Grow your investment boutique 📈 Founder / CEO @ Havener ⭐ $30B AUM for boutiques w/ The Billion Dollar Blueprint™ 💲 Story-led sales & marketing for founders, fund mgrs, and teams 🎤 Speaker ▪ Podcast Host

Hi, I’m Stacy - a blue-collar girl from the Berkshires who turned a way with words and love of numbers into a business that has raised billions for boutique asset managers.
 
I’ve raised $8B+ for new/undiscovered funds that led to $30B+ in follow-on AUM.

Being a female founder in the male-dominated investment industry at the age of 30 required a huge leap of faith in connecting two tribes: talented boutique asset managers and early adopter investors.

The leap of faith was spot on. 

10+ years later, Havener Capital Partners leads the industry in helping investment boutiques grow. We help clients in three ways: (1) Embedded as part of your sales and marketing team (2) Consulting on sales and marketing efforts with you (3) Coaching you and your team in our membership community

Whether it’s consulting and masterminds, expanding sales and marketing capabilities, or connecting to our network of RIAs and family offices, clients benefit from an expert team and a time-tested framework that has raised billions for boutiques.

If I can be of assistance, please reach out at stacy@havenercapital.com

A little more about me: 

I’m obsessed with all things old school – hip-hop music, classic cars, craft cocktails and vintage furniture. My best lessons in life were learned on the soccer field where I went from picking flowers at the age of 9, to playing on all-boy teams, to becoming an Academic All-American in college. 

Most days you will find me at our office in the city-by-the sea, Newport, RI, sitting next to my reggae-loving husband (who is also my business partner), with a Dunkin Donuts coffee in my hand, and our rescue pitbull at my feet. In addition to building a business together, Erik and I are raising a daughter which is by far my favorite adventure. 

At the heart of it all, there is one thing I believe in – underdogs. Doesn’t matter who we are or what industry we are in, we all start from the bottom; we have all been underdogs. This rebel spirit fuels me every day.

Stacy Havener

Started the year at $400 million, now? $1.9 billion. And a heart of gold from Day 1. 

These flowers are for Sean Peche 

His success in building Ranmore is impressive and inspiring

But the true inspiration is who he is as a person, friend, and leader

If you have met Sean and his team, you know they are special

This year has been a breakout year for Ranmore as AUM crossed the $1 billion dollar mark (and counting, currently at $1.9 billion)

-- Have they got a differentiated portfolio, yes 

-- Have they got the performance, yep

-- But they have something more

Heart
Passion 
Kindness

And while performance and process and portfolio matter a lot

The people matter most

We got together yesterday to celebrate Sean

How he has built his business with an incredible team 

And how he lives his life as an incredible person

- Owning his roots and his heritage
- Helping people who really need it

- Believing when others don't 
- Showing up when others won't 

Sean is an inspiration 

And as we talked about yesterday at lunch
"You can't be what you can't see"

In order for people to believe they can do something, they need to see someone else doing it

We need to see someone like us achieving that same success 

For every boutique who is on the path 

For every founder / fund manager who has a dream

See Sean Peche 

You can do this
We can do this

Congrats Ranmore and Sean
These flowers are for you 💐
Thank you for all you do

Spoke on a panel with two friends yesterday… and left with many more. 🥰

Honored to join fellow boutique champions James Lindsay and Dani Hristova for a powerful conversation at AIMSE Europe Limited.

We dug into the landscape for specialist managers:
what’s good, what’s tough,
and what we can *actually* do about it.

Here were a few themes that hit home:

---

1️⃣ Resist the temptation to hide

Boutiques often hide when markets get rocky.
We shrink. We stay quiet. We wait for “better times.”

But hiding is a bad plan.

Because our uniqueness is the thing allocators remember.
Our edges, our insights, our craft.

It's how we do in tough markets, yes, and also how we show up.
How we own mistakes and headwinds and struggle.

Use our voice consistently in good/bad times, not conveniently when all is rainbows and unicorns.

---

2️⃣ Hold space with confidence

Allocators aren’t trying to build a lineup of samesies.
They’re building portfolios of complements.

That means there is often a seat at the table for us.

For differentiated thinkers
For specialists
For boutiques

But we have to hold our space.
Not with bravado.
With presence.

A quiet, grounded confidence that says:
We know who we are. 
We know what we do. 
We know the value our strategy brings to a portfolio.

Complement > Compete

---

3️⃣ Don’t change… and also, change

(This was one of my favorite moments from the panel. 😂)

Because it’s the nuance we never talk about:

✔️ Don’t change the essence—the thing that makes us special, distinct, compelling.

✔️ But do change the strategies, tactics, or approaches that no longer serve us.

Maybe those tactics weren’t ever meant for us.
Maybe they worked for “everyone else”… but not for specialists like us.
Maybe we’re meant to lead with something different...

because we authentically are. ❤️

Boutiques grow when they stay anchored in their uniqueness
and unafraid to evolve everything around it.

---

Grateful for the panel.
Grateful for the room.
Grateful for this community building the future of active management.

Lucky and honored to be a part of it

💐

My friends at a $10B fam office are my London lifeline (and British decoder ring). I underestimated something kind of big.

Yesterday, we talked about entrepreneurial spirit and growth mindset...

*Is this easier to tap into for Americans than the British?*

🤔

Many brilliant people struggle to tap into their entrepreneurial spirit.

Not because they lack ideas.
Not because they lack ambition.

But because they’ve been conditioned to believe:

- Growth should feel safe.
- Investing in yourself is risky.
- And if you stretch… you’ll be confronted, not supported.

(That word confronted is sticking with me as it's the opposite of what our clients feel.)

Entrepreneurial spirit isn’t a personality trait.

It’s a muscle.
One that anyone can build.

Here are 3 ways we can start tapping into it:

---

1️⃣ Make a micro-bet on ourselves

Not a moonshot.
Not a quit-your-job-jump-without-a-parachute bet.
A micro one.
The kind that expands our identity without collapsing our nervous system.

Sign up for a workshop

Launch a tiny pilot

Test an idea with 3 trusted people

Micro bets → micro wins → macro confidence.

---

2️⃣ Trade perfection for iteration

Entrepreneurs don’t wait for the perfect plan.

We take the next step.

Ship.
Learn.
Adjust.
Repeat.

When we stop insisting “I must be ready" before I make a move, we start discovering “I can figure this out” now while I move.

---

3️⃣ Surround ourselves with people who believe in growth

Environment is everything.

We rise in rooms where:

- Investing in growth is normal

- Stretching is celebrated

- Support replaces scrutiny

Progress > perfection

Entrepreneurial spirit is contagious, yes, but only in the right company.

---

Here's my promise to you:

Growth is worth investing in.
And it doesn’t have to feel painful.

It can feel supported.
It can feel expansive.

It can feel like the moment we finally remember who we’ve been all along.

(That last one 🙌)

👉 If this resonated, I’d love to hear which of these 3 help you tap into a growth mindset? 

And of course I am here for any additional learnings on American // British culture and personality nuances

PS I am your biggest fan. ❤️

= 
If you are going to AIMSE today in London, see you there! 

(Entrepreneurial spirit will be a vibe.)

"Traditions aren't about adding more to your busy schedule, but filling it intentionally."

That quote hits after a weekend of Thanksgiving and traditions.

The word "Intentional" gives things a different spin tho. A more heart-filled spin. More weight attached to even the lighter things we do. 

Here are a few of mine:

Is it even Thanksgiving if we don't... 

-- Start the day with a 3.1 mile "Pie Run"

-- Screw up at least 1 recipe 

(this year it was the pumpkin pie for me, made it twice if I'm honest) 😬

-- Have a dance party in the kitchen

-- Watch Christmas movies, drink red wine, and cry 😭 🥰

Those things could be happenstance
But I think they are intentional

Traditions don't always have to be shiny fancy sparkly
or highly starched tight collared stuffy

Sometimes they are messy and cozy and comfortable 

And those moments are some of the best.

My heart is full of gratitude going into the 49th week of the year.

Here's to more intention.

Your turn. 

👉 Add to the list! Is it even the holidays if we don't... 

(🥧 pie run over the years 📷)

"Don't look back - you aren't going that way." I disagree. Look back.
(Also important to look right 😘)

Play the way you are facing. 
Yes. ⚽
Plan forward. 
Yes. 📈

*And measure backwards.*

That’s the look back we need.

Because high achievers hit a goal and then we move the goal post on ourselves, don't we?

Next milestone.
Next level.
Next goal.

Between now and next there is a gap. We can get stuck there.

Measuring backwards is the breakout of that gap.

It's the gain - measuring how far we’ve come.

That’s confidence.
And we need to protect it.

Here are 3 ways to measure backwards ⬇️

1. Reflect in milestones, not miles.

Think back to the beginning of the year: where were you on key goals then vs now?

Go back 3 years: what problems or goals felt big then that you've checked off the list?

Progress compounds quietly.

2. Revisit your firsts.

The first client.
The first hire.
The first pitch that worked.

Remember when this version of normal was just a dream?

3. Re-read your own receipts.

Testimonials.
Notes from clients.
Screenshots of kind words.
Proof that your work is working.

Progress hides in plain sight.
We just forget to turn around and see it.

So before year end take time to look back.
Measure backwards.

We've come a long way, Friends. 

👉 Which of the 3 look backs are you vibing with? 

---

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I missed a big opportunity in our London expansion. Obvious, even.

UK fund managers want access to the US market. 

(Ohhhh - why didn't you just tell me! 😉)

We have been helping London-based fund houses sharpen their story,
build a narrative that moves investors,
embrace behavioral-finance-based sales strategies,
and leverage LinkedIn to grow.

I overlooked a foundational element, target market.

The outcome many UK boutiques want most?

Access to U.S. investors.

When I came to London this trip, I was struggling a bit with our offer, I decided to ask a point blank question

What do you want? 
Really. Tell me. 

And slowly but surely it answers started to make sense

On our AIMSE panel, Dani Hristova said how tough the UK market is for boutiques.

Conversations with fund managers and C-suite execs who point blank said, we want access to the US.

And me, v not Captain Obvious, saying: riiiiight, I get it (now)
🤦‍♀️

Because here’s the reality:

🇬🇧 It’s getting more difficult to grow in the UK.
Pension and wealth channels are 
consolidating.
Family offices are tough to crack.
Launching a boutique is still incredibly challenging.

And yet…

🇺🇸 The grass is greener in the U.S.
Not because it’s easy.
But because it’s *possible*.

Here are 3 reasons the U.S. market is a fit for non-U.S. managers:

1️⃣ Access to a broader, more diverse allocator ecosystem

Pension funds, endowments, foundations, consultants, multi-family offices, RIAs: the U.S. has depth and diversity that gives boutiques room to find their people.

2️⃣ A culture that rewards specialization

U.S. investors actively seek differentiated shops.
Story, narrative, and edge matter here, especially for boutiques who know who they are.

3️⃣ A more open door for global perspectives

Many allocators want outside-the-U.S. ideas: new geographies, new frameworks, new edges.

Being non-U.S. is an advantage.

The wild part?

This opportunity has been in front of us the whole time... and I nearly missed it.

So now, we’re leaning in. 

👉 Did I get it? What else am I missing? What is in the way of US  distribution?

I overheard a fund salesperson throwing shade at a conference.
Plot twist...

It was said about a multi-billion allocator (which is bizarro bc Hi, that's a dream client for you but ok)

The salesperson was ragging on the fact that this allocator posts on LinkedIn and has a newsletter.

(let's insert crickets chirping so we can process the absurdity for a minute)

Now, let's count the ways this is wrong.

1. If I heard them talking smack, others did too. It's not a good look generally. Call me pollyannic but nobody got time for negativity and nastiness. 

2. Shade is often a big glass of hater-ade in disguise. Whenever we feel jealousy or envy towards someone, it's actually a clue that we may want something they have. 

3. LinkedIn is right here for all of us. For free. And if you are still sleeping on its power, that's a you problem. There's a whole crew of us that got the memo and are making it count. 

(that's just 3 things but please add to the list bc there's so much more wrong and missing)

---

If you think (secretly or overtly) that LinkedIn and building a personal brand is "arrogant," I am going to politely suggest, in the words of Ice Cube, that you check yourself before you wreck yourself.

It's not arrogance to be sharing our thoughts authentically... 

it's ignorance not to.

👉 What would you add to the list of wrongs or what would you advise this shade thrower to consider?

=

+ In finance? Wondering if LinkedIn could help you build a brand (and a business)? We got you (and yes, it can)

+ Dec 12 workshop with Anna. No shade shall be thrown. See you there!

Growth unlocks hide in unlikely places. (This $1 billion backstory starts with a box in the garage.)

Check it:

$1 billion raised in 3 years.
For a new fund.
From a base of $1 million of the founder's own money.

No track record? 
No data?
No problem.

A new strategy and a new vehicle launched by an existing founder-led $4B hedge fund.

My mandate was the launch of this new fund and most of the firm was super skeptical about.

(like massive eye roll)

I wasn't. I was confident and I went right for the goods.

The founder's words.

A box of old letters
Commentaries over the years 

When I think back to my most successful capital raise, the thing that moved allocators wasn't the performance or the pitch deck.

It was decades of investor letters that were pulled into a collection.
Sitting in the founder's garage in a water logged box.
Yellowed pages.
Coffee stains.

The letters gave a glimpse:

-- Good times and bad times.
-- How they thought through the '08 crisis.
-- How they positioned when everyone else panicked.
-- What they saw that others missed.

The letters were gold.

Because here's what we forget:

Capital raising isn't about investing in numbers.
It's about investing in the people who generate those results.

How they think differently.
What they see that others don't.
What they do that others won't.

The allocators who took a chance on this new fund weren't buying a bulletproof process.
They were buying beautiful minds.

A way of thinking that had weathered decades.
A perspective that had been pressure-tested.
A voice that stayed consistent and edgy when markets went mad.

We spend so much time perfecting our pitch decks.
Polishing our performance charts.

But the real differentiator?

It's in how we think.
How we communicate that thinking.
How we've thought through problems over time.

That founder didn't just have returns.
He had receipts.

Proof of how his mind worked.
Evidence of his decision-making.
A paper trail of his principles.

And that's what moved the money.

Not the numbers.
The narrative behind them.

So before you update that deck for the 47th time
Before you add another shade of blue into the chart of those performance metrics 😘

Ask yourself:

Are you showing them the numbers
Or are you showing them the mind behind them? 

Because investors don't back businesses.
They back the brains that build them.
The people with the beautiful minds.
You. ❤️

👉 Do you think LinkedIn is collection of people's thoughts like a digital box of letters? 

=
+ Got words?

+ Join us Dec 12th to workshop how old letters and commentaries can fuel your growth flywheel.

+ (The gal in this pic is aces. Hint: it's not me )

6 little lies we tell ourselves as boutique fund managers


1. Investors will find me.

They are busy. They don't have time to search for you. 


2. It will only take 6 months to fundraise.

Double or triple expectations. 12 - 18 months average due diligence cycle. 


3. Large allocators will give us a small percentage.

They can't. It's not worth their time and energy to make 100s of small allocations. 


4. I can skip the marketing costs now and do it later.

If we don't market now, there may not be a later.


5. This cheap fix will last until I can replace it with something better. 

We get what we pay for. Cheap fixes break and then we have to fix them ... which is expensive. 


6. Once I hit $X, I will be able to relax. 

Bc markets move, bc clients need hand holding, bc people redeem, bc as high achievers we keep striving for more. 

👉 Which one of these hits hardest??

📌 I will be breaking 2 of these down for the next 3 weeks in beach walk and talks. 

Follow Stacy Havener and ring the bell 🔔 to get the 🎥🌊

"There are a lot of people in navy suits with red ties that command attention who are saying jack sh!*."

Is executive presence overrated and broken? Even the definition is unclear.

(Related to personal brand but not quite the same IMO)

Brene Brown and Adam Grant have been challenging the idea of executive presence. 

It's grab your popcorn and your notebook good. 

It's an important debate this idea of exec presence being overrated.

I still believe our exec presence, our brand, is important.

The construct is hellabroken but... As execs and founders and leaders we still need it. 

We need to redefine it.

Here's another Brene Brown quote:

"Executive presence is a prescriptive way of defining what a leader looks like and sounds like when often it is the quiet 'nerd' in the meeting who often has the best answers."

This hit hard for me especially in my work in finance and investments. 

BUT

We can't stay hidden and hope someone sees us.

We can't stay hidden and hope clients find our business or fund. 

We can't stay hidden and hope to grow in our careers.

Hidden and hopeful is not going to get it done.

Even if the quiet hidden hopeful ones often have the chops intellectually, they often lack em socially.

And that's ok. That's normal.

If we own where we are and build a plan to address where we want to go. 

It's on us to break the old mold of exec presence, redefine it, and build it with intention. 

My version includes dance circles as pitch practice. 🤷‍♀️

👉 Curious what you think about exec presence. Overrated and useless or poorly defined and important or somewhere in between?

And

🎧 Highly recommend listening to them on a pod or vid btw. Will throw some resources in below. 

=
🙌 Follow me Stacy Havener if you like this post and want to work on your exec presence/personal brand

Want to create urgency in your sales funnel? 
(Steal this framework.)

It's based on the age old classic sales narrative from a Harvard professor of the drill and the hole in the wall. 

First, let's back up. 

A well-crafted narrative moves people to do something.

But before people will do something they need to feel something. 

So to catalyze people on our funnel to take action, we need to make them feel something first. 

Framework: What How Why 

What is the product or service
How is the action it delivers
Why is the result it creates

Get clear on that for your target client

Then

Invert it

For maximum impact

Urgency comes from the feeling we create. 

Hearmenow: The. Feeling.

(yes, even in investment biz dev we all up in the feelings here my friends)

-- We don't buy a drill
-- We don't even buy the hole in the wall 
-- We buy the peaceful beautiful feeling we have from the art we hang on said wall

Feel something => Do something

👉 How else can we tap into feelings in sales and biz dev??  

Breaking it down at the beach 
🎥🌊🙌

---
Art of storytelling +
Science of human behavior =
New Playbook Success

Havener + Marmite. Behind the scenes with a client 

(and flowers to an allocator friend)

Marmite. You either love it or you hate it.

This is what my friend Simon Evan-Cook told me in one of our first chats. 

He explained that this is the type of fund managers he likes to see. People who have strong beliefs and high convictions and aren't afraid to attract and repel. 

Many of our fund clients at Havener are marmite.

One of them is British. 

He loves marmite. Specifically twiglets. 

(Stay with me bc this American girl was v lost too) 😂

So at one of our events a few years ago, Jonathan brought twiglets. 

And we made a video of a few of us tasting these bitter little snacks at the Castle Hill Inn Summit by the Sea.

I won't spoil the results of this experiment but I will say...

I get it. I get why Marmite is a good metaphor for managers who think differently and bravely. 

-- Whether you like Marmite or not, maybe you like managers who aren't afraid to take a stance and go against consensus. 

-- Maybe you think emerging markets are having a moment and want to hear from someone whose been investing in them for 20 years. 

If that's you, join me for a chat with Jonathan Binder next week. 

It will be fun. 

BYOM. (Bring your own marmite. Or gin as the case may be. No judgement here)

👉 Are you thumbs up or down on Marmite? Twiglets? 

💐 To our great allocator friends and clients. You remind me why I love my job. ❤️

🎥 video credit: Anna Robinson and cameo appearance by Arun Kaul

=
+ Join Jonathan Binder and me for a chat on frontier emerging markets on Dec 10 at 1 pm EST

+ Register: https://acesse.one/XFmQ5

1 move has 3Xd quality and quantity of prospect meetings for our clients
(Do it from your desk)

(Literally "from the desk of..." is the vibe)

1/ Prep before we play

- Tier your funnel
- Identify your faves
- Regardless of stage
- Your A Team like 20ish 

Faves = prospects you would *love* to have as clients

Like run thru a wall to have them bc they are ideal clients for you

(ideal doesn't just mean big $$$ aum btw)

2/ In addition to your newsletter that goes to everyone on the funnel and distribution list

Fund managers write a custom note ad hoc to Tier 1 prospects

3/ "From the desk of" 
As in it is sent by the fund manager (not the salesperson)

-- Thoughts on the market
-- Updates on a position 
-- Developments on the biz side

Think of what you would write to your internal team

Adapt it for Tier 1 prospects externally 

Do this with no ask of them
It's a give 💐

4/ When you're ready to build a trip, reach out to them as anchor meetings.

Watch your meeting calendar fill with meetings so good you'd drag your suitcase down the street in the snow for 'em 

🙌

💡 Why does it work?
Science of human behavior

People like to feel special

We have a fundamental need to feel valued and unique

And in typical sales that's watered down mass everything (even more so with AI) human-first actions like this stand out.

👉 I am not saying AI isn't cool, but outsourcing the special bits is a mistake. Feel me?

=

PS these are the types of campaigns we create for clients to help them get more meetings with better prospects

and then we help close em

if you like more better meetings, call us ☎️

The only brand strategist in advisor marketing that helps financial advisors discover their niche, craft their positioning, and tell their stories to get more inbound leads of dream clients.

Most advisors want to grow, but they’re stuck in an old model. They’re tired of chasing prospects, begging for referrals, or feeling like their brand is invisible. The truth?

You’re only a trusted advisor to the clients who already know you.
To grow, you need to become a trusted authority—and that’s where I come in.

Hi 👋 I’m Natalie Hales, and I help financial advisors stop spinning their wheels and start attracting ideal clients.

With 14 years of experience in advisor marketing across Canada and the U.S., I’ve worked with everyone from top independent advisors to national firms like Canada Life and global associations like MDRT.

My signature framework, The Niche Funnel™, flips the traditional sales funnel on its head.
Instead of shouting into the void, we focus your niche, refine your brand, and develop a strategy that magnetizes the right people so they come to you.

🔹 Niche Sprint: Define your ideal audience and unique value
🔹 Brand Sprint: Craft your brand story and messages
🔹 Marketing Sprint: Build a strategy and 90-day action plan that works

Together, these Sprints make up The Niche Funnel™, the fastest and most effective path to gain both authority and attention. 

Advisors who join my community, The Power Network™, continue to grow their niche (and build the referrals that come with it) inside a strategic network of advisors who actively seek to help you succeed.

I’ve helped advisors land $20M accounts, build referral-based practices, and finally feel like their brand reflects their value.

This work is personal.
When both of my parents became disabled and I faced a rare genetic diagnosis, I saw just how life-changing the right advisor can be.

Now, I help advisors become visible for the right reasons—and attract the right people with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

Stop chasing leads. Start attracting dream clients.
Let’s build a brand that works as hard as you do.

DM me the word BRAND and let’s talk.

Natalie Hales

360Brew means your profile matters even more. 
Your niche, your stated role, your network. 
Because the model now reads:

Profile + Content + Interactions 
Together for relevance.

--> If you’re publishing random “spray & pray” posts that aren’t tightly aligned with who you serve and what you solve: you’re more at risk now. 

--->If you’ve been showing up with content aligned with your niche + offering + making sense to your target client: you’re in good shape. 

Jasmin Alić tells us to:

Treat this like brand work 
Not lead-hacking work

The more your content, profile, and interactions align, 
the easier the algorithm will do its job for you 
(rather than against you).

Brand Strategist helping financial advisors discover their niche, craft their positioning, and tell their stories to attract their dream clients. Turning Advisors into 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

I had a breakthrough recently that I can’t keep to myself.
 
During a podcast, I openly admitted I USED TO pride myself on my work ethic, but not anymore.
 
And I just realized WHY it happened…
 
Some context:
 
I took weird pleasure in the fact that I could quadruple the workload of my peers and run my area without oversight (classic achiever mindset).
 
But after a few years of long hours, my health took a hit:
 
- Endometriosis pain
- Stomach issues
- Weekly migraines
- Breast tumour
 
I decided to work from home after my tumour removal… Folks, bleeding through bandages whilst providing updates and giving advice is NOT normal behaviour.
 
And STILL, I didn’t see my corporate burnout. 
 
People reached out after that podcast, and I heard that I wasn’t alone. All different industries but men and women feeling like we constantly need to do more.
 
You might be thinking… "Why didn't I see it coming? Why do I always feel the need to push myself beyond my limits?"
 
I totally get it!!
 
What I needed for myself was to reignite my passion and my WHY.
 
For me, the turning point came when my stomach issues landed me on some hard antibiotics, forcing me to take a step back from work and severely restrict my diet to just meat and water.
 
The meds made me feel like I had a bad flu, but also gave me plenty of time to ponder life.
 
Then, I missed out on an exciting external project because my department needed me. That’s when a mentor of mine pointed out the importance of visibility.
 
Being exceptional at what you do is one thing, but without visibility and recognition, you'll likely find yourself with even more work. The lesson was clear.
 
It’s okay (and necessary) to bring clarity, organization, and joy to people’s lives (and get paid for it!)
 
It’s okay to work hard for someone else – even if it’s not exactly solving world peace.
 
BUT - I knew I didn’t want to be where my leaders were, feeling those kinds of pressures in 20 years. It was time for a change.
 
In the next few years,
-         I did 75% less work but strategically increased my visibility.
-         I studied branding, infused it into my work and built a personal brand.
-         My personal brand within the company opened doors that my work alone couldn't.
 
I’m passionate about advisors leading PURPOSEFUL lives. Of having richness in all areas.
 
What’s resurfaced is the work I care about most:
✨ Helping advisors step out of the shadows and into authority. ✨

So here’s the simple truth:

I built a program that does exactly that.
A grounded, supportive way to sharpen your message, claim your space, and quiet the mindset gremlins that make this whole industry louder than it needs to be.

I won’t over-explain it here.

I’ll just say this:

Advisors who go through these Sprints start showing up differently.
More certain.
More seen.
More themselves.

If you’re wondering what that might look like for you… well, that’s the interesting part.

You know what’s maddening?
Building a solid practice… and still feeling like you’re carrying the whole damn thing alone.

Because your team is solid,
but no one on your team can challenge your thinking.

No one to really brainstorm with.
And that’s when growth stalls or stops altogether.

And you know what gets good advisors really down?

• Carrying a bottom 25% of clients you’ve outgrown, and feeling guilty about letting them go.
  
• Watching less-experienced advisors show up with sharper brands than yours.
  
• Knowing you 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 be attracting $2–8M households consistently… but something in the positioning still isn’t pulling its weight.
  
• Realizing that “DIY-ing your next level” is actually what’s slowing you down.
  
You’re not alone in feeling this.
You’re not behind.
𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Because the right kind of pressure? 

The kind that expects more from you, celebrates with you, and holds you accountable? 

Well, that changes everything.

You don’t have to do this alone. No advisor at your level should be carrying the weight of growth in isolation.

Surround yourself with people who:

→ Raise your standards, 
→ Sharpen your thinking, and 
→ Remind you that your next level is nothing short of inevitable with the right pressure.

What’s the one thing you wish you had someone to push you on right now?

P.S. You don’t have to comment, I know many of you read quietly over coffee. Just know these posts are for you.

POV: Recall > Reach. 
If you’re not going for virality, 
Then being remembered is the goal

Here is the simplest way to make that happen: 
ISP: Insight, Story, Process.

👉 Insight = what you believe
👉 Story = what you’ve lived
👉 Process = how you do it

And when you lead with ISP, everything compounds:
• Social fuels thought leadership
• Thought leadership powers speaking
• Speaking sends new energy back to social

That’s the Marketing Flywheel in motion,
Authority feeding itself.

We broke this down in 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟳 — the playbook for turning ideas into trust loops. 
🎥 Watch the recap: The Marketing Flywheel — Episode 7
🔗 https://lnkd.in/g5hjsiTU 
Which do you want to see more of in your feed - Insight, Story, or Process?

Your next speaking engagement isn’t a visibility hack.
It’s the moment you stop 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 for authority and start 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 🎤

No one can give that to you, but you. 
And all you need is the right room
and a message that lands.

But here’s the secret:
speaking only amplifies your authority when it connects back to your system.

When you’re clear on your system, every podcast, panel or keynote becomes an amplifier. 

We broke this down in 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟳: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹.
How to turn every appearance into momentum that compounds. 
🎥 Watch the recap — see how it works in real time: 
🔗 https://lnkd.in/g5hjsiTU

Stop trying to be everywhere. 

Show up where your message moves the right people.

“Me, an expert?” At times, we all hear that voice, “Who do you think you are?”

Funny how confident I can feel in a room…
and how tiny I can feel on LinkedIn.

This week was one of those weeks that should have shut my inner critic up:

 ↳ An advisor enjoyed our coffee chat and surprised me with the kindest public post.  

 ↳ A referred advisor, after delivering her strategy, actually sat back and said "I am seriously impressed". Carolyn 👀

 ↳ Another literally said, "Natalie, you are a great marketer" (and now I have video evidence of the shade of red I go with compliments). 

All this week. 
I felt steady, clear, capable. 

But then I get on LinkedIn and I feel like a total newb.

Suddenly I’m second-guessing everything:
• Was removing connections outside of my niche right?
• Did I come across as authentic as I wanted there?
• Should I post that clip where I made THAT face?

In real conversations, I feel grounded.
Online? Sometimes feels like I’m back at day one.

And after three years of building here, 
I’m realising something I didn’t expect:

1️⃣ Imposter Syndrome doesn’t disappear as you grow. 
It just gets quieter in some rooms, 
and louder in others.

2️⃣ Niching down doesn't mean you know everything. 
It means you know 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.
And that's enough.

3️⃣ Every expert started somewhere. 
Most of us just made it through the doubt,
one messy step at a time.

But that tiny voice still shows up 
(especially on the days you think it shouldn’t).

That’s the weird tension of being human on this platform:
feeling confident in conversation
and suddenly small online.

If you’re in that tension too, you’re not alone.
We’re all learning how to hold both.

(And Kevin - if you’re reading this, thank you.
Your kindness meant more than you know.) 

🔔 He’s been showing up on LinkedIn for years,
sharing generously and cheering others on.
If you’re not following him yet, you should be.

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Stacy Havener

Natalie Hales

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The Battle

Stacy Havener

Natalie Hales

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Posts

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Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Stacy Havener's LinkedIn Performance

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