Why Advisors Can’t Afford to Miss This Shift
A generational shift is underway in the wealth management space—and business owners are at the center of it.
For decades, advisor growth strategies have been largely rooted in portfolio performance. Risk-adjusted returns. Market timing. Asset allocation. But those strategies are no longer enough. In a world where investment options are increasingly commoditized, advisors who want to stand out and scale need to think differently.
And that starts with serving business owners.
There are more than 34 million small to medium sized businesses across North America. Many of them are entering critical—and complex—life stages: business expansion, succession planning, family transition, or full exit. But here's the problem: most advisors aren’t equipped to support these moments in a meaningful way.
That’s a missed opportunity with enormous upside.
Business owners don’t think in terms of quarterly returns. Their wealth isn’t neatly bundled into public market accounts. It’s embedded in their company—illiquid, often opaque, and deeply personal. For these clients:
Traditional planning approaches don’t work here. These clients need advisors who understand enterprise value, tax efficiency, business insurance, succession timing, and what comes after an exit. They need professionals who can tie together the threads of personal wealth and business health.
The next wave of advisor growth won’t come from chasing returns—it will come from solving complexity. From helping business owners understand what they’ve built, what it’s worth, and how to unlock that value when the time is right.
That’s the real opportunity.
Advisors who can speak the language of business owners—who can meet them where they are and guide them through decisions that shape their legacy—will not only differentiate themselves but earn a seat at the table during the most consequential wealth transfers of the next decade.
And when you help a business owner transition well, you don’t just win a client. You often win their family, their employees, and their referrals.
This shift isn’t hypothetical—it’s already happening. But most advisors still start the conversation with portfolios instead of the business. That’s backwards.
To meet this moment, advisors need tools that simplify valuation and make it an ongoing part of the planning process. They need insight into business performance, transition readiness, and owner intent—without having to become M&A experts themselves.
That’s where platforms like interVal come in. We help advisors unlock a business owner's story, turn complex data into meaningful insight, and create more value—for both the client and the practice.
When you focus on the business first, the relationship deepens. The planning gets sharper. The revenue follows.
This isn’t a niche play. It’s a tectonic shift. Advisors who build the skills, tech, and language to serve business owners today are positioning themselves at the forefront of tomorrow’s growth.
So the only question left is: Are you ready?