Marketing isn’t the colouring in department.

In conversation with Emma Hardiman

In this episode, James is joined by Emma Hardiman to explore the role marketing should really play inside a financial planning business, and why it’s often misunderstood.

Too often, marketing is treated as a support function, brought in at the end to “make things look good” rather than influence how a firm grows. In this conversation, Emma shares why marketing should sit at the centre of client understanding, trust and strategic decision-making.

In this episode, they discuss:

• Why marketing is often treated as a “colouring in” function
• The gap between brand, strategy and real growth
• How trust is built before any client interaction
• Why clients buy belief, not just advice
• The role marketing should play in shaping a business
• Moving from reactive activity to strategic influence

This episode challenges how financial planning firms think about marketing, and what needs to change for it to truly drive growth.

If you’re a financial planner, business owner or marketer within an advice firm, this episode is for you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Adviser Who Walked Away

In conversation with James McPartland

In this episode, James is joined by James McPartland to explore the story behind building and ultimately walking away from a £400m financial planning business.

Built from scratch under the St. James’s Place model, James and his partners grew a highly successful firm before making the decision to leave and start again. In this candid conversation, he shares what pushed them to that point, what they got wrong along the way, and what they would do differently if they had their time again.

In this episode, they discuss:

• Building an advice business from scratch in your twenties
• Growing organically to £400m of client assets
• The realities of operating within a large advice model
• The frustrations that led to the decision to leave
• What happens when you resign from your own business
• The risks, pressure and personal impact of starting again
• Lessons learned — and what they would do differently
• Why client relationships matter more than brand names

This episode offers a candid and practical look at one of the biggest decisions an adviser can make, and what it really takes to start again.

If you’re a financial planner, adviser or business owner thinking about the future of your firm, this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:20 How James Fell Into Financial Planning

07:00 Starting Out With Just a Phone

12:00 Building an Advice Business in Your Twenties

18:00 Joining St. James’s Place

24:00 Growing the Business to £400m

32:00 When Things Started to Feel Misaligned

40:00 The Frustrations That Built Over Time

48:00 Deciding to Leave the Business

57:00 The Risks of Walking Away

01:05:00 Stress, Family and the Reality of the Decision

01:12:00 Planning the Exit Strategy

01:20:00 Rebuilding the Business From Scratch

01:28:00 Technology, Platforms and the New Proposition

01:36:00 What Other Advisers Should Know

01:44:00 Final Thoughts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In conversation with John White & Mike Toole

No DeLorean. No flux capacitor. But in this episode, James is joined by John White and Mike Toole to explore a genuinely interesting question: what does the future of financial planning actually look like?

And, somewhat ironically, the answer might feel familiar.

Rather than consolidation cycles, efficiency drives or purely transactional relationships, the conversation looks toward a future that resembles the best parts of advice’s past — where judgement, empathy and trust sit at the centre of client relationships, supported (not replaced) by technology.

John and Mike share their thinking behind building a firm from scratch with quality and character at its core, alongside a view of how AI and automation are reshaping the technical side of planning while leaving the human side more important than ever.

In this episode, they discuss:

• What the “future” of financial advice may actually look like
• Why the human elements of advice are becoming more valuable, not less
• Building firms around character, culture and long-term quality
• AI’s role in reducing technical and administrative load
• Judgement, empathy and trust as competitive advantages
• Moving away from transactional throughput toward meaningful relationships

Ultimately, this episode offers a forward-looking yet grounded perspective on where the profession is heading — and why the future of advice may be less about reinvention and more about rediscovery.

If you’re a Financial Planner, Adviser or leader within an advice firm, this episode is for you.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction & Episode Overview

04:00 Guest Introductions – John White & Mike Toole

11:30 The Current Financial Advice Landscape

20:15 Changing Expectations of Financial Planners

29:40 Communication, Trust & Client Relationships

39:10 Technology vs Human Connection

48:30 Skills That Matter Most in Modern Advice

58:00 Professional Development & Continuous Learning

01:07:20 Regulation, Value & Commercial Reality

01:16:45 Building Credibility & Differentiation

01:26:10 Future-Proofing Careers in Financial Planning

01:35:30 Advice Firm Culture & Leadership

01:44:15 Key Takeaways From the Discussion

01:51:30 Final Reflections & Closing Thoughts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.