Act Like the League You Want to Play In (Even If You’re Still in the Championship)

I went to a Championship football match recently. (For those less familiar with English football, the Championship is the league below the Premier League, the top tier in England and Wales.) Great atmosphere. Proper football. But… they ran out of pies.

Now, if you’ve ever been to a match in the UK, you know this is not a small thing.
So, I made a (very reasonable) comment about it and got the reply:
“Well… we’re not a Premier League club.”
And there it was. Because that mindset? That’s the ceiling.

I’m starting to believe there’s a direct correlation between the quality of the pie at a ground and the quality of football on the pitch. I don’t have the data yet, but I’m willing to commit to the research.

The Rule, Playing Out in Real Time
Tottenham Hotspur don’t even serve pies.
And… they’re currently lingering near the bottom of the Premier League.
Coincidence? I’m going to go ahead and say no.
Because if the working theory is that the quality of the pie reflects the quality on the pitch, then no pies at all feels like a risky strategy.
 
But this isn’t really about pies. At some point, the details start to matter. The standards. The expectations. The things you decide are “not necessary.”
 
The Advisory Version of “We’re Not a Premier League Club”
In advisory businesses, I hear a version of this all the time:

• “We’re not big enough for that yet.”
• “That works for larger firms.”
• “We’ll think about that when we grow.”

Which sounds reasonable.
However, Kitces Research has shown that higher-performing firms tend to have more defined service models and greater team leverage, enabling advisors to focus on advice rather than operations.  Similar insights from The Ensemble Practice highlight that firms that scale successfully transition from advisor-centric practices to team-based businesses with defined roles and structure.
 
In other words, firms don’t grow into better businesses. They build better businesses, and that’s what allows them to grow.
 
Benchmarking the Wrong League
If you are benchmarking against firms your size, you’re likely reinforcing the exact structure that keeps you there. Instead, tie your benchmarking to where you’re trying to go. Set a goal and look at what firms at that level are doing differently.
Don’t benchmark where you are. Benchmark where you’re going.
 
Act Like the Firm You Want to Become: 3 Benchmarks to Track
Industry research, including Cerulli Associates, shows that as firms grow, they become more focused, more structured, and more intentional in how they generate and sustain growth.

1. Revenue per Client
   • Are you clear on who your ideal client is?
   • Is your pricing aligned with the value and complexity you deliver?

Higher-performing firms tend to be more focused, not just bigger.

2. Advisor Capacity (Clients per Advisor / Role Leverage)
• How many clients is the lead advisor responsible for?
• How much of their time is spent on service vs. advice?

Growth firms increase capacity by building teams intentionally.

3. Source of New Business (and Repeatability)
• Do you know exactly where new assets and clients are coming from?
• Can you replicate it consistently?

Firms that grow consistently don’t rely on chance. They understand and systemize their growth.
 
The Pie Problem (Revisited)
Running out of pies isn’t about pies.
Not serving pies at all… that’s a strategic decision we can debate.
But both point to the same underlying truth:
Standards signal intent.
Top-tier firms don’t operate differently because they’ve arrived.
They’ve arrived because they chose to operate differently.
 
Song of the Month:
“Go Your Own Way” – Fleetwood Mac
“You can go your own way” isn’t just a lyric, it’s a strategy. The firms that grow aren’t the ones benchmarking sideways, they’re the ones willing to operate differently, build ahead of where they are, and move toward something bigger, often before anyone else sees it.
 
If you’d like to discuss my ongoing research on the connection between pies and success on the pitch, please connect with me on LinkedIn.
 
 
FOR ADVISOR USE ONLY. NOT INTENDED FOR CONSUMER SOLICITATION PURPOSES.

Beacon Capital Management, Inc. is an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additional information about Beacon Capital Management is also available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov under CRD number 120641. Beacon Capital Management only transacts business in states where it is properly registered or excluded or exempted from registration requirements.

Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments or investment strategies.

Sammons Financial® is the marketing name for Sammons® Financial Group, Inc.’s member companies, including Beacon Capital Management^SM.

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