--- title: "Resilience, Mentorship, and the Power of Persistence with Lori Van Dusen" description: "Successful advisory firms recognize that having the right people is an investment in the organization's future. But it's more than simply filling seats." url: https://www.milemarker.co/podcast/resilience-mentorship-and-the-power-of-persistence-with-lori-van-dusen updated: 2024-07-16 --- [Now playing](https://www.milemarker.co/podcast) [Podcast**Next Mile**](https://www.milemarker.co/podcast) [Episodes](https://www.milemarker.co/podcast)[Guests](https://www.milemarker.co/podcast/guests) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@milemarkerinc) [Apple](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-connected-advisor/id1691759257) [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/0Lw8kHGnS1JJBMZLPYxc9S) Episode 52 · Jul 16, 2024 · 37 min # Resilience, Mentorship, and the Power of Persistence with Lori Van Dusen [**Lori Van Dusen***Founder & CEO, LVW Advisors*](https://www.milemarker.co/podcast/guests/lori-van-dusen) [Apple Podcasts ↗](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-connected-advisor/id1691759257) [Spotify ↗](https://open.spotify.com/show/0Lw8kHGnS1JJBMZLPYxc9S) ## About this episode Successful advisory firms recognize that having the right people is an investment in the organization's future. But it's more than simply filling seats. It's about cultivating a team that is passionate about the industry, thrives in a collaborative environment, and is genuinely enthusiastic about contributing to its success. In this episode, Kyle talks with Lori Van Dusen, Founder and CEO of LVW Advisors. An advocate of client-focused strategies, Lori provides comprehensive, integrated solutions to a fragmented financial services industry. She is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book Running with Grace: A Wall Street Insider's Path to True Leadership, a Purposeful Life, and Joy in the Face of Adversity. Lori talks with Kyle about what it takes to build a successful advisory firm. She discusses the importance of mentorship, succession planning, and investing in the right people. Lori also shares insights from her book, highlighting resilience and overcoming adversity. In this episode: - \[03:06\] - Lori's money moment - \[06:06\] - Lori's thoughts on going independent - \[10:12\] - What motivated Lori to start her advisory firm - \[12:16\] - What it takes to build a successful firm - \[16:50\] - Why failure isn't a threat - \[18:39\] - The inspiration behind Lori's book, Running with Grace - \[22:31\] - Key takeaways from Running with Grace - \[25:16\] - How technology plays a role in running a business - \[28:12\] - Lori's outlook about the future of the industry - \[30:02\] - Why many people fail to plan for succession - \[33:18\] - Lori's Milemarker Minute **Key Takeaways** - Investing in people is investing in the future of the organization. Great people, a great team, and a mindset dedicated to giving back to the industry drive business success. - Building a successful advisory firm begins with building a strong and culture-focused team. - Succession planning and strategic business development ensure long-term sustainability and growth. - Similarly to stress testing a portfolio, stress testing a business allows businesses to operate seamlessly. **Quotes** \[14:10\] - "You have to study each client base that you're serving and say, 'What is it that they need that's not out there?' Then you have to find people you can partner with so it is seamless to solve problems." ~ [Lori Van Dusen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorivandusen/) \[13:04\] - "Our whole business is based on understanding the client's unique situation, the problems they're having, and the implications of those problems, and then solving for that." ~ [Lori Van Dusen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorivandusen/) \[15:38\] - "The rankings or recognitions we've got simply come back to having great people, a great team, and the mindset that you're not only wanting to solve problems for clients but also giving back to the industry." ~ [Lori Van Dusen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorivandusen/) **Links** - [Lori Van Dusen on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorivandusen/) - [LVW Advisors](https://lvwadvisors.com/) - [Running with Grace](https://www.amazon.com/Running-Grace-Leadership-Purposeful-Adversity/dp/B0CH2BLRYD) - [Morgan Stanley](https://www.morganstanley.com/) - [Merrill Lynch](https://www.ml.com/) - [Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.com) - [eMoney Advisor](https://emoneyadvisor.com/) - [Envestnet | Tamarac](https://www.tamaracinc.com/) **Connect with our hosts** - [Milemarker.co](https://www.milemarker.co/) - [Kyle on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylevanpelt/) - [Jud on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/judmackrill/) **Subscribe and stay in touch** - [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/connected/id1691759257) - [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/0Lw8kHGnS1JJBMZLPYxc9S) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@milemarkerinc) ## **Produce game-changing content with Turncast** Turncast helps your company grow by producing top-quality content and fostering transformative conversations. We specialize in content generation, podcasting, digital strategy, and audience growth for fintech and financial services companies. Learn more at [Turncast.com](https://www.turncast.com/). ## The write-up [Listen to this week’s episode](https://open.spotify.com/episode/7MQipbGJpFMWCBbj200Qt1?si=4c4c66992cf14dd5) ## Episode 052 In this episode, I talk with [Lori Van Dusen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorivandusen/), Founder and CEO of [LVW Advisors](https://lvwadvisors.com/). An advocate of client-focused strategies, Lori provides comprehensive, integrated solutions to a fragmented financial services industry. She is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book Running with Grace: A Wall Street Insider’s Path to True Leadership, a Purposeful Life, and Joy in the Face of Adversity. We talk about what it takes to build a successful advisory firm. She discusses the importance of mentorship, succession planning, and investing in the right people. Lori also shares insights from her book, highlighting resilience and overcoming adversity. #### **Key Takeaways** Investing in people is investing in the future of the organization. Great people, a great team, and a mindset dedicated to giving back to the industry drive business success. Building a successful advisory firm begins with building a strong and culture-focused team. Succession planning and strategic business development ensure long-term sustainability and growth. Similarly to stress testing a portfolio, stress testing a business allows businesses to operate seamlessly. #### **Quotes** \[14:10\] - “You have to study each client base that you’re serving and say, ‘What is it that they need that’s not out there?’ Then you have to find people you can partner with so it is seamless to solve problems.” ~ [Lori Van Dusen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorivandusen/) \[13:04\] - “Our whole business is based on understanding the client’s unique situation, the problems they’re having, and the implications of those problems, and then solving for that.” ~ [Lori Van Dusen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorivandusen/) \[15:38\] - “The rankings or recognitions we’ve got simply come back to having great people, a great team, and the mindset that you’re not only wanting to solve problems for clients but also giving back to the industry.” ~ [Lori Van Dusen](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorivandusen/) #### **Links** [Lori Van Dusen on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorivandusen/) [LVW Advisors](https://lvwadvisors.com/) [Running with Grace](https://www.amazon.com/Running-Grace-Leadership-Purposeful-Adversity/dp/B0CH2BLRYD) [Morgan Stanley](https://www.morganstanley.com/) [Merrill Lynch](https://www.ml.com/) [Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.com) [eMoney Advisor](https://emoneyadvisor.com/) [Envestnet | Tamarac](https://www.tamaracinc.com/) #### **Connect with our hosts** [Milemarker.co](https://www.milemarker.co/) [Kyle on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylevanpelt/) [Jud on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/judmackrill/) #### **Subscribe and stay in touch** [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-people-centric-approach-to-wealth-management-with/id1691759257?i=1000661623756) [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Skt2XO0N1xBbBiD2lAsSR?si=djpeAgZtS_y3lrl6KB4IdA) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vQ6hiv5_Yw&t=553s) **While there, please don’t forget to Download, Like, and Subscribe.** If you’d like to schedule a time to talk with me about anything we cover on our podcast or [Milemarker](https://www.milemarker.co/), [click here for 15 minutes](https://meetings.hubspot.com/kyle-van-pelt). Kyle Van Pelt [**Lori Van Dusen***Founder & CEO, LVW Advisors*](https://www.milemarker.co/podcast/guests/lori-van-dusen) Next Mile Conversations with the people building the next era of wealth management, hosted by Kyle Van Pelt. New episodes every Tuesday. 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