Focus Financial Partners

Focus Financial Partners, the largest partnership of independent registered investment advisory (RIA) firms, was known as a young holding company hungry to acquire independent RIAs from owners who wanted to sell but continue to practice. Focus called on Makovsky in 2008 because the company wanted to be known as something other than a deal-making machine. The company offered best-in-class practice management, marketing and networking resources to firms, and this message was not getting through. Makovsky engaged in a two-tiered strategy to reposition Focus as a thought leader as well as the preferred choice for elite RIA firms seeking to be a part of a partnership of peers. The first part of our approach was concentrated establishing Focus as a global leader in the RIA space. Makovsky used meetings with reporters at key outlets such as Business Week, Dow Jones, Financial Planning Investment Advisor, Marketwatch, Registered Rep., Reuters, Smart Money, The Wall Street Journal and others to talk less about Focus’ deals and more about trends among RIAs and the state of the brokerage firm industry. The agency was also able to secure a three-part series of articles in Investment Advisor authored by Focus’ chief executive and other senior management addressing practice management topics. When Focus launched a new business line, Makovsky used the announcement to showcase not only Focus’ services, but to demonstrate that Focus was adapting to meet the needs of the RIA industry. The second tier of our strategy involved working with Focus’ firms on increasing their visibility in their local markets. Makovsky worked one-on-one with the heads of these firms to develop multiple feature profiles in the top media outlets in every market – San Diego, San Francisco, and New York City metro (Stamford, CT). The agency also worked closely with these firms on securing and editing bylined articles, which appeared in regional business journals and also in industry trade publications.