Most recruitment leaders struggle with one thing: inconsistent performance.

Some recruiters smash targets. Others barely bill enough to cover costs.

After hundreds of conversations with founders on The Recruitment Mentors Podcast (80,000+ monthly listeners), I noticed one pattern:

The best leaders don’t just hire great recruiters, they build them.

That’s why I founded Hector: The all-in-one training platform for recruitment agencies with 10+ consultants who want predictable, consistent billings.

With 120+ courses from today’s top billers and hands-on implementation support, Hector helps teams:

Build consistent habits that drive billings

Develop recruiter skills that actually fit today’s market

Create a culture of accountability and high performance

If you lead a growing recruitment team and want to eliminate inconsistency,

👉🏻 Visit https://thisishector.com/ or drop me a DM to learn more.

Hishem Azzouz

Need Video or Podcast production?

I started Financial Planner Life to help close the advice gap in the financial planning profession.

What began with a £500-a-month marketing budget turned into one of the most-watched and listened-to podcasts in the profession.

Today:

• 50,000+ followers
• 10 million+ impressions a yr
• 400+ podcast episodes produced
• Thousands of social clips produced
• 50+ hours of content watched every day

Still blows my mind that every second of the day, someone, somewhere is watching or listening to me.

Along the way, I’ve created content for brands like Legal & General, St. James’s Place, Foster Denovo, Hoxton Wealth, the Personal Finance Society, and others. We help them attract top talent and new clients, build trust, and grow brand visibility through story-driven content.

We also work with CEOs and founders to build personal brands that position them as experts and open the door to new opportunities.

That’s what we do at Financial Planner Life Productions.

We create podcast and video content that builds real trust. It’s called social proof.

We work with financial services companies and financial planners who are serious about:

• Attracting and keeping great people
• Building a brand that stands out
• Creating trust with current and future clients

Because most buying decisions happen before the first conversation:

• 72% of clients want to feel confident in your expertise before they get in touch
• 80% check your website, social media or personal brand before contacting you
• Most people engage with 3 to 5 pieces of content before they make a move
• And 53% of clients say poor communication is the number one reason they leave a financial adviser

If your face, voice or client stories aren’t part of that journey, you’re missing a key moment.

What we produce:

• Branded podcasts
• YouTube video series
• Client stories and testimonials
• Career journey videos
• CEO and founder branding content
• Company and product explainers
• Educational content
• Docu-stories
• Social clips, trailers and short-form edits across all platforms

Whether you want to build a brand that recruits while you sleep or create a content system that earns trust 24/7, this is how you attract the right people and the right clients in 2025.

And if you’re wondering whether this works outside the financial planning profession  the answer is yes.

Any advice-led business grows faster when its people show up as its best marketing asset.

Want to see what a social proof strategy could look like for you?

Send me a message and let’s have a conversation.

Sam Oakes

Hi, I’m Sam Oakes.

I’m the host of the Financial Planner Life  podcast and the founder of Financial Planner Life Productions. For more than 20 years I’ve worked in financial services, employer brand building and talent attraction, helping businesses connect with the right people and helping individuals find careers where they can truly thrive.

6 years ago I started the Financial Planner Life podcast with a simple goal. I wanted to shine a light on the financial planning profession and share the real stories behind the people in it. The careers, the journeys, the challenges and the opportunities that most people never hear about.

Since then the platform has grown into one of the most recognised media channels in the profession.

Today Financial Planner Life reaches more than 63,000 followers across social media, with over 10,000 listeners tuning in each month. The show now has more than 270 episodes and generates over 60 hours of listens/watch time every single day and each new episode hits the top 5% globally across all podcasts in the first 7 days of release. Not bad for a niche subject of financial planning careers.

Through the podcast and the wider media platform I work with financial planning firms and product providers to help them tell their story, attract great talent and build meaningful connections with clients. But the work I do isn’t just about business or marketing.

I’m deeply interested in wellbeing, personal accountability and self reflection. I believe becoming a better person is an ongoing process. One that benefits not only ourselves but also our families, our clients, our friends and the wider world around us.

A big part of my own journey has been learning how to build a life that actually works for the way I think and operate. For a long time I felt like I didn’t quite fit into the traditional idea of work.The rigid structures, the standard career paths, the way we are often told things should be done. Over time I’ve realised that we are all different. We all think differently, operate differently and have different rhythms.

The real challenge is finding the environment and the way of working that fits your own operating system.

When that happens something powerful occurs. You stop forcing yourself into someone else’s model and start building a life that genuinely suits you. That’s something I’ve been working on deeply over the last few years and I feel like I’m starting to find my rhythm.

Looking ahead, my ambitions are big. I want to continue growing Financial Planner Life as the leading media platform for financial planning careers and advice, and I’m particularly excited about the next chapter as we begin expanding into the United States. There will be more on that very soon. the heart of everything though is a simple belief. People connect with people, stories inspire change and when we create space for honest conversations we open doors that many people never realised existed.

I am greatful for your support 🙏🏻

Brand Builder in Financial Planning 🚀 Financial Planner Life Podcast Host 🎙️ Apple Top 10 📈 60,000 Followers ⭐️ 130k+ Listeners a Year 🎧 Video & Podcast Production For Financial Services 🎬Talent Attractor 🧲

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🔥I'm so pumped to be releasing this episode tonight at 7:00 pm!!!  🔥


Tyla Phillips FCSI, APFS & William Burrows are two of the hardest-working and most successful finanical planners in the international space.  


11 years ago, I placed Tyla in Dubai, in his first role - a massive gamble, as he was in a fantastic position in the UK.   


He met William Burrows in his first month. Little did they know they would go on to be part of a 6-person leadership team and build a super successful international financial planning business called AHR.  


But the story doesn't end there; in fact, it feels like it's just getting started!  


Titan Wealth acquired AHR to form Titan Wealth International. 


And in this epsiode we get right into why they did this and why what they are building is revolutionising international financial planning for all the right reasons.  

You will not want to miss this episode of Financial Planner Life 🎥🎙️

Proper global financial planning is here, and Titan Wealth is raising the standards for international clients and those that serve them.

I’m not a financial planner.

But for the last six years I’ve spent most of my time sitting across from them.

Over 270 conversations on Financial Planner Life  
with people across the profession.
Paraplanners. Career changers. Business owners. Advisers just starting out.

And one thing has become very clear.

There is no such thing as the “typical” financial planner.

Some come from banking.
Some from teaching.
Some from recruitment, retail, engineering, sport, 

I know a hollywood stuntman who’s studying to become an adviser!!  

the list goes on.

What were you doing before you worked in financial planning? Leaves a comment below!

No cookie cutter.

Just people doing the job in their own way.

That’s why I started Financial Planner Life .

Not to showcase the “perfect adviser”.

But to show the real profession. 


👇 lovely walk along South beach Miami this morning, getting some much needed sun ☀️ Phoenix Arizona next!

International Financial Planning is evolving,  and one business is moving faster than the others. 👇

On this week's episode of Financial Planner Life, I sat down with Tyla Phillips FCSI, APFS, and William Burrows, now part of the senior leadership team at Titan Wealth International, to unpack their journey from the early days in Dubai to helping lead the most ambitious international financial planning business in the market today.

Since AHR joined Titan Wealth, momentum has accelerated. 🤯

✅ £44 billion under management as a group
✅ 1,400+ staff globally.
✅Long-term private equity backing.
✅ A growing pipeline of international firms and advisers joining the group.

In this episode, we cover:

🌍 - What it's like to be acquired, and why the deal had to be right for everyone!
🌍 - What it really takes to build an international advice career
🌍 - Why structure beats short-term sales culture
🌍 - Clear career pathways and employed adviser models
🌍 - Market-leading remuneration
🌍 - A serious adviser marketing engine with FAIR LEAD distribution 🔥
🌍 -  And what “One Titan” actually means in practice. 

If you are serious about international financial planning, whether in the UK or abroad, this is one you should not miss! 

Watch or listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

To all my friends in the UAE stay safe, thinking about you all 🙏🏻💚🇦🇪

I was back in Dubai recently.

What I witnessed felt like an evolution of international financial planning.

Following AHR joining Titan Wealth, I sat down with Tyla Phillips FCSI, APFS and William Burrows, now part of the senior leadership team at Titan Wealth International, to understand how they moved from early international advisers to helping lead one of the most ambitious  global financial planning businesses.

I have worked in the international space. I have spoken to hundreds of advisers and founders worldwide. I know the difference between noise and substance.

This felt different.

A cognitive calm I rarely see in the international market. Real infrastructure. Clear career pathways, proper paraplanning support, employed adviser options and genuinely market-leading remuneration. A serious adviser marketing engine with fair lead distribution delivering strong ROI.

This is not just scale.
It is evolution for employees, advisers, and clients.

Titan Wealth is not slowing down. The world is getting smaller for financial planners and it has never been a more exciting time to be part of a truly global business.

Find out more in today’s newsletter.

View newsletter: The Financial Planner Life

A Financial Planner Life Episode with Tyla Phillips FCSI, APFS and William Burrows Eleven years ago, I placed Tyla Phillips FCSI, APFS in Dubai. At th

Open article: The Evolution of International Financial Planning: Inside Titan Wealth by Sam Oakes • 7 min read

The Evolution of International Financial Planning: Inside Titan Wealth

How do new IFAs actually find clients?

When Caroline Quillet (Laudren) started her financial planning career, she had a pipeline of just 5–6 clients.

Today she regularly has 20–30 clients in her pipeline as a self-employed financial adviser.

Her strategy is surprisingly simple.

Ask business owners one question:
“Have you ever had a financial wellbeing session for your employees?”

She offers a free financial planning education session covering pensions, investments and Stocks & Shares ISAs.

For businesses it’s valuable financial education.

For a financial planner or IFA, it’s a powerful way to build trust and open conversations.

From groups of 7 employees to 60+ people, those sessions have created referrals, booked meetings and a consistent pipeline of clients.

And once the work compounds, the recommendations start to follow.

If you’re exploring a career as a financial adviser, financial planner or self-employed IFA, this is a brilliant example of how advisers build their client bank.

🎧 Find the full episode on Financial Planner Life now.

Season 1 started with a bit of scepticism. 😧
Mark Hobbs  openly said he thought podcasting might be a gimmick!!! 😎👇

Fast forward a year… and we’re back producing Season 2 of the New Leaf Podcast.

Why?

Because the impact has been huge.

Since launching the New Leaf Podcast, the quality of people reaching out has gone “exponentially through the roof.”

They are now attracting high-level corporate professionals who likely would never have spoken to them through traditional marketing.

Mark said the response has been so strong that it’s almost too much - he joked that he’s “too busy” and can’t handle all the enquiries.

The podcast has helped New Leaf Distribution strengthen their employer brand, showcase the brilliant advisers in their community, and attract exactly the kind of people they want to work with - self-employed financial advisers looking for a network that genuinely supports them.

The ROI has been clear. 📈

High-quality adviser enquiries are coming in consistently, and one of their podcast guests even said they’re hesitant to add the episode to their website yet… 

because they’re already receiving so many CLIENT leads from it. A good problem to have💚

So I invited CEO Daniel Hobbs and founder Mark Hobbs  onto the Financial Planner Life podcast to talk about what it’s really been like stepping into the podcast marketing game and where new leaf are heading in 2026! what surprised them, what worked, and why they committed to season two.

Because when you give people a platform to share real stories, you build something far more powerful than marketing.

You build trust.

And in financial services, that’s everything…


Episode dropping soon!  🎬🎥

Welcome to Miami…….☀️

Jam packed days already 🥵

Yesterday started with a coffee and a great conversation with Alex Sullivan  

Then we headed to the Beach for a workout and carried on talking. Finally we sealed the deal with a swim in the sea. 

Not your typical business meeting.

I caught up with Alex Sullivan , who has just launched Modern American Advisor at the Future Proof Festival in Miami.  🏝️

From everything I’ve heard it went down a storm. 

An incredible concept and an amazing media brand in the making. 

Think the GQ of financial planning. 😎

Sadly I couldn’t make the festival itself, but we managed to spend a few hours together talking about the future of media in financial services and where we can take things next.

Alex and I have known each other for about 15 years. When two people who care deeply about media, storytelling and the future of financial advice get together, things start moving quickly.

Modern American Advisor is going to make serious waves in the US, and I’m incredibly excited to be involved. 🤝

At the same time, Alex is bringing his decades of experience building media publications into financial Planner Life here in the UK. 

Together we’re going to take Financial Planner Life  to the next level when it comes to video production, News, Media, Research, advertising and distribution! 

Might even release an IRL ( in real life) coffee table magazine! Old school 🤣

Making more impact for the brands and financial services businesses we work with.


Another busy day with financial planner interviews for Titan Wealth International - looking forward to these!

Happy Mother’s Day to Mrs Oakes 😎 

thank you for being an amazing partner in crime to daddy and loving mum to Isabella-Rose 🥀 for the last 10 years, which has flown by! 

We love you to the moon and back 🌙

Forever greatful 🙏🏻

Keri-ann Oakes ❤️

How do you increase recurring revenue without increasing payroll? 🧐

Recently recorded a strong episode with Max Anderson  from WealthSpace.

Former financial planner.
Now building AI tech for UK advice firms. 😎

We talked about removing the bottlenecks that cap growth:

✅ Cutting report time from 90 minutes to 20

✅Growing from 80 to 120 clients per adviser without hiring extra support

✅Upskilling paraplanners instead of chasing new hire.

✅Helping clients see value, not just fees

At £149 per adviser per month, the maths gets interesting. 👌

More capacity.
Higher recurring revenue.
Stronger long-term sale value.

🔥 We also discussed Polaris, a junior adviser layer designed to help firms serve the clients they currently turn away, without removing the human adviser from the centre! Super interesting! 🔥

If you care about scaling properly and building enterprise value, this one is worth watching.

Dropping soon on Financial Planner Life . 🔜

A proper full circle moment on Financial Planner Life.

Caroline Quillet (Laudren) used to watch the podcast while working in investment banking at Deutsche Bank trying to understand how the financial planning profession worked.

Now she’s a guest on it.

Two years after becoming a self-employed IFA and financial planner, she’s built £14m AUM.

In this episode we run through the real checklist of entering financial planning, including:
🔹 Learning about the profession properly
🔹 Completing your financial planning qualifications
🔹 Self-employed vs employed financial adviser routes
🔹 Network vs directly authorised firms
🔹 What a good adviser fee split actually looks like
🔹 Why she chose not to go down the academy route
🔹 The interview process and why doing proper due diligence on firms is critical

We also talk about the mindset shift.

Going from working with institutions managing billions in investment banking, to helping individuals and business owners with thousands, hundreds of thousands and millions plan their financial futures.

And why earning £100k+ in financial planning can happen quicker than people think if you build momentum.

Always great to hear when Financial Planner Life helps someone make the decision to join the profession.

Now she’s helping inspire the next wave.

🎧 New episode out now on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts

I’m #hiring. Know anyone who might be interested?

How do you scale a financial planning firm without hiring more staff? 😵‍💫

That’s the question I put to Max Anderson on the latest Financial Planner Life episode.

Max isn’t another tech founder talking about AI from the outside. ❌

He was a financial planner first. 😊

Built WealthSpace because he ran into the same problem most firms face today.

❌ Not demand.
✅ Capacity.

Too many people needing advice! 😮‍💨

 Not enough hours in the day to service them properly. ⏳

One moment in the conversation really stood out. 
Max used Wealth Space in his own advice firm… and it effectively unlocked adviser capacity - also freeing up time for him to focus on Wealth Space to help other financial planning firms.  

Cost?
£149 per month! 😎

We also talked about:
✅ Cutting report writing from around 90 minutes to 20
✅ Growing from 80 to 120 clients per financial planner without hiring
✅ Upskilling paraplanners instead of fighting the recruitment market
✅ Helping clients see the value of advice, not just the cost

And then we went deeper into Polaris, the upcoming “junior adviser layer” 
designed to help firms serve clients they currently turn away.

If you're curious about AI and financial planning, this episode is 100% worth a listen.

Link in the comments for demo nd episode. 👇

From Investment Banking to Self-Employed IFA.

Two years later… £14m AUM built as a financial planner.

Caroline Quillet (Laudren) originally discovered the Financial Planner Life podcast while researching a career change out of investment banking at Deutsche Bank.

Now she’s a guest on the show sharing exactly how she made the move.

In this article we break down the real checklist of entering financial planning, including:

🔸 ⁠Learning about the profession
🔸 Completing financial planning qualifications
🔸 Self-employed vs employed financial adviser routes
🔸 Network vs directly authorised firms
🔸 The importance of due diligence when interviewing firms
🔸 What a good adviser fee split actually looks like
🔸 How advisers can reach £100k+ earnings faster than people think

It’s a practical look at what becoming an IFA or financial planner actually involves.

And a great full-circle moment for Financial Planner Life.

📖 Read the article below.

One of the best parts of running Financial Planner Life is hearing how the podcast has helped people discover the profession. Every now and then, some

Open article: From Investment Banking to Self-Employed IFA: The Real Checklist for Becoming a Financial Planner by Sam Oakes • 6 min read

From Investment Banking to Self-Employed IFA: The Real Checklist for Becoming a Financial Planner

One of the most unexpected parts of hosting the Financial Planner Life  podcast is this. 👇


You get a front row seat to how people actually build their careers.

Over the last few years I’ve recorded more than 270 conversations with financial planners, founders, CEOs and people building businesses in the profession.

When you have that many conversations, something interesting happens.

You start to notice patterns.

The biggest one?

Almost nobody has a straight line career.

Some people started in banking.
Some started in insurance.
Some began in completely different industries and discovered financial planning later.

A lot of the time the path wasn’t planned at all.

It was curiosity.

A conversation.
An opportunity.
A risk someone decided to take.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that the people who do well in financial planning often have one thing in common.

They are deeply curious about people.

Not just money.

People.

Their goals.
Their fears.
Their families.
Their ambitions.

Money is rarely just about numbers. It’s usually connected to something much deeper.

Security.
Freedom.
Legacy.
Peace of mind.

That’s why financial planning, when it’s done well, is such a meaningful profession.

It sits right at the intersection of life decisions and money decisions.

And the more conversations I have, the more I realise that the human side of the profession is what really makes it powerful.

That’s also the part that keeps me curious.

Because every new conversation brings a different perspective.

And often a lesson I didn’t expect to learn. 

I’m excited about the future, and what I can add to this awesome profession. 🙏🏻

Thinking about becoming a self-employed IFA or financial planner?

Here’s something most people don’t tell you.

When you start as a self-employed financial adviser, the recurring income doesn’t appear overnight.

As Caroline Quillet (Laudren) explains on Financial Planner Life, it can take around 9 months for ongoing income to properly build.

In the early months you might be asking yourself:
“How much am I going to get paid this month?”

That’s why having 9–12 months of savings behind you can make a huge difference when starting a career in financial planning.

Caroline made the move from investment banking at Deutsche Bank to becoming a self-employed IFA, and within two years she has built £14m AUM as a financial planner.

The opportunity in financial planning is huge, but understanding the early stages is key.

If you’re exploring financial planning qualifications, becoming a financial adviser, or starting your journey as an IFA, this clip is worth watching.

🎧 Full episode on Financial Planner Life now.

Awesome to visit Magellan in Pheonix Arizona yesterday, an amazing set up, some brilliant studios supporting financial planners to get on TV and a great day strategising and discussing the power of podcasting. Watch this space 🎙️🎬🎥

Most people don’t get into financial planning because the pathway isn’t clear. Or worse, it feels too risky.

This week on the Financial Planner Life podcast, I sat down with Helen Longland from The Openwork Partnership and Owl Financial, and David Tait from Redmill Advance - Adviser CPD & Exam Support, to break down something that’s been missing in this profession for years. 

A proper, structured, employed route into financial planning.
And honestly, it’s one of the clearest pathways I’ve seen.

We unpacked the Openwork Academy step by step, including how you can enter as an employed trainee on a £30k to £37k salary, the full journey from day one through to becoming a qualified financial planner, how they combine R0 exams with real client exposure and coaching, why soft skills and behavioural finance are built in from the start, and what actually goes into getting CAS sign off and becoming competent.

What made this episode different though was the people behind it. Helen and David have worked together for years and you can tell. 

There’s honesty, constant feedback, and a genuine focus on outcomes for the people going through the academy.

You can see exactly why The Openwork Partnership and Redmill Advance - Adviser CPD & Exam Support have built such a strong partnership, it’s all geared around one thing, making sure every delegate coming through the academy is fully supported from day one.

We also touched on something I think is massively overlooked, Helen’s work with Owl Financial. It’s a completely different route into advice, starting with protection, bringing in younger and more diverse talent across 26 plus nationalities, creating real community impact, and offering a clear progression into mortgages and wealth advice. It’s a reminder that there isn’t just one way into this profession anymore.

If we’re serious about fixing the advice gap, we don’t just need more people. We need better pathways. And this is what that looks like.

If you’re thinking about becoming a financial planner or you’re trying to attract talent into your firm, this is worth a listen.

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