Pete Living, Founding Partner of Vizion Private Clients talks to May Walker-Wallis, Head of Marketing at Vizion about his journey so far.
MAY: What appealed to you about working in partnership with Vizion?
PETE: I have worked in the industry for many years under big, corporate entities. Whilst this was great experience, what appealed to me about Vizion was the chance to grow my own business without the expense and stress of setting up a brokerage from scratch.
In the corporate world, I was offering clients a great service which paid well. However, the partnership with Vizion allows to plan for my future – both short and long term – but now, I have the flexibility to operate and grow my book of clients independently and spend my time where it is most valuable at any given stage – for example, meeting new introducers or clients
MAY: What do you enjoy about the role and what are the benefits of Vizion’s model?
PETE: The most attractive and enjoyable part of the of the partnership is the autonomy and flexibility in working to my own agenda – within reason. For me, most importantly, this is about putting the client at the heart of everything I do – be they new or existing, valued clients.
The Vizion model offers full, back office and compliance support that allows me to concentrate on my clients and introducers. There is a great team that supports the Partners, making sure day to day business run smoothly and efficiently.
MAY: How does your role as a Partner at Vizion contrast to working in a larger broker setting?
PETE: Whilst I enjoyed my time and experiences working in the larger brokers, there was always something more I wanted. Being a Partner at Vizion allows me to do business, without all the excessive internal rules and politics that can come as part of the territory when working in a large, corporate organisation. Before, I would have meetings to discuss meetings and much of my time was spent doing things that didn’t actually produce any value to my clients.
MAY: How were you able to manage the transition from your previous position to your role as Partner?
PETE: As with any change in job role, there is an element of risk and worry – even if you are making a move within an industry that you know well. In this case, the move from the security of a well-paid senior position to being self-employed as Vizion Partner was no different. However, it was a risk worth taking as I knew I was joining a great team. For me, careful preparation and time spent building up client relationships to secure new business have stood me in great stead for the future.
MAY: What advice would you offer to an individual considering joining a move to a model such as Vizion?
PETE: If you are in a role where you feel like you could be actively doing more achieve job satisfaction, or you are craving more autonomy in being able to add real value to the service you offer, then don’t be afraid do something about it. It is very easy to become bogged down in work related frustrations and become too entrenched to seek an alternative. Yes, making the jump can be scary but with hard work and careful planning – the reward and satisfaction are definitely worth it.
MAY: What is your ethos to the service you offer your clients and how does this work as part of Vizion’s culture?
PETE: Without question, putting the needs of my clients first is paramount to me; indeed, I pride myself as being a broker who is willing to go that much further to ensure those I look after are always wholly satisfied with my service. Certainly, what attracted me to Vizion was their ethos of integrity and honesty at the heart of their service – but also their constant drive to be second to none. In our eyes, without clients, we wouldn’t have a business to grow and develop so their satisfaction is key to success.
