John Browning shares his journey from working at large financial firms to starting his own independent financial planning business. He emphasizes the importance of building relationships and providing value to clients. Browning also discusses the challenges of acquiring a small firm and the lessons he learned from that experience. He highlights the significance of networking and making introductions for others as a key strategy for finding new clients. 

In this conversation, John Browning and Brett Trainor discuss the importance of networking and building relationships in business. They emphasize the value of introductions and learning from others in networking groups, rather than focusing solely on sales pitches. 

John shares his experience of writing a book and starting a podcast as effective ways to share knowledge and build credibility. He also highlights the importance of outsourcing tasks that you don't enjoy or excel at, and the need for sales training when transitioning from corporate to entrepreneurship. 

John’s Links

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbrowningfinancialsolutions/
• Website: guardianrockwealth.com 
• Book: https://a.co/d/iLeCDMM

Takeaways

• Building relationships and providing value to clients is crucial in the financial planning business.
• Acquiring a small firm can be challenging, and it's important to carefully consider contracts and agreements.
• Networking and making introductions for others is an effective strategy for finding new clients.
• Involving and communicating with your spouse or partner is essential when starting your own business.
• Transitioning from a corporate job to entrepreneurship requires a shift in mindset and approach. Networking is about making introductions and learning from others, not just exchanging sales pitches.
• Writing a book and starting a podcast can be effective ways to share knowledge and build credibility.
• Outsource tasks that you don't enjoy or excel at, and focus on what you do best.
• Sales training is important when transitioning from corporate to entrepreneurship.
• Be careful with contracts and seek legal advice to protect yourself in business.
• John Browning's website, podcast, and daily market update provide valuable resources for those interested in his services.

Sound Bites

• "Build your best life, not your portfolio."
• "Be careful with contracts, they may not mean the same thing as in the corporate world."
• "You need somebody to complain to at the end of the day and somebody to celebrate your wins too."
• "I think that's where most networking groups go the wrong way is they see it as a leads group or a friends group that gets together to exchange stories or something like that. And I think it's introductions."
• "Yeah, it's definitely the anti sales sales pitch is counterintuitive, but it works a lot better."
• "I think that's one of the so the bulk of the rest of my business comes from there. People because I I believe that you put as much as you possibly can out there for free."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

06:40 The Tipping Point and Leaving Corporate

08:08 Lessons from Acquiring a Small Firm

13:04 The Power of Networking

18:12 Involving Your Spouse or Partner

19:18 Transitioning from Corporate to Entrepreneurship

21:11 The Power of Introductions and Learning in Networking

23:17 Building Credibility Through Books and Podcasts

28:20 Outsourcing and Focusing on Your Strengths

29:32 Sales Training for Transitioning from Corporate to Entrepreneurship

33:01 Protecting Yourself in Business: Be Careful with Contracts

39:05 Valuable Resources from John Browning: Website, Podcast, and Daily Market Update

Keywords

financial planning, small business, corporate escapee, independent, networking, acquisitions, networking, relationships, introductions, learning, sales pitches, book, podcast, credibility, outsourcing, sales training, corporate, entrepreneurship