A few years ago, one of my kids—name withheld, to protect the innocent—volunteered to help build IKEA furniture. We had a new office desk to assemble, and I figured this was a great opportunity to teach him the value of following directions. So I handed him the Allen wrench, the 56-page instruction manual, and walked away.
About an hour later, I returned to find something that vaguely resembled a desk… but with one leg sticking out like it was waving for help. My son proudly exclaimed, “I figured it out myself without the instructions!” Which, of course, explained why we now owned a modernist sculpture instead of a functional workspace.
That was the day he learned an important lesson: productivity is not about how fast you start, it’s about how effectively you finish. Without a process, effort doesn’t equal results. And that, dear financial advisor, is the same mistake many firms make every day.
In our industry, productivity isn’t sexy. It doesn’t show up on CNBC. It’s not what your client brags about to their golf buddies. But behind the scenes, it’s everything. It’s the hidden engine driving margins, client satisfaction, and the one thing no advisor ever gets enough of—enterprise value.
Here’s the problem: too many practices are stuck in manual mode. They’re built around hustle, not systems. And that’s fine—until it isn’t. Until the advisor burns out. Until the team stagnates. Until the business becomes impossible to scale, impossible to sell, and nearly impossible to step away from without it collapsing like a poorly built IKEA desk.
And here’s where it gets dangerous. When your time is spent chasing paperwork, responding to the same emails, or recreating service steps from memory, you’re robbing yourself—and your firm—of profit.
According to the InvestmentNews Advisor Productivity Study, the most efficient advisory firms operate with 15–25% higher margins. That’s not theory. That’s cash in your pocket. And more importantly, that’s fuel for valuation when it’s time to sell or step back.
So what does ruthless productivity look like?
It looks like a practice where onboarding runs like clockwork because it’s mapped out in workflows. Where tech handles the routine so you can handle the relationships. Where you’re not the glue holding everything together—but the architect who built the system that works, even when you’re on a beach in Maui (with your phone off).
It means you’re doing fewer things—but doing the right things. You’re in your zone of genius, not buried in client prep binders, compliance logs, or scheduling follow-ups.
And here’s the kicker: productivity isn’t about being a control freak. It’s about learning to let go. Delegate. Automate. Elevate.
Want higher margins? Better client satisfaction? A business that someone actually wants to buy one day? Then it’s time to get productive—not busy.
Because in the end, your firm is only as valuable as it is repeatable. And repeatable only happens when processes replace heroics.
So next time you’re buried in tasks and thinking, “I’m being productive,” ask yourself: “Am I just working harder—or is this work actually building value?”
The difference is everything. And the firms that understand that? They’re not just profitable. They’re scalable, sellable, and built to last.
At Financial Gravity, we don’t just preach productivity—we deliver it. Our Done-For-You advisor model is designed to give you all the efficiency drivers, systems, and back-office support you need to grow, scale, and exit with confidence. From onboarding workflows to client servicing, portfolio management to tax integration, it’s all already built and running—so you don’t have to start from scratch (or from an IKEA manual).
You focus on relationships and growth—we’ll handle the infrastructure that powers them.
Let us show you how to turn your effort into enterprise value.
