Adviser 3.0: The Podcast

What does it look like to build a financial planning firm that is not designed to be sold?
In this episode, Abraham sits down with Andy Hounsell, Managing Director of Beyond Finance, to explore stewardship over ownership, leadership beyond control, and why succession should start far earlier than most advisers think.
Since taking over the business in 2015, Andy has reshaped the firm around long-term responsibility rather than short-term valuation. A significant proportion of profits are committed to a charitable trust. An employee share scheme allows the team to participate in dividends. And the ownership structure is being designed to ensure the firm transcends its founder.
This is a conversation about:
Designing a firm to outlast you
Moving from manager to multiplier
Taking risks to unlock real growth
Sharing equity and responsibility with your team
Planning for generations rather than an exit
If you are building a business you want to endure, not simply monetise, this episode will challenge how you think about leadership, ownership and scale.

In Episode 124 of Adviser 3.0, we are joined by Ian Dempsey to explore what it really takes to build a modern advice business.
From going independent and finding his voice, to using content with intent rather than chasing followers, Ian shares a grounded perspective on growth, credibility, and control. He explains why independence brings responsibility, why audience size is often misunderstood, and why behavioural coaching has become a core part of how he adds value to clients.
This is a practical conversation for advisers thinking seriously about independence, visibility, and how to build a business that lasts without losing focus on what matters.

In this episode of Adviser 3.0 The Podcast, Abraham is joined by Ashton Chritchlow, Managing Director and owner of IFC Max, to unpack one of the rarest outcomes in financial advice: internal succession that genuinely works.
Ashton shares his full journey, from joining the firm in 2008 with no industry experience, to remortgaging his home to buy equity, taking on the role of Managing Director, and completing a successful management buyout.
The conversation explores what separates employees from owners, why most succession plans fail, and what founders must do if they want their firm to outlive them. This is a practical, honest discussion about leadership, accountability, legacy, and the long game of ownership in financial advice.
A must listen for founders thinking about succession, advisers aiming for ownership, and firms navigating growth without losing independence.

In this episode of Adviser 3.0 The Podcast, we are joined by Sasha Wakefield, founder of The Paraplanner Project, to explore what growth really looks like behind the scenes of a modern advice business.
Sasha shares her journey into paraplanning, how she built an outsourced business model around collaboration and trust, and why growth quickly becomes a leadership challenge rather than a technical one. She speaks candidly about employing a remote team, managing capacity without predictable income, and the pressure that comes with being responsible for other people’s livelihoods.
The conversation also covers the evolving role of paraplanners, the stigma that still exists around outsourcing, how firms are responding to AI, and why curiosity and asking better questions matter more than titles or qualifications. Sasha also reflects on leadership during major life changes, including shared parental leave and stepping back from day-to-day delivery without compromising service or culture.
This episode is essential listening for advisers, firm owners, and leaders thinking seriously about growth, delegation, and building businesses that scale without losing quality or trust.

SoapBox Ep.3 - Passive Investing Didn’t Break Markets, It Exposed Active Management
Hosts Abraham and Matt are joined by Carla Brown, President of the Personal Finance Society, for an unfiltered discussion on markets, behaviour and the realities of modern financial advice.
The episode explores why UK investors continue to exit equity markets at the worst possible moments, even during periods of strong performance, and what this reveals about confidence, communication and access to advice.
The conversation also covers active versus passive investing, loyalty to underperforming managers, and the growing tension between evidence and narrative. Alongside this, the panel addresses the advice profession’s succession problem, the ageing adviser population, and why attracting new talent has become a defining issue for the future of advice.