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Teching out Check out of the office and into the future with a virtual financial services practice

"Aligning your personal finances with a life you love," is the tagline for Eric Roberge's virtual certified financial planning practice, Beyond Your Hammock. But what if you followed his lead and aligned your professional life with a life you love? As in, launching your own virtual financial services or consulting firm, from, let's say, the comforts of your own hammock?

Working from where you want, with who you want is easier than you think today, and with some tech savviness and crafty marketing, you can make a name for yourself in the FANG (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google) generation.

Roberge is part of a new breed of financial services professionals - think CFPs, CPAs, and even CFOs - that are capitalizing on today's technologies by launching Internet-based accounting and tax, financial planning, wealth management, and business consulting and advisory practices.

"August was my three year anniversary, and I haven't looked back," says Roberge, explaining that the reason for launching a virtual financial planning practice after spending years working for traditional firms was twofold. "One was from a cost perspective - starting a business is expensive when you look at acquiring and equipping a space that will attract clients. Secondly, I really didn't need an office, because I was specifically looking to work with younger clients, who are typically comfortable with technology and the internet, and when they want something, they want it now. Plus, without the confines of a physical location, I could immediately expand my geographic reach."

That's not to say that serving local clients virtually isn't worthwhile, too (have you tried getting around Chicago and its suburbs?). "Even for local clients, it's tough to get around a city like Chicago. So this helps both you and your clients avoid traveling, and, in fact, allows you to connect basically anywhere," says Roberge. "We're increasingly creating a culture where working virtually is better for clients, but it's also beneficial for us as professionals because we can live our lives the way we want, where we want, while being just as productive as if we were sitting in an office."

So how can you get in on the action?

Think it out

First, consider whether your expertise will allow you to make a name for yourself in the virtual world.

"Targeting a niche market can yield a lot of referrals right from the start," says Roberge. "Most financial advisers are looking for million-dollar clients, whereas I specialize in working with Internet-savvy young professionals that don't necessarily have that kind of money. So I'm constantly growing my business by networking with other advisers and picking up the clients they pass on," he says.

Another consideration: How tech-savvy are you? "If you're not comfortable with technology, no matter how appealing a virtual practice might be, this is going to be tough," says Roberge.

Make a good impression

Building a successful virtual practice requires a strong internet brand, which means you'll need a great website, a solid social media solution, and a knack for landing coverage in relevant digital media outlets.

"My website is purposely designed so that visitors get a feel for who I am, which has really helped me differentiate myself from other financial planners and engage new clients," explains Roberge.

Roberge also uses his Beyond Your Hammock Blog and LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter accounts to share his insights and connect with current and prospective clients and colleagues. He also participates in podcasts and live speaking engagements, and writes for various business and industry publications, among other things, all of which further his reach and credibility.

Be easy to reach

While websites and social media accounts undoubtedly help land the virtual exposure you need, keep in mind that this is still a people business and that clients need to be able to reach you.

The number of connectivity, conference calling, video chat, and screen-sharing tools available today stretch far and wide, and you'll need all of these. "There are plenty of free and paid services to choose from, it really comes down to which ones have the features you need for your specific practice," says Roberge. "Scheduling software is huge for me, for instance. ScheduleOnce allows clients and visitors to my websites to see my availability and instantly schedule a time to speak or meet that works for both of our schedules."

It's also worth noting that many financial services software providers are moving programs to the cloud, creating mobile apps, and launching integrated secure digital file-sharing services, which means the pro tools you're already using may make transitioning to a virtual practice easier than you think.

Mind the human factor

Despite our increasing reliance on digital interactions, it's important to realize that the best tech tools and flashy websites aren't all that you need to succeed in this type of business. Building trust and maintaining meaningful client relationships is what sustains businesses.

"It's about connecting with the client in the way they want to connect," says Roberge.

And, sometimes, that still means meeting in person.

Here's where a shared co-working space may be your ticket.

"I'm pretty much sitting inside a phone booth inside a co-working space that I belong to right now. There are about 85 other people in this space because they all work virtually, but they don't want to work from home or rent a high-priced office, or occasionally they need a quality space to meet in person with a partner or client," says Roberge.

"When I started my virtual practice, I was single and living alone. My home was my office, and my office was my home. That's changed, and I had to separate myself from home. This co-working space allows me to be more business-minded for very little cost, and when I need it, I have access to conference rooms to meet with clients - actually, I have access to everything I could possibly need."

Soon Roberge will head clear across the country for two weeks of conferences and speaking engagements, but his financial planning business won't skip a beat - it'll be going with him. "I can go to Hawaii and do the same work from the beach that I can do from a hammock at home, because my office is my backpack. It fits my clothes, Chromebook, phone, headphones, notebook and I'm TSA Prechecked so I can skip the lines.

"This is the future," he says. "And who knows, maybe someday I'll just be a hologram on someone's kitchen table - although I'll have to make sure to wear my pants to work that day."

• Derrick Lilly is publications manager at Illinois CPA Society's Insight Magazine.

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