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Last week, I found myself at a Third Eye Blind concert in Orange County as part of the Future Proof Festival.
It's not exactly the music I usually gravitate to, but there’s no denying their impact.
As I stood there, watching the crowd sing along to every word, I did what most of us do these days: I pulled out my phone and started digging into their story - starting with Wikipedia.
The band has been around since 1993, when Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan formed it. Today, only Jenkins remains, but the band and the brand are still here. Twelve million records have been sold, and songs have appeared in over 30 movies and TV shows.
Third Eye Blind didn’t stop when the lineup changed.
They didn’t quit when the music industry shifted.
They didn’t fade away when things got tough.
They kept showing up. They kept writing, recording, and touring (averaging at least 50 shows a year).
They kept going.
And that’s what it takes to build something great.
An Industry Always In Transition
At the same time I was listening to Jenkins sing “How It's Going to Be,” I was surrounded by advisors at the largest conference in Wealth Management. Some were friends, some were clients and some were people I’d never met before. But as I listened to their stories, I couldn’t help but notice the same theme: persistence.
I met people who are in the thick of acquisitions. Others are growing their practices, creating real value, and spend most days heads down, doing meaningful work for their clients. But here’s the thing—none of it is easy. It’s lonely. It’s hard. It’s late nights and early mornings. It’s wondering if anyone else cares as much as you do.
Sometimes, you even start to question yourself: Am I crazy for wanting this so badly? Wouldn’t life be easier if I just work a 9 to 5?
But here’s the truth: Building something from nothing is always worth it.
I was talking with a friend on the way to the airport. He’s with Mercer Advisors now. I remember when I was first introduced to Mercer. In 2011, they were at $3.6 billion in AUM when I helped them move from Schwab to TD Ameritrade, from TechFi to Orion, and onto Salesforce as their CRM.
Today? They’re over $45 billion in AUM. The scale is different, but the philosophies of their advisors are largely the same. The secret? Persistence.
That’s how they got here.
James Clear does a nice job of describing persistence.
The most useful form of patience is persistence. Patience implies waiting for things to improve on their own. Persistence implies keeping your head down and continuing to work when things take longer than you expect
Compound Persistence
As part of Future Proof, Josh Brown and Michael Batnick interviewed Peter Mallouk of Creative Planning. Today, Creative Planning is a powerhouse, but it started just like any other firm—small, scrappy, trying to get off the ground. Peter and his team kept showing up. Every day. Writing the songs. Practicing. Delivering.
And now? Creative Planning is a juggernaut.
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This post is for you—the advisor feeling like your legs are about to give out. The one wondering if anyone cares as much as you do. Guess what? It doesn’t matter if they care. What matters is that you care. What matters is that you keep showing up.
As a builder, I’m here for you. We need more great advisors doing great work, serving clients in their own way. And let me tell you, I’ve never been more excited about this industry’s future. We’re getting smarter, more self-aware, more tech-savvy.
The future is bright.
And if you’re out there, working late, grinding it out, and pushing the needle forward for your clients—I see you. Keep going.
Just like the successful founders of the brands you admire kept showing up, do the same.
The world needs what you’re building.
Related: Something From Nothing - How Building Makes Us Better