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For more about promoting yourself, and not your B/D, visit Epiphany 40 AFW M.1.40

Your Personal Brand

You don't own your own business - you are your business. Your name is your brand, and your face is your logo.

Reminder: You are a micro-entrepreneur and your broker/dealer works for you.

For more on thi topic visit AFW M.1.40.

With IP you can have your own unique website and email to use with your clients!

This is not having a DBA or your own business name. Though that is possible to do with IP, I don't recommend it as it is confusing for clients and much more compliance-intensive and costly. What were talking about here is simply having your own custom client/public website and the associated email address that you can use with clients. You are still representing yourself as working "for" Innovation Partners.

For example, my client web site is ClientFirst.pro and the email I use with prospects, clients, the public and Docusign is michael@clientfirst.pro. My clients never see my IP email address. In fact, the only place that Innovation Partners appears is in the appropriate disclosures - I am never promoting IP (this has been a thorn in my side with all previous B/D's).

Another ancillary benefit is if you ever leave IP (or retire) you will still have access to all of your services since your login is your email, not IP's. This includes all of your emails, Docusign, FINRA, NIPR, continuing education companies, marketing/advertising services etc.


"You never want to be beholden to your broker/dealer." -Michael


You can put both your custom email and website on your business cards and marketing material.


Custom Email Address

  • Get your custom email set-up before you create your custom website. Ask me if you need help.

  • I use ProtonMail (requires Mail Plus for $50/year) to host my email service. It is a very secure and privte email service based in Switzerland. I use Cloudflare for the DNS of my domain (for both email and website).

  • The cost is $300 per year for the email compliance archiving.

  • Send an email to John Polyviou at IP with the following message:

I would like to get my custom email address approved for use with my clients. I don't want to act as a DBA, and I am not promting "YYY" as my own company, I just want to use the email address of XXX@YYY.

  • He will walk you through the steps you need to take to enable "Journaling/Archiving" for your emails.


Custom Email Signature

Since you're going through all this trouble of creating a custom email you may as well create a modern, professional email sigature as well.

I use this free service to create the custom signature.


Custom Client Website

Watch AF MKOM 1632 - Should You Have a Client Website? VIDEO


Examples

  • Mine: : ClientFirst.pro
  • Tom Hess's: tomhess.org


  1. First, you need to find and pay for your domain. I strongly recommend using your-name.pro. .pro is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from "professional", indicating its intended use by certified professionals. For a domain registrar I recommend CloudFlare.

  2. For a website builder/host I recommend Carrd (click the link to use my discount code).


Ask me how for help with all of the above.


Self-Promotion Pro-Tips

  • Have a custom client web site. If possible, use your name. Ideally, the top-level domain should be ".pro".
  • Have a custom email address using your custom domain.
  • Have a professional photo headshot done. Use your photo, custom web site, custom email and booking service on your website, business cards, your marketing materials, advertisements, letterhead, etc. Remember, your face is your logo.
  • Have a booking service, such as cal.com, and use a re-direct from your domain. Example: cal.ClientFirst.pro.
  • Use a re-direct from your domain to sign up for your monthly client newsletter. Example: news.ClientFirst.pro.