutor for free as well as his exams covered to ensure that he had the right credentials to advise properly.
One thing that he highlighted was the abundance of leads and clients that he had during his tenure of being employed. This quickly diminished when he jumped into the world of being self-employed and had to work hard (and fast) to generate a client base and start making his mark as an independent adviser.
A study conducted by Insight concluded that one-fifth of people in the UK do not last one-year past self-employment, and this is due to the fact that it is extremely difficult to gain momentum and create the correct work/life balance, not to mention the importance of earning the right amount of money. Emmanuel puts a portion of his success down to his efforts on personal branding, and it has evidently impacted his career heavily.
“The clients that visit me, I don’t have to sell to. They’ve bought it for me already! They’ve seen my social media and my videos. They are the next generation of wealth”
Now, Emmanuel didn’t start immediately with posting video content and speaking at universities, he started small in his own community: the church! He explains that you don’t need to go big to make a name for yourself in financial advice, and having a good portion of mid-level clients that he could work with through friends and family recommending them meant that a snowball effect happened, and he became the go-to person at his church for financial advice. Constantly aiming for high net worth is a tough task, and thinking outside the box and using clubs, friendship groups, sports and family to help generate business is an effective approach most wouldn’t think to use.
People buy people, and if you are able to get recommendations and exposure from people in your personal network, then it gives you a base to work from as you start developing yourself later on down the line – then you can start aiming for high net-worth!
“I had a stutter when I was younger, so I attended drama classes and looked to invest in my public speaking skills”
One of the key things that come with personal branding, is the importance of being authentic. Emmanuel explains that he is completely himself when putting out content online, even if it means that there are individuals that dislike or act as ‘haters’ towards his content. This is a common hurdle for people in all industries who are looking to put themselves out there to generate business, and there is a fear associated with people disliking what they do, when in reality it’s about being yourself and the people that want to work with you, will!
Emmanuel admitted that at the beginning, it was terrifying putting out content online as ex-colleagues and managers would see it. He invested in his public speaking skills, attending drama classes and practicing, which enabled him to grow his confidence. Emmanuel explained that “even though I’m not chartered, it doesn’t bother me because people look at me online as ‘that guy’ who gives great financial advice”. He has created a lifestyle for himself where he has a great work/life balance, and gets to work with people who buy in to him as a person, which gives his work more meaning in his opinion.
He summarises that another motivator for making content is because he loves being able to educate young people on their finances, and through putting out helpful videos and attending universities such as Cambridge to talk about financial literacy, he is influencing and impacting the next generation of potential clients. Although being a financial adviser is about making money and generating business, a big part of what Emmanuel strives to do is to educate those on how to get into the industry, and how he has created a sustainable and fulfilling career for himself that isn’t advertised in schools and universities. He concludes that there is importance for diversity in the sector also, and through him consistently pushing his personal brand and reaching his target demographic, they will remember him and hopefully be inspired to manage their finances better, and perhaps one day enter the world of financial advice themselves.
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Financial Planning Qualifications guide
https://financialplannerlife.com/whats-the-true-cost-of-becoming-a-financial-planner-or-paraplanner-a-definitive-guide/
2021 Financial planning Salary Guide
https://financialplannerlife.com/recruit-uk-salary-survey-2021/
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