What does it take to walk away from the safety net of a corporate RIA and build something that’s truly yours?

In this episode, John Schwalbach and Jon Holmgren, partners at Freedom Financial Partners, join Kristin to share the real story behind their firm’s evolution from a broker-dealer to a corporate RIA to becoming a fully independent firm.

Listen in as they open up about the fear of losing built-in compliance support, the “visionary and integrator” partnership that made the leap possible, and how zeroing in on one audience completely changed how they market, price, and serve clients.

You’ll hear how an intimidating writing exercise Kristin calls a “manifesto” became the foundation of their entire brand, why they built their own app instead of buying an off-the-shelf tool, and what they’d tell any advisor sitting on the fence about going independent.

John and Jon share:

Why they left the comfort of a corporate RIA.
What they were most afraid of giving up when they went fully independent.
How their "visionary and integrator" partnership made the transition possible.
The moment they committed fully to serving business owners instead of a broader client base.
How they clarified their entire brand message.
Why they built their own business owner assessment and mobile app instead of buying one.

Resources:

Connect with Jon Holmgren:

LinkedIn: Jon Holmgren

Connect with John Schwalbach:

LinkedIn: John Schwalbach

Connect with Kristin Harad: