My company & title is…. Co-founder and managing principal of Wilde Wealth Management Group, an award-winning independent financial services firm that provides comprehensive retirement, investment, real estate, insurance, legal and tax planning services all under one roof.
A typical day in my life… includes helping our amazing clients, being available to our staff for guidance, planning and strategizing how to elevate what we do to new heights. Once the work day is done I can be found running around with 4 very active girls in dance and karate. I turn it all off so my wife, Meghan, and I can enjoy dinner and down time with the girls. Admittedly, after dinner I’m back to checking emails and trying to organize for the next day.
My favorite thing about living/working in the Scottsdale area is… the climate, first and foremost. I also have come to know the most incredible people here. I think Scottsdale has and continues to add great dining and entertainment options, too.
My favorite movie I could never get tired of watching and why… Top Gun. One summer as a kid I watched it easily 100 times. When I see it now, it brings back all the memories of that childhood summer.
My family… Includes my wife, Meghan, and my four daughters: Peyton, Presley, Piper and Paige. I am also the oldest of four kids myself, two of whom work with me at Wilde Wealth.
The business lesson I learned the hard way is… Actual balance. While building our business over the past decade-plus, my wife Meghan and I welcomed four daughters into the world. Once I became a father, I knew I had to change my approach to my business in a major way. Early on, the mistake that I made was feeling that every ounce of myself had to be poured into the business and not having any sort of work/life balance. About six years ago, I was pretty much at my wit’s end. When my kids were first born, it was easier because there weren’t as many activities. But as they aged and got into soccer and other activities that are important for me to be at, it just became impossible to balance. I vividly remember running out of a meeting, trying to make a soccer game across town, while still having multiple conference calls left for the evening. I felt completely overwhelmed. The next day, I sat down with our staff and completely restructured my family/work scheduling rules. It took about seven months to fully make it all work.
One thing I cannot live without… My family.
When I was younger, I wanted to be… a Navy pilot. The summer of Top Gun likely had a lot to do with that! But also, I have always had such great respect for service men and women; those that put themselves in harm’s way to protect others.
The song I would sing at Karaoke night is… While I don’t have one song in particular, based on what is playing in our house 24/7, my girls would tell you I would do something by Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift. Oh, to be a father of four girls!
The one person who motivates me is… Obviously, my wife and kids. Outside of my own immediate family and my own parents, my father in law – who is passed – was a tremendous influence in my life. I am extremely motivated to be the family and business person that he was.
The last thing that made me laugh out loud was…my daughter Piper. She is such a character!
The perfect day would be… very similar to my typical day, but with less rushing around.
My first job was… A paperboy for the Arizona Republic, complete with bike, basket and the folding of papers at the crack of dawn.
My life… Is getting better each day.
I’m currently working on… Growing our business, both in hiring team members to join our team, and physically. In addition to our headquarters office in Scottsdale, we have grown to four other offices: Payson, Glendale, Tempe and Terre Haute, IN. We are growing so fast, in fact, we just moved to bigger space to accommodate our team in Tempe.
The best gift I’ve ever received was… Meghan. I know it is corny, but it is true.
The actor I would want to play me in a movie of my life is… Bradley Cooper.
My dream vacation would be to… Probably a trip to Europe to explore for an entire month. We attended a wedding in Greece this past summer and I’d love to get back and tour the region on our own time.
My words of wisdom to aspiring business owners… Don’t quit.
