readers are leaders

I just finished reading The Halo Effect by Phil Rosenzweig. Wow, what a great companion to Blue Ocean Strategy the last book I read. Rosenzweig exposes the fallacy behind the “scientific” approach of business and management books that claim to reveal the secret to successful businesses.  The author writes with conviction and intellectual honesty (with no small amount of sarcasm) in a genre that I now see often slips into anecdotal storytelling.

I still believe there are principles that, if followed, will lead to success. But those principles will not be discovered by researching the most successful companies and doing exactly what they do. The secret to success is not Human Resources Management or Corporate Social Responsibility or a strong corporate culture.

In my new company and my life the focus will be on helping others, continuous improvement and personal integrity. These principles are not new or unique to me; not some sneaky trick to success. They are a guide. It is who I want to be as a leader and a person.

mycompanyname.com

My new company will need a website and email. Writing this blog has helped me to get used to wordpress and I plan on having a wordpress.org self hosted site as my companies website. Bluehost looks like a very good solution for my needs. They are inexpensive, about $4 per month, and highly recommended by wordpress, michael hyatt and others. I’m going to talk to a few friends who already own a business and have websites that I think are very good. Godaddy.com is also an option. Do you have any suggestions for a host? Leave a comment or email me nicholas.a.gamblin@gmail.com.

I also need to have a professional email address. Gmail is fine for personal use, but when my business is operational I feel I need a @mycompanyname.com email address. Bluehost provides free email with hosting.

disclosures

I completed and submitted my ADV Part 2A and 2B. Attached are 12 pages of what I plan to do, how I plan to do it and why. 

formadv-part2

freedom

Happy Fourth of July! I am so grateful for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States. I am exercising my freedom to start a company. It has been fun, frustrating and I have made mistakes.

I am grateful for the freedom I have been given in Jesus. It is the ultimate freedom. The freedom to be who you are created to be, to do what you are created to do, to love the way you were created to love.

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you…It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows.”

Galatians 5:1, 13 (MSG)

leaders are readers

I just finished the book Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. It’s a best selling “guru” book for the business world. The tag line states, “Make the competition irrelevant.” Create and capture new demand in untapped market space.

It is a compelling book, but not particularly applicable to the company that I am starting. The  biggest take away for me was that I need to reach people who are not currently being served by financial advisors. They have the biggest needs and represent the biggest market.

logo

I’m not a big graphics design guy, if you are I could use help. This is what I have so far after working on my logo for…like…3 minutes before getting bored.

UPDATE: I have come up with some variations and want you to vote! My first blog poll!

six reasons to not quit my day job

Why am I starting my new company part time? Why not go after it full time and really pursue my dream? Here are six quick reasons:

1. My wife, because she likes security
2. My kids, because they like to eat
3. Myself, because I like security and I like to eat
4. My clients, because they don’t want a desperate financial advisor
5. My network, because the more connections I make before I transition to be a full time financial advisor, the better it will be after I transition to be a full time financial advisor
6. My work ethic, because being personally accountable to a boss is easier than being personally accountable to yourself

iard is a four letter word

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein

I see that quote on twitter about once a week. I thought it might not pertain to me. I was wrong.

I submitted my ADV part 1, without part 2 attached on the IARD system. My first mistake that I know of in starting my business. When you are filing a firm ADV and you get to part 2 the website says:

So I thought, submit ADV Part 1 filing, then attach part 2. But you are supposed to start the submit filing process, then attach part 2 then submit filing for ADV part 1 & 2. Get it?

I didn’t.

I should finish up part 2 tonight then I will amend my filing. My first mistake, it won’t be my last. Probably.

UPDATE: July 1, 2013. I finished my ADV Part 2A and Part 2B and submitted my amended filing. Yeah!

part 1 of 2

I have officially submitted my ADV part 1 to the State of Florida Office of Financial Regulation. Yeah!

I have spent hours on part 2, which is the client brochure. I’ll share the results when finished.

If I had to compare my company to a baby, I would say she is in the beginning of the third trimester. By the way, my wife is in the beginning of the third trimester as I write this.

my company’s mission

I have been working on a mission statement for my new company. I have settled on the following:

“We commit to understand, educate and inspire our clients…to achieve their personal goals with a plan that gives hope.”

One sentence, 20 words, inspired by Jeremiah 29:11. Simple and clear, designed to guide the direction of the company and communicate what we are all about.