Don’t Do That: Don't Confuse Activity with Strategy with Lara Galloway, Elevation Point
Summary:
What happens when talented advisors spend significant money on marketing but see little to no results? For Lara Galloway, Head of Growth at Elevation Point, the culprit is a common misconception: mistaking activity for strategy. Volume won’t fix a lack of vision, and good intentions paired with tactical execution but no underlying plan leave money on the table.
In this episode, Lara and host Kelly Waltrich explore how RIAs can build intentional growth strategies that actually move the needle. They discuss why so many firms invest heavily in marketing without clear goals, how to identify your ideal client before you pick your channels, and why rallying the whole team around a shared vision makes more of a difference than hiring the fanciest agency.
Drawing on her background as a business and life coach, Lara walks through her approach to growth: starting with business planning, moving into marketing strategy sessions, and then providing ongoing accountability. She shares real examples of firms spending $50,000+ on marketing with no segmented lists, no qualified leads, and no clear understanding of who they’re trying to reach. The turning point? When founders reconnect with their why, define their top three goals, and align every team member around a mission.
This conversation is essential listening for advisory firm leaders who are ready to stop spinning their wheels and start driving predictable growth.
Kelly and Lara cover:
00:00 – Lara’s journey to Elevation Point and her intentional next move
01:35 – What Elevation Point does: taking minority stakes in RIAs to fuel growth
04:00 – Choosing the right leader and cultural fit
07:58 – Two leadership types: those who support vs. those who grow advisors
08:53 – Lara’s process: business planning, marketing consulting, accountability
10:48 – Why many firms don’t know what they’re working toward
11:38 – The “top 15 clients” exercise: ideal client profiling
13:07 – Why “What’s your unique value prop?” is the wrong question
14:21 – Helping firms articulate what they actually do best
16:24 – When firms get most excited: clear goals + 12-month activity plan
19:32 – What’s working: brand alignment and leveraging natural skill sets
21:32 – Preparing for 2026: FAQ content + LLM optimization
24:20 – Why metrics, dashboards, and accountability matter
25:06 – Lara’s “Don’t Do That”: Activity ≠ strategy. Volume won’t fix vision.
29:32 – Real examples: $50K+ marketing spend with no segmentation or results
32:35 – The baseline activity every firm needs—even on small budgets
33:21 – The “LinkedIn Five and Five”: five things, five minutes daily
40:45 – Identifying good-fit clients: collaborators vs. hands-off types
44:44 – The moral tug-of-war between what clients want vs. need
46:07 – Final advice: do an end-of-year audit of what’s working
Connect with Kelly Waltrich:
Connect with Lara Galloway:
About Our Guest
Lara Galloway is the Head of Growth at Elevation Point, where she helps elite independent RIAs design and execute tailored growth strategies. Many of the firms she works with are former wirehouse advisors and top producers who’ve gone independent to build the firms they’ve always envisioned. Others are established RIAs looking to break through growth plateaus. She combines coaching, consulting, and marketing expertise to help them scale intentionally while maintaining their independence.
With over 20 years in wealth management, fintech, marketing, and entrepreneurship, including 12 years as a business coach, she brings a unique perspective on what drives sustainable growth for small businesses. Her background includes communications at IBM, leadership roles in fintech, and years spent advising entrepreneurs, which allows her to connect strategy to execution in a practical, results-driven way.
She is also a certified coach, speaker, and author who’s passionate about helping advisors unlock their potential as both business owners and leaders. At Elevation Point, she is committed to creating a collaborative growth experience for partner firms—one that’s rooted in transparency, alignment, and building firms that last.
When she’s not working with RIAs, you’ll find her outdoors hiking or inside baking something new (often balancing it out with long walks and craft beer).