4 ways to make sure your new business starts strong

You’ve decided to launch your own advice or planning firm.

Brilliant! And quite terrifying.

The minute you’ve made that decision, everybody suddenly needs you to make another.

Which technology will you use? Who’s handling compliance? Precisely which shade of reassuring-but-not-predictable blue best represents your approach to financial planning?

On an already intimidating launch plan, “sort my marketing” can look like a single job. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. There’s plenty to get right, some of it needs to happen earlier than you might expect, and a hastily assembled logo and LinkedIn announcement might not cut it.

Done properly, your marketing will turn the business in your head into one you’re proud to bring into the world. It will help prospective clients find you, feel confident in what they discover, and decide that you’re the firm they want to speak to.

So, what needs ticking off and when?

Here’s where to start.

1. Name it and make it real

First up, your new business needs a name.

We often find this goes one of three ways:

Your name above the door (e.g. Robinson Wealth)
A relevant location (e.g. Rotherham Financial Planning)
Something more abstract with a story behind it (e.g. Yardstick).

Whichever route you choose, your name should reflect the business you want to build and appeal to the clients you want to attract. Get it right, and you’ll have something distinctive and memorable that you can confidently build your reputation around.

Next up, the visual identity.

There’s something very special about seeing your logo, colours, and fonts brought to life for the first time. Naturally, you should love the result. But it also has a commercial job to do.

Before prospective clients experience your advice, your visual identity will give them clues about the type of business you are. It might make your firm feel warm and approachable, reassuring and established, or bold and refreshingly different.

None of those options are right or wrong.

The important thing is that the impression matches:

Your personality and values
The expectations of the clients you want to attract
The kind of financial planning firm you’re trying to build.

Take this for Cadence Financial Planning, created by our graphic designer, Sarah.

This brand board is the basis for everything to come, from your website to client documents, business cards to social media assets.

2. A website that means business

Now, you need an effective website.

Tom Brooks of Arboretum Financial Planning said it best on one of my LinkedIn posts: “I find it absolutely mind-blowing when firms happily spend 6 figures on a fancy office but won’t consider spending 5 figures on a killer website, when the website will be visited by infinitely more people than their office 🤯”

Hear, hear. Our own research shows that 75% of prospects seriously considering an adviser or planner will visit the firm’s website before making contact.

You need to turn their initial interest into confidence by reassuring visitors that:

You work with people similar to them
You understand the challenges they’re facing
You can help them achieve what matters to them
You’re a safe pair of hands; someone they can trust.

Your ideal clients don’t wake up in a cold sweat at 3 am because of a diversified mutual fund. They want to know if they can retire comfortably, make the most of selling their business, or feel more confident about their family’s future.

Show them that you empathise with the reason they landed on your website, and that you can help with their challenges and aspirations. For six practical ways to do this, click here for a deep dive into our latest survey of 500 adviser/planner websites.

Your website is your online shop window – you have to make a great first impression.

Take the Cadence Financial Planning website. Designed by Rhiannon, written by Hannah, and developed by Bex, it instantly says to prospective clients, “These are the experts you’ve been looking for.”

So, before you decide who to partner with for your brand-new website, do your research. Here are a few extra resources to help:

3. Make your mark on Google

Your branding is still warm from the printer and your website is ticking all the boxes, but there’s still one last thing to sort before launch: your Google Business Profile.

If your website has been built with the future in mind, it should already reflect the way consumers are using AI to find an adviser or planner. That means including things like location pages and detailed FAQs to help AI tools understand who you work with, where you’re based, and how to answer the questions prospective clients are asking.

Alongside that, Google still has a significant role to play.

Your Google Business Profile is the dedicated box that appears prominently when someone uses Google to search for your firm. Leaving it incomplete, or not having one at all, can make an otherwise polished online presence feel unfinished.

A complete profile gives prospective clients immediate reassurance that you’re legitimate, while making useful information such as your location, contact details, and website easy to find. It’s also a place to showcase images of the team, client testimonial videos, and timely updates about the business.

And just as importantly, it gives clients somewhere to leave Google reviews.

That social proof is particularly valuable when you’re just starting out. You might not have years of history behind the firm’s name, but reviews demonstrate that the people behind it already have plenty of experience helping clients achieve brilliant outcomes.

Of course, every new profile starts at zero. So, make collecting reviews a part of your process from day one, asking after you onboard a new client and then again after annual reviews.

As your review count rises, those reviews will validate recommendations, strengthen your credibility, and give prospective clients more confidence to start a conversation.

4. Keeping the wheels in motion

Congratulations, you’re live! What now?

A regular newsletter is a sensible place to start. It’s a monthly touchpoint that keeps you in contact with existing clients, nurtures prospects who aren’t yet ready to act, and builds stronger relationships with introducers.

And, by uploading the articles to your website, you’re adding value to people who aren’t yet on your distribution list, giving them a frictionless way to benefit from your expertise.

Naturally, running a business is going to keep you busy, and it’s easy for marketing to fall off the priority list. That’s why it’s a good idea to find time to build a longer-term marketing strategy and ensure you maintain the momentum you’ve already gained.

The important thing here is not to chase tactics without clear thought behind them. Use your goals, audience, and outside advice to decide what deserves your time and budget.

After all, launching is just the beginning.

Start as you mean to go on

When you’re starting your own business, there are plenty of competing demands on your budget. Marketing can feel like an obvious place to save now and spend later.

It’s tempting to choose something cheap, temporary, or AI-generated for launch, intending to revisit it once the business is established and there’s more money in the bank.

But a first impression can’t be undone. And putting things right later means paying twice, while asking people to recognise and trust a new identity all over again.

In our experience, it’s more cost-effective and far more impactful to get it right first time. That’s the thinking behind Start Strong.

Across three structured phases, we’ll help bring your vision to life, covering everything in this blog and more besides. Together, we’ll create a brand you’re proud of, build a website that gives prospective clients confidence, and make sure your new firm starts strong.

But don’t take my word for it.

Here’s what Keith Hare, director at Cadence Financial Planning, had to say after their website went live: “Huge thanks to the team at Yardstick for a brilliant job. The branding and website looks bloody awesome. Super impressed! Now it’s got me thinking about entering Financial Website of the Year!”

If you’re thinking of starting your own advice or planning firm, get in touch and we’ll find time for a chat. You can email me at abi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call the office on 0115 896 5300. I’d love to hear about your plans!