Don’t Compare Yourself to the Average with Jamie Hopkins, WSFS, Bryn Mawr Capital Management
Summary:
Is benchmarking your business by the “industry average” holding you back?
In this episode of Don’t Do That, Kelly Waltrich sits down with Jamie Hopkins, Chief Wealth Officer at WSFS Bank, to discuss leadership, talent development, and why average benchmarks might be limiting your growth potential. Jamie shares his experience transitioning from frequent travel to a more balanced life, his work with the FinServ Foundation helping young professionals enter the financial industry, and why he believes comparing yourself to averages is a recipe for mediocrity. Throughout their conversation, Kelly and Jamie explore the changing landscape of advisor talent, the return of sales training in financial services, and how to build a team passionate about “running through walls” for your business.
Kelly and Jamie cover:
01:28 Introduction to WSFS and Jamie’s role as Chief Wealth Officer
03:11 How a question from Jamie’s son changed his career trajectory
04:01 Kelly’s similar “wake-up call” about work-life balance
05:18 The FinServ Foundation’s mission to help new professionals succeed
06:04 The troubling statistic: 80% of advisors drop out of the industry by year five
09:07 Why “Eat What You Kill” business models create burnout
10:20 The missing piece in financial education: sales training
10:50 Why advisors struggle to convert digital leads
12:10 Jamie’s social media signature style: using handwritten cards in videos
14:00 WSFS’s “wealth as a service” expansion plans
20:54 Jamie’s “Don’t Do That”: Stop comparing yourself to averages
24:56 Why average benchmarks don’t work for individual businesses
26:23 Rallying your team around being the best
29:57 Finding team members who truly buy into your vision
33:37 Navigating leadership in a post-COVID world
34:35 The importance of adaptability in modern teams
36:13 Finding people willing to “run through walls” for your business
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About Our Guest:
Jamie P. Hopkins has extensive wealth management experience, bringing innovative thinking, transformative leadership, and a strong reputation for fostering Client relationships. He oversees the private wealth management group’s financial advice strategies and growth initiatives, along with leading the institutional and personal trust businesses.
Jamie graduated from Temple University School of Law, where he received his LLM., and Villanova University School of Law, where he earned his juris doctorate. Jamie earned a master’s degree in financial planning from The American College of Financial Services and a master’s degree in business administration from Villanova University.
A Wall Street Journal best-selling author, educator, and executive speaker, Jamie has previously served on numerous advisory boards around the financial services industry such as Wing.app, Wealth.com, C2P, IncomeLab, and was a national trustee member of NAIFA. He currently sits on the advisory board of Focal, an AI startup.
Jamie is also the founder and president of the 501(c)(3) non-profit, FinServ Foundation and was recognized as the 2021 RIA Thought Leader of the Year by WealthManagement.com and Top 10 Investopedia 100 Top Financial Advisor for 2023. Jamie has also taught financial planning courses and created course content at Creighton University and American College of Financial Services since 2012.