Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carl Von dem Bussche Jr. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Carl thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the early days of establishing your own firm. What can you share?

I was very fortunate starting our business in the Nashville, TN area. My father and brother had the main branch of our company in Tampa, FL and agreed to help me start a new branch geared towards helping people in the music industry. It think that the key to our success here in Nashville was being laser focused on who our ideal client is. Finding that niche that was true to who we are (I’m a former professional musician) and not straying too far from who we wanted to work with. We could have probably grown faster if we weren’t so selective in what we wanted our business to look like, but our growth has been nice and steady and we feel like we are working with people we love and are fulfilling our purpose.

Carl, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up in a financial planning home. My dad became a financial advisor the year I was born and has stayed on that course. He transitioned his business in 1993 to a “Fee-Only” model which basically means that all of our compensation comes directly from our clients, not third parties or commissions for selling investment products. He felt like that put him in the best position to give unbiased advice that was best for the client. That was a struggle at first because it’s very difficult to build that type of practice when you don’t have big hits and commissions coming in immediately. You have to grow your client base slowly, but the reward on the other side is that our clients get the best advice possible and now we’ve built a successful practice based on high service and high integrity. I went to college and studied business, thinking that I would just join my dad’s business when I graduated, which I did, but it didn’t last long. The band that I had started in college ended up getting a record deal and that brought my wife and I to Nashville. The band really wasn’t very successful, but we had some radio play and got to do some cool tours, etc. After the band I went into A&R at a major label, then went into non-profit world for a bit. All that time I was keeping tabs on financial markets through my dad and brother, and I even had done some business management for musician friends who needed some help. All of that let do us starting this part of our company in Nashville where I’m able to draw from those experiences and help the people who I really identify with.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think what helped build our reputation and grow our business is that there aren’t a lot of financial advisors who have a background as an artist and also working at a major record label. I think that sets us apart. I know what it’s like to get paid in inconsistent ways where budgeting and investing isn’t straight forward. I understand how it feels to be on the artist side, but can help my clients understand their business from a label/management side as well. The music community is small and once word starts getting around that there’s someone who has been in their shoes and now can help set them up for success with their money, it just kind of grows itself organically. We don’t spend any money on marketing and get 90% of our new clients from our current clients referring to us.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source for new clients coming to us is our current clients. We believe that if we do a good job, then our clients will talk about us. That is the best form of marketing, in my opinion. We have tried a few different marketing campaigns over the years, but none have even come close to what we get in referrals from current clients. It also helps us to stay focused on our client’s needs when we don’t have to worry about marketing. Just do a good job and the word will spread.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fgginc.com
• Instagram: @carlvdb, @fgg.inc
• Linkedin: CarlvdB

Image Credits
Jeremy Cowart