Value Added Partner Stories

This month’s spotlight falls on Will Beer DipPFS, Financial Planner at Servo Private Wealth.

Tell us about your journey and how you became involved with Servo Private Wealth?

In 2021/22 I was offered a short-term contract at Sussex Cricket and my wife was pregnant with our first child. I wanted to start planning for a life after cricket and was put in touch with James Mallinson, who was looking to grow and take on a trainee Financial Planner. The stars aligned and, luckily, he offered me an exciting opportunity to join the team.

What achievement or project during your time at Servo Private Wealth are you most proud of, and why?

Passing my exams and qualifying as a Financial Planner in record time. Having played professional cricket for 15 years and lived out my dream job, I feel incredibly proud and fortunate to have found a second career where I can use all the skills I learnt in sport and use them to work collaboratively with clients to help them achieve their financial goals.

What are some key strategies or initiatives you’ve implemented that have had a positive impact on the business?

Whilst everyone in our team is at least Diploma qualified or higher, which is incredibly rare in our industry, many of the team haven’t done things any differently for many years. As a newbie to the industry, I’ve been able to come with a fresh set of eyes and use things like AI and software and have developed new ways to show clients how their finances will work both before and after working with us. The client feedback on how easy it is for them to see their current vs future position on one page has been excellent and has really enhanced our offering.

How do you think your background as a professional cricketer influenced your approach to your current role and the business?

Having been involved in sports teams all my life, I really enjoy working in that team environment. We’re a small team at Servo and for us to function well, we must work as a team to maximise everyone’s individual strengths. Personally, I think cricket gave me resilience and an inner drive to be the best I can be, so I’m always striving to improve, especially in an industry where legislation is always changing.

What motivates you to continue striving for excellence in your position?

Helping clients and being able to work with them to help them achieve their financial goals. There is a lot of uncertainty in the world and the last 4 years have been incredibly challenging. We are independent which means we aren’t trying to sell a product to our clients and are able to base any recommendations we make completely on trying to achieve the best outcomes for our clients.

How do you measure and define success?

Personally, my children are my greatest achievement so seeing them grow up happy and healthy is a huge motivator for me. In the business, Servo is still a young company and we are in a growth phase, so we are looking to work with as many business owners and their families across Sussex as we can to help them achieve their financial goals.

What advice would you give to someone looking to follow a similar career path?

Transitioning into a second career can be incredibly daunting and it can feel like a giant step. The one key takeaway from my experience of changing careers is you can never ask enough questions and to take yourself out of your comfort zone. Financial Advice specifically, is a great career where you get to work with some incredibly interesting and successful people to help them plan for the rest of their lives, and is really rewarding.

www.servoprivatewealth.com