Building a Financial Advice Client Base From Scratch

Laura Fordham's (Financial Adviser at Titan Wealth) route into financial planning wasn't planned. She spent her first year handling the job entirely alone, while her client bank was still small. She lays out exactly what that year looked like in conversation with Sam Oakes this week Laura Fordham's route into financial planning wasn't planned. She started out on maternity cover in an admin role at Barclays Wealth, and it was proximity to the financial planning job , printing client packs and greeting people in the office, that first got her curious about the profession. From there she trained through the St. James's Place Academy, deliberately choosing to stay client-facing rather than build a partner practice of her own, and later moved into an independent firm,  before they were eventually acquired by  Titan Wealth. Laura is candid about how tough the early years actually were. Building a client bank from scratch inside a heavily regulated industry took what she describes as an "eat what you kill" mentality: real drive, real setbacks and small wins that made the whole thing worth it.  She's just as direct about what came later: leaving St. James's Place for independence, learning how to build professional connections with accountants and solicitors without ever resorting to a hard sell, and the responsibility of inheriting clients through acquisition who never chose her as their adviser in the first place. The conversation closes on a wider industry issue.  Only around 16% of financial planners are women, and Laura shares her own view on why more women should consider the career, along with what she's doing within her own client base to encourage more engagement from  the female clients in the couples that she looks after. Key takeaways from this episode: - How an admin role at Barclays Wealth led Laura into financial planning, almost by chance - What building a client bank from nothing demands - Why Laura chose to stay client-facing rather than build her own business - How to build professional referral connections without a hard sell - What it takes to win over clients who arrive through acquisition rather than their choice - Only around 16% of financial planners are women and what Laura believes needs to change Learn more about Titan Wealth at www.titanwealth.com. **Financial Planner Life is sponsored by** Redmill Advance Whether you're starting out, already qualified, or building a training academy, Redmill Advance delivers expert-led learning, exam support and CPD from Level 4 to Chartered. ✅ Trusted by top UK firms **👉** www.redmilladvance.com/fpl Be sure to follow Financial Planner Life on YouTube for extra content about  career development within Financial Planning.  Reach out to **sam@financialplannerlife.com** in regards to sponsorship, partnerships, videography or podcast production.  **Want to appear on the Financial Planner Life podcast? Drop Sam a message.**