In the HOT Seat is the Interview Podcast Series by the Business Sanctuary with Local Entrepreneurs in Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler, BC. Each month a local entrepreneur shares their story, offers tips on business success and let’s other businesses know what they will be investing into, encouraging suited providers to fill that need.
In August, Lynn Williams from the Lifestyle Protector, a Vancouver based financial advisory firm, was in the HOT Seat. Download the podcast version and subscribe to it for free from the iTunes Store or listen to it by clicking here. Lynn is well known and has done a wonderful job in creating a strong and reliable brand in an industry that has a somewhat bad reputation due to it’s nature of product sales. Find out how Lynn and her team are different and how she has set a course to create 1 million millionaires as she carries on her father’s legacy.
A Little About Lynn
Starting out in the corporate world, Lynn was a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young. She never practiced like a traditional accountant but rather utilized her knowledge for business and strategic planning. 7 years ago her father, who had been operating his financial advisory firm in Vancouver, asked her to come and join the family business as his successor.
Lynn took on this entrepreneurial challenge. Based on her corporate career she has since developed the business in the direction that best reflects her own skills of strategic planning and offers clients a rare combination of accountancy, business and analysis for a comprehensive approach to financial wealth.
With the purpose of creating 1 million millionaires, she takes her clients through a proprietary assessment process called Prosper360. This process identifies the needs and current financial stage and then creates the foundation for a personalized, customized financial plan.
Clients & Services
What does it take to be a client with the Lifestyle Protector? Motivation. Owner managed businesses and clients who are ready to get organized financially are in great hands with Lynn. Service based businesses such as lawyers and health & wellness professionals are her prime focus as she has well matching experience in those industries. Helping professions who help others are very close to her heart.
Following the Prosper360 analysis, Lynn develops a plan with her clients that considers savings, investing and risk management. Especially for professionals who rely on their own well-being for income, the right security measures are explored to carefully manage that risk. The ultimate words are ‘having the discussion’.
Typically it is that first brave step of reaching out that finally allows clients to start taking control of their financial destiny. By starting the conversation, small steps will lead to a habit forming success foundation. This and her approach to investing very much mirror Warren Buffet’s concepts on wealth creation.
Talking about the minimum level of investment, Lynn assures that it is less about a ‘must have amount’ and more about the willingness to take charge of your own worth. An exciting by-product from a business advisers perspective is to have clients work with someone like Lynn to develop passive revenue streams. For every increase in financial growth through a business coaching relationship, if clients secure some of this new revenue and invest it, the mindset changes to the ultimate success recipe: ‘Let your money work for you!’
A corporate program The Lifestyle Protector offers to businesses is a workplace savings program. In a time where staff retention is critical, this program helps to deepen the company’s relationship with their employees.
Contact & News
To explore a good fit with the team at The Lifestyle Protector, you can visit their website www.lifestyleprotector.ca or simply give Lynn a call: 1.604.833.0348. She can also be emailed at lynn@lifestyleprotector.ca.
Seasonally the company invites clients and contacts to a special lunch at the ShangriLa held downtown Vancouver. Led by high calibre guest speakers, business professionals get to learn and mingle while covering hot financial topics relevant to current markets and global economies. To find out about her autumn event in October, don’t hesitate to reach out to Lynn. She can also be booked for educational lunch & learns and corporate keynote speaking opportunities.
One most exciting bit of news Lynn shared is that she will be publishing her first book very shortly. It is called ‘Forget the Jones – Overcome overspending!’ Watch out for more news on where her book will be available for purchase or email her directly to reserve your own copy today.
Insights to Entrepreneurship
The Good
Lynn confesses that she shares in the common entrepreneurial spirit of being an ideas person. She loves to develop her own ideas and enjoys watching others reap the benefits as they become reality. Her word of caution on this trait is to remain disciplined by staying focussed on one idea at a time. She has learned to be comfortable with fluctuations in her business.
As a former corporate executive she has the direct contrast of the necessary attribute of a successful business owner – self management. As an entrepreneur you have to know your strengths and face your weaknesses. You need to tackle overwhelm and find tools to practice a consistent, positive mental attitude. Being an entrepreneur is not just a professional but a spiritual experience.
The Challenge
As a strong woman in business Lynn needed to learn to delegate and ask for help on certain areas like her own strategy. This can feel very vulnerable especially when other’s critique your personal ideas. She has built a supportive team around her to help keep her organized and take care of the operational aspects of the business. This has freed her to spend more time doing what she loves which is strategizing with clients on how to make their financial dreams become a joyous reality.
The One Thing
The one thing that Lynn can not do without is the planning process we worked on together in 2013. She still uses the tools that I shared with her when she was a client of mine. Having a clear plan of business development and marketing activities with progress monitoring is helping her to continuously refine her business. What an excellent example of finding something that works for you and enjoying the ongoing benefits with disciplined use.
The Critical Piece of Advice
Lynn encourages to make sure you know your ‘Why’. The ‘Why’ or purpose of you being in business is a critical reminder during stormy times so you don’t quit. That purpose is the silver thread that ties it all together and guides you through the inevitable dark days. Combine it with financial control and savvy and you will not just weather the storm but bring home the treasure.
Closing the Loop
While Lynn has done a fine job putting together a resourceful and informative website, she feels the experience could still be improved. She is looking for a web strategist or web developer that will get her site from good to awesome with integration of educational tools to help build confidence for clients. Reach out if you think you can help Lynn to create that user-friendly, rich website she wants for her audience.
And with this let me share Lynn’s final closing thoughts on our interview. She says:” Looking back I want to share my father’s advice that he gave me many years ago. Be patient! It is going to take longer than you think, take more work than you think and likely take more money, too!” Patience is not something that an entrepreneur is often gifted with. Yet it is another critical skill to develop in your pursuit of this spiritual experience. I hope you will join me in thanking Lynn for her words of wisdom and aid her beautiful purpose of creating 1 million millionaires.
Thank you, Lynn!
