Most financial planning firm owners did not set out to become the bottleneck in their own business.Far fewer understand what is really holding their growth back or why some firms scale smoothly while others quietly stall.This free, practical session gives you an honest look at the internal blockers that prevent real growth.Not just strategy. The mindset, the habits, and the structures underneath.We’ll walk through the key shifts that allow financial planning firms to scale and become genuinely saleable:1️⃣ Shift mindset: Shame to fame2️⃣ Leadership built around your Unique Ability3️⃣ Ambition unbuttoning and getting empowered by numbers4️⃣ Uncover, protect and choose what’s next

You have three choices: do nothing, do something, or do everything.From this episode you'll get:✔ A clearer understanding of the internal blockers that hold growth back✔ Insight into how to shift from working in the business to working on it✔ Practical principles around leadership, structure, and numbers that support scale✔ A framework for what makes a financial planning business worth ten times its current value✔ Clarity on the choices available: do nothing, do something, or do everythingIf scaling your business feels like something for “later”, this session will help you understand why the groundwork starts much earlier.

00:00 Intro

01:06 Welcome
02:06 Questions to get you thinking
06:54 Scale up like a pro
12:34 Shame to fame mindset
18:48 Unbuttoning your ambitions
21:06 Your unique ability
35:36 Legacy over ego
44:36 Get empowered by your numbers
55:36 What to do next
58:39 Wrap up

Every exit has 3 stages...

1. Preparing

2. The deal process

3. The transition

Most IFA firm owners know an exit will happen one day. Far fewer have had the opportunity to step back and understand what actually makes an exit successful and why some deals feel controlled and strategic while others quietly unravel. 

In this joint session with CATS, we walked through the full exit journey, from early preparation through to post-sale transition covering all the important points you need to know..

00:00 Welcome

01:01 Introduction
3:56 What if I’m not looking to sell now?
05:31 Preparing your business for sale
36:31 The deal process
53:27 The transition
1:00:52 Final thoughts

1:00:12 Wrap up

Strong organisations aren't built on control. They arebuilt on capable, confident leadership teams.

As a senior leader, your role is not to hold every answer. It is to create an environment where answers emerge without friction.

A truly self-reliant leadership team does not remove you fromdecisions. It strengthens their quality and pace. Self-reliance isn't a personality trait. It’s a deliberate design.

When leadership teams become self-reliant:

🎯Decisions move faster.

🤝Escalations reduce.

⚖️Strategic focus sharpens.

📊 Performance stabilises under pressure.

If you’re building senior capability in 2026, this session is designed for you.

00:00 Welcome

00:57 Intro
04:44 Your unique ability
11:09 Kolbe tool
23:32 GC Index tool
26:55 The shift from doing to owning
36:09 Vision, Mission, Values & Culture
43:57 How to delegate well
54:57 Design for dependency
56:53 Structure for accountability
59:54 Final thoughts60:00 Thanks for listening

Succession planning is often treated as something to think about later, closer to exit.In reality, it is one of the most important leadership challenges a financial planning firm will face.This practical digital event explores how firms can move beyond dependency on founders and senior advisers, build leadership capability internally and create continuity for clients, teams and future owners.Drawing on real-world experience of financial planning firms, this session will explore why succession planning often stalls, what gets in the way of developing the next generation and how leaders can step back without losing control, culture or value.You will leave with:- A clearer understanding of why succession planning fails in practice.- Insight into the behaviours and structures that support internal succession.- Practical ways to reduce key person dependency.- Principles for developing leadership capability at every level.- Greater clarity on what succession readiness really looks like.Hosted by Melo’s Chief Innovation Officer, Ben Wright, with Progress Partner Nicky Wright sharing insight from her work supporting leadership development, continuity, and succession readiness in advice firms.All attendees will receive Melo’s Succession Planning Guide, designed to help firms move from good intentions to practical clarity.A considered session for firm owners thinking seriously about long-term continuity.

Most business leaders start the year with clear goals and good intentions.Then momentum drops. Habits slip. Difficult conversations get avoided. And before long, it’s business as usual.In this recorded live session, we tackle two problems that quietly limit performance and value in growing businesses:1. Why motivation fades and change doesn’t stickDr Stephen Ford, Exit Partner at Melo, explores the psychology behind behaviour change, why people struggle to maintain momentum and what leaders can do differently to make progress last.2. Why leaders avoid difficult conversationsSara Cooke and Rhi Baxter from We Are Brave share practical approaches for handling disagreement, conflict and challenging conversations with more clarity and confidence, before avoidance creates bigger issues.This session is designed for business owners and leaders who want a better year, not just a busier one.If you want to turn intention into progress this year get in touch. Melo works with ambitious financial planning business owners to improve decision-making, leadership, and long-term value, whether or not an exit is imminent.Find out more at melo.co.uk or follow us on LinkedIn for more insights.

00:00 Intro
03:48 – Why we fail to stick to resolutions
10:36 – The psychological impact of not sticking to goals
12:44 – Tips to help you stick to new habits or behaviours
15:12 – How to form positive habits
17:04 – How to get back on track if you've got lost
21:36 – Why do we shy away from hard conversations?
23:24 – What are we so scared of?
24:32 – The impact of staying quiet
30:36 – Why you should schedule difficult conversations
32:00 – Changing your mind shouldn't be humiliating
35:48 – "I don't want to speak up because I'm scared of their reaction"
38:30 – How to disagree in a group setting
42:36 – What to do if you're a reflector
45:36 – The 5 point framework to have better conversations
48:40 – How to deal with someone who doesn't want to engage
50:54 – The conversations you wished you'd had last year
53:42 – Final thoughts keeping new habits on track
55:00 – You might not actually be disagreeing
56:12 – Wrap up

Music: Good Night (Lofi) by FASSounds

In this episode of Melo's Growing or Going Podcast, we unpack one of the most common and complex decisions firm owners face. Joined by Melo CEO Victoria Hicks, COO Gaynor Rigby, Ben Wright explores how adviser structure impacts growth, operations, culture and exit value.

This conversation covers:

• Why adviser structure matters more than many firms realise
• Autonomy vs alignment in self-employed and employed models
• The real cost and scalability considerations
• Culture, client experience and consistency
• How adviser structure influences business valuation and exits
• What to consider if you’re thinking about transitioning models

Both approaches can work. The key is designing intentionally, not drifting into a structure by accident.

If you’d like a confidential conversation about your firm’s structure or exit readiness, get in touch with Melo.

Like, subscribe and share with anyone wrestling with this decision.

This is a recording from the Sheffield Life & Pensions Society Annual Conference, where Melo CEO Vicki Hicks, took the stage to talk about The Efficiency Flywheel – how to strip out friction, boost capacity and build a business that runs smoother every quarter.These are some of the practical actions we've learned from working with hundreds of financial planning firms.By audience request, she also talked about what’s really happening in the M&A and exit market right now, including buyer trends, valuation shifts and what firm owners should prepare for next.If you're running, growing or preparing to sell a financial planning business, this session is packed with practical takeaways you can use immediately.If you're wanting to run a more effective business, or you're thinking about selling in the next 5 years, this one is for you.🌐 https://melo.co.uk📧 hello@melo.co.uk

00:00 Intro

00:43 The Efficiency Flywheel

22:49 Exit market update

#FinancialPlanning #IFA #BusinessEfficiency #MergersAndAcquisitions #ExitPlanning #Sheffield #ProfessionalDevelopment #Melo #AdviceFirms #PracticeManagement

Thinking about selling your financial planning business but have historic Defined Benefit (DB) transfer cases in the past? You're not alone. DB history is one of the biggest unknowns for firm owners planning an exit, and it can impact valuation, deal structure, PI, premiums and how buyers approach due diligence.In this webinar recording, Ben Wright from Melo hosts a practical, no-nonsense conversation with:• Vicki Hicks, CEO at Melo• Ben Goodwin, Director and Actuary at Isio, specialists in DB, redress and compliance due diligenceTogether we covered:

00:53 – Welcome

05:20 – Why DB history matters when you sell

09:20 – What counts as DB advice and safeguarded benefits

13:20 – Understanding your DB book and risk mapping it

17:20 – How DB redress really works in practice

21:50 – Opt in rates and the rise of “no loss” outcomes

25:50 – DB risk, PI cover and premiums

30:20 – How buyers assess DB exposure today

34:50 – Valuation impact and deal structures with DB history

39:20 – Regulatory expectations, CP23/24 and deed polls

43:50 – Preparing your firm: options, PBR and timescales

48:20 – Picking the right buyer and shaping the deal

52:20 – Practical first steps if you have DB exposure

55:20 – Live Q&A highlightsIf you have any DB history at all, even if you’re not selling anytime soon, now could be the perfect time to sort it out.Learn more:Melo: https://www.melo.co.ukIsio: https://www.isio.com/#FinancialPlanning #DefinedBenefit #FinancialAdvisers #Melo #Isio #BusinessSale #IFA #FinancialServices #DBTransfers #SuccessionPlanning #ExitPlanning #Redress