Q: When did you first hear about Edward Jones?
A: I first heard about Edward Jones in 1998. I was doing some research, looking into various financial companies and came across Edward Jones and was quite intrigued, and that led me to the web site. Q: What was it about Edward Jones that you found to be appealing?
A: I think what really drew me to Edward Jones was their business model and the opportunity to work in your own environment, and yet, to have the sort of mechanics of a large organization behind one. Q: How is that different from what your job in the past?
A: In my prior career, we were a mid-sized company. We started off with small roots, but we grew the company over a number of years. So it was entrepreneurial in nature – that’s what appealed to me about coming to Edward Jones, because I could use my entrepreneurial roots. Q: What did you think about the training at Edward Jones?
A: The training has been critical to my initial success, but it has been ongoing as well. At every stage there’s another opportunity for additional training. It’s sort of just-in-time training. When you reach a certain plateau additional training is available and that helps to take you to the next level. Q: Can you talk a little about the culture at Edward Jones?
A: I think the culture at Edward Jones is incredibly strong, and I just am thrilled to be a part of it, and I think that the culture continues to grow because of the involvement that we have with other offices and with the organization as a whole. Despite the fact that we are in an office, on our own, just with our assistants, there are always opportunities to develop relationships with other people within the organization. Q: How long have you wanted to do this kind of work?
A: I don’t think I necessarily wanted to be a Financial Advisor, growing up. But certainly, my background is in accounting and I’ve always enjoyed the financial arena. So it was something that I always felt that I would like to do – connect with people. Q: Were there any adjustments you had to make in the beginning?
A: I did take a bit of a salary cut and it did take a little bit of time to get used to that. I was on a salary prior and coming to a commission-based form of payment was an adjustment. It took a couple of years to really get used to that feeling of being paid by commission. But I’ve learned that, year after year, it just continues to build and grow, and I’ve learned to be able to rely on that commission base now, so I’m feeling more and more comfortable with it over the time. Q: And do you see any advantages or disadvantages to you being a female in this industry?
A: This company gives a woman an incredible opportunity. Women struggle with achieving balance in their careers – it’s very difficult to have a successful career and have a family life at the same time. And what Edward Jones has provided for me is a great opportunity to achieve balance in my life. I have the freedom to be able to look after my family needs as they arise. Q: What kind of support system did you have to prepare you for this new role?
A: To be a successful Financial Advisor, I think you need a lot of different qualities, but the number one quality that stands out to me is perseverance. I think everyone has to realize that this is not a 100-yard dash, it’s really a marathon, and if you persevere and keep your eye on the goal and don’t give up, it’s absolutely worthwhile and absolutely the most incredible career one can have.
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