As a business owner, you have worked hard to grow your company and achieve financial success. However, it's also important to think about securing your personal financial future by building a strong wealth portfolio. A well-diversified and carefully managed portfolio can provide financial stability, security, and opportunities for growth beyond your business. Today, we will discuss some of our essential strategies for founders to build a strong and healthy wealth portfolio, for your future beyond work.

Start Now and Stay Committed:

Time is a crucial factor when it comes to building your wealth through investments. The sooner you start, the more time your investments will have to grow. Staying committed to your long-term investment goals, even during market fluctuations and economic uncertainties will create the stability you desire for your future. Many times, when we talk to entrepreneurs, they are unsure or feel that they have limited time to invest. Establishing your investment portfolio incrementally is one way to increase your personal wealth and grow your personal profitability. The value of compounded interest and time in the market helps to navigate financial uncertainty.

Money Fact: No matter where you are in the life of your business, planning for your exit helps you to set clear financial goals, timelines, and benchmarks. By defining your personal wealth goals and building your financial dream team, you automatically manage your business more effectively.

Diversify Your Investments:

Diversification is the key to reducing risk and maximizing returns in your portfolio. Avoid putting all your investments together by spreading your investments in different areas, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and alternative investments. This lowers some of the risk in your portfolio and can help balance any market fluctuations that may impact your investments.  

Create Alternative Investments:

In addition to traditional stocks and bonds, explore alternative investments like private equity, venture capital, commodities, “reits” or real estate investment trusts. These opportunities can offer diversification with potential for higher returns, although they often come with higher risk and longer investment horizons.

Plan to Exit Your Business:

Entrepreneurs often invest heavily in their businesses, neglecting personal retirement planning. Establishing a tax-efficient retirement plan, such as a Solo 401(k) or a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA, can help you save for retirement while offering potential tax benefits and ensures your financial security for you and your family. Many entrepreneurs don’t think about retirement until they are ready to exit their business. However, planning for your exit will create much less stress.

Recently, we were collaborating with a client that was in the process of selling their very successful business. Many years of hard work and effort paid off when the founder was approached to sell. The founder was excited but also anxious because they could not see a clear pathway to negotiating an exit strategy. When we started working with the client, they were apprehensive and felt unsure about how to move forward. Much of the anxiety was about the future and how to invest the profits from the sale without overpaying in taxes, and how to retain and maximize their wealth from the sale.    

As part of our coaching process, we worked with the client to create their financial dream team. The dream team consists of you, your business coaches, your personal wealth manager, accountant, attorney, insurance advisor, and CFO. This team is “your personal board of directors.” In offering our clients this service, we bring your team of experts together to discuss your goals and benchmarks so that you can clearly see your financial growth. Once we started to meet with the client and their team, we were able to see not only what was important but also how to meet these timelines with urgency. The financial dream team works for you and meets together to discuss what’s most important to you. By opening these doorways of communication, the needs of the client are met at a more rapid rate. Once we created consistent communication, the founder felt less stress and was able to optimize the successful sale and exit of their business. Because they had their financial dream team established, the founder had a better understanding of the value of the business which, allowed them to negotiate a higher selling price when exiting the business.

Hire Professionals and Ask for Advice:

While managing your business may make you feel like a financial expert, seeking guidance from experienced  business coaches, qualified accountants, and a personalized and dedicated wealth manager is vital to your continued success. Experienced professionals can provide highly personalized advice to tailor your portfolio to your specific needs, while offer invaluable insights. Your wealth portfolio requires regular monitoring and adjustments. As your personal circumstances change, so will your investment strategies. Hiring professionals to conduct periodic reviews will ensure that your portfolio aligns with your current goals.

By investing time in the market, diversifying your assets, and managing your risk by seeking professional advice, you can build a strong and healthy wealth portfolio. Remember that building your personal wealth and your exit strategy takes time, patience, and adaptability. Take the time to understand your investment options so that you can make informed decisions that grow your financial future while allowing you to keep more of your money.

Jeff Smith and Alisa Sattler are the dynamic coaching duo of Raising My Game Business Coaching. With over 80 years of business experience, we specialize in supporting entrepreneurs to grow and expand their business and build their personal wealth. Working with you to create your financial dream team is one of the ways that we can help you to grow your personal wealth. To learn more about how we can support you, please schedule a complementary call at www.raisingmygame.com

With gratitude,

Alisa and Jeff

PS. Please note that we are not financial advisors and we do not sell any financial tools or investment products.