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Happy Halloween, fellow fiends 👻

We put this on via the Verve Foundation, meaning it was completely free for advisers to attend, and it was designed to help them:

1. Consider the pros & cons of running their own business (it's not for the faint-hearted) 💀

2. Understand the direct authorisation process (and not just the horror story headlines) and what it entails.

3. Understand the pros & cons of networks and the range of options that are out there.

4. Create their own, bespoke timeline, to formulate a business plan, put it in place and get themselves set up as a business owner 🥳

Clearly, being in a room full of entrepreneurial people is an absolute buzz for me. I love that whole environment.

Add in the fact that they are all sat there talking about the best way to help their clients, and choosing the business path that would best achieve that objective (not once was the focus on maximising profits; it was all about the clients) and you just know the future is very bright for finance.

Some interesting stats from both before and during the day:

• Number of LinkedIn posts I did saying we were running a Bootcamp and how to apply: one
• Number of applications for the Bootcamp to date: 47
• Percentage of DA applications that get approved currently: 75% 
• R06 pass rate: 71% (read; you’re more likely to get DA approval than pass R06 😉) 
• Percentage of delegates initially thinking they’ll go DA: 30% 
• We’ll do a follow up survey to find out how many actually go DA vs network in the end!

What I take from this is that we’re really starting to see the beginning of the anticipated trend of people moving away from the large consolidators and advice firms and being ready to scratch their own entrepreneurial itch.

Through the Foundation, our aim is to help make that process a little easier, by sharing knowledge and resources and saving people from having to reinvent the wheel over and over again. 

We passionately believe that there’s room for all types of advice firms (large, small, independent, restricted, niche, generalist, DA, network). As long as they’re client focused and professionally run, they’ll help address the advice gap and keep pushing finance forward. 

These new firms are also the hotbed for innovation in our sector; with a blank sheet of paper, CRMs being chosen from scratch, all possibilities and permutations of platform, proposition and tech stack available to them, they have the complete freedom to create the kind of advice firm and processes that some of the legacy ones can only dream about. 

So while there are many things in finance that are quite terrifying, I don’t think the current wave of fresh blood and start-up businesses is one of them. Incredibly exciting times are ahead.

If you think 2026 might be the year you start your own business and would like a bit of help, you can get started here.

In our round up of everything else below, may I suggest you have a look at the Compliance Horror Stories? As well as being very timely, they’re pretty hilarious 🎃

We also have your back for a whole load of end of year CPD as well as time saving tips and new discounts available to Verve members.

That’s it from me; got a Halloween party to prep for, some snacks to stock up for the trick or treaters and to ward off the chills, a negroni or two to power me through.

Have a wonderful weekend all,

"I want my weekends back"

We hear you! Grant Callaghan, Financial Planning Specialist (and expert timekeeper) shares 3 time-saving tips for financial advisers losing time to admin. 

The power of being in the room

Real talk with real people - what's better? Darren Lowry rounds up the GROW on Tour CPD roadshow with reflections on the learning power of in-person CPD.

Bootcamp registration is officially open!

Sign up now to join a Verve Foundation bootcamp in 2026. It's totally free and you can trust us to be discreet.

Financial Advice Business Benchmarks Report 2025

Invaluable insights from FABB number seven - ideal for advisers to see how peers are evolving, and also free.

Compliance horror stories 😱

Is there anything more terrifying than risky compliance? If your provider gets your pulse racing in all the wrong ways, it might be time to ghost them 👻 

Behind the scenes... 👀

... of a fun day in the office with our friends from Second Draft capturing the Verve magic on video. Now taking name suggestions for our first movie!

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