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Create Your Own Mould - Joseph Obeng · Financial Planner Life Podcast

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, and welcome to the Financial Planner Life Podcast, where we talk to professionals at varying stages in their career about what it's like working in the wonderful world of financial planning and financial advice.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast is proudly sponsored by Recruit UK, a recruitment consultancy specifically focused on the financial services.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: They have a niche specialism, recruiting, within the financial planning industry.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: So check out their website for the latest job opportunities, hints and tips, and blog articles.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_03: Good afternoon, everyone.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_03: It's Elena back for this week's episode of the Financial Planner Life Podcast.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_03: And this week I'm joined by Joseph Obeng, who is a financial planner Q wealth.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_03: How are you this afternoon?
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, very good.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: Very good.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: And yourself?
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_03: Very well, thanks for asking.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_03: And the question that I like to start with with everyone.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_03: So can you tell us a little bit about your career journey today?
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: So it's um, I guess it's quite a funny one and probably not kind of the traditional uh way of becoming a financial advisor.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: I think I'll start with the the train story, which I think I uh I spoke to you about on our initial chat.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: And ultimately, I mean I wanted to become a stockbroker originally just because I'd heard that you could, you know, earn good money um doing that.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: So um I set out on a mission to become a stockbroker.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: And then after numerous failed attempts, I kind of almost gave up on the uh on the aspiration of doing that.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: And one day I was on the train and I was on my way back from a work shift when I was working at West Ham.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: And um there was a guy on the train who was dressed like a um, well, he was dressed like a stockbroker, right?
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: He had a nice suit on, nice watch, and so on.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I just thought to myself, I'm gonna ask him if that's what he does.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: So um I walked up to him and I just said to him, excuse me, you look like a stockbroker.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I was dressed in a hoodie and a hat, right?
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: I always used to be dressed in a hoodie and a hat.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_01: So I so I know that's that's probably what I was wearing.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: And um, and as I said to you before on the call, he he responded very nervously.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: I think he he thought his watch was about to go missing.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um and basically he, well, he said, Yes, I am.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: Why is that?
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: And um I said to him, Look, I've I've been trying to work out how to become a stockbroker.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I was just hoping you could give me some pointers, you know, give me some advice on what you think would be good to do.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: And he said to me, purely due to the fact that you've just come up and spoke to me like that and asked me that question, I'd be happy to give you an interview on my my desk.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: He said he ran a desk at this firm, um, and to to come up on whatever day that it was for an interview, which was um which was quite crazy, right?
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: So we exchanged details.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: I then went up to Canary Wharf, which is where it was, to uh to meet this guy.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was I was calling him and I couldn't get through.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: And it got to the the point of the the time that we were supposed to be having the interview, and and he hadn't answered, and he he obviously wasn't calling me.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I didn't know the the location of the office.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: He was supposed to be giving me the details when I got there.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I was there and I'm sort of laughing and smiling about this, but um I felt like an idiot, obviously.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so I was kind of hanging around this this um bar, Smelensky's it used to be called.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: I was in Canary Wharf the other day.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's actually called The Alchemist now.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: So um there was there were two guys that that walked past and they uh they again look like stockbrokers, the suits, the the whole get up.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: And I heard overheard one of them saying, it's not even 10 a.m.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: yet, and I've already banged eight grand, and he was sort of laughing about it and so on.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: So obviously my ears pricked up, and I thought, well, maybe let me just ask these guys where this place is, and I'll just, you know, see if see if I can head over there.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: And um, he asked me the reason why I was looking for that place, obviously after after I'd asked him, and um, and I explained that I was going for an interview, and he said to me, um, he runs a currency brokerage, and why don't I go and work for him?
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: And to be honest with you, I didn't even at the time know what that meant, right?
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: A currency brokerage.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: I just could see that they were obviously doing okay and and heard the comment that he made.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I thought, you know, whatever, I'll uh I'll I'll have a chat with him.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so um I pulled up a chair and sat down where they were sitting and said, okay, so we should we just call this the interview now, which he obviously found quite funny.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: And um, we had a chat.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: He decided he liked me, obviously, and said, Yeah, well, you know, why don't you come up to the offices?
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a city group building.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: So we went up there and he opened the door to the office, and and honestly, the the atmosphere was just like electric.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: So there's like all these double screens everywhere, um, these young guys up on their feet, you know, doing their the sales pitches and whatever else.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: And and it was kind of like floor to ceiling, windows, like all the way around the office, like looking all over London.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: So to me, this was just like amazing.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: I couldn't believe it.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so we had a further chat, and he said, Look, why don't you come and give it a go Monday morning?
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: So that was my first step into uh, well, the city, Canary Wharf, um, and my role as kind of a I don't know, a financial services person.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it didn't actually go that well there.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: I ended up then moving to another company, which was also um a foreign exchange brokerage, and um worked my way up.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: Things went okay there.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, had a kind of a small management role.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: I learned lots of new skills that were transferable.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: I then started doing some networking and I met a financial advisor who is now a friend of mine.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: And uh he, well, I think I explained to him that I wasn't overly happy in the role that I was in.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he just said that look, there were some positions coming up.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: He thought that I would be um a good fit for the position and that he would introduce me to come in and have an interview.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't know the magnitude of the company that I was potentially going to represent.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: And then, yeah, so I took a leap of faith from the new currency brokerage that I was at over to this financial planning firm where I had my interview.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, I had to do all of the exams, all of the RO exams, which was like hell for me.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Really struggled to get through the first couple.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, before I knew it, yeah, I was a qualified financial advisor for one of the biggest financial advice firms in in the UK.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: Which is um, yeah, which is a bit crazy to be honest.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_03: What a journey! And it started with all approaching someone on a on a train because you perceived them to look the way that you expected someone to perceive.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_03: And we've spoken about this previously, but there's lots of different nuances in your life that have allowed you to get to the point that you are now.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_03: So, do you mind elaborating on that a little bit further for us?
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: I think for me growing up, there was a lot of things to be thankful for compared to some others.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I was privileged in in ways, but as a family, we had quite a unique and complicated set of circumstances.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm from a mixed heritage background.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: My parents were only 17 when they had me, they weren't even together at the time.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the earlier years of my upbringing were a bit crazy, as you can probably imagine.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I witnessed a lot of things I probably shouldn't have without going into detail.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: And um, some I guess some of the circumstances within that probably helped lead to where I am now.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_01: But as I said, I won't go into too much detail on that.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I've got some brothers and sisters both on mum and dad's side, but I'm the only one of uh my mum and dad, if that makes sense.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um I've got three brothers and a um and a sister on my mum's side, and a sister and a brother on my dad's side.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: So my brother won down from me, my sister on my mum's side, have a white dad.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: My mum is white out of my two parents, just so you know.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so my so my brother and sister are white.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of the time people didn't even believe that we were we were siblings, which was very annoying and had its own sort of complexities within that, that we kind of had to deal with.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: My youngest brother on my mum's side had a severe form of a disability called um cerebral palsy, which you might have heard of.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um there was a lot of complications that um that come with that.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: And he he sadly passed away in December last year.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: So um, so this year has been been a bit of a challenging one.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I lived with my mum for the first sort of 14 or 15 years of my life, and we grew up mainly on benefits.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, living circumstances were far from ideal.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: I think um to the point where I never even used to let my friends come and knock for me at the house because I was embarrassed.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: But I think that was usually mainly if it was a girl, to be honest.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um and us.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: So I just used to choose to meet them at the top of the road instead.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but look, give given all of these circumstances, I think I've always felt judged.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we used to hear stories back about people calling us tramps and stuff like that.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there was a particular story that that always stuck with me.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: And um basically it was one of the school mums or school parents, shall I say, said something along the lines of um, you know, Joe's gonna grow up to be another F up that's going nowhere in life.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: We discussed before, I'm not allowed to swear on that.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: So um, and and to be honest with you, I still don't know how true or or untrue that is to this day.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: All I know is that for me as a young person, I was just devastated to know that that's what people for me.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: So um I think I just promised myself at that point that you know I wouldn't let that become my reality.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think that's probably where my desire to do well for myself come from originally.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh initially, I thought that just meant having money and nice things.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, in my teenage years, I went to sixth form, dropped out, went to college, learned to trade and became a plumbing and heating engineer, believe it or not.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you knew that.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't, no, actually.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: So um I started earning money.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: Uh somehow it wasn't enough.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: Found out about credit cards and loans and got myself into a fair amount of debt.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I ended up doing a lot of stupid things and somehow started to kind of live out that that opinion of me from the earlier years.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: So one day I kind of all of a sudden just realized that this was happening and basically just said to myself, you know, what are you doing?
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, this this isn't kind of what you had you had planned out for yourself.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: And and all I'd ever wanted to do really was just do better for myself, do better for my family, and and be a good influence for my younger siblings.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: So I think to some degree I was doing that, um, but but definitely not to the extent that I knew that I needed to be.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: So anyway, after all of this, I set out on a mission to do something with myself.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I wanted to do something that I didn't think was possible for me.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: I think that was just originally to prove to myself that I could, and like I said before, be an example for my younger siblings.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I kind of went on this whole journey, which has led me to be here now, speaking with you.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: And that journey was obviously the point of the train and so on.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it's really interesting when we speak about the journey that you've come from, and it's really inspiring.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_03: And I think there is something in everyone where we should all want to just be a better version of ourselves for us and not worry about the external influences around that.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_03: But do you think that your motivations have changed?
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_03: Do you think when you first started, you know, thinking about being a stockbroker, there were different motivations?
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_03: Or, you know, at that point when you wanted to get into financial services, what was your key motivation at the infancy of your career?
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: So the the key motivation for me was purely just to just to do well for myself.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: I just wanted to feel proud of what I was doing ultimately.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and like I said before, you know, I thought that was having money and and having nice things.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um so that was probably the the the the key alongside, like I said before, was just just being able to be a good example for my my younger siblings.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because I guess what I was just trying to show them is that we could be more than what you know these people have kind of perceived of us in the past.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um so that that was the the main thing.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but that did change, just to answer your question, that did change for me.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: So at the point that I became a financial advisor, obviously I was still you know motivated by those things that I just mentioned.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_01: But then my my brother, the one that I mentioned, um that passed away last year, so he he ended up having to go and live in Norwich with a with a foster family.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: So my mission at that point, purely, my new motivation was just that I wanted to be able to create the circumstances where we could have a home that was big enough for him to have his space in and all of the stuff that he needed and pay for his care as well.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, obviously, that's not something I need to necessarily do now.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, so that that was kind of then my my new motivation around it.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: Now I'm just trying to have as much impact on as many people as I possibly can.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_03: And it's definitely, you know, your story is so inspiring, and everything that we you've done so far, which we'll touch on a little bit later, I think is definitely allowing you to access so many different people and to provide them with guidance and advice.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_03: So you mentioned this, you know, previously that you you wanted to make yourself proud.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_03: Were you then in a position growing up where you thought you could be a financial advisor?
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_03: You've mentioned to me before that when you were growing up, you know, the traditional norm was, you know, to step into that tradey sort of environment as a career.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: So um this the simple answer to the question is no.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't think that that was ever going to be something, I didn't even know what it was.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: I had no clue of what a financial advisor even was.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: So um, even up until the point I think I was trying to become a financial advisor, I'd only knew because I'd I'd met this guy um networking, right?
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: So um, so no, that that wasn't something that seemed, you know, like it was an option for me.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I I was always kind of in the state of mind that if I didn't kind of, I don't know, do something sports-wise, then I would probably just work as, you know, plumber, plasterer, whatever.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like that sort of thing.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_03: Do you think there's a particular do you do you think it's just your surroundings that made you think like that?
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_03: Or is there a particular reason that, you know, you didn't envision yourself when you were younger, you know, doing what you are doing now?
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: I think it had a lot to do with the surroundings.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: It had a lot to do with the surroundings.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_01: I suppose most of the people around me at the time that seemed like they were doing well, you know, from my point of view, um, all worked in in a trade of some sort.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know, that it just um that there wasn't many people that I'd ever met that kind of had these.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_01: Well, in fact, there's one person I can think of, which was one of my um very good friends' mum, uh, who worked in in the city.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: So it's something to do with with sort of the financial planning world as well.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but she seemed to me like she was just like just not out of my league in in that sense, but just like, you know, do you know what I mean?
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: Just way, way, you know, worlds beyond what was ever going to be possible for me.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: So um I think I think it did have a lot to do with the surroundings, yeah.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_03: And have you been on some sort of alongside like a career journey, do you think there's been some level of like a self-development journey and changing your mindset to allow you to get to the point that you are now?
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I think I think there has.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think a big part of the the reason why I kind of then adjusted my my journey to sort of get back onto the right track of thinking was because of some of the personal development things that I had listened to and read and just helped me, helped to sort of shape my mind in a different way and and and help me to sort of, yeah, you know, sort of steer myself back in the in the correct direction, I guess.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_03: Because for me, it's all about I think there is people underestimate how important the narrative in your brain is.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_03: And if you, and I'm sure with you know the journey you've been on, you you completely agree with me, but if you can tell yourself that you can do something and you work hard for it and you envision it, but there's that you change the narrative in your brain to say that you can do it, you'll allow yourself to get there.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: But if you have that deprecating shadow self that's in the back of your head, you become your own biggest limitation because you're never going to be able to achieve anything in life that you first and foremost don't think that you're able to achieve.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_03: You you dream big, it creates big.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_03: For me, my whole motto is you dream it, you work for it, it will happen.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_03: But do you did when you first came into the sort of the financial planning sphere, did you that become an element of embracing the difference and not sort of comparing yourself from other people, other people around you that you thought came from more conventional or sort of linear places?
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: You you asked some um some good questions.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: So um, okay, that that that's a good one.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_01: And no, I I don't think I did embrace uh myself at all or embrace kind of the thing that made me stand out just because I felt like I had to to hide that, because you know, what person who is looking for a financial advisor wants to have somebody that that grew up on benefits advising them what to do with all of this money, right?
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I'm I'm trying to hide that side of myself because I don't I don't want that to come across.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I think the natural thing to do for most people, you know, if they if they're coming from a similar sort of uh background, is you try to you try to imitate what the people in those positions are doing so that you can you can kind of fit into that, right?
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um obviously I stand out as a financial advisor anyway.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: If you say financial advisor, you don't picture me, right?
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: So so I I didn't embrace that at all.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I very much try to kind of just be the I guess the a carbon copy of you know every other advisor that that maybe um was around.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it how did you change then your mindset?
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: Because you ultimately here with me now being very honest and open about your story, which I think is beautiful.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_03: But how do you change that narrative to go from hiding away from who you are to in embracing it and being proud of the journey that you've been on?
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_03: Because I think for lots of people that's something to be to that's something that's quite difficult.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, I would agree.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you might have noticed even when I was talking about it at the beginning, it I was nervous talking about it, right?
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: Because I feel really kind of open and exposed.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_01: But um how do I go from that to that?
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: So again, very poignant question, so so I'm I'm thinking that so the point of change, I think, um, when I was talking about the idea of bringing my brother home, um, so so that was that was a big kind of I guess kind of a pivotal moment in in my life.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I was trying to discover ways in which that I could, I guess, provide as much value to as many people as I possibly could.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: I started delving into ways in which that you can do this, and you know, I come across a number of different things.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think I'd done a short online course as well.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and what I kept on coming across was this idea of you know authenticity, you know, whatever that means nowadays, um, and and sharing your your your story ultimately.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um so that that was it.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I I think I kind of just I thought if I'm able to, what's what's that quote?
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: There's a quote that somebody says, if you if you help enough people get what they want, then you can get what what you want.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: So that was in my mind.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: That's a great quote.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's there's somebody that says that.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: I can't think who it is.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's it's quite a like an old school saying, I think, but that that was what was in my mind.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: So obviously I knew what I wanted, right?
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_01: Which was to, which was to be able to bring my brother home in the the capacity that meant that we could all still live somewhat you know normal lives.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so yeah, so that was the point where I thought, look, I'm just gonna have to get out there and and push this thing as as hard as I possibly can, um, and and just try and make it happen.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, and and I think that's was for me what kind of helped me to you know kind of be my real self a bit more within this profession, if if that makes sense.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_03: Um people buy from people.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_03: So at the end of the day, you know, if you're not being your authentic self, whether you think it shows or not, it definitely comes across.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_03: You can tell when people are being a bit more reserved.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_03: And money is a taboo subject.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_03: Money is something that whatever position you're in, whether you're very comfortable or anything, it's something that people very much often don't want.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: To open up about or feel like they can't.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_03: So having someone who is sat in front of you as a financial planner being completely authentic about their journey and that where they've come from, I feel like allows you to be more open about what you're potentially anxious about and your what worries you and what makes you nervous.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_03: Because at the end of the day, your relationship with your advisor, like any other relationship, is built on trust.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_03: And I feel like you need to be authentic to allow you to really build those strong long-term relationships.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: And do you feel like the journey that you've been on and the nuances that we've discussed about your upbringing allow you to bring a different perspective to financial planning and the advice you give than potentially, you know, other individuals?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: Possibly, possibly.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think the fact that because I am quite open with a lot of the um the potential clients that I speak to now and and and the clients that I already work with in the sense that I kind of am coming from a little bit of a different um angle, if you like.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: And um and I think what what it does allow for people to do is when when I'm quite open, I don't go in as much detail as I just went in with you at the beginning of the call, but what when I'm quite open with people, it allows them to be able to be open as well.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I think what that then means is that I I'm able to kind of really get to the core of you know what needs sorting out here.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just, oh, I want a pension or I want an ICE or or whatever.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's we then get into the crux of you know what we're really doing here.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I think I think that's that's definitely been a benefit.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in terms of I suppose some of the experiences that I have and I've had and that sort of thing, look, it meant that I had to grow up extremely quickly.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: And at the age of 20, I was like already, I don't know, like a 40-year-old man.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: So um it's I think it's um it's been beneficial in the sense that I think my mind has probably developed because of the experiences and the things that I've had to deal with growing up, many of them we we haven't discussed on here.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um it has allowed for my mind to sort of develop in a way that I don't know, maybe I'm a little bit more relatable with with older types of clients as well.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_03: And because of, you know, I it's quite a guided question, but I guess growing up, your your family didn't have access to a level of financial advice?
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: Uh no.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_03: No, I don't think that's so does that mean that now in the position that you're in, with what you've seen, what you've experienced and what you've seen your family to experience, there's also an emphasis on financial guidance alongside financial planning?
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so that that's a big part of what I'm, I guess, quite passionate about.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and just just because I know that the difference that it made to my life learning a lot of these things.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: And once I actually understood kind of, you know, if we're talking about kind of your financial grounding or your financial foundations, um, even just understanding that is is just just massively powerful for for any individual to know and understand.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: It's the difference between the potential um hardship later down the line or your your financial success, right?
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: So um, so that side of things is is is uh is a is a big thing for me.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, you've just seen obviously with the the pre-release of Flow State Money, um, I'm working on some other stuff on the side as well, which um I'm hoping we'll be able to have a I mean nobody reads books these days, right?
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm having to put this in put this into a different form so that um it gets consumed by the right types of people that I'm trying to kind of target with it and and help them to see that it is for them, you know, that that these things are possible for them.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I think it's massive.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and we were talking about blow state of money before we started recording, um, and it's something that I was very privileged to get the the ebook and have a look through it myself.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_03: And apart from everyone should check it out, because apart from the fact that Joseph is such an eloquent writer, which I was saying earlier on, uh it's so it's so worthwhile reading.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_03: But it's excellent in terms of being that initial building block for financial guidance.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_03: What was the inspiration around this?
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_03: Was it a lot of the experiences that you've had, or at what point did you think, you know, I'm gonna start following this project?
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_01: So um I guess a big part of that comes from yes, the experiences that I had, obviously, a lot of these things I was learning, and I wish I just knew when when I was a bit younger, I probably would have made some some better decisions around that side of things.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it would have helped me to probably get on track with things outside of finances as well, because it's all linked, right?
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_01: It would have helped me get on track with those things um probably much sooner as well.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_01: So, so yeah, so that that's one side of things.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: And um the the other thing is as well, is I suppose sometimes I have people come um to speak to me to you know get some idea of what they should be doing with their finances, and they're not really in a position to take professional financial advice.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: So it's either gonna be far too costly for me as the advisor to you know give them the time that they actually need um to give them you know all of the information they need, or it's gonna be far too costly based on what I'm gonna have to charge them for that time, right?
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_01: So what I'm I guess getting at is that if there's a resource that these people can go to that's just there, then you know they could they can get themselves to a point that they need to be.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_01: And then when they're ready, then you know they can they can take the professional financial advice, you know, when they're at that kind of next stage.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_03: And do you think as a nation, we have a bit of an issue with like financial illiteracy, us not knowing net you know, growing up not knowing much about how to deal with our finances.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I do, I do.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um look, I'm not in school now, so I don't know how much that gets touched on in schools.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: And my little one's only two and a half years old, so he hasn't reached that point yet.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: So um I I do think that you know growing up, understanding and knowing some of these things would have been amazing, amazing.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: So um the fact that a lot of people that have kind of had a chance to have a read of the book, even if they've just read some of it, I I've already had people saying to me that they they wish they had had it earlier, tells me that there's obviously um a problem around that area in terms of you know helping people to understand how to really manage their their money.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I don't definitely think there is.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_03: And the name of the the ebook itself, Flow State of Money, is quite a caver concept.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_03: And it's it's named that for a reason.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_03: Do you mind elaborating a little bit more on that?
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, okay, okay, no worries.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, and I can't even remember how this this this idea kind of just sprung to mind for me, but it was it was during a conversation that was having with my partner.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, wow, that that's what I need to call it.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of uh what do you call it, like an epiphany or or whatever.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_01: So um the the whole idea behind that is that obviously being in in a flow state just means to be completely in tune with something or or like immersed with something in a way that you can't have that natural flow.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then I guess as a as a result, you know, you you might have been in a in a flow state, if you like, when you're just carrying out an everyday task.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and you get this this feeling or this sense of um calm, I suppose, being in control.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_01: So flow state money comes off the back of the ideas that those are the sorts of feelings that you're going to get with being able with understanding how to manage your your finances in this particular way, which we're we're kind of talking about in the book.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_03: And it's so good.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_03: And when you're breaking it down into quite a lot of different money misconceptions and like your first building blocks.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_03: And I don't want to give too much away because everyone needs to read it rather rather than let um alongside listening to this.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_03: But do you mind giving us like a nugget of wisdom, I guess, from the book that maybe if you were in it um when you were in your position however many years ago, a nugget of wisdom that you would have really liked at that point of time that you think would have been really beneficial?
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so for me personally, it would have probably been around the debt side of things and just understanding what I was getting myself into.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and in the book, I just uh mentioned about you know the fact that it is literally like a weight that does get heavier and heavier and heavier over time.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_01: So I think understanding the, and I'm not gonna go through the strategies here, but just maybe understanding one, the impact of getting yourself into debt, and this is obviously bad debts we're talking about, so like credit cards, loans, that type of thing.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_01: And then just understanding how to sort of work your way out of that if you have got yourself into that position.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_01: So that that probably would have been the key thing for me.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_01: I am going to add something to that, if that's okay.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, go for it.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: Right, yeah.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_01: So the other thing I would say as well, which which kind of isn't, it is related to finances, um, but but kind of isn't, is um the design your life section of the book.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I I honestly think that, and um I'm not like this massive sort of touchy-feely person, but I guess I kind of am in a way.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but but the whole the whole section there where it's talking about, you know, really getting to understand, you know, what you want to do and designing your life and understanding what it is that you're going after, I think just really just pulls everything into place.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I think that that part of it is um is is probably one of the most important parts as well.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_03: And I think, you know, I would say, Joseph, you've obviously got a very inspiring story about how you've tackled all sorts of hurdles externally and internally that have allowed you to sort of get to the point where you are now, where you've obviously been, you know, very successful and uh creating projects to educate lots of different people.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_03: But I guess there might be members in our audience that feel like there isn't a space for them in financial planning or they don't fit, and there isn't a conventional model of what a financial planner or what someone in the industry should look like.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_03: This is one of the main reasons we've started the podcast.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_03: But what would you say to people who feel like say that feel like there isn't a place for them within the industry because of what they look like or where they come from or all these different factors and nuances we've been discussing?
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_01: Look, I think um, because this isn't only in the the financial advice space, right?
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's it's it's it's probably wider than that, but ultimately um I think it's just if you feel that it's something that you want to do and it's the right thing for you to be doing, is to just not not worry too much about appearances, um, not worry too much about what it is that you look like, but more so tune into kind of your your beliefs, your values, you know, tune into the reasons why you actually want to do it.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_01: And if all of that makes sense, then just to go for it, because what I've noticed since um I've started, since certainly since I've started to be a bit more kind of myself around things and feeling a little bit more natural with things, is that it's it does it starts to come to you a hundred percent.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_01: And you'll be surprised what kind of comes out of the woodwork.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if that's the right term, but you you'll be surprised.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_01: For example, this podcast opportunity, right, would never would never have come if I wasn't kind of being the way in which I was.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_01: So um, so yeah, so just don't worry about the mold.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think I said this to you before, create your own mold.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_03: Because ultimately, I don't know whether you agree with me, but one thing that I firmly believe in, and I say it a lot of time in a in a work context, but I think is you know generally towards life is you reap what you sow.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_03: So whatever you put out into the universe, whatever you do, is always going to come back tenfold.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_03: So, in a work setting, I always say it to myself when I'm working really, really hard and everything is not going my way, and I'm there like, but I'm working so hard.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm there like, what I'm putting out there will come back.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_03: But it works in any dynamic of your life, doesn't it?
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_03: When you emit the energy and put the resources into the things that you're passionate about, and you make in sure that you're always being a kind, lovely human, all of these opportunities and everything is only gonna come back tenfold to you, really.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it's a really important narrative to have in your head.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, you've definitely demonstrated, you know, how inspirational your story is, inspirational your story is, and how you don't need to fit into any particular mould or um or anything to you know be successful within the industry.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_03: But now that you are, what's the thing that you love most about your job to round us up?
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_03: What's the thing that gets you out of bed in the mornings?
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_01: Do you know what, right?
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_01: I don't like work.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_01: I'll say that for a start.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know a man that does, or a woman for that matter.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: But I think it's it's the results, I think.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's what it's what the the job can do.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think that's that's what probably gets me out of bed in the morning, is just knowing that ultimately the the advice that I'm able to give to somebody or the the potential guidance that I'm able to give to somebody, um, if it's done in the right way, uh, it has the potential to help change change somebody's life.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_01: So um, so that that's the part that I think I I really enjoy about it now.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_01: And just um, I guess being in a position to to help people from get to there to there, you know, just just opening their mind, opening their eyes um is the part that I really enjoy.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_01: But the rest of it is just work for me.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_03: I guess that is the beautiful cyclical nature of life, though.
• 36:31
  unknown: Yeah.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_03: Ultimately, of being in a position where your finances were causing you some level of you know stress, and now you're in a position where you can alleviate that stress from other people, just is a beautiful three sixty circle.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_03: And thank you very much for spending your afternoon with me, Joseph.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_03: It's been an absolute pleasure to have you on the podcast.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_03: And um, everyone keep tuned.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, to get the the is it always going to be an e-book for flow state of money or um no, no.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll talk to you more about the rest.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, well then keep everyone keep your ears to the ground um because big things are coming.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_03: So um, thank you very much for coming on with me this afternoon.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_03: It's been an absolute pleasure to have you.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's been a pleasure.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Elaine.