For the last 10 or so years, I have attended numerous industry events and conferences across the country and consistently get feedback that Ashford Advisors has something very special. When other firms see us together, they can’t help but to admire our camaraderie and our ability to work so well together as we share success and feed off each other.
It dawned on me recently that the way we do things in our office is indeed actually really unique. In fact, two years ago we had a camera crew come in and film some of our advisors talk about Ashford, its culture, and the way that we do business and as the camera man was leaving, he stopped and told me just how remarkable and impressed he was with the way everyone genuinely enjoyed working with each other. He stated that he had seen many firms that "preach culture" but that he had never seen any truly live it like ours; He’d never heard other firms talk about their peers the way that we do and all I can say is well, that’s just “The Ashford Way.”
The Ashford Way: a set of principles that guides what we do, how we do it, and why we do it.
Ashford associates enter the business for many different reasons but there is one common thread throughout our firm: We each have a burning desire to truly serve our community and help those around us. Our mission to serve is clear and unmistakable. In fact, Ashford Advisors is currently responsible for over $1.3 Billion in total assets administered that will ultimately enrich the families of those we serve. That’s awesome!
The Ashford Way is also about the philosophical and practical differences between our firm and others. For example, we implemented a joint work model culture 15 years ago. This model allows our newest associates to leverage the experience, talent, and expertise of the people around them until they are capable and comfortable with the conversations necessary to provide the help that their client base needs. That is very unique and I am so proud of how we interact and collaborate to leverage best practices among our associates and teams. Over 85% of all advisors still work in tandem with other advisors to bring the best resources to their clients.
Secondly, we tend to attract people to our firm that were identified by existing Ashford team members. Over 90% of the associates and staff are first connections from existing Ashford advisors, staff or management. Traditionally, firms struggle to get this type of nomination and resort to cold sourcing and other techniques. It really speaks volumes when people have so much faith in the place they work that they can’t help but to proclaim it to the world and want to share their piece of happiness through recommendations and say, "you need to meet this person – they'd be awesome here!"
Finally, an entrepreneur can sometimes struggle with execution and detail but Ashford Advisors is comprised of experienced and dedicated staff that allow producers to produce while they work with underwriters and money managers to get the desires of clients from idea to implementation. Can you imagine being a start-up business owner that doesn't need to hire a full staff for these types of tasks?!?
When you combine these factors (plus many more) together it’s easy to see why our retention rate is almost 5 times the national average and why we have been able to sustain a 120-year run of excellence in serving our community. We joined this business because we wanted to help people, but we stayed in the business because of the way that we do things. We do things the right way, we do things The Ashford Way.