Why we can only take on 50 more clients

As we approach our 10th year in business together and have hit our 100th podcast, we ask an interesting question. ​

Why are we only taking on 50 more clients?
 
Before we answer that, a little about us. Our podcast listeners often think we are a big company, with many offices, filled with a lot of employees. However, there are only four of us here at Lighthouse Financial Advisers. Dallas and Michael, whose voices you hear on the podcasts, are the financial masterminds of the business. Then we have the legendary Kylie, who is our first point of contact as well as the Director of Financial Doing (because financial planning is useless without financial doing!) And finally, we have Ali, the paraplanner, sound engineer and content marketing genius. 
 
So that’s us. And while we are good at crunching numbers, maintaining positive relationships with our clients is at the forefront of everything we do.
 
This is why we want to keep our number of clients low, so we can continue to monitor each and every client and maintain those good relationships with them in order to achieve the best results. The bottom line is, we want to care about their finances just as much as their own family would. 
 
How did we come to this specific number, though? Well, according to British anthropologist Robert Dunbar, people can only maintain connections with up to 150 people. Considering those numbers, this works out to be about 100 clients each after removing, from the equation, the relationships we have with our close family and friends. 

(You can read more about Dunbar’s number here:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191001-dunbars-number-why-we-can-only-maintain-150-relationships#:~:text=According%20to%20British%20anthropologist%20Robin,studies%20of%20non%2Dhuman%20primates.) 
 
After that number, we wouldn’t be able to focus on the intricate details. And that’s not our style. We like the small business feel, we like knowing our clients well, and we like to feel that we are doing everything in our power to make their money work for them.
 
We pride ourselves in running an outstanding business and we are interested in getting everything right. That’s why, about five years ago, we actually made the business smaller. We started focusing on the 50+ age group, because that’s where our real expertise lies. 
 
We also have pride of ownership at Lighthouse Financial Advisers. Dallas, Michael and Kylie are all shareholders in the business. And we don’t want to lose that personal touch by putting on more staff. We want to stay small and focus on working with the right people. We want every interaction to be consistent and genuine.
 
And we like it when people ring us and say, “Am I speaking with the legendary Kylie?” Or when, in an initial consultation, they ask Dallas and Michael “you’re not going anywhere, are you?” Because that’s what clients want – stability and long-term support. 
 
So that’s why we are only taking on 50 more clients.
 
And we’d like to invite anyone who listens to our podcast or reads our blog to pick up the phone and speak to the legendary Kylie. If you think we are the right fit for you, come and see us for a no-obligation initial meeting. In the meantime, we hope you are enjoying the podcasts as we have recently hit the 100-milestone.

​Comments and suggestions are welcome at podcast@mo50.com.au