Kristopher is the CEO and Founder of Wealtheon. With over 8 years of experience, Kristopher is passionate about one thing – helping people grow their wealth in a real and understandable way. Kristopher was raised in a “financial advice household” which meant hearing dinner table chat about all things finance and money- and Kris was hooked! Kristopher became an adviser at the age of 20, and over the next few years, completed a postgraduate degree in BA and Strategic Leadership, became a tax financial adviser, gained membership to the AFA, and built a financial planning business in Melbourne.
Kris is an excellent speaker, presenter and speaks on helping people reduce financial stress. With Kris’ background and history of self-employment, Kris is passionate about helping people small business owners and entrepreneurs find financial independence – and has helped hundreds of clients in the process.
Please tell us a little bit about your company – what is Wealtheon, Huxter Estate, and Ad Doc’s all about?
Wealtheon is a full-service financial advice business. This is my vocation. I get to help business owners succeed in their non-business life by making complex financial matters easy for them to take advantage of.
Ad Doc’s is a start-up service for Advisers to help them reduce business costs and provide the best advice to their clients.
Huxter Estate is my passion project. I have a small Vineyard in The Pyrenees Wine Region. We currently grow Shiraz grapes and are wanting to expand and diversify the crop.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
I have been working in Advice for 10 years but I started in Advice at birth. My parents owned an advice business for most of my life growing up so it was dinner table talk for me. I started Wealtheon after the Royal Commission into financial services because I believe that advice can be better.
Huxter Estate was born with my in-laws 4 years ago. My father in law is from a little hamlet named Huxter which is on a tiny island called Whalsay (a part of the Shetland Islands). My wife and I moved down from The Whitsundays in September and have purchased the Vineyard from them because we caught the vine bug.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
#1 – Adaptability: People seem to think that being adaptable is a personality trait but I would have to disagree. Adaptability is a skill learnt from failure. Running a business is a bit like a cross country race… Your environment is constantly changing but the race needs to be won. If you can’t adjust to the inclines or uneven ground then forget about winning, you likely won’t even finish.
#2 – Decision making: Good business owners make decisions. Period. You can’t sit on your hands forever and wait for someone else to make the decisions for you because you will probably not like the outcome.
#3 – Comprehension: Understanding the research given to you is critical to making good decisions. You can have all of the data in the world but if you don’t know what it means, it’s useless.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
I am growing Wealtheon by providing the best quality advice to my clients because as my clients grow, so does my business. I am also making sure that I am where my ideal clients are so they can see me every day doing what I do best.
I am growing Huxter Estate with a targeted plan to increase crop yields without losing the flavour in the grapes. We also will be adding in two more grape varieties over the next few years to complement our cellar door offering.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
I separate myself by specialization. I can’t be all things to all people but I can be the best thing to a few people and I think that makes me the first choice for my ideal clients.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
- I spent too much time thinking about my marketing rather than just doing it. I have learnt that not everything works all the time. It is better to be prolific than perfect.
- I didn’t speak my client’s language. People don’t care about the jargon and technical terms. I deal in complex financial matters so I now speak to my clients in a way that is easy to understand what the benefits of working with me are.
- I didn’t want to pay for anything… I spent so much time bending over backward, using the “free” version that I actually made life harder for myself. I would have been better paying the extra fees and saving a huge amount of my time.
How do you go about marketing your business, and what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
I Market my business in a few key ways:
- Paid ads
- Organic social media content
- Structured networking
- Building strategic alliances
The most successful form of marketing would have to be the strategic alliances with referral partners underpinned by my social media strategy.
What is the one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?
That the “12-month contract” is negotiable before you sign but not after. I guess I already knew this but it didn’t hit home until after implementing a piece of technology that didn’t live up to its hype.
What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
- Jemimah Ashley at the Visibility Lab. What a great resource.
- Mailchimp
What are three books or courses would you recommend to entrepreneurs?
- Wim Hof Breathing: The Ice Man is definitely onto something. I didn’t think breathing could be so good.
- Sell or be sold – Grant Cardone: This guy is old school sales and I don’t think everything is relevant. There are a few gold nuggets on how to ask for money from people without overthinking it and making things awkward.
- The Day of the Triffids – John Wyndham: This is just a great book for when your brain is just to compressed and you need to relax for a minute.
If you had the chance to start your career over again what would you do differently?
I would probably study more. When I was younger, I figured anything worth knowing would happen to me by doing things and that “studying” was a bit of a waste of time. Whilst I have been doing well, I understand now that structured learning is also a super valuable tool.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
If I had nothing but $1,000, I would buy a laptop for less than $800, an unlocked phone for $50 and with the last $150, I would but enough credit and internet for 2 months. This would give me everything I need to start a business and start making sales.
What is your favorite quote?
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Take a leaf out of Nike’s book. Just do it. Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Perfection doesn’t exist.
Who should we interview next and why?
Steve Tully from Port Finance should definitely be your next interview. You should speak with Steve because he has a fast-growing business that specializes in helping people obtain credit. Steve is the go-to guy for professionals and business owners who need help getting finance.
Random Bonus: With the game on the line and 5 seconds on the clock, who takes the last shot? Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or Lebron James?
Michael Jordan, Hands down. He’s the only one to beat performance enhanced aliens…
How can we get in touch with you?
You can get in contact with me by visiting wealtheon.com.au, emailing km@wealtheon.com.au, or by jumping onto our Facebook www.facebook.com/wealtheon
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