In this episode of Building the Billion Dollar Business, Ray Sclafani dives into the strategies that top advisory firms use to level up their teams. Discover how feedback, self-reflection, and merit-based career paths drive engagement, performance, and growth. Ray shares actionable ideas for both leaders and team members to create a culture where ambition, curiosity, and development are rewarded.

Learn why high-performing advisory teams invest in clear career paths, regular feedback, and stretch opportunities, and how these practices can accelerate talent development and firm growth. Whether you’re a firm leader or an advisor aiming to maximize your impact, this episode is packed with insights backed by research from Gallup, Harvard, Deloitte, McKinsey, and more.

Key Takeaways:

1. Career paths and performance expectations fuel engagement and development.
2. Employees receiving meaningful feedback develop 3–4x faster.
3. Challenging assignments cultivate skills that formal training alone cannot.
4. Open communication about goals, learning needs, and strengths creates high-performing teams.
5. Employees who actively manage their own development are more likely to become leaders.

Questions Financial Advisors Often Ask

Q: How can financial advisors level up their team?
A: Advisors can level up their team by providing regular feedback, creating clear career paths, promoting merit-based performance, and offering stretch opportunities for skill growth.

Q: Why is feedback important for team development?
A: Meaningful feedback accelerates employee growth, improves performance, and increases engagement, helping advisors develop high-performing teams.

Q: How can team members take ownership of their growth?
A: Team members can take ownership by reflecting on their performance, asking for feedback, volunteering for stretch responsibilities, and actively pursuing development opportunities.

Find Ray and the ClientWise Team on the ClientWise website or LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

To join one of the largest digital communities of financial advisors, visit exchange.clientwise.com.

In this episode, Ray explores one of the most overlooked leadership disciplines in advisory firms: off-boarding with intention, respect, and alignment. While most teams invest heavily in creating world-class onboarding experiences, few bring the same rigor to the moment when a team member exits. Ray shares why offboarding is not about correcting failure—it's about stewardship. When leaders navigate departures with clarity, dignity, and structure, they strengthen the culture, protect client relationships, and create space for the team to evolve.

Through a candid example from his own team, Ray demonstrates how mutual clarity, co-creation, and a disciplined framework can turn a transition into an empowering moment for both the departing individual and the organization. He also walks through a seven-part offboarding framework inspired by SHRM best practices and years of coaching elite advisory firms, offering a practical blueprint firms can use to elevate their own internal processes.

Ray closes with coaching questions leaders can use to refine hiring, strengthen feedback loops, and ensure that offboarding reinforces, not erodes, the culture they’ve worked hard to build.

Key Takeaways

1. Offboarding is about stewardship, respect, and protecting your culture.
2. Fit and alignment matter as much as skills.
3. Clear, honest communication prevents surprises during transitions.
4. Use a structured offboarding framework to stay consistent and professional.
5. How you handle goodbyes shapes your culture just as much as onboarding.

For more information click here to visit the Best in the Business Blog.

Find Ray and the ClientWise Team on the ClientWise website or LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

To join one of the largest digital communities of financial advisors, visit exchange.clientwise.com.

In this Thanksgiving episode, Ray Sclafani reflects on why gratitude is more than a seasonal sentiment for advisory leaders — it is a strategic advantage. Drawing from research, industry insights, and personal experience at ClientWise, Ray explores how appreciation strengthens culture, deepens engagement, and elevates performance across advisory firms.

He highlights why recognizing people’s contributions is essential to leadership, offers meaningful reflection questions for advisors, and underscores that gratitude should lead to action: developing talent, raising standards, investing in future leaders, and preparing for the growth ahead.

Ray closes with a message of appreciation to the ClientWise team and the advisory professionals they serve, encouraging leaders to use this season not as an endpoint but as a launchpad for impact in 2026.

Find Ray and the ClientWise Team on the ClientWise website or LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

To join one of the largest digital communities of financial advisors, visit exchange.clientwise.com.

In this episode of "Building the Billion Dollar Business," host Ray Sclafani delves into the strategies and insights behind successful financial advisory firms, focusing on organic growth and new client acquisition. He outlines six steps to boost growth, emphasizing the importance of client relationships, team collaboration, and strategic planning. Ray also discusses the significance of setting intentional goals and fostering a culture centered around growth.

Key Takeaways

1. Organic growth is a critical indicator of a firm's health.
2. Understanding total relationship value (TRV) is essential.
3. Generational continuity is key for long-term success.
4. A focused marketing plan aligns with client needs.
5. Utilizing CRM effectively identifies growth opportunities.
6. Reframing culture around growth attracts talent.

For more information click here to visit The Best in the Business Blog.

Find Ray and the ClientWise Team on the ClientWise website or LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

To join one of the largest digital communities of financial advisors, visit exchange.clientwise.com.

In this episode, Ray Sclafani discusses the implications of avoiding growth targets in business. He highlights a case where a company decided to stop setting growth targets to focus on client service. However, he argues that this decision led to challenges in managing capacity, planning succession, and fulfilling client promises. The conversation emphasizes the importance of balancing client service with the need for growth targets to ensure effective business management.

Key Takeaways

1. Growth happens whether you plan or not
2. Track revenue per professional, revenue per client, and time per client segment
3. Map retirements against junior advisor readiness and create a 3–5 year development plan
4. Let data guide leadership decisions by using dashboards and metrics to prevent overextension and burnout
5. Prevent “success outgrowing structure” by conducting quarterly capacity checks to evaluate workload, client demand, and team readiness

Find Ray and the ClientWise Team on the ClientWise website or LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

To join one of the largest digital communities of financial advisors, visit exchange.clientwise.com.

In this episode, Ray Sclafani discusses the importance of finishing the year strong and how it impacts the upcoming year. He emphasizes the need for a proactive mindset, strategies for success, and the significance of setting clear goals. He also covers overcoming challenges and maintaining motivation as key components of achieving success.

Key Takeaways

1. How you finish the year will determine how you start next year.
2. Set clear goals for the new year to guide your actions.
3. Overcoming challenges is part of the journey to success.
4. Reflect on your progress this year to identify areas for improvement.
5. Mindset shifts can lead to breakthroughs in performance.

For more information click here to visit The ClientWise Blog.

Find Ray and the ClientWise Team on the ClientWise website or LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

To join one of the largest digital communities of financial advisors, visit exchange.clientwise.com.

In this episode, Ray Sclafani discusses the critical importance of having a well-defined compensation philosophy in financial advisory firms. He highlights the common pitfalls of compensation planning without a clear strategy and emphasizes the need for a structured approach that aligns pay with performance, culture, and profitability. The conversation covers the essential building blocks of a strong compensation philosophy, how to implement it effectively, and the impact it has on employee engagement and trust in leadership.

Key Takeaways

1. More than half the industry lacks a clear compensation strategy.
2. Clear pay philosophies lead to lower turnover rates.
3. Transparency in compensation processes fosters trust among employees.
4. Regularly review and adapt your compensation philosophy to align with business changes.
5. Involve team members in defining key performance metrics.
6. A strong compensation philosophy reflects the firm's values and leadership style.

For more information click here to visit the Best in the Business Blog.

Find Ray and the ClientWise Team on the ClientWise website or LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

To join one of the largest digital communities of financial advisors, visit exchange.clientwise.com.

In this episode, Ray Sclafani explores how advisory firm leaders can move from solo leadership to shared, high-performing teams. Using the metaphor of a musical ensemble, Ray shares lessons from his high school band and real-world coaching with billion-dollar firms to show how clarity, trust, and accountability create lasting success. Learn how to define team roles, foster trust, and lead through leadership transitions while keeping your firm’s performance in harmony.

Key Takeaways

• Leadership is most effective when responsibility is shared across the team.
• Clear roles help every team member understand how they contribute to the bigger picture.
• Trust among team members strengthens performance and accountability.
• Transitions in leadership are opportunities to evolve and sustain firm value.
• Every team member’s contribution is essential, like instruments in a symphony.

Click here for the Decision Making Problem Solving Model™.

Find Ray and the ClientWise Team on the ClientWise website or LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

To join one of the largest digital communities of financial advisors, visit exchange.clientwise.com.