The Calendar System That Runs My Entire Practice with Ryan Calhoun

[00:00:00] Ryan: If money weren't an object, basically, and I could have my structure exactly how I wanted it, what would I do? And it's not doing applications and it's not sending it and it's not, you know, calling someone to make sure that we set up their, they signed their account or something like that. So that, I, I really try and, and recently I've been getting better at.

[00:00:22] Ryan: Sticking with that.

[00:00:27] Intro: Welcome to the Seven Figure Advisor Podcast, the show for financial advisors ready to scale their business to seven figures and beyond. Each week you'll get proven growth strategies, leadership insights, and best practices from someone that's helped countless advisors break past the million dollar miles.

[00:00:46] Intro: Stone. Here's your host, Nick Davies.

[00:00:52] Nick: Ryan Calhoun, thanks for being on the Seven Figure Advisor podcast. Excited to get into today with you.

[00:00:58] Ryan: Yeah, thanks for having me, Nick. I'm excited to be here.

[00:01:02] Nick: I hope this is your podcast debut.

[00:01:04] Ryan: It's my podcast debut. Yep. So, uh, this is a special one, obviously, and, uh, wouldn't wanna share it with anyone else other than you.

[00:01:12] Ryan: All

[00:01:12] Nick: right. Awesome, man. Well, I appreciate that. Appreciate you. Uh, let's make it, let's make it memorable. Yeah, of course. Seven Figure Advisor podcast is, you know, for advisors, and I'm excited to learn some stuff about you. I don't know, and we've known each other, I guess, for context for a couple years now at least.

[00:01:28] Nick: And, uh, so it's been a privilege to know you a bit through that journey as well. But start off with just the, the basics, if you would. Right. Because I think it's so interesting to learn. How advisors get into the business in the first place. What, what was the leverage that got you to decide that this was the right thing for you in the first place?

[00:01:45] Ryan: Yeah, so I think like most people that I talk to, at least, I don't think anyone necessarily goes to college or, or even in the middle of college is like, yeah, I'm gonna be a financial advisor. Maybe it's, it's not really that kind of path. I don't think. It kind of, you know what, however, they end up coming in and then all of a sudden it sticks.

[00:02:03] Ryan: So for me it was. My dad's a huge role model for me. He was in financial services growing up, so in the back of my head was always, maybe I would get into that and I laugh now because financial services and financial advising, like what does that even mean when I'm that age or in college? Like what did I really think I was even getting into?

[00:02:21] Ryan: Probably something completely different than what I'm doing right now. I think everyone thinks of like Boiler room or Wolf of Wall Street Probably. Yeah, more stereotypical. But yeah, I played baseball in college and. COVID was my last year. So COVID came around and baseball ended and it was like, man, let's look at what's next.

[00:02:41] Ryan: So started replying to some LinkedIn and Handshake messages and. Got hooked up with Equitable Advisors and Matt Johnston, our branch, and kind of the rest is history. I interviewed with a couple other places. My dad, you know, again, was influential in that he, he knew what Car Barth was, which is our local branch in Philly.

[00:03:01] Ryan: He spoke pretty highly of it, which meant something to me, so I kind of went with it and never looked back.

[00:03:08] Nick: Very cool.

[00:03:12] Nick: To lean into that expectation of what the industry is or a different view of what it is. Do you think that it's a, something that needs to be changed, or is there an opportunity to have like to educate people on, on what actually it is and the difference there? Do you think there's a, an opportunity there?

[00:03:29] Ryan: Yeah, I don't know. I, I do talk to a lot of guys who are graduating guys and girls who are graduating college, who have. Whether it's a family friend or someone who just randomly connects with me on LinkedIn 'cause they're in the interview process. Something along those lines. And talking about, you know, what the job is and what it isn't.

[00:03:45] Ryan: And I do always find that interesting, like the questions I get. How did you build your book? What do, what are you doing? What are you doing on a day to day? Again, it, it depends on which avenue you go, but like, I personally am not a stock picker who sits there and picks funds all day or calls people to buy.

[00:04:00] Ryan: X, Y, Z stock. So I do find that interesting. I don't know if it necessarily needs to be changed, but I do think there is a wide range of what people think an advisor does. And I, and really I guess that's part of our job now, even as I see it, you know, what is a financial advisor? Everyone that you talk to has kind of a different impression of that and, and idea of that even when you meet and like setting that up from the beginning of what I actually do.

[00:04:29] Ryan: Is a lot different than the other guy in our group who is a financial advisor, but does something completely different. So that's kind of an interesting piece of it as well.

[00:04:37] Nick: I really think it's expand that a little bit when talking to people that are maybe thinking about coming to industry or trying to figure out what they wanted to do.

[00:04:44] Nick: Question or observation you need to have to say, this is gonna be for me. This is how you should think about it. If you wanna do this, then this is a good way for you to go. How, how do you think about that?

[00:04:55] Ryan: Yeah. I've, I'm obviously still early on and uh, I tell people this, I tell newer people who are in the office who talk about.

[00:05:03] Ryan: The job, it's hard. You're not making a lot of money at the beginning, whatever it is. Everyone's got their issues or complaints, I guess at the beginning, challenges, whether it's a job or a career, and I always looked at it as a career and a long-term path to helping a lot of people and being successful in that.

[00:05:19] Ryan: And for me it's a career. So struggling in year 1, 2, 3 is not as big of a deal when you have kind of a longer term outlook. When you're looking, you're in year one and you're looking at your friends or maybe making more money than you, and it's a job, right? Like you, you could go landscape or you could go be a financial advisor, you go work for a consulting firm.

[00:05:40] Ryan: You could be a financial advisor. If you're just looking at it as a job that's paying your bills, it's a difficult thing to get started. It's difficult to find motivation day to day, and you look at it with a 5, 10, 15 year outlook. I think that helps a lot. As a career outlook rather than just a job that you show up to every day.

[00:05:59] Nick: Yeah, totally, man. And, and you know, from the advisors that are newer on that, that I've been around and the, the managers that work with them and, and the, the things that I see in that space as well, right? Like the big piece in this, in the shift is the identity. It's like, it's probably multi-layered, right?

[00:06:14] Nick: Kind of you said job to career. I would also add on top of that business, right? It's like I haven't got a job. I'm not showing up for my boss. I'm showing up here. Not just for for my career, but meaning like it's long term, but I'm, I'm here building a business. I'm building. Yeah. Like a, a company rather firm.

[00:06:33] Nick: Like, and not thinking of it from that perspective. Right. Which is challenging when you are smiling and dialing. Right. Or you have a specific approach to that, like in terms of like your, where you're prospecting when you're first starting out. But yeah, for me that's also like a switch because it's an identity piece.

[00:06:49] Nick: You're going, why now? I'm confident I now see this as like a business, my business, I'm in charge of it.

[00:06:56] Ryan: Right.

[00:06:57] Nick: Because that, that's, uh, an interesting way to think about it, especially if you're surrounded by a lot of people in a, in a sort of corporate setting. It's easier to see it as a job rather than, uh, a business.

[00:07:06] Nick: Does that, does that resonate for you?

[00:07:08] Ryan: Yeah, for sure. And I think, you know, not to go on the, uh, working with the coach Nick Davies' kick here, but like, I, I think that was, that's really one of the main things that we've worked on, I think is whether it's. You or me, you and Chris, when we talk about building a business and a business, again, whether that's mine or mine and Chris's or the group, but building a business around that and not just, you know, a list of clients or a group of clients that we have.

[00:07:39] Nick: Yeah, I mean, I would say as well for, for people watching and listening, the context around that is. Working in joint work with more other experienced advisors as, as part of a group officially or not officially, in order to create some leverage and, and be able to service a book that's available in different ways.

[00:07:59] Nick: Right? So there's lots of clients out there, depending on, you know, if you've been in the business for three decades, your client book is likely large and perhaps doesn't get all the necessary support it could get. If you're not bringing other people in the team, which makes sense to help support along.

[00:08:12] Nick: So as you said, like navigating that is definitely a, uh, a huge way of looking at it, right? Because like the opportunities in this industry are, are crazy, especially where things are right now. I just got back from dinner, a big event last week. You, as you may know, Ryan and I got reminded, you know, the average age of advisor is 60 plus.

[00:08:31] Ryan: Yeah.

[00:08:31] Nick: And most of them don't have a exit plan. And they're looking of ways of, of thinking about what that could be. There's massive opportunities for people come into business and look at acquiring books and just servicing clients and it may not be a great thing to think about when you're just coming into the business, but just so much opportunity overall I think is the point.

[00:08:53] Nick: Tell me if you would like, that was your starting point, where you into the business, what are some of the key, and then there's always more Okay, of course, but what are some of the key hurdles? To remind ourselves that we're gonna hit as you are building your business because it's easy to think, oh, it's, it's not working.

[00:09:15] Nick: I'm gonna give up. Or, or like, oh, that didn't happen to someone else. Why does it happen to me? Maybe it's not for me. I won't give it, I won't go all the way in. Or kind of worse still being the middle ground where I'm just getting enough through where I'm not gonna quit, but I'm not really thriving and I'm not add adding tons of value to a bunch of clients because I haven't got them.

[00:09:33] Nick: And so it's like seeing those obstacles that actually are the path. What would you say about that? Like what are some of those key areas that you see now looking backwards to say, oh, that was actually just part of the path and the time. It just felt like a big obstacle.

[00:09:46] Ryan: Yeah. Our branch manager, Tim McGuire, always gets in front of people and when we first started, and he gets in front of a room and he says, the bottom line is just don't quit.

[00:09:56] Ryan: Everyone kind of rolls their eyes after they hear it a couple times. They're like, uh, I get it. But like, it's hard. And then you get later on down the line, you're like, it's truly the only advice, right? Like if you just don't quit, if you just keep showing up every day, good things will come. Again, Tim and and a lot of other people always say every no leads you to your next Yes.

[00:10:15] Ryan: Again, like another super corny saying, but just true, right? Like. There's no writer, there's no perfect potion to, like you said, some people come in and maybe they're working a book under a, a friend or, or someone that they know, maybe they come in working a servicing, a bigger book that, um, you look at it and you're like, man, they have good fortune right there, that, you know, they're kind of set.

[00:10:38] Ryan: So other people who come in know nothing, know no one, and they build a book that's greater than that one. So you can't compare yourself. I would say that too. That's. It, it kills you because you're just, you're constantly kind of spinning your wheels, but if you can show up every day, do the right things that you know are right, I believe that good things will come.

[00:10:59] Nick: I think that's important actually, Ryan, because I often say I. You maybe even heard me say before that, that there are no silver bullets, but if there was a silver bullet, it's the fact that there are no silver bullets.

[00:11:11] Ryan: Yeah.

[00:11:11] Nick: Meaning to say it's just showing up and doing the work. Right. That consistency of showing up every day and there's not necessarily, uh, a one-on-one feedback loop on that.

[00:11:21] Nick: Like sometimes there is, but most time is if you're putting good, good stuff in, you're gonna get good stuff out. And so really all you need to know is that do you like. Enough of what you're doing in order to continue what you're doing to ultimately get the results and have a, a massive business, uh, based on that as well.

[00:11:40] Ryan: Yeah, I think it's tough until you see the first person or you hear the first person who says like, wow, thank you so much. Like, we really were kind of lost before this meeting. I had someone this morning that I talked to, we didn't even really, you know, in my mind we didn't do that much even yet. Really, like, we just kind of got into the planning.

[00:11:57] Ryan: But giving her and her husband peace of mind that. When they do retire, they're going to be fine and we can mess with the plans and we can reallocate and we can do all these things, but just telling them, hey, from, from what we've seen and what we've done, a lot of hers was like pension related. So, you know, running those estimates and showing her, Hey, you're gonna be all right and here's when you can retire.

[00:12:18] Ryan: That was enough for her to finally, you know, breathe some fresh air and say, thank God, like we're gonna be all right. And that. Until you hear that once, twice, 10 times, I think you, you struggle to figure out why you're doing it. Everyone kind of says like, what's your why? And then early on, it's, uh, because I need money to pay my bills.

[00:12:38] Ryan: And that's totally fine and valid, right? Like at the beginning. That's really kind of why you're doing it. And then you start to realize there's more people out there and you start to really help people. And then you start to realize like, okay. Sure you can make a really good income and that's great, but you can really, truly help people and make an impact.

[00:12:56] Ryan: And that's pretty cool.

[00:12:57] Nick: Yeah, it really is. There's always depth to it, right? It's like there's, the, the psychology around it, of course, is that we do everything to avoid pain or move towards pleasure, and there's the, you know, there's dual forces of moving us forward and it's just, you know, take the one that's the most useful in the moment, right?

[00:13:14] Nick: If it's like, goodness, I'm in the place I wanna be right now. Most important thing is making some money. It's like, okay, great. We'll make focus on that in that way. Doing it with, uh, in your integrity of course, is important, but I think that like allows you to move forward. But I, what was really key, what you said there, and I want everyone to note that, is having that person, that first person say thank you so much because ultimately there's outcomes we wanna build here.

[00:13:39] Nick: There's tangible progress in the business, being able to support yourself, support your family, awesome. But we wanna look for that. Pleasure along the way. Right? So in that example, the pleasure, pleasure of the pain, pleasure is like, oh, wow. Like he's a milestone along the way. Now someone just said to me like, that was awesome.

[00:13:57] Nick: Like that, that was really important. Like it made a difference. You're like, oh, even though, you know, it does, but when someone can reflect that back to you, right? Like that, that keeps you going, right? So it's, it's also really great to be able to structure your business in that way as well, so you can see more of those people saying, okay, that was great.

[00:14:12] Nick: Like, and then, uh, the more you can do that, the more you keep showing up the next day.

[00:14:16] Ryan: Yeah.

[00:14:17] Nick: So talk to us about how you structure your day. What would you say works well for you on a daily or weekly basis that helps you continue to do what you need to do to move forward?

[00:14:30] Ryan: My calendar dictates everything I do.

[00:14:32] Ryan: So whether that's I, I put personal stuff on my calendar. I put, when I'm driving, I put my workout on my calendar, so I put everything on there. If I didn't do that, I'd be lost. So I think that's probably my number one thing really is. I have a calendar and I try to stick to it. I think it was, you told me, and maybe this is someone else's quote, the best way to use a hundred percent of your time is use 60% of your time.

[00:14:55] Ryan: So you have some wiggle room in there. I'm trying to get better at that because I do, I stack my calendar exactly to the minute, all day long. And then obviously, you know, stuff comes up and it doesn't, you, you don't get everything done and now it's kicked to later in the evening or something. That's an interesting, I've been working on that, but.

[00:15:14] Ryan: I would say the other thing for me, like a, I'm a morning workout person, so I have to work out in the morning. I joke around that bad things happen to people who don't get up in the morning. Uh, I loved it as soon as fun. I love to sleep, like, don't get me wrong, but it's just when I don't work out in the morning, things pile up in the day and that nighttime workout is, is tough.

[00:15:35] Ryan: So I try to, you know, that's kind of my motivation to get up, get going in the morning. And I think good things kind of follow that. Like if I can, if I know I did the right thing in the in the morning again. It's funny, you listen to podcasts, you hear people talk and everyone says like corny cliche stuff, and then you get on one and you start saying corny, cliche stuff.

[00:15:58] Ryan: But no, I, I think like if you get your workout done in the morning, now you've got one victory under your belt and now you can kind of keep moving on with your day. Whereas when you don't, you, you're kind of just, I wake up and now I'm scrambling, and now, now it's, you know, I gotta go to a meeting. Doing stuff before the day starts or before the workday starts helps me a lot.

[00:16:17] Nick: Yeah, man, I, I'm, I'm hearing some of your principles come through and I dunno if you know them or not. Um, in terms of like, whether you consciously know them or, I mean, that, that's a really good thing, right? I love what you said. Bad things happen to people that don't get, so that's true. Right? And then activity begets activity and like you start yourself on a flow for where you're going.

[00:16:36] Nick: It's corny and cliche for a reason, because it's true. I mean, that's, that's important to think about, but also, yeah, it can definitely be, feel that way sometimes. So that, I think that's awesome in terms of that stuff you put in the calendar. Yeah, I, I definitely believe what you said, right? It's like we've got, we can't schedule ourselves a hundred percent because something's gonna happen if we schedule ourselves 60%.

[00:16:58] Nick: We've got the wiggle room to probably get done what's in there in first place, uh, and not feel like overwhelmed by it. Because the biggest thing that we've got as business owners is the space in our mind. To be able to utilize that to recalibrate and think about what's most important and, and strategize in the day.

[00:17:17] Nick: Uh, and that's, that's, if we lose that, then I think that's when you have those days, when you get there at the end of the day, like, what happened today? So giving yourself that space is really important.

[00:17:27] Intro: Um, yeah.

[00:17:28] Nick: So do you think about that principally when you're working on your calendar, right? Do you, how do you think about the use of your calendar when you're booking clients or prospects?

[00:17:37] Nick: Tell us a little bit more about that.

[00:17:38] Ryan: So, I do have time booked out in the afternoons for clients meetings and in the mornings for client meetings. So I do try to have time that is meeting oriented. I'm studying for my CFP right now, so that's another, I have my hours in my calendar. I, I try, you know, ideally I work out in the morning.

[00:17:57] Ryan: I study for an hour or two after that, and then my day starts.

[00:18:00] Nick: Yeah.

[00:18:01] Ryan: So that kind of gets me going. Again, I can't study. At the end of the day, I'm tired. It's the last thing I want to do. So after a workout, I feel good study and then the day starts. So for me, recently, some days that's starting my day, more so at eight o'clock or eight 30.

[00:18:20] Ryan: Whereas other days clients wanna meet at seven o'clock and like you have to be willing to do that. On the flip side, there's other days that I've tried to, as I've gotten a little bit more into this and I've gotten more freedom, I think, or earned a little bit more freedom, at least it's a blessing and a curse.

[00:18:39] Ryan: How free our schedules can be and how much we dictate our, you know, like you said, you're running your own business from the beginning. So if you don't wanna run a meeting all week, you don't have to run a meeting all week. Now you might make $0 and you might know you're outta the business in a year, but you don't have to do that.

[00:18:55] Ryan: So. It's understanding that and not abusing it, but taking advantage of it. And you really can. So, you know, I, I, I'm married now, I try not to run a meeting at seven o'clock every single night. Like that's, you know, you gotta think about her too, and that's a little annoying. So trying to have my calendar open, like, Hey, you know, two days a week I'll run a meeting at any time up to like eight o'clock because people wanna meet in the evening and that's fine.

[00:19:22] Ryan: But then there's other days and I don't have it planned exactly per day. I'm sure I will like once, you know, kids are in the equation and practices and stuff like that. But you know, there's other days where I'm like, yeah, I'm, I'm not gonna meet after six o'clock because I just want that time blocked off to know that roughly it's six, I'm done and I can detach and put close my computer and know that there's nothing else that can't wait until the next day.

[00:19:49] Ryan: So that, for me, is the biggest thing with the calendar. Just having blocked out time for what I, what needs to be accomplished, and even if that is just knowing when I'm open for meetings. I have an assistant now, she's been a massive help this year, but that I think has also brought to light a little bit the calendar.

[00:20:09] Ryan: If I don't have driving time in there, she doesn't know that it's an hour away necessarily. So if I didn't put driving time, or if I didn't ask her to put driving time in a meeting or after a meeting. And then I'm double booked and now I'm in the car and trying to connect to a meeting. It just doesn't work out.

[00:20:25] Ryan: So, you know, I think the calendar is a lot more important than maybe some people put stock into with it, just because it really does kind of dictate your whole day. And depending on how precise it is, could really be a difference maker.

[00:20:44] Nick: I love what you're talking about here, Ryan. I think it's so cool, man.

[00:20:46] Nick: It's, it's using time as a tool. It's being intentional about what you are building and what, and well, you should build your business the way you want it to be. It's like, well, yeah, of course. But meaning like, what it builds into, if I keep doing these things, I'm gonna get a result. Right? And so it's like if I know that, um, as, as we grow in our lives and our businesses, we, we have to be more and more precise.

[00:21:09] Nick: You use that word. I love that word. We have to be more and more precise around. How we structure our time. Uh, and that allows us to get better and more efficient, which actually makes it more valuable. Tell me. So if someone else right now is thinking, man, uh, I'm starting to get busy with some service work, I, I, I'm doing less appointments and meetings because I'm doing more service work.

[00:21:30] Nick: I need to be available for that. Uh, I think I could do with some help, but man, that's scary. How the hell am I gonna make that happen? What would you tell them?

[00:21:39] Ryan: You have to do it. Everyone said, I, I had a bunch of people say before, when, when I didn't have someone helping me, people would always say, when you felt like you needed an assistant, you needed one yesterday.

[00:21:50] Ryan: And I got to that point for sure. I got to the point of I need an assistant. And then I went a little bit longer because I, the thought of paying an assistant is scary and went a little bit longer. And then it was, now I'm behind on where I want to be because I don't have someone helping me. And oh, by the way, just for anyone who's hiring.

[00:22:10] Ryan: You can't hire someone tomorrow, more than likely, and unless you know someone who's looking for a job. Mm-hmm. So it takes a couple months and there's, there's background checks that equitable and, and there's a lot that goes into it. So, or you know, whether it's equitable or another company. So there's a lot that goes into it.

[00:22:27] Ryan: So do it sooner than you think and you'll thank yourself later on. It's, it's so nice being able to not have to worry about things that. Early on you worry about, and realistically you shouldn't. Like they're not, they're not really, if you were working somewhere else, if you were not running your own business, I guess I always try to look at it and I have a notes tab in my phone of like my ideal business.

[00:22:54] Ryan: So if in, in, if money weren't an object, basically, and I could have my structure exactly how I wanted it, what would I do? And it's not doing applications and it's not sending it and it's not. Calling someone to make sure that we set up their, they signed their account or something like that. So that I, I really try and, and recently I've been getting better at sticking with that and saying this is, you know, someone else's responsibility and they're happy to do it.

[00:23:27] Ryan: I think that's the other funny thing. I always say thank you to my assistant, and she's like, I'm just doing my job, but you're welcome. But for me it's like, no, thank you. You have no idea how helpful you are. But for her, she's like, you're welcome, I guess. So

[00:23:44] Nick: it's a huge distinction because Yeah. Yeah. We think about the things that we don't want to do that we making someone else do, or they're doing it just 'cause they're paid to do it.

[00:23:53] Nick: But it's completely true that just because you don't wanna do it, someone else may love to do it. Right? Yeah. And it's like, which fits, fits really well with it. So I love that distinction you made, right? Because I imagine that anyone that's in that position has been told that like, if you need a A system, get an assistant because you can't grow.

[00:24:13] Nick: You're just living yourself in that moment. Like you're living money on the table, an impact on the table, just to, and they might understand that instinctively and they might have been told it enough, but still like what gets 'em over the edge. You know, some of the things I know that often show up are like.

[00:24:30] Nick: Because when we have a stressful situation decision to make, it feels like a switch, whether I do it or I don't do it. And to one, you know, you mentioned this in terms of like, well, it takes a long time to find someone anyway. Right. So think of it rather than a switch, like on and off, it's a demo switch.

[00:24:45] Nick: It's a trans transitional piece. Yeah. And it's not like one day it's nothing. The next day, man, I've got now like a six figure assistant to pay for or whatever it might be. Right. It's, you can have a situation where. You've got an assistant that is part-time, is paid for results, right? Is shared with other advisors, right?

[00:25:05] Nick: So there's a, there's transitional ways into doing that rather than just be like, oh my goodness, I've gotta then suddenly meet this whole big thing. How am I gonna get my arms around it? And, and it's not just for assistance, right? Anytime you are making that next level a leap, wherever you might be in your business, it always feels like that.

[00:25:22] Nick: That's just how that always feels, right. Right now with this first assistant Ryan, or with Fast Forward five years and it's the third assistant, whatever that might be, or it's the chief of staff or something like that, it's still gonna feel that same way. The feeling's gonna be still, oh my goodness, what if, yeah, it's still gonna feel that way.

[00:25:40] Nick: And so the way that we get faster at that is by looking at previous decisions in that same way and go see what happens. But we can never guarantee, but we can play the numbers and uh, you're gonna bet on someone. You wanna bet on yourself. Right.

[00:25:52] Intro: Right.

[00:25:53] Nick: What I gotta ask you about referrals. 'cause uh, it's such a interesting subject for everyone, such a big leverage point.

[00:26:00] Nick: Everyone talks about referrals and business. You know, I like to call 'em introductions rather than referrals, right? Because there's some, has some connotations around referrals. What do you think about referrals? What would you say is the biggest key to getting that right as it were?

[00:26:16] Ryan: So, I would say it's still a work in progress.

[00:26:19] Ryan: Absolutely. I don't, I think, you know, I've, I've heard a million different. Referrals, pitches and introduction pitches and everything, and it's figuring out what sounds right to you and what doesn't sound, you know, I don't love the super salesy referral. I'm looking to build my, you know, whatever it is. But at the same time, I think also what I've established with, whether it's in my practice and just realizing or in conversation with you even is.

[00:26:48] Ryan: People don't think of it as being weird unless you do, or people don't feel like that's invasive unless you feel invasive asking for it. So if you've provided value to someone and they know it and you know it, there really shouldn't be an issue of saying, Hey, you know, who else do you know that you could introduce me to, that I could be a resource to?

[00:27:11] Ryan: Uh. Again, it, it depends on, I think it depends on who you're talking to too. There's certain things that make people tick when we're talking with someone about their employer pension. The employer pension, for the most part, is probably not understood by a lot of people they work with, so go with that. Who else could I explain this to that would really benefit from this?

[00:27:35] Ryan: Maybe it's on the flip side, a spouse has an employee stock option and you know who else has this employee stock option that we could help. And I think when you go with what was really beneficial in your meetings with them, you'll see the, the benefits of it, because they respond better because they know that this was super helpful.

[00:27:57] Nick: I love what you said, Ryan, in that referral process, if you, if you feel weird about it. That will come across the people that you're talking about as well. And you said, I don't wanna feel salesy. Everyone, no one wants to feel salesy, right? So it's just, I think the message is be be do it the way that you wanna do it, but also be bold to know that that's a great way to grow your business because you are adding value to people.

[00:28:20] Nick: And uh, you can just share like, who else can I add to that? You know, also, I think it's a really important point to into, but Great shares today. Ryan, I wanna finish up just question. What you most proud of in what you've done in the industry so far? I know you've said a couple times today like just, you know, lots to do getting going and that's true, but it's also true for lots and people, right?

[00:28:43] Nick: Get, just getting through it. Everyone feels like they're getting going, but you, you've, uh, you've been in industry, you know, certainly long enough to have a, a great amount clients and, uh, a good impact on what you're doing. And what would you say you're most proud of overall?

[00:28:58] Ryan: I'd say I'm most proud of the client base that I've got so far, and, and I can kind of see the path of what that looks like in the future as well.

[00:29:06] Ryan: We've helped a ton of people. We've been able, like I said, I, I think the most gratifying thing is when people say like, wow. And you can see that it clicked in that light bulb for them. So that for me, I, I think is probably the number one. And then the other piece of it would be. What I've built with, you mentioned Chris and, and Ben is another one that I work with.

[00:29:29] Ryan: What I've built with them over the time that I've worked with them, I've worked with two senior advisors for, you know, three, four going on five years now. I guess pretty, pretty soon. And when I got here, so five years. Um, so working with them for four years, seeing how that's evolved and how it's changed every day and every year.

[00:29:50] Ryan: And then again, looking out in the future what that looks like with them excites me and, and it's really gratifying and I'm indebted to them, obviously for working with me early on. And then, uh, I hope they see me as a benefit in their business now as well.

[00:30:07] Nick: No doubt. No doubt. All right. Well, I appreciate you coming onto our seven Figure Advisor podcast.

[00:30:12] Nick: Leave us with one thing if you would, Ryan, what's one piece of advice. To either your younger self or for, uh, an an advisor who's coming into the business.

[00:30:25] Ryan: I think I've, I've learned a bunch of different things. I would say the number one is, is leverage your own time. The freedom of time is really all that we can get, and money is a gateway to get there.

[00:30:38] Ryan: You, you know, the more money you that you can make and spend on your business and and bring other people in, whether that's assistance or help outside of that, leverage your time. There's people that we brought on early on as clients because we needed them. And have since parted ways with them because maybe we don't need them as much anymore.

[00:30:58] Ryan: And we realized that they're not really good clients for our fit. They, they really didn't fit what we were looking to, to do. And we, that was a mutual kind of agreement to part ways. So if I was really leveraging my time back then, I would've seen that and known. You know, maybe this isn't the best fit. So I would say my best advice, other than what we said earlier is, you know, just to kind of keep going and keep showing up and doing the right things and everything works out in the long run.

[00:31:26] Ryan: Chris Veri always says, everyone needs help. Help every single person and good things will come back to you. That's a good one. But I think leverage your time once you get into it, really, if you can leverage your time, you can grow exponentially. Do not how Nick?

[00:31:42] Nick: Hell. All right. Yeah, shout out to Ben Holiday.

[00:31:44] Nick: That's awesome as well. Thanks, Ryan. I really appreciate you coming on to Sym Pfizer podcast and I'm, I'm sure you'll get a lot of value out listening to you and, uh, where you are in your journey, so appreciate you. Take care.

[00:31:56] Ryan: Thanks Nick. Appreciate it.

[00:31:59] Intro: Thanks for listening to today's episode. Hit the Follow button to be notified of new episodes and visit seven dash figure advisor.com for more resources and to connect directly with Nick.

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