Most founders build businesses that rely on them completely. Jon Jones built one that grew when he left for a year.
When the co-founder and CEO of Brighton Jones took his family to 35 countries while his firm operated without him, it wasn't just a sabbatical—it was proof. Proof that they'd built something rare: a $100+ million revenue advisory firm where systems matter more than singular genius, where emotional intelligence drives retention, and where culture isn't what you say but what you systematically deliver.
In this episode of Growth Leaders of Wealth Management, host Meg Carpenter sits down with Jon, Chief Client Experience Officer Carley Dillon, and Managing Director of Brand and Product Melinda Torres to unpack how Brighton Jones serves 4,000 clients across 22 markets while maintaining 98% retention and generating half their growth from organic referrals. Their story isn't about a single innovation or clever marketing tactic. It's about building interconnected systems that create what Jon calls "the extraordinary in the ordinary."
Brighton Jones doesn't measure growth the way most RIAs do. While the industry obsesses over AUM because it sounds impressive, Jon targets something harder: 15-20% annual revenue growth from new client relationships, regardless of what markets do. "We always budget for flat markets," Jon explains. "If the market goes up, great. If it doesn't, we've planned for that." This forces a fundamentally different discipline—you can't rely on market tailwinds to mask operational underperformance. You have to deliver value clients will actually pay for and refer others toward.
Most firms say they care about emotional intelligence. Brighton Jones built a proprietary system to develop it. They call it MESI—mindful, emotional, and social intelligence—and it's become infrastructure rather than aspiration. Jon's interest started in 1997 when he read Daniel Goleman's book on emotional intelligence. "I couldn't figure out how to operationalize it," he recalls. It took nearly two decades to develop their framework, but now MESI shows up everywhere: how they set agendas, facilitate client meetings, hire advisors, and train teams. When markets pull back and clients get anxious, Brighton Jones advisors don't immediately jump to logical portfolio explanations. They sit with the emotion first. "You have to make sure the client feels heard," Jon says.
This systematic approach to emotional intelligence connects directly to their client experience strategy. Carley describes moving clients "from the balance sheet to beyond"—starting with explicit financial needs, then earning the right to explore values, passions, and what Jon calls "wealth alignment." It's not wealth management as balance sheet optimization. It's wealth alignment as life optimization. They're helping clients allocate their two most valuable resources, time and money, toward what they actually care about most.
Brighton Jones made an unusual choice that reveals how seriously they take brand. They worked with brand strategist Melinda Torres for 13 years as an external partner, developing core concepts like "personal CFO" and "wealth alignment." Then in 2024, they acquired her agency and brought her in-house. "This isn't just about client acquisition," Melinda explains. "It's about keeping clients through remarkable experiences, attracting and retaining talent, and creating a family of brands." She's building ongoing communities around shared passions—like their eight-year-running Women Living a Richer Life initiative and impact travel to Kenya—rather than hosting transactional client events. That shift from events to communities creates sustained belonging rather than occasional attendance.
With the entire industry consolidating through acquisitions, Brighton Jones has stayed almost entirely organic. The reason reveals their strategic priorities: cultural integration is harder than financial integration. "We're asking people to fundraise for Kenyan schools, work on their mental fitness, deliver MESI in every client meeting," Jon explains. "You kind of sign up for these things when you join Brighton Jones." Five years into that choice, they've doubled revenue while maintaining the culture that drives their differentiation.
Brighton Jones hasn't succeeded because they found a magic formula. They've succeeded because they built systematic discipline around what matters: delivering value worth paying for, developing emotional intelligence as rigorously as technical expertise, and balancing client experience, employee growth, and sustainable cash flow. As Jon puts it: "Intention with attention gets results. Intention alone is just a plan you're not following." That might be the most useful insight for any firm leader: your strategy isn't what you say you value. It's what you systematically build.
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Ficomm Partners is the embedded growth partner for results-driven RIAs, and wealth management platforms. With a track record of helping over 250 clients achieve their growth goals, Ficomm understands that while industry patterns may repeat, each firm's growth challenges are unique. Ficomm prioritizes strategy and finds the most impactful ways to move you toward your goals. We align all your marketing activities with your business objectives, acting as your dedicated growth partner with our human-first approach, strategy-first methodology, and unrivaled team of industry marketing experts.