{"id":45498,"date":"2018-12-01T18:50:28","date_gmt":"2018-12-01T08:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/?p=45498"},"modified":"2019-07-11T07:24:20","modified_gmt":"2019-07-10T21:24:20","slug":"risky-business-not-necessarily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/riskinfo.com.au\/news\/2018\/12\/01\/risky-business-not-necessarily\/","title":{"rendered":"Risky Business? Not Necessarily\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Being a financial adviser in 2018 has been tough as waves of changes have rippled through the profession, creating frustration and uncertainty. However, Sue Viskovic from Elixir Consulting believes advisers are not passive players in these events and can regain a sense of stability and direction. Sue draws on insights gained from talking and working with advisers and provides some tips on staying focused, in control, and on top of the changes.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As I speak to advisers from different businesses all over the country, I\u2019m hearing excited optimism from some, and yet from others, anxiety and uncertainty that is manifesting as stress, ill health, anger, and disillusionment. Many advisers are feeling \u2018stuck\u2019, not knowing what their future holds, what their business will look like in the next five years, and whether in fact they\u2019ll still have a business of any value \u2013 and this is affecting those who have built businesses over 30 years, to those still in start-up phase.<\/p>\n

I ran a session at the AFA conference recently and received great feedback from advisers, so decided to share the tips from that session in this article. I have outlined here, some very pragmatic, clear steps that every adviser can take to get \u2018unstuck\u2019; to regain some control, clarity and hope for the future.<\/p>\n

You Can\u2019t Control Everything<\/h3>\n

When faced with such difficult market conditions, the first thing to acknowledge is an undeniable truth \u2013 you cannot control all of the decisions that will be made that will impact your business. You can lobby government and submit your consultation contributions, but at the end of the day you cannot change your external environment. There will be decisions made by other people that will affect you, your clients and your business. As a business owner, you\u2019ve always known this \u2013 and yet when changes occur that are so significant that they might stop you from doing what you\u2019ve always done, it\u2019s difficult to maintain perspective. Hence, the anxiety and anger levels rise because for a business owner who is used to making decisions about their business and their future, that is infuriating.<\/p>\n

So in order to reduce that disillusionment and to once again feel empowered, there is one thing to accept. While you can\u2019t change the external environment, you can change the lens through which you view it. You can\u2019t control decisions made by FASEA or by ASIC, but you can make your own decisions, and that\u2019s how you get your power back. The metamorphosis that the industry is currently undergoing might feel like death by a thousand cuts right now, but it need not. There ARE ways to feel much more in control and much more empowered. \u00a0It starts with you taking some action. Any action, no matter how small, will feel better than spinning your wheels and agitating over the negative aspects of what\u2019s going on around you.<\/p>\n

Regaining Control<\/h3>\n

Step One<\/h4>\n

Start with acknowledging a few things. You cannot<\/u> change the fact that:<\/p>\n