In this episode of the Model FA podcast, host David DeCelle sits down with Taylor Schulte, CFP and founder of Define Financial, to explore the journey from unplanned entry into financial advising to building a thriving, $300M AUM retirement planning firm. Taylor shares how sales experience shaped his early career, the lessons learned navigating marketing challenges, and the strategic decisions behind his podcast and YouTube content. The discussion emphasizes consistent content creation, understanding audience dynamics, and leveraging community to grow both client relationships and business impact. In this episode: • Organic Beginnings, Structured Growth: Taylor candidly shares how he "stumbled into" financial advising and turned early challenges into a disciplined approach to client acquisition and marketing. • Sales Experience as Foundation: Early exposure to sales, whether at Morgan Stanley or other firms, provides skills that underpin successful client relationships and advisory growth. • Building a Marketing Funnel: Defining the ideal client, simplifying the funnel, and aligning podcast, email, and video strategies are key to generating meaningful leads. • Podcasting as a Middle-of-Funnel Tool: Stay Wealthy Retirement Show functions as a trust-building platform for an engaged, warm audience, converting listeners into clients through clarity and explicit calls to action. • YouTube for a Cold Audience: Long-form video enables reach beyond the warm podcast audience, but success depends on algorithmic understanding, consistency, and patience; each platform demands a different approach. • Consistency and Metrics Matter: Regular content, short- and long-form video, and monitoring engagement help translate effort into measurable business outcomes over time. • Audience Clarity Is Critical: Growth requires understanding who listens, who converts, and which content moves prospects through the funnel efficiently. • Strategic Restructuring Pays Off: Pausing growth to optimize internal processes, systems, and team alignment ensures scalable revenue growth from $2M to $10M and beyond. • Community Amplifies Impact: Engagement with peers via AGC (now part of WealthTender) reinforces accountability, collaboration, and professional development. • Books and Balance: Taylor draws insights and inspiration from fiction (Dark Matter) and non-fiction (Golf Architecture for Normal People), underscoring the importance of personal enrichment alongside professional growth. Taylor's story is a strong reminder that advisor growth is not about doing every marketing tactic at once, but about understanding your audience, building the right funnel, and staying consistent long enough for trust to compound. If you're a financial advisor looking to sharpen your marketing, improve client engagement, and create content that actually supports business growth, this episode is well worth your time. #FinancialAdvisor #MarketingStrategy #Podcasting #YouTubeMarketing #ClientEngagement #RetirementPlanning #FinancialAdvisorJourney #ContentCreation #AudienceBuilding #DefineFinancial #ModelFA #AdvisorGrowth #SalesExperience #WealthManagement Connect with Taylor Schulte: Website: definefinancial.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/taylorschulte --- About the Model FA Podcast The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams. Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered. Our Team President of Model FA, David DeCelle If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.
