Secrets to Surviving Your First Year as a Firm Owner
Anyone who has launched their own financial planning firm will tell you it's no small feat. But the challenge doesn't need to feel insurmountable. There are plenty of advisors who have successfully set off on their own and lived to tell the tale.
Learn the tricks of the trade from two of those advisors—XYPN members Ashley Coake and Michael Mustian—as they share how they came to be successful firm owners and how they continue to drive success in their practices today.

Intros
Firm backgrounds
Motivations for starting your firm
Legal structure of your firm
Compliance and initial registration process
First Year Tip: Compliance
Fee structures
First Year Tip: Fees
Finding or transitioning clients
Impact of CFP designation
Marketing plans
Side hustles
Handling rejection
Contingency plans
Hours allocated to building firm
Marketing tools
First year budget
Mentors
Good investments in year one
Favorite software
Accountability groups
Time management insights
Accounting software or accountants
Hindsights after the first year
Words of Wisdom
Intros
Firm backgrounds
Motivations for starting your firm
Legal structure of your firm
Compliance and initial registration process
First Year Tip: Compliance
Fee structures
First Year Tip: Fees
Finding or transitioning clients
Impact of CFP designation
Marketing plans
Side hustles
Handling rejection
Contingency plans
Hours allocated to building firm
Marketing tools
First year budget
Mentors
Good investments in year one
Favorite software
Accountability groups
Time management insights
Accounting software or accountants
Hindsights after the first year
Words of Wisdom
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In this recording
Listen as Ashley and Michael share their first year insights on:
- Initial registration and XYPN's compliance support
- Determining the legal structure for their firm
- Identifying, and evolving, their fee structures
- How much they spent in the first year (it might be less than you think!)
- Their top tips for your first year related to compliance, marketing, and more
Mentioned in this recording
- 6 Strategies for Career Changers
- Transition: Leaving Your Position with an Existing Firm to Start Your Own Fee-Only Firm
- XYPN Roundup: The Best Compliance Posts for Independent Financial Advisors
- What You Need to Know About Launching Your Own Financial Planning Firm
- 17 Compliance Tips Every Independent Financial Advisor Should Know
- How To Profitably Price Fee-For-Service Financial Planning
- Choosing a Financial Planning Fee Structure – What Are the Options?
- Raising Your Financial Planning Fees
- How to Determine Your Services and Fees When Launching Your RIA
- 5 Simple Secrets of Effective Prospect Nurturing
- 5 Places to Look for and Find Your First Clients
- XYPN's Find an Advisor Portal
- 10 Must-Haves for Your RIA Website
- XYPN's First-Year Budget Template
- The How and Why of Side Hustles for Financial Advisors
- A Case for Jumping in Full Time When Starting Your RIA: What Would Arlene Say?
- Prospective Clients and that Initial Client Meeting: What Would Arlene Say?
- Is It Time to Fire a Client? - What Would Arlene Say?
- How to Effectively Manage Your Time as a Firm Owner: What Would Arlene Say?
- How Financial Advisors Can Master Referrals: What Would Arlene Say?
- Free Time-Saving Tech Solutions to Incorporate Into Your Financial Planning Practice
- The Ultimate Guide to Mentorship: What Would Arlene Say?
- XYPN's Compliance Services
- eMoney
- RightCapital
- Morningstar
- The Value Of Advisor Study Groups – Not Just Studying Financial Planning, But Mastermind Your Business And Career
- Networking for Extroverts - A Guide: What Would Arlene Say?
- 10 Lessons You'll Learn in the First Year of Running Your RIA
- XYPN's First-Year Business Plan Template
- XYPN Member Benefits Directory