Don’t Do That: Don’t Skip the Foundation to Chase Fast Growth with David DeCelle and Michael Barrasso
Summary:
In this episode of Don’t Do That, Kelly sits down with Mike Barrasso and David DeCelle, co-founders of Wealth Reach, to break down how modern advisory firms should think about growth, prospecting, and technology. They explore the shift from passive referrals to proactive, data-driven outreach and why combining intent data with human follow-up is driving real results.
The episode features a powerful double “Don’t Do That”: don’t approach growth selfishly – focus on helping more people – and don’t skip the fundamentals by jumping straight into tactics without a plan. The takeaway is clear: sustainable growth comes from strong foundations, clear messaging, and disciplined execution, not shortcuts.
Kelly, Mike, & David cover:
00:00 Early traction and real results from Wealth Reach users (including a $500K win in week one)
00:48 Introduction to Mike and David and their backgrounds
02:53 Why Wealth Reach was built: “people in motion” vs. “money in motion”
05:43 How website visitor identification and intent data work together
08:59 Early results and what’s driving success
10:14 Why phone outreach still wins when paired with digital
11:17 The power of intent data in modern marketing
13:11 The sales infrastructure gap in advisory firms
14:21 How larger firms are building outbound teams
17:12 Don’t Do That #1: Don’t approach growth selfishly
20:59 Don’t Do That #2: Don’t skip planning or try to do everything at once
22:25 Reframing growth around serving clients
25:58 Why starting in the middle of the funnel fails
27:16 Building a full funnel before scaling tactics
30:34 Final takeaway: fundamentals first, then scale
Connect with Kelly Waltrich:
Connect with Mike & David:
About Our Guests:
David DeCelle is the Co-Founder of WealthReach and CEO of Model FA. David also co-authored Organic Growth Revolution with Dan Allison.
Mike Barrasso is the Co-Founder and CEO of WealthReach, an AI-powered organic growth platform purpose-built for RIAs and wealth management firms.