The Goal
In 2020, Garry Millburn was working in corporate finance and "wasn't having the greatest of times. " He wanted to escape to build an advice business for people like him - ambitious, forward-thinkers chasing big goals.
But there was a problem: "I'd always said to myself that I wouldn't go out on my own, and I wouldn't own my own practice."
The Goal
In 2020, Garry Millburn was working in corporate finance and "wasn't having the greatest of times." He wanted to escape to build an advice business for people like him - ambitious, forward-thinkers chasing big goals.
But there was a problem: "I'd always said to myself that I wouldn't go out on my own, and I wouldn't own my own practice."
The Gap
Garry's hesitation was everything except the advice itself:
"Dealing with clients and helping clients and understanding advice, that's the easy part. But the running of the business, the paying the tax, the marketing, the accounting, all of that jazz, I just felt like it would be too much."
As a high-performance athlete, Garry knew the value of working with coaches to give him an edge-to refine his technique and push him beyond what he could achieve alone.
In business, he wanted accountability, someone invested in his momentum to help with his blind spots and the areas that weren't his core strength - a coach who could fast-track his progress without the costly mistakes.
The Gamble
Garry made the leap straight from corporate life to self-employed adviser with no safety net-no part-time transition, no gradual crossover. It was all or nothing.
The Partnership Program removed the technical barriers that stop most advisers before they start. Dean and his team handled all the complexities of getting Bolder Wealth's doors open- "the opening of the company, the agreements, tax file numbers, getting everything set up. And I came along on day one and kind of had the company and the business."
From day one, Garry's strategy was surgical focus: "I took on a VA from day one. I took on a bookkeeper from day one to solely focus on building the business and getting the clients that I needed."
The Grit
The stakes were clear: "I left corporate career. I hadn't taken a salary. It was build the business, make it scalable, make it profitable because it wasn't going anywhere else. This was what we were doing."
Coming from a sporting and high performance background, Garry approached business building with athletic discipline.
For the first six months of Bolder Wealth, I would do whatever it took. If that meant a meeting at seven o'clock at night or 8am in the morning, whatever it is, you've got to do the reps. You've got to get the runs on the board."
The Wealth Network's support during those crucial first six months meant he could channel his focus into client-facing activities rather than getting lost in business setup complexities. "I don't mind being in a bit of pain as long as you achieve the said result"-and with Dean's framework, that pain was productive, not wasteful.
The Gain
Back in 2020, Dean and Garry mapped out five-year projections that felt to Garry, lofty but achievable. Five years later, they've blown those projections out of the water, doubling the targets.
Garry attributes this success to systematic execution:
"It's a multiple of things, you know. It's process. It's understanding our vision. It's keeping accountable. It's hard work. It's doing what you need to do and it's doing what you say you were going to do."
The business clarity was crucial:
"I'm very much about the numbers, which is probably why I'm a financial advisor. But it was clear to me what we're striving for from a revenue side of things. And then how many clients do we need to achieve that? Once you achieve that, you can then talk about how do you scale?"
Five years ago, Garry was a corporate employee who knew he wanted more but felt overwhelmed by everything that wasn't client advice.
Today, he runs a profitable and enjoyable business—one that gives him the freedom to ride across Spain for a month while his business operates seamlessly without him.
The Wealth Network didn't just provide business setup and coaching. We gave Garry something invaluable: the confidence to leap without fear of the technical complexities, the framework to channel his athletic discipline productively, and the ongoing support to stay focused on what matters-building relationships and serving clients.
For advisers sitting in corporate roles today, wondering if they have what it takes to build something of their own, Garry's story proves a simple truth: you don't need to know everything about running a business. You need to know how to work with people who do.
Wise words from Garry for advisers thinking about taking the leap:
"Just do it. It is going to be hard work. It's going to take time to build and it's not necessarily going to be an overnight success. But if you know what you want to achieve and you're willing to put the work in with the right support, with the right tools, you'll get there."
Wise words from Garry for advisers thinking about taking the leap:
"Just do it. It is going to be hard work. It's going to take time to build and it's not necessarily going to be an overnight success. But if you know what you want to achieve and you're willing to put the work in with the right support, with the right tools, you'll get there."
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