One Year of F&O Wealth: Why a Business Plan is Like a Financial Plan
As F&O Wealth approaches its first birthday, I’ve found myself reflecting on what this first year has meant, both personally and professionally. Launching a financial planning business has been an exciting journey, I often liken it to being on a rollercoaster, there’s ups and downs but everyday I’m learning and tackling challenges I didn’t know existed, but the best part is working with my clients (and meeting new ones) and truly making a difference.
This birthday (and the fact that it coincided with our family holiday) has encouraged me to look forward. What do I want F&O Wealth to achieve in the years ahead? How will I make that happen? The more time I spend refining our business plan, the more I’m reminded of something very familiar - building a robust financial plan for a client.
It turns out, planning for a business and planning for your personal finances have far more in common than you might think.
A plan gives you direction
The F&O Wealth’s business plan is about more than numbers. It clarifies my vision, lays out my priorities, and identify the steps to get there. Without that plan, it would be easy to drift from one idea to the next without a clear sense of progress.
The same is true in financial planning. Whether your goal is to retire comfortably, buy a home, or support your children through education, having a financial plan gives you clarity about where you’re going and how to get there. It turns ambition into action.
A plan provides a benchmark
Another key benefit is having something to measure against. For the business, I can review performance against my plan, looking at client growth, efficiency, and sustainability. This gives me confidence about what’s working and highlights areas for improvement.
Financial planning works in the same way. Your plan becomes the reference point to check whether you’re on track:
Are your savings growing as expected?
Are you still on target for your retirement timeline?
Do your investments align with your goals and risk tolerance?
Having that benchmark makes progress tangible and decisions easier.
A plan is never set in stone
If there’s one thing I’ve learned this past year, it’s that no plan survives unchanged, my plan for my first year looks very different to how the past 12 months have actually run. Markets shift, opportunities appear, challenges arise, and plans must adapt.
The same applies to financial planning. Life is full of change - new jobs, growing families, unexpected expenses and exciting opportunities you hadn’t anticipated. A good financial plan is flexible enough to adjust, while still keeping your long-term goals in sight.
That’s why regular reviews are so important. The real value of a plan lies not in writing it once, but in revisiting and refining it as life evolves.
A plan brings reassurance
Finally, having a plan, for a business or your personal finances brings a sense of reassurance. It doesn’t mean everything will always go perfectly, but it does mean you have a roadmap. And with a roadmap, you can move forward with greater confidence, knowing that you’re making progress toward the future you want.
Looking ahead
As F&O Wealth celebrates its first birthday, I’m excited about the journey ahead. And I’m reminded of the same message I share with clients - planning matters. It keeps us focused, it helps us measure progress, and it adapts with us as life unfolds.
If you’ve been meaning to put your own financial plan in place or if it’s been a while since you last reviewed one now could be the perfect time to take that step. Just as I’ve found clarity and confidence from building a business plan, you can experience the same reassurance from a financial plan designed around your goals.
If you’d like to explore what that could look like, I’d love to help.