Marcus Richards
We advise our clients on how to best protect their wealth for their bloodline from third party threats they may face. We do this by learning about the family structure, their values, and their wealth.
Tell us about yourself?
I had entered financial services in 2003. After a break from the industry for around 5 years I returned in 2013 and within 12 months I realised I also needed to obtain additional legal experience to solve the problems my clients were facing. I got that experience working alongside a trust corporation and also undertook highly respected exams with the Society if Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
I also realised, the sales culture associated with many of the private banks and wealth management firms didn’t resonate with me – probably because I was and am a terrible sales person! Technical expertise and having a friendly open demeanour, on a strong foundation of ethics and integrity is important to me.
I’m not afraid of walking away from a deal nor am I afraid of walking towards one, especially when they are challenging.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
1. Get direct social media training from experts before running any facebook ads. It’ll cost a few thousand but it’ll be worth it.
What problem does your business solve?
I am solving two problems:
1. Removing the threat of financial poverty from peoples bloodlines.
2. Providing bloodlines the ability to free up their time to put their talents to better philanthropic use
What is the inspiration behind your business?
Far too many people are stuck in their jobs and careers which do not provide them with fulfilment. They don’t spend enough time with their families or on themselves. We have a society with toxic levels of absentee fathers, and mother’s who have no choice but to work all hours.
We have children with depression and adults not knowing what to do. Effective planning by parents and grandparents would ease a serious financial burden for their children and also have a net positive effect on the wider UK economy,
What is your magic sauce?
All advisers must be dual qualified that means they need to hold regulated wealth management and legal qualifications. That level of expertise gives us the ability to make sound decisions much faster than if we were only experienced in one field.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
– We’re currently building a personal finance up and we’re excited to roll this out, to the general public and also to corporate partners.
– Growing the team slowly with high performance individuals
– We want to become a highly respected boutique family office that has a synergistic social enterprise arm
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
This is a tough question. I have had several big challanges which include being threatend by a major EU based company to shut down and another UK based company who’d pull a separate contract if I continued with this business. Managed to navigate both. Other challenges have included similar problems facing many small businesses, cash flow, marketing, and taking investment risk on your own business. Fortunately, tihngs have paid off and the business continues to get stronger and stronger!
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
I want accountancy firms and wealth managers who really care about their clients succession plans to reach out. It’s in their commercial interest too as if their clients haven’t resolved their succession plans and their clients die and the adminstration of their death becomes messy due to beneficiaries not getting along, they could also be losing a client or several.
