Looking for a Financial Advisor for Entrepreneurs

Are you an entrepreneur? A financial advisor who specializes in serving entrepreneurs can help you make smarter money moves and free up more time to focus on growing your business.

You’ll likely find dozens of financial advisors in your community well-suited to help you reach your money goals with a personalized plan. But it may be more difficult to find a financial advisor who truly understands the unique financial planning needs and challenges you’re facing as an entrepreneur.

Fortunately, many financial advisors offer virtual services so you can meet online no matter where you (or they) live. This means you can choose to hire a financial advisor who lives hundreds of miles away if you decide their knowledge and experience working with entrepreneurs could help you achieve better outcomes.

👨‍💻 Smart Money Insights for Entrepreneurs

This page is organized into sections to help you quickly find the information you need and get answers to your questions:

1. Q&A with Financial Advisors Specializing in Serving Entrepreneurs
2. Get Answers to Your Questions About Financial Planning for Entrepreneurs
3. Browse Related Articles

Get to Know:

✅ Grant Bledsoe, CFP®, CFA, AIF® | ✅ Jenna VanLeeuwen, CFP®

– Financial Advisors Specializing in Serving Entrepreneurs –

Q: For entrepreneurs who are unsure whether or not they should hire a financial advisor, what would you suggest they consider to help them make a more informed and educated decision?

Grant: I’d suggest evaluating how much your time is worth. Everyone should be doing some form of financial planning, but I’m not a believer that every human being needs to hire a professional for help.

If you have the bandwidth to spend time digging into your portfolio, tax strategy, and cash flow, then you may not need to hire a professional.

But if you’d rather spend your time elsewhere, perhaps with your family or running your business, there’s huge value in hiring someone. The time saved is immense, and good advisors will add value many times worth their fee.

I find clients are able to worry less and be more present with their families when they know they have a plan in place, and they are actively working towards their financial goals. 

The perspective gained during the planning process helps, but also, I’m able to help do the heavy lifting to help my clients reach their financial goals so they can make progress in less time. For business owners, it’s things like managing their investments, monitoring cash flow, and screening potential partners like accountants, bookkeepers, insurance agents, and estate planning attorneys. 

Once you understand where you are in the business and at home, and you have the appropriate financial team in place, it can be easier to create the balance. Not only have you created extra time in your day, you also know that you are on track for providing for your family and you can be present at the dinner table – without worrying about the future. 

Q: As an entrepreneur yourself, how does your own experience running a business benefit the business owner clients you serve?

Jenna: As a business owner myself, I have hands-on experience navigating the unique challenges of being a business owner. It’s one thing to advise others, and it’s another to live it.

I understand the variability of business income and how that impacts your bottom line in the business and at home. I’ve navigated things like setting up business accounts, being prepared for tax time, hiring employees, and more.

Beyond the technical expertise, I’ve also lived the emotional ups and downs of being a business owner. It feels great when you bring on a great new client. It hurts when an employee you rely on leaves. This shared perspective helps me better understand my clients, so I’m able to give better advice. 

Q: For business owners thinking about hiring you, what questions do you think they should ask to determine if you’re a good fit to work together? What questions do you like to ask them in an introductory call to help you determine if you’re a good fit to work together?

Jenna: There are several things that I think a business owner should ask when hiring a financial planner. 

First, the basics. 

Are they fee-only? Do they work on behalf of a company that incentivizes them to sell particular products, or are they agnostic to all products and solutions?

Does the fee structure work for them? Business owners often have a lot of their net worth tied up in the business. Is the fee structured in such a way that they can pay out of cash flow or their available investments, and does it make sense for them? 

Do they like the financial planner and the proposed process for financial planning? Money is deeply personal, so you should feel comfortable with the person you’ll be working with.

Beyond that, I do think it’s important to find an advisor that works with other business owners like you. Maybe they tend to work with solopreneurs, service-based businesses, or other small businesses in your area. 

I would clarify how deep into discussing the business they are willing to go. A financial advisor isn’t a business coach, but they need to understand your business finances. They need to understand and be willing to discuss things like revenue, profit, and expenses.

You also want someone to proactively help you plan for business transitions that impact your bottom line like hiring new employees, scaling rapidly, or selling your business. These transitions are an important part of building and maintaining your wealth as a business owner, and you want someone who can walk beside you and guide you appropriately.

🙋‍♀️ Have Financial Planning Questions as an Entrepreneur?

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