With Michael Dolberg – Founding Partner and CEO, Apollon Wealth Management

Overview

Building a firm from $120mm in assets to over $7.5B in just 6 years is an incredible feat. Mike Dolberg describes how he and the team at Apollon recognized the value of culture, partnership, and the freedom to serve clients—and how that realization ultimately drove their astounding success.

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NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation.

About this episode…

Culture is an overused buzzword in our industry.

It seems that the largest of firms suffer most from cultures that their advisors often describe as “broken”—a product of continual growth that forced philosophical tenants to be redesigned in a more bureaucratic fashion. That is, what works best for the masses.

Yet as more advisors launch independent firms, they’re doing so with a different ethos: One that’s more focused on developing a culture that is appealing to other like-minded advisors. As a result, many of these firms are dominating the field in attracting and retaining top talent.

For Mike Dolberg, finding the right team members who shared the same ideals was a critical part of designing a firm poised for longevity and growth.

In his eyes, having fun and loving what you do as an advisor are the real keys to success.

Mike’s own wealth management career started in insurance in 2004, eventually landing at Northwestern Mutual. He and partner Rob Gorman learned the planning business from the ground up, cold calling their way to success.

Within a year at Northwestern Mutual, Mike became a Managing Director of their local region, growing the business and developing strong client relationships.

But Northwestern is first and foremost an insurance company, so naturally, over time, the team felt limited in what they could deliver to their clients. They wanted the autonomy to build and grow the business their way, based on their own culture and philosophies, not the firm’s.

Mike was essentially an enterprise builder in a captive environment. And it wasn’t as much fun anymore.

So, in 2018 they launched the RIA firm Apollon Wealth Management, which managed approximately $120mm at its inception. Just six years later, it’s a $7.5B firm, with multiple locations across the country and separate business units.

In this episode, Mike shares his amazing story with Louis Diamond, including:

The factors behind their choice to leave Northwestern—and what specifically limited their growth while at the insurance broker dealer.
The key things that contributed to Apollon’s growth—and how culture and client service are intrinsically connected to their success.
The services they can now provide to their clients—and how that’s changed as a fully independent firm.
The value of partnership—and how Merchant Investment Management helped forge the relationship between Mike and Rob.
And why Mike says, “Good shouldn’t be good enough”—plus much more.

It’s a conversation that offers value for those who are looking at the various ways an advisor, practice, or firm can grow and thrive—and how the right culture can help drive success.

Want to learn more about where, why, and how advisors like you are moving? Click to contact us or call 908-879-1002.

Related Resources

When it Comes to Attracting and Retaining Advisors, Culture Really is King
How these 5 key characteristics set the stage for a more positive and productive environment for financial advisors.

The Top 5 Reasons Why Northwestern Mutual Advisors Are Changing Firms
A growing trend of departures from Northwestern Mutual has left many of the firm’s advisors wondering what’s driving the momentum—and what their colleagues are finding on the other side.

A Northwestern Mutual Advisor’s “Jerry Maguire-Style” Breakaway Story
As a Managing Director at Northwestern Mutual, Brett Gilliland had a unique perspective of the limitations at the firm. So, after 13 years and with $300mm in AUM, he left to build Visionary Wealth Advisors, today a $1.8B firm.

Michael J. Dolberg
CEO and a Founding Partner

Michael J. Dolberg is the CEO and a founding partner at Apollon Wealth Management, a collaborative and transparent financial planning firm focused on aligning clients’ goals of growing and preserving their hard-earned wealth. Apollon set out to change the model for investing away from a product platform to one that is 100% client driven. With exceptional white glove service, Mike and the Apollon team have executed the founding partners’ vision of creating an independent organization with the mission of enriching the lives of others through collaborative financial planning and guidance.

With passion and purpose, Mike and team have created a comprehensive wealth management and planning organization designed to deliver multi-family office and business planning solutions and services with scale and consistency. Driven to expand the firm’s footprint across the country, Apollon possesses a fully integrated advisor experience with a strong interdependence of central and local services, industry specialists, and a collaborative approach to maximize the value and deliverables to the clients they serve. Since its inception back in February of 2018, Apollon has opened office locations in multiple states across the nation and has been recognized as one of the fastest growing RIAs in the country.

Prior to Apollon, Michael served as a Managing Director and Wealth Management Advisor at Northwestern Mutual. After a brief stint as a Chef in Charleston, He began his career in financial services in 2003. He was appointed Managing Director at the age of 25 and won numerus awards both for his work as an advisor and for his exceptional recruiting and retaining of advisors within the thriving business.

Mike has a huge passion for spending time with his family as well as giving back to the community. He is a board member of Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital and is a devoted supporter of South Carolina Special Olympics (and past board member). He and his wife, Kristen, reside in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina with their three sons, Benjamin, Beau, and Bradford.

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