Great advisors do more than advise; they lead with a CEO mindset that drives growth, scale, and stronger client experiences. This piece shows how a simple shift in thinking turns a practice into a real enterprise.
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Recently, I was talking with a friend who runs an incredibly successful financial advisory firm. In the middle of our conversation, he said something that stopped me cold: “I don’t consider myself a financial advisor. I consider myself a CEO who happens to run a wealth advisory firm.”
It was a simple statement, but it really landed with me.
Here’s someone who has built a thriving business, services clients exceptionally well, and is widely respected by his peers. And still, he doesn’t define himself by his technical profession. He defines himself by his role as a leader, strategist, and business builder.
That conversation made me reflect on the advisors I’ve met at industry events, Host University (now new and improved as Masterclass), and even in our Customer Advisory Board meetings. His comment revealed something to me:
The best advisors don’t think of themselves as only advisors. They think of themselves as CEOs.
Good advisors are skilled, committed, and deeply client focused. They care about the people they serve. But most spend far more time working in the business than working on it.
Great advisors share that same passion for clients, but they pair it with a CEO mindset that considers growth, culture, marketing, technology, and scale.
It’s not about education, tenure, or credentials.
The real difference is mindset.
When you speak with great advisors, you hear things like:
They approach their practice like an enterprise—one that demands vision, infrastructure, talent, and forward thinking.
Good advisors are focused on excellence today: the client meeting, the plan, the portfolio, the to-do list. While they bring genuine care and expertise to every conversation, they typically don’t leave space for the bigger questions:
Where are we going?
How do we get there faster?
What do I need to stop doing?
What investments am I making in my future business?
Good advisors operate.
Great advisors lead.
A good advisor delivers value personally.
A great advisor builds a firm that delivers value consistently.
That means:
Both serve clients well, but only one builds something that can scale and create true enterprise value.
Great advisors make growth a priority, not a hope.
They invest in:
They don’t wait for their pipeline to soften; they build a pipeline that rarely softens in the first place. They don’t react to their business. They design it.
Good advisors hire helpers.
Great advisors hire leaders.
They understand their #1 job is to surround themselves with the best talent available. They build capacity before they're stretched thin, and they are delegating real ownership so they can stay focused on the highest-value work: strategy, delivering value, and driving growth.
As technology reshapes how we work, the best will recognize now is the time to scale. The advisors and firms that win the next decade will be the ones who:
They won’t be the one’s merely weathering change. They’ll be the ones shaping it.
My friend didn’t diminish the role of being an advisor. In fact, he holds that role in the highest regard. But he recognized something powerful:
To serve more people, create more impact, and build something enduring, you can't just do the work. You must lead the business.
Good advisors advise.
Great advisors build enterprises.
And the beautiful thing about mindset is that it isn’t fixed, it’s chosen. Each one of us has the power to choose how we think, and who we become.
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