Season 2 | Episode 1
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It all started at a beach shack in Rio.
In the middle of the 2008 financial crisis, Ross Gerber and Danilo Kawasaki watched their parent company, AIG, lose $50 billion in a weekend. The system had failed—and the two advisors realized the big firms they trusted didn’t understand the business they were in, let alone the clients they served.
So they made a decision: if they were going to keep doing this work, they were going to do it their own way.
Fifteen years later, that decision has become Gerber Kawasaki: a Santa Monica-based firm managing over $3.36 billion for 7,000+ households, with a bold voice, a collaborative team, and a growth model that turns industry conventions on their head.
From the start, Gerber Kawasaki chose three pillars that would define their strategy: embrace digital marketing, serve all levels of wealth (not just the top 1%), and build talent from within. That last part was especially radical—most firms try to buy growth through M&A. GK develops advisors from scratch.
It took nearly a decade to hit their first billion. But after that, the growth snowballed. COVID accelerated their digital model, doubling productivity as clients embraced Zoom. YouTube appearances brought in hundreds of leads overnight. Meanwhile, their investment philosophy—early, hands-on, high-conviction—differentiated them from firms outsourcing to third-party managers.
But what really sets them apart isn’t strategy. It’s culture.
Ross is the bold communicator. Danilo builds the engine. Hatem leads with rigor and heart. Together, they’ve built a place where advisors collaborate, not compete. Where referrals are tracked weekly. And where clients who started with zero have grown into some of the firm’s most loyal advocates.
Now, with a reimagined tech stack and a physical “clubhouse” in Santa Monica, the team is focused on scaling their model into 10 new markets. They’re not chasing a number. They’re chasing an impact.
As Ross puts it, "We're not trying to be the biggest firm. We're trying to be the most useful."
And in a world full of safe, same-sounding advisors, that may be the boldest growth strategy of all.
Connect with us:
- Meg Carpenter on LinkedIn
- Ross Gerber on LinkedIn
- Danilo Kawasaki on LinkedIn
- Hatem Dhiab on LinkedIn
About Ficomm Partners
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.