Greetings from the road.

This week’s time at Future Proof, listening to other industry leaders, talking with former colleagues, and meeting new faces with the sun on our faces and the Pacific shining just yards away was invigorating. Here’s hoping that even if you didn’t hit a conference, you still found some inspiration along the way.

Here are a few thoughts to keep you Connected:

1. From Gridiron Grief to Brewery Bliss: Lessons in Client Experience

2. How to Lead a Rapidly Growing Organization - Aaron Jasper 🎧

3. You’re Invited: Forging the Future - Miami, FL 📍

4. Mammoth’s Alternative Universe Newsletter

5. The AI Revolution in Wealth Management

Let’s get going.

From Gridiron Grief to Brewery Bliss: Lessons in Client Experience

Saturday was a rough day for those of us who are Nebraska Cornhusker fans.

I had the pleasure (or, rather, displeasure) of watching my favorite college football team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, lose to the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder.

Four fumbles contributed to a 22-point loss while we sat under picture-perfect blue skies, the Rocky Mountains cutting into the sky just behind us.

A beautiful day for football, a bad day to be a Cornhusker.

On Sunday, I met up with friends who live in the area to hike and spend quality time together. It’s not really a trip to Colorado if you don’t get into the mountains at least once while you’re there.

Just as the afternoon rain hit, we climbed into the car and went looking for a place to grab lunch and a pint.

We initially stopped at a brewery that looked promising. Their beers are solid, so we figured their shop would be fun to hang out in too. Unfortunately, the beer selection and atmosphere were underwhelming once we got inside. To top it off, food trucks wouldn’t arrive until 3 p.m. It was a little after noon, and we needed lunch too.

A quick “breweries near me” served up one called New Terrain Brewing in Golden, CO. As we drove up, hoping for a good selection and any food at all, our reality exceeded expectations.

New Terrain had a prime location - nestled at the base of North Table Mountain with a dog park, bike paths, hiking trails, and even an archery range all steps away from the parking lot.

Families milled about the food truck area, and bikers stopped in for a pint. The energy was high, and I felt that this is a central place for everyone in the community. They had plenty of choices on tap, a few food trucks and the kind of atmosphere that made you thankful to be right in that very moment. We ended up staying for 3 hours; honestly, I could’ve hung out there all day.

The lesson here writes itself. If wealth management firms think like the later brewery, they’ll understand the value of positioning around creating communities by meeting real needs and cultivating a place where our clients want to be.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself about your business and the environment you are creating:

1. Are we making our business hospitable?

2. Do our clients want to spend time around you, and if so, why is that?

3. If you have a physical office, are your doors open (maybe physically but also figuratively)? Are you creating a welcoming environment for your clients and prospective?

4. Are there aspects of your client experience that are more than transactional?

5. What core experiences do you include in all aspects of your business?

6. If you’re virtual, what are you doing to cultivate a community that is built around who you want to serve?

7. What are you doing if you have a niche to foster community there?

8. If you serve advisors, how are you creating community among your advisor clients?

When you think about the answers to these questions, you’ll refine or create your brand.

A brand is often undersold as merely a set of colors you use for marketing materials or swag. But what a brand really is is how your business makes people feel - it’s your business’s character.

I’m sure you know someone (maybe it’s you?) who has made their Jeep Wrangler their entire personality - and there is no shame about that at all. They join Jeep groups and go on Jeep adventures and maybe take it all a little farther than they thought they would. Although your clients may not be as obsessed with their financial advisory firm as some people are with Jeeps, creating fans of your firm is a good thing to strive for.

I know there are firms out there doing extraordinary things with client experience, and I’d love to know how you’re building your own unique brand that has your clients feeling thankful to be right in this very moment.

Feel free to reply to this email with any and all of your thoughts. As always, I love hearing from you.

On the Pod

How to Lead a Rapidly Growing Organization with Aaron Jasper

Episode 011: In this week’s episode of Milemarker’s Connected Podcast, Kyle sits down for a conversation with Aaron Jasper, CEO of Mutual Group.

He emphasizes the importance of being a good partner to financial advisors and the value of personalized service. Aaron also highlights the challenges of scalability and regulatory change associated with running a dual organization.

Here are a few key takeaways:

1. Being a good partner to advisors requires active listening, collaboration, and transparency.

2. Scaling service in a complex organization requires flexibility and customization.

3. The future of the industry will see more specialization, technological innovation, and increased regulation.

The episode is available now on your favorite podcast platform. While there, please don’t forget to Download, Like, and Subscribe.

You’re Invited: Forging the Future of Wealth Management, Miami, FL

Our Forging the Future of Wealth Management event at Bold Monk was so much fun, that we decided to do it again.

This time, we’ll be hosting our in-person event in Miami, FL in partnership with Allianz. The event is designed specifically for RIAs, where we will walk through unlocking tangible success for your clients, business and professional journey.

This is another great opportunity to connect with like-minded advisors and industry leaders. Tim Maurer and I will discuss how advisors can keep up with the increasing rate of change in our industry.

We would love for you to join us. Save your seat here.

Milemarker on the Road

Catch our team on the road at the following events or cities:

1. XYPN Live - September 18-19, Atlanta, GA

2. Fearless Investing Conference - October 3-5, Miami, FL

The AI Revolution in Wealth Management

This past week, I joined my friend, Jack Sharry, on an episode of his podcast, WealthTech on Deck.

We discuss the role of AI in data analysis and how it can automate processes, allowing financial advisors to focus on delivering personalized advice to their clients.

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Hope to get to spend some great time in a community you love this weekend!

Written by Jud Mackrill

Edited by Amy Simpson and Kim Mackrill