Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in financial services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with John Browning, CEO of Guardian Rock Wealth, located in Lisle, IL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I run an independent Registered Investment Advisory firm serving blue and white-collar professionals ages 50 to 75 showing them how to use the tool we call money to build their best life as they define it.

Tell us about yourself

I started on Wall Street answering phones over thirty years ago, moved up through the ranks, and eventually ran entire divisions for some of the largest firms on Wall Street. I realized after several years that I had given up a lot of my life chasing my career and personal portfolio. I also realized that much of what we did tended to serve the company we worked for much more than the end client. I decided to take my experience and knowledge of the past three decades so that I could help people the right way, not only build bigger nest eggs but also understand why they were doing it, which is to build the life they want without trading priceless moments just for a bigger portfolio.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Learning to survive without a big, highly paid Wall Street team of marketers and still making it onto the Amazon bestseller list.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Learning how and what to outsource economically and efficiently.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. If you cannot afford to pay for sound legal advice, wait until you can start.
  2. If you are coming from a big company, understand there will be things that a larger company provided that you no longer have available, so be honest with yourself about how you plan to deal with that.
  3. Prepare to have your family and friends not do business with you, especially at first, you will need all the grit and determination you can muster, but you can succeed without them, and you will find lots of new friends.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://guardianrockwealth.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Buildalifeandportfolio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john_browning_buildyourlife/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnBro42817944
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbrowningfinancialsolutions/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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