Do Business. Do Life. — The Financial Advisor Podcast — DBDL 153: Daniel Harkavy - How Advisors Accidentally Build Businesses They Hate
What would make a 30-year-old with a corner office, a clear path to CEO, and more money than he ever imagined… walk away from it all?
That’s the question at the center of this conversation with Daniel Harkavy.
Daniel spent his 20s grinding in the mortgage banking world, chasing deals, money, and success. By 30, he was next in line to run the company—but a quiet inner voice told him this wasn’t the life he was meant to live. So he walked away.
For the last three decades, Daniel has helped high-performing leaders do what this show is all about: build successful businesses without sacrificing their life in the process. As Founder of Building Champions, he’s coached CEOs and executive teams at organizations like Chick-fil-A, Pfizer, and Bank of America.
We talk about why so many leaders burn out after they scale, how culture and leadership behavior quietly shape everything, and what it really means to do business and life by design.
5 of the biggest insights from Daniel Harkavy…
#1.) Walking Away Wasn’t Quitting, It Was Clarity
Daniel walked away at the height of his career because success didn’t feel sustainable anymore. A one-year sabbatical forced him to realize that continuing would have meant building a life he didn’t want, no matter how successful it looked.
#2.) A Smart Approach to Hiring Top Performers
Daniel built his team by intentionally spending time building relationships with his competitors — learning their goals, understanding where they were stuck, and finding ways to help them improve. By genuinely helping competitors grow where they were, he built trust, loyalty, and credibility. And when the time came, people chose him willingly.
#3.) Scaling Without Vision Is How Advisors Get Stuck
A lot of advisors scale because they think they’re supposed to. But if the “why” isn’t clear, growth just adds complexity, stress, and people problems. Scaling only works when you’re being pulled forward by a clear vision — not pushed by ego, comparison, or fear of missing out.
#4.) Emotional Volatility Quietly Destroys Culture
Emotional blowups cost more than most leaders realize. The energy spent repairing internal damage is energy not spent growing the business. Over time, volatility wears down culture, momentum, and trust, even when intentions are good.
#5.) Fear Loses Power When You Zoom Out
When you really ask, “What’s the worst case?” most of the fear driving decisions starts to shrink. Failure is part of building anything meaningful, but it’s rarely the disaster we imagine. Perspective changes the weight of decisions and helps you build with intention instead of fear.
SHOW NOTES
https://bradleyjohnson.com/153
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DBDL podcast episode conversations are intended to provide financial advisors with ideas, strategies, concepts and tools that could be incorporated into their business and their life. No statements made in the episode are offered as, and shall not constitute financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Financial professionals are responsible for ensuring implementation of anything discussed related to business is done so in accordance with any and all regulatory, compliance responsibilities and obligations.
The Triad member statements reflect their own experience which may not be representative of all Triad Member experiences, and their appearances were not paid for.
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