I am a big advocate of niching. I first learned about it in 2019 when I joined uGurus by Brent Weaver and Jen Buzza. Back then I ran a generalist agency. I remember the day I burned the ships and go all-in on design for fintech. I was scared like hell.

But it worked. Since then, it’s what I'm known for.

We all know the upside of niching. So let’s not talk about that.

Let’s talk about the uncomfortable truth: when your niche struggles, it’s damn painful. How many mortgage brokers vanished during the 2008 financial crisis? A lot. I know, because at the time I worked for a mortgage software company that almost went out of business.)

How many restaurants and hotels went out of business during the pandemic?

Another great example is within my niche, fintech. 2018-2022 was the golden era of fintech.

VC money was infinite and everybody was building a neobank with crazy narrow positioning:

• A neobank for Norwegian diaspora in San Marino
• A neobank for blonde vegetarians who like rock music
• A neobank for left-handed dentists.

I myself had a client who was building a neobank for a very specific niche. And it made sense. Until it didn't. When AI hype came, fintech funding shrinked 4x. When you are a specialist, a dip in your sector is an existential threat. It’s inevitable. It is the cost of doing business.

My approach? I stay deep in the niche, but I try to diversify who I serve within it so I'm not reliant on VC cycles alone.

But I’m curious. How do you deal with the niche risk? What’s your backup plan when your industry takes a hit?

Tech futurists say chats and agents will replace graphical interfaces. I disagree. It’s like saying:

“Because a hotel concierge is so helpful they should replace vending machines.”

A concierge is universal; they can call you a taxi, book a tour, and change the room if it has bed bugs.

But if I want a Snickers? I don't want to greet them, explain the request, and find out that my idea is brilliant. I want to press the bloody button and eat my Snickers. I want zero cognitive load.

Same with interfaces. There are two core metrics of interface quality:

Effectiveness: can the user accomplish the task?
Efficiency: how quickly and effortlessly can they do it?

Conversational UIs are effective. You can initiate almost any task through a universal interface: pull any data from the database, present it in any way you want, operate with it in any way you need.

But conversational UIs fail at efficiency, speed, and reducing cognitive load.

They rely on recall (you have to remember what is possible and how to ask for it). They suck at recognition (seeing the option in front of you).

Graphical interfaces (GUIs) are efficient. They are optimized for speed, muscle memory, and predictable, structured output.

GUIs are also way better at providing status. I don’t want to ask: "What’s the current PnL of my Apple position?" I don’t need reasoning and interpretation.I don't want to wait for a free-form text summary. I want to see a simple optimized UI that I can process in milliseconds. And if the position goes from profit to loss, I can spot the color change with peripheral vision.

The future isn’t chat/voice UIs replacing graphical UIs. They should coexist, each used where it’s strongest.

Don’t make me talk to my light switch.

I despise simplistic generalizations.

Here’s one of my “favourites”: “Build for mobile devices first.” Garbage advice. Stupid and dangerous.

I have a better one: “Optimize for whatever makes sense in your particular case, for your niche, demographics, user behavior, and acquisition channel, based on real data.”

Look at your reality, not the global averages.

“70% of world’s traffic is mobile.” Wow, I’m impressed.

But let’s now look closer:

Video streaming, social scrolling and mobile games consume a lot of traffic and most of it comes from mobile devices. I don’t disagree. Teenagers stream 4K video on their phones. Does this mean your potential B2B customers are browsing your pricing page on a mobile device? 100% no.

Next, without segmenting by event type, device metrics are meaningless.

Take trading apps. I might check my portfolio 20 times a day on mobile (yes, I know), but I only do the real trading on a desktop, because I want full control and concentration.

Same with forms. I hate filling out forms on mobile. I send the link to myself and finish it on a desktop, in a quiet room, with a real keyboard.

Next, mobile usage heavily depends on geography and some markets skew the averages.

In emerging regions, more people go online from cheaper mobile devices. For example, in Africa the estimated penetration is 80-90%. In developed markets this number drops to around 50%, and even lower in certain niches.

If you’re a financial advisor serving HNWIs in Milwaukee WI, I bet your highest quality organic visitors and conversions will come from desktops.

Why?

• To be a HNWI, they’ve likely been saving for 20-30 years, so they’re probably 50+.
• Eyesight declines with age. They want big screens.
• They also want a quiet environment with no distraction to make big commitments. They don't transfer $500k while changing trains.

It just makes sense.

But!

If you plan to run paid Meta ads campaigns - you should 100% optimize for mobile, because 90% of your clicks will come from mobile devices, even in Milwaukee. But realize that the final conversion might still happen later, on a laptop.

You see? Context matters. Simplistic general advice works great for engagements on social. It doesn’t mean you should follow it.

Collect your own data. Do your own research.

Starting paid ads can be exciting. First impressions, first clicks, first booked calls. Feels like it’s working, right?

But those clicks mean nothing without understanding what happens next. Impressions and clicks are just noise if you can’t answer one question: is your funnel profitable?

I know a financial advisory that spends $7K to acquire a client. Sounds steep, right? But they make a profit from the first transaction, and they know their clients’ lifetime value (LTV) down to the dollar. For them, spending $7K is a no-brainer.

You’ll never know if your funnel is profitable unless you try. But to move fast without wasting money, you need a setup that measures every step.

What gets measured, gets managed.

If you don’t know if it’s working, don’t try to scale it. Here’s how to set up your analytics to build a profitable, data-driven growth machine.

Review Your Sales Process

Knowing your sales process inside and out is essential. Break down the stages from visitor to client and know the conversion rates at each step. Here’s what you should track:

Lead-to-Booked Call Conversion Rate: What percentage of leads book a call with you? If this number is low, it might indicate that your initial engagement (such as website copy or ad messaging) needs work.

Booked Call-to-Client Conversion Rate: How many booked calls turn into clients? This rate reveals if there’s friction in your sales calls or if expectations aren’t aligning.

These numbers should give you a clear picture of where you might need adjustments to increase profitability.

Know Your CAC and LTV

CAC and LTV are two of the most important metrics to determine profitability.

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): This is the total amount spent to acquire a client. Include ad spend, agency fees, and any other associated costs. Your goal is to keep CAC lower than the LTV.

LTV (Lifetime Value): This metric estimates the total revenue from a client over their relationship with your business. It’s essential because a high LTV allows you to justify a higher CAC.

Example:

If your LTV is $15,000, you might feel comfortable with a $5,000 CAC, as each client brings a profit over time. Knowing these numbers enables you to make data-backed decisions and identify profitable channels.

Set Up Analytics Tools

Start with the essentials, like Google Analytics (GA4) or alternatives. Combine it with Google Tag Manager to track specific actions on your site, such as button clicks, downloads, and page views.

These tools allow you to see where your leads are coming from, how they navigate your site, and what actions they take. This data helps you optimize ad targeting and website structure, leading to higher conversion rates.

Set Up UTM Parameters

UTM parameters are tags added to URLs that help you track where your traffic is coming from. They’re vital for understanding the effectiveness of each ad or campaign.

Example:

If you’re running ads on multiple platforms, you can add UTM tags to each link. This way, when visitors click through, you can track exactly which platform and ad brought them to your site.

UTM parameters provide clear insights into which channels are delivering the best ROI, enabling you to invest in what’s working and cut what’s not.

Set Up Goals, Conversion Events, and Funnels

In Google Analytics, you can define goals that align with your campaign objectives, like “Lead Submission” or “Booked Call.” Then, create conversion events and funnels to see where users drop off in the journey.

Example:

You can set up a funnel to track each stage of the user journey, from landing page visit to booked call. If you see a high drop-off rate at a particular step, you know where to make improvements.

Funnels provide a bird’s-eye view of the customer journey and help you pinpoint areas for optimization.

Set Up Retargeting for High-Intent Visitors

Retargeting allows you to re-engage users who visited your site but didn’t convert. By using tools like Google Tag Manager, you can add retargeting pixels for Google or Facebook and build custom audiences.

Example:

Set up a retargeting campaign that targets users who visited your “Contact” page but didn’t submit a form. This reminds them of your service and encourages them to take the next step.

Retargeting is cost-effective because it focuses on people already familiar with your brand, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

Connect with a CRM

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool like SalesForce, PipeDrive, WealthBox etc. tracks interactions with leads and clients, showing their journey from first touchpoint to closed deal.

Use CRM data to see which channels produce the highest-value clients, helping you allocate your budget to the most profitable sources.

Set Up Session Recording Software

Session recording tools like Hotjar capture how visitors interact with your site in real time, showing you where they scroll, click, or drop off.

If users are consistently clicking an unlinked image or ignoring a CTA button, session recordings will reveal this. Adjusting these elements can reduce friction and improve conversions.

Session recordings uncover usability issues, providing actionable insights to optimize user experience and increase conversions.

Set Up Visitor Identification Software

Visitor identification tools like VisualVisitor help you identify names, emails and phone numbers of your visitors.

Identifying high-interest visitors lets you proactively engage with potential clients, increasing the chance of converting them. Nothing beats selling by phone.

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If you’re spending money on ads or paid lead generation without this level of insight, you’re not just risking your marketing budget—you’re also missing out on the opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t.

Get your analytics in order first, and then scale with confidence.

“I spent thousands on my website and haven’t gotten a single lead.”

That’s what a financial advisor told me last month. His site looked OK, but under the hood, it wasn’t doing anything to drive growth.

This isn’t unusual.

Too many advisors still treat their websites like digital brochures — something to be “done” and forgotten. A box to check. An online business card with a few pages of professional-sounding copy and a “Contact Us” button.

And that mindset is quietly costing them business every single day.

The brochure mindset is rooted in old habits

Many advisors came up in a time when marketing meant printed flyers, seminar handouts, and handshake referrals. The website was a formality — just get something up with your logo, your credentials, and a mission statement about “helping clients achieve financial peace of mind.”

The result is static, templated sites that are easy to ignore.

But modern consumers don’t browse advisor websites like they flip through a printed brochure. They scroll fast, skim headlines, and judge in seconds.

And if your site doesn’t stand out, offer value, and guide them to act, it’s invisible.

The core flaws of the brochure website

The biggest issue is that brochure-style websites weren’t designed to perform. They were designed to exist.

Here’s what we see again and again:

• ‍Generic, templated designs that look nearly identical across dozens of advisor sites. Same handshake photos. Same happy retirees. Same three-menu layout with “Home,” “About,” and “Contact.” No differentiation, no personality, no trust signal.

• No clear calls to action. Often the only option is “Contact Us” — a big ask for someone just browsing. There’s nothing for the visitor who’s curious but not ready to commit.
• No lead capture. If someone isn’t ready to book a meeting today, there’s no path for them to stay in touch — no newsletter sign-up, no free resource, no quiz, no value.
• No data or tracking. I ask advisors how much traffic they get. Most don’t know. They don’t have analytics installed — or if they do, they never check it.

It’s like buying a billboard in the desert and never driving by to see if anyone’s looking.

What a website should do instead

A modern website isn’t a digital brochure. It’s a conversion tool. Your website’s job isn’t to close the deal. It’s to earn the next conversation.

That could mean:

• Offering a lead magnet — like a “retirement readiness checklist” or “guide to tax-efficient investing” — to collect emails from qualified prospects.
• Embedding a simple, frictionless booking funnel, so someone who’s ready can schedule a meeting in under 30 seconds (no 10-field contact form required).
• Installing analytics tools to learn what visitors are doing, what they’re clicking on, and where they’re dropping off — so you can improve performance over time.

I’ve seen it work firsthand:

• One advisor added a gated checklist download and doubled their email list in a month.
• Another implemented a streamlined calendar integration with automated follow-ups, saved hours per month on admin tasks, and saw no-show rates drop by half.
• A third realized most visitors were bouncing from their homepage within five seconds — and rebuilt their hero section with a stronger value proposition, increasing time-on-site by more than 60%.

These are not marketing gimmicks. They’re upgrades to how your business connects with real people online.

First published in Advisor Perspectives

“Can you spot me some cash for lunch?” Alex texts me from the other room.

“Yeah” I reply.

I’m a little tense. The fact that I always have money to lend is starting to look suspicious.

It’s January 2010. We’re employees at a small tech firm. Alex is the CTO, and I lead the design team.

Today we’re going to the pancake place.

The business hasn’t been doing well. We’re still not profitable. The funding we raised two years earlier has run out. Everyone in the company has taken a pay cut, and salaries are often delayed, including mine.

But I've got a little secret. I’ve been doing side gigs since last summer. And I’ve been thinking about quitting and going fully freelance for a while.

I have two clients paying hourly at the end of each month.

It’s shaky. They’re self-funded startups with no revenue.

And frankly, questionable business ideas.

Combined, they pay about as much as my salary, but I only work a few extra hours a day.

Safe enough to quit? Hell no.

No marketing, no visibility, no idea how to sell my work.

No YouTube gurus to learn from.

Damn, I don’t even know what marketing is and how to do it.

Instagram hasn’t launched yet. LinkedIn is a resume platform.

Those two clients could disappear any day. Should I do this or am I an idiot?

April 2010

Monday, 9 a.m. Cold and sunny.

I’m in a traffic jam, driving to the DIY store. I need a new sink strainer.

The store is next to my parents’ house, so I drop in for tea with Mom. Dad’s at work.

We take our time, sip tea, and talk. It’s the first Monday in ten years that I don’t have a job. I’m on my own, I’m 26, I’m a bit lost, and I like it.

November 2025

All this time, I somehow managed to make a living on my own.

That feeling still visits me at times: lost but free, free but lost.

But I guess it’s how it works.

I’ve met hundreds of founders over the years.

Those starting out, those who’ve built something big, and those who’ve lost it all and started anew.

They feel it too. That mix of fear and freedom never goes away.

Somehow, it all works out.

1. Design ≠ art.
2. Users are stupid.
3. Color wheel is cool.
4. Discovery never ends.
5. Marketing ≠ promotion.
6. People don’t read policies.
7. Specialists beat generalists.
8. Waterfall processes don’t work.
9. Trust = Competence × Integrity.
10. Using dark UX patterns isn’t smart.
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11. Most roadmaps are wishful thinking.
12. Good design won’t save a weak offer.
13. Great products don’t sell themselves.
14. Trust is hard to build and easy to lose.
15. Designers should understand business.
16. Trust is the most important thing in finance.
17. Design won’t help if you have nothing to say.
18. Copy without setup verbs is always stronger.
19. There are many design solutions to a problem.
20. Great products are only built through iterations.
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21. Not every UI needs to feel obvious at first glance.
22. Being busy usually means avoiding hard decisions.
23. Mobile-first approach is premium-grade nonsense.
24. If you think your clients are terrible, blame yourself.
25. Experience only lets you make slightly better mistakes.
26. Everything you say and do either builds trust or erodes it.
27. The rule of contrast makes the most difference in design.
28. “Sell the vacation, not the plane ticket” is a rubbish advice.
29. The more experience you have, the more control you want.
30. It’s impossible to create anything truly unique, don’t even try.
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31. A lot of ‘rebrands’ happen when teams can’t make real progress.
32. Most companies use regulation as an excuse for a lack of creativity.
33. The simplest way to write strong copy: remove evaluative adjectives.
34. ASAP projects signal bad planning and are avoidable most of the time.
35. When you’re early-stage, brand guides are a waste of time and money.
36. Offers that remove pain are stronger than offers that promise pleasure.
37. Even in a regulated industry, you can be genuine, authentic, and specific.
38. Clients tend to remember your worst moments more than your best ones.
39. Building a business is damn hard, and every entrepreneur deserves a statue.
40. If you need legal disclaimers to defend your integrity, you don’t have integrity.
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41. In finance, brand loyalty doesn’t exist. People only stay until they distrust you.
42. Simplistic color psychology is hogwash. Colors don’t have universal meanings.
43. For every manipulative tactic, hidden fee, and dark UI pattern, you’ll pay later with churn.
44. Good design only happens at the intersection of business objectives and constraints.
45. You can’t “design” trust. You can only live up to it and then use design to communicate it.
46. People who can switch between entrepreneurship and employment are extremely rare and talented.
47. From the outside, most founders look like they have a plan. Up close, it’s total chaos and continuous guessing.