Constantinos Maniatis knows all too well how challenging it can be for small to mid-sized businesses to find the right financial strategies that not only meet their needs but more importantly – protect their interests. Constantinos founded Corps Capital Advisors to help bridge the gap between Wall Street brokerage firms and small to mid-sized businesses.
Constantinos works with each client through every step of their wealth management journey, from beginning to end. Constantinos provides holistic financial advice that is tailored to meet your needs while keeping your interests in mind at all times.
Constantinos makes it his personal responsibility to ensure that you are on the same page as the rest of your Wealth Management team at all times.
What is Corps Capital Advisors all about?
The company was founded to help people invest their money wisely when they need it most. I am well established in the field of finance for over a decade now and understand that people want a wealth advisor that is available when they need it. We have a holistic approach to wealth management and make sure that the client’s interests are taken into account at all times.
I believe that I can better serve my clients if I keep them informed about their finances at all times, and I go out of my way to ensure that they understand what is going on with their money and how it will benefit them in the future.
Corps Capital Advisors is an investment firm that aims to provide guidance to those who have amassed a certain amount of money but do not know where exactly to invest it for maximum gain. I work personally with each client so as to help them make decisions over what sort of investments would be suitable.
What would you say are the top 3 skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur, and why?
Well, I guess patience, intelligence, and understanding the needs of others.
- Good business is not just about making money – it is about providing a product or service that is desired by others, which you are able to provide at all times. You need patience in order to reach this goal because growing your business takes time.
You also need intelligence so as to understand the market you are trying to enter and how to best serve it.
- Finally, you need to understand the needs of your clients so as to be able to provide them with a product or service they want – if nobody wants what you have, then you will not succeed.
What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
I am committed to offering high-quality service to every client. We would like Corps Capital Advisors to become the foremost wealth management firm in the industry by providing the most personalized attention and investment opportunities with a strong dedication to client satisfaction.
We plan on helping clients make smart investments for their future while striving for excellence in everything we do. We live in an exciting time of opportunity that we want our clients to take part in! We desire that all Corps Capital Advisors’ customers will experience unprecedented levels of service and commitment from me and our team with exceptional value, breadth of expertise, cutting-edge technology, sound infrastructure, and innovative thinking.
Corps Capital Advisors is committed to working with you every step of the way through your wealth management journey.
How have the pandemic and lockdowns affected you or your business?
The pandemic and lockdowns have affected our business by constantly finding new ways for clients to access investments without depending too heavily on brokers; utilizing new investment opportunities created by stagnant international markets; we have taken on more client support and training responsibilities to ensure that all clients are fully capable of making intelligent investment decisions. At the end of it all, I want them to understand that I would like all of our customers that we are here for them.
Constant communication is key! I want to build a lasting relationship with each and every one of my clients where they will feel comfortable asking us questions and providing any feedback or suggestions on how we can improve anything related to their wealth management.
How do you separate yourself from your competitors?
Corps Capital Advisors believes that the first step to differentiation is actually just becoming a part of your client’s lives. Constantinos takes pride in knowing his clients as more than just their portfolio numbers and works on building relationships with them. I pride myself on providing holistic advice to help clients at all stages of their life.
We are extremely goal-oriented and our primary focus areas are long-term goals, retirement planning, asset allocation, taxation, investments in general, diversification across both traditional assets and alternative assets to build a truly well-rounded portfolio.
Wealth management isn’t about the dollars and cents, it is about the people. This stems from our ability to create a comprehensive financial plan that adapts to each client’s changing needs. We work on achieving these goals by using individualized planning tools that are based on modern portfolio theory.
What were the top three mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from them?
The most common mistake that Corps Capital Advisors (CCA) sees with our clients is taking on too much leverage at the start. CCA encourages entrepreneurs to only take on as much debt as they can manage while keeping cash flow positive. Too much debt will not serve your company very well in the long run, especially if things go south.
- Operating with a lean staff and taking on less debt will help your company to grow in a responsible manner while preserving long-term relationships between the business owners, the employees, and the lenders.
- Another mistake that we see is entrepreneurs not focusing on what they do best. As with any business, one should focus on their core competencies and farm out the rest.
- Finally, we often see entrepreneurs with a “go big or go home” attitude as it pertains to running their businesses. A more conservative approach will bode well for you in the long run, and I count myself in here!
Tell us a little bit about your marketing process, what has been the most successful form of marketing for you?
We work individually with each client through every step of their wealth management journey, from beginning to end. We have found that word-of-mouth marketing has been our most successful form of marketing since our clients trust Corps Capital Advisors that provide them with holistic financial advice that is tailored to their needs. It shows in everything we do, whether it’s making them aware of new market options or ensuring they are on the same page as their wealth management team at all times.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
Well, my biggest challenge came when I worked with a client whose commodity investments were taking up too large of a percentage of their portfolio. I tweaked the portfolio to include more cash, stocks, and bonds in order to create balance. I found that this change had an amazing effect on the long-term value of his client’s account. I was able to manage the risk in the portfolio so that his client could sleep better at night. I always find it rewarding when I, or any of us in the company, can help an investor but still allow them to maintain their normal life.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I am learning about the UCITS funds, which are available to investors regardless of where they are residents. They are common investment vehicles that have certain rules attached that minimize their tax liability for both the manager and investor. This is important because it will protect me from local market volatility in the future.
If you started your business again, what things would you do differently?
I would concentrate more on long-term planning and goal setting if I relaunched my company. I’d even allocate more money toward marketing and advertising, as well as a thorough strategy for scaling the business.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
One of my favorite productivity tips is to start my day by planning out my goals for the day. This helps me to stay focused and motivated throughout the day. Additionally, I try to take regular breaks to avoid getting burned out.
If you only had $1000 dollars to start a new business, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
Knowing everything I know now, of course, I would still spend it! But what’s different about this question is that I wouldn’t allocate the money to individual stocks. Nowadays, there are so many great investment opportunities, from more aggressive growth funds to blue-chip stock index funds.
Broadly diversifying my investments will protect me from total market fluctuations and allow me to be a part of it for less money just as long as I monitor the progress of these disparate stocks and bonds over time.
My money can then either continue earning or be withdrawn more freely without any big hidden losses – a win-win situation no matter which way you look at it!
What helps you stay driven and motivated to keep going in your business?
One thing that always keeps me going in my business is the “fake it until you make it” mentality. I don’t know where I got this from, but it’s been my motto from day one. Entrepreneurship is a difficult journey and when you’re just starting out, there is a lot of risks involved. By focusing on my positive thoughts and visualizing success in my head, I’m able to stay motivated and achieve what I set out to do in a much more fulfilling way.
What is your definition of success?
Success is having the ability to provide for oneself and family, security, health, time to pursue hobbies and interests. For me, it’s not so much about the money or fame but rather its achievements which I define as opportunities afforded by success. I feel that oftentimes people don’t measure their financial success by what they’re able to do with it, but I don’t see this as an issue because “having enough money in your account to be able to buy things that you want if you need or want them” is always fulfilling.
Who should we interview next and why?
I would love to see a breakdown of Ryan Gosling’s investment strategy, or even just to hear about his portfolio. I’ve always been fascinated by the economic decisions celebrities make so this could be extremely interesting!
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