The Customer Wins

George Salmas is the Managing Principal of The Food Lawyers, a law firm providing legal services to all businesses specializing in the food industry. He earned his law degree from UCLA and was a Navy Lieutenant JAG officer handling courts-martial in Greece, Spain, Morocco, and even ships at sea. George has over 25 years of experience in total representing US and multinational food companies. In this episode… It's no secret that owning or managing a food-related company can be a recipe for legal trouble. The pressure can often be overwhelming when underprepared. These legal issues outside of the kitchen can keep businesses from focusing on what they do best.  All of this is to be expected. Food law can be complicated and confusing for the uninitiated. It entails dealing with many things, including FDA and USDA regulatory issues, class action defense, trademarks, contracts, litigation, and many more details. George Salmas recommends hiring law firms that work intimately with the food industry — experts that understand the sector to offer them full-service representation and help them flourish.  In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with George Salmas, Managing Principal of The Food Lawyers, to discuss his journey in food law. George explains the reasons for niching into the food industry, tips for gaining clients’ trust, The Food Lawyers’ customer success stories, and how to win more customers.

Tamara Williams is the Owner and Principal Transition Consultant of The Williams Consulting Group, where she assists financial advisors by managing the process of transitioning their current book of business to another firm. She started her career at Merrill Lynch, eventually becoming the Director of Transitions for an independent broker-dealer, where she learned and experienced the back office piece of how transitioning process works. Tamara received her formal education from Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL, graduating in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in finance with a minor in accounting. In this episode… As a financial advisor, are you planning to transition your book of business to another broker-dealer? Where can you get the assistance required to make the shift experience faster, easier, and smoother? Transferring a book of business to another firm is a very complex and multifaceted process. Tamara Williams recommends hiring transition consultants, experts who help advisors streamline the procedures, identify the challenges, and improve their pain points. She shares her journey developing a go-to resource for transitioning advisors while minimizing any business disruptions.  In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Tamara Williams, Owner and Principal Transition Consultant of The Williams Consulting Group, to discuss how advisors can seamlessly transition to another firm. Tamara explains the challenges advisors face when switching firms, advice for financial advisors thinking of transitioning, the value of creating strong relationships with clients as an advisor, and their process for simplifying the transition experience.

Mark Firmin is the President and COO of ACOM Solutions, a company with a long and successful history of developing, distributing, and supporting integrated B2B software solutions. He is also the CEO of eTreem, a firm that delivers integrated receivables and payment processing for US-based businesses. Mark is a transformative and results-driven B2B tech leader known for his ability to drive short and long-term strategic goals. He has completed four successful exits, including a b2b FinTech acquired by American Express. In this episode… Account receivables is a complex aspect of business that can easily become problematic. So how do you solve the issues that arise as a result?  There are many things to consider for a company to run its account receivables smoothly. They include accuracy, speed, cost, quality, and internal controls, which might be difficult for a team to handle. Mark Firm shares his journey building a SaaS-based platform that automates most steps to simplify the process. Listen to this episode of The Customer Wins as host Rich Walker welcomes Mark Firmin, President and COO of ACOM Solutions, to discuss how companies can successfully run their account receivables. Mark explains how ACOM Solutions and eTreem help customers with their account receivables, their ideal customer profile, why they focus on accounts receivable, and the importance of listening to your customers.

Chip Kispert is the Founder and Managing Partner of Beacon Strategies, LLC, a consulting firm servicing broker-dealers, asset managers, and supporting vendors. He is a 20-year veteran of the broker-dealer and asset management marketplace. Chip specializes in data management-centric supply strategy and implementation expertise in the form of infrastructure evolution. Before Beacon, he was Vice-President of Sales for Trust Company of America and held senior sales and business development roles at Fidelity Investments for four years. In this episode… The enterprise wealth management industry is constantly evolving, posing obstacles and opportunities. As an advisor, how can you identify and avoid these impediments and make your firm more profitable and productive?  According to Chip Kispert, it's fundamental for an advisor to collaborate with enterprise wealth firm leaders, marketplace solution providers, and other prominent industry experts. For this to happen, they need support, people who can coach them through disruptive times, aligning business strategy and vision. He shares his journey as the bridge between enterprise wealth firms and solution providers. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Chip Kispert, Founder and Managing Partner of Beacon Strategies, LLC, to discuss how to be relevant in the dynamic enterprise wealth management industry. Chip explains how Beacon Strategies help wealth management firms, the value of understanding your own processes, the challenges advisors want to solve, and the Beacon Strategies’ roundtables.

Adam Isrow is the President of Hotel Operations at Wolff Urban Management, a real estate acquisition, investment, development, and management firm. He is an experienced business leader with a proven background in software development, business operations, customer acquisition, and relationship management for global hospitality technology companies. Adam co-founded GoConcierge and grew it to become the largest concierge software company in the world. It was later acquired by ALICE (an Expedia Company), the leading hospitality operations platform, to augment its technology and customer service offering in 2017. In this episode… Do you find it challenging to excel in the hotel industry? How can you ensure guests receive the best possible service and experience? Running a hotel or restaurant involves various aspects, such as guest services, front desk management, housekeeping, security, and task tracking. It can be overwhelming for the staff, particularly concierges. Adam Isrow, the President of Hotel Operations at Wolff Urban Management, shares his journey of creating a tool that focuses on guest response and task management. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker interviews Adam Isrow to discuss his entrepreneurial journey of creating GoConcierge, a tool that helps hotels thrive. Adam talks about how GoConcierge helps people, the significance of speaking your customers' language, the importance of a concierge, and tips for being a good leader and fostering a healthy company culture.

Parham Nasseri is the Vice President of Product and Regulatory Strategy for InvestorCOM, a leading provider of regulatory compliance software and communications solutions for the financial services industry. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. Parham has progressive experience in data-centric roles relating to technology and finance. He is involved in the Canadian RegTech Association, CFA Society Toronto, and was the Chair of The Canadian Advocacy Council. In this episode… As an investor, are you hesitant to make financial decisions because of the complex regulatory requirements in the industry? How can you meet your regulatory obligations and drive better financial decisions? The regulatory requirements in the financial services industry are constantly evolving. It calls for innovative solutions to be able to comply efficiently and intuitively. According to Parham Nasseri, you can take the guesswork out of making compliant product recommendations through technology. He shares how they help wealth and asset managers turn compliance into a strategic advantage. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Parham Nasseri, Vice President of Product and Regulatory Strategy for InvestorCOM, to discuss tips for addressing compliance requirements in the financial service industry. Parham talks about how to adopt regulatory requirements through tech, the value of client feedback on the product development cycle, and the impacts of AI on the regulatory and compliance environment.

Mike Row is the Chief Revenue Officer of Future Capital, a firm connecting anyone working toward retirement with the tools, services, and guidance they need to retire with confidence. Before Future Capital, Mike spent over three decades at Pershing, acting both as an advocate for clients within the company and as a trusted senior representative of the firm. Throughout his journey, he has gained a well-rounded perspective of wealth and institutional businesses in the financial services industry. In this episode… As a financial advisor, are you looking for people preparing for retirement? How can you foster a good relationship and help them navigate their financial futures? It's most people's dream to retire with confidence. They understand the value of saving for retirement but know little about planning. Through active listening and good communication skills, you can win their trust as an advisor, help them understand their current financial situation, and plan the next steps toward the retirement they want. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Mike Row, Chief Revenue Officer of Future Capital, to discuss the value of active listening and good communication in the financial services industry. Mike talks about Future Capital and his professional journey at Pershing, tips for having active listening skills as an advisor, the value of good communication in a business, and the impact of AI on communication.

Shabana Nathoo is a Wealth Management Advisor at Navigo Wealth Management, an independent, fee-only Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm based in Texas. She is a Certified Financial Planner, Certified Digital Asset Advisor, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst working with family law attorneys and individuals going through the divorce process. Shabana also teaches at Rice University through the CFP program with over 18 years of experience helping clients achieve their financial planning and investment goals. In this episode… Are you confident in where you stand financially? What can you do to prepare for the future? Shabana Nathoo recommends hiring a wealth management advisor, professionals that will help you understand and reach your financial objectives. She shares her journey of wealth management services tailored to individuals' needs. In this episode of The Customer Wins, host Rich Walker welcomes Shabana Nathoo, a Wealth Management Advisor at Navigo Wealth Management, to discuss how people can better plan for their futures financially. Shabana explains how Navigo Wealth Management helps people, why she empowers women through wealth management, and how she helps her customers win.

Geoff Moore is the CIO of Valmark Financial Group, a financial services agency working exclusively with entrepreneurial wealth management firms to meet its clients' unique and ever-changing needs. He leads a team of experts who use technology to solve business challenges and manage the cybersecurity of Valmark and its member firms. Geoff has over 20 years of experience in technology and financial services and was selected to the Surge Ventures Industry Council for his expertise in cybersecurity for financial service firms in 2022. In this episode… The financial service industry is constantly evolving. So what can you do as an independent financial advisor to keep up and serve your clients? According to Geoff Moore, wealth management firms can partner with agencies to help them achieve operational excellence, mitigate risks, and grow. Since the whole industry is evolving, these agencies also need experts to help them better serve these advisors. As a technology and financial services guru, Geoff shares how he supports his company in maneuvering the tech world to grow and become a support service for the industry’s top tier of financial advisors. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Geoff Moore, CIO of Valmark Financial Group. Geoff explains how Valmark helps people and what it prioritizes internally to serve its clients better. He also shares how he got into technology, how he supports the growth of Valmark, and the correlation between building operational excellence and customer experience.

Aaron Klein is the Co-founder and CEO of Nitrogen, a growth platform for wealth management firms. He has led the company to twice being named one of the world’s top 10 most innovative companies in finance by Fast Company Magazine. Aaron is also the Co-founder of Hope Takes Root, an initiative to use vocational training and life mentoring to change the future for orphans and at-risk kids in Ethiopia. He is an Investment News honoree of the industry’s top 40 Under 40 executives. In this episode… Do you want to transform a hesitant investor into a capable one that makes remarkable decisions? How can you do so as a financial advisor?  The wealth management industry is one of the most challenging industries to be in. Optimal returns are held back from a fear of losing their money. According to Aaron Klein, great financial advisors need clients willing to make bold decisions to create long-term financial outcomes. Learn how to turn your clients into gutsy investors as a financial advisor. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker sits down with Aaron Klein, Co-founder and CEO of Nitrogen, to discuss how he helps wealth management firms succeed. Aaron talks about Nitrogen and how it helps people, the challenges and mistakes financial advisors make and how to overcome them, and the journey of building Nitrogen and the rebrand.