Cresset’s growth story took a sharp turn this past year when nearly half of their web search leads began arriving through AI engines instead of Google. That shift came from years of building a digital marketing infrastructure that could adapt quickly, a clear client archetype, and a leadership team willing to test new channels long before they’re mainstream.

In this episode, host Meg Carpenter speaks with co-founder and co-chairman Eric Becker and Chief Growth Officer Jessica Malkin about how Cresset reached $65 billion in eight years and why their digital strategy is evolving faster than the industry around them. They explore the rise of AI-driven discovery, the diversified growth model powering their expansion, and the cultural decisions made early on that still shape the firm today.

0:00 — The $500M AI lead that sparked the conversation

3:50 — How Cresset was built by clients, culture, and a real brand

10:45 — The early digital bet and the momentum that followed

17:45 — A major pivot that fell short and what they learned

23:50 — How their diversified growth engine actually works

29:20 — Ownership, succession, and advisor appeal

39:20 — Catalyst, AI discovery, and the 100-year vision

Connect with us: 

• Eric Becker on LinkedIn
• Jessica Malkin on LinkedIn
• Cresset Capital
• Megan Carpenter on LinkedIn
• Ficomm Partners Website

Visit the Karma For Cara Foundation website to learn more about their job helping patients who are facing leukemia.

About Ficomm Partners

Ficomm Partners is the embedded growth partner for results-driven RIAs, and wealth management platforms. With a track record of helping over 250 clients achieve their growth goals, Ficomm understands that while industry patterns may repeat, each firm's growth challenges are unique. Ficomm prioritizes strategy and finds the most impactful ways to move you toward your goals. We align all your marketing activities with your business objectives, acting as your dedicated growth partner with our human-first approach, strategy-first methodology, and unrivaled team of industry marketing experts.

When Jon Jones stepped away from Brighton Jones for a year to travel with his family, the firm didn’t pause for him to return. It continued growing on its own momentum. Steady, intentional, and deeply rooted in culture. That story says everything about how the business was built.

In this episode, Meg Carpenter sits down with Jon Jones, Carley Dillon, and Melinda Torres to explore the systems and philosophies behind Brighton Jones’ sustained growth. They share how empathy became a core competency through their MESI program, how client experience evolved into an operational discipline, and why their team chose patience and purpose over shortcuts.

It’s a rare look at a firm that has turned emotional intelligence, client trust, and thoughtful leadership into something measurable and scalable.

Connect with us: 

• Jon Jones on LinkedIn
• Carley Dillon on LinkedIn
• Melinda Torres on LinkedIn
• Brighton Jones

• Meg Carpenter on LinkedIn
• Ficomm Partners

Kayne Anderson Rudnick has done what most in wealth management say can’t be done: grow from $10B to $64B in a decade, all organic. No acquisitions, no shortcuts, just disciplined execution and a refusal to compromise on talent.

In this episode, host Meg Carpenter sits down with Executive Managing Director Stephen Rigali, Chief Operating Officer, Jeannine Vanian, and Managing Director of Marketing & Communications, Stephanie Gillman, to explore how KAR has maintained boutique-level intimacy while achieving global scale. From their “A’s only” hiring philosophy to a collaborative three-person leadership model without a CEO, their story challenges conventional wisdom and offers a blueprint for sustainable, generational growth.

If you’ve ever wondered how to balance culture, scale, and authentic client relationships, this conversation shows what’s possible when firms choose discipline over shortcuts.

Connect with us: 

• Megan Carpenter on LinkedIn
• Ficomm Partners Website
• Jeannine Vanian on LinkedIn
• Stephen Rigali on LinkedIn
• Stephanie Gillman on LinkedIn
• Kayne Anderson Rudnick Website

Most advisory firms dream of moving upmarket. Pure Financial Advisors chose the opposite path. Since 2007, they’ve built a $9B firm serving the mass affluent, proving that you can grow with purpose while breaking every so-called industry rule.

In this conversation, Joe Anderson, CEO and President, and Jason Carver, CFO and Managing Partner, share how Pure scaled through a model that separates advice from sales, invests roughly 24% of revenue into marketing, and delivers 20–30% organic growth year after year. Their approach creates real career paths for CFPs, builds one of the leanest yet most effective marketing engines in the business, and stays rooted in the mission to help families who need advice the most.

This is more than a growth story—it’s a blueprint for what happens when you’re willing to rethink the very structure of wealth management and build a firm where growth follows purpose, not the other way around.

Connect with us: 

• Meg Carpenter on LinkedIn
• Ficomm Partners
• Jason Carver on LinkedIn
• Joseph Anderson on LinkedIn
• Pure Financial

Some leaders double down on control as their firms grow. Brian Parker did the opposite—he fired himself. Why? Because he understood the job of building a business wasn’t the same as running it at scale. That one decision helped transform EP Wealth Advisors from a modest financial planning shop into a $32B firm with 20,000+ clients. But the real story here isn’t on the numbers, but the humility, partnerships, and radical rethinking of how wealth management firms grow.

In this episode, host Meg Carpenter talks with EP Wealth’s co-founder Brian Parker, CEO Ryan Parker, and Head of Marketing Jim Mocci about what it takes to grow with intention. They discuss EP's unique approach to M&A (they actually ban the word “acquisition”), why marketing isn’t just a support function but a driver of strategy, and how the firm has built scalable systems that still feel personal. Whether you’re hitting a growth ceiling or wondering how to scale without selling your soul, this conversation will give you a new blueprint.

Connect with us: 

• Brian Parker
• Ryan Parker
• Jim Mocci
• EP Wealth Advisors
• Megan Carpenter
• Ficomm Partners

15 years ago, in Brazil and in the middle of the crisis that turned the whole financial system upside-down, Ross Gerber and Danilo Kawasaki decided to start a financial firm: Gerber Kawasaki.

In this episode, the founders and Hatem Dhiab, Managing Partner and key team member from the beginning, share some of the challenges they faced, like using social media when the rules weren’t clear for financial companies, and the inflection point that helped them grow: COVID. That huge gamble that started in Brazil really paid off, and now the firm has more than $3B in AUM.

Connect with us: 

• Meg Carpenter on LinkedIn
• Ross Gerber on LinkedIn
• Danilo Kawasaki on LinkedIn
• Hatem Dhiab on LinkedIn

Wish you could hear all of the best insights on growth from some of the nation’s top leaders in one place? Well, strap in!

Join us for a “greatest hits” collection from our season one conversations, where we share our five key takeaways on what it takes to be a growth leader. 

Connect with us: 

• Meg Carpenter on LinkedIn
• Harpreet Ahluwalia on LinkedIn
• John Bunch on LinkedIn
• Brent Brodeski on LinkedIn
• Bill Capuzzi on LinkedIn
• Matt Fleissig on LinkedIn
• Heather Fortner on LinkedIn
• Lauren Fryefield on LinkedIn
• Anders Jones on LinkedIn
• Michael Kerins on LinkedIn
• Crystal Mathis on LinkedIn
• Kay Lynn Mayhue on LinkedIn
• Larry Miles on LinkedIn
• Rob Morrison on LinkedIn
• Matt Neuman on LinkedIn
• Aaron Schumm on LinkedIn
• Peter Vincent on LinkedIn
  
  

Who should we spotlight next? Nominate growth leaders for Season 2

Want to learn more…

• Visit ficommpartners.com

From powering industry disruptors like Robinhood, to streamlining RIAs, to increasing accessibility for investors worldwide, Apex Fintech Solutions has accomplished a lot in just 12 years. 

Join us to hear the journey of Apex, a fintech and custodian with more than $150 billion AUM and millions of customers across the globe. In this episode, we’re joined by CEO Bill Capuzzi, Chief Commercial Officer Connor Coughlin, Head of Advisory Olivia Eisinger, and Head of Advisory Product, Michael Kerins.

Connect with us: 

• Meg Carpenter on LinkedIn
• Bill Capuzzi on LinkedIn
• Connor Coughlin on LinkedIn
• Olivia Eisinger on LinkedIn
• Michael Kerins on LinkedIn

Who should we spotlight next? Nominate growth leaders for Season 2

Want to learn more…

Visit ficommpartners.com

Tune in for a bit of a different episode, where we talk to several leaders from LPL Financial Holdings about how they went from $600 billion to $1.6 trillion AUM since 2019.

Join us as we discuss training the next generation of advisors, building top-notch technology, enabling advisor growth and much more. In this episode, we’re joined by Marc Cohen, LPL’s Head of Corporate Strategy; Aneri Jambusaria, Business and Wealth Solutions Managing Director; Peter Vincent, Head of Field Management; and Phillip Bell, an LPL Investment Advisor Representative for Financial Planning Resources in Oklahoma.

Connect with us: 

• Meg Carpenter on LinkedIn
• Marc Cohen on LinkedIn
• Aneri Jambusaria on LinkedIn
• Peter Vincent on LinkedIn
• Phillip Bell on LinkedIn
  
  

Who should we spotlight next? Nominate growth leaders for Season 2

Want to learn more…

• Visit ficommpartners.com

What does it take to become the first national brand for a fiduciary family office? Our guests in this episode feel like they’re on track to make it happen in the next five years!

Join us as we explore Pathstone’s journey from single family office to 23 locations, 750 team members, and $100 billion in assets under advisement and administration. In this episode, we’re joined by Matthew Fleissig, Co-founder and CEO of Pathstone, along with President Kelly Maregni, CMO Lauren Fryefield, and private equity investor Brad Armstrong of Lovell Minnick Partners.

Connect with us: 

• Meg Carpenter on LinkedIn
• Matthew Fleissig on LinkedIn
• Kelly Maregni on LinkedIn
• Brad Armstrong on LinkedIn
• Lauren Fryefield on LinkedIn
• Pathstone
  
  

Want to learn more…

• Visit ficommpartners.com