Finance, be it personal or through your investment portfolio, can feel like a daunting topic. But it doesn’t have to be.
Frankie sat down with Allbright to discuss Frankie’s, her exclusive membership community for women to connect, collaborate, engage and learn about finance. She spoke about her business journey, the importance of good personal finance, and why the industry is not just for everyone, but can be fun too.
Alongside running Frankie’s, Frankie founded and heads up two companies, including FSWM, a wealth management organization based in London.
“Women are taught to be careful; men are told to be brave”
Whilst enjoying a career as a successful financial planner and advisor for other organisations, Frankie tells us she noticed a trend in women’s financial education, “I think it can be quite patronising, women are socially conditioned to be risk averse.”
The stereotype is certainly that women are less likely to jump in with both their personal finances and in financial careers too. But caution does not mean afraid of making bold choices, women just require more information.
“The caution shouldn’t be mistaken for being risk averse or not having enough financial astuteness to make the right decisions.” With this lack of adequate education in mind, the first incarnation of Frankie’s came to life in the AllBright Townhouse.
The networking effect
Having joined the AllBright community as a member and realising the power of networking for women in business, Frankie started Frankie’s as an investment club, held at the AllBright Townhouse. The club became a space for women to connect through financial challenges and successes and discuss their investment portfolios in diverse areas, including art and jewellery.
Whilst running Frankie’s and connecting with other AllBright members, Frankie noticed a trend in women at the peak of their careers in financial services struggling to keep their eyes on the ball with their own personal finances. “It’s often cited to be a gender issue, but I actually disagree with that. It’s not a gender issue, it is people being time poor”.
These factors have become the backbone of why Frankie’s exists. Frankie explains the purpose of starting her network was to provide a foundational level financial education. With the wealth of information available to women, the volume can “paralyse people into doing nothing”. Frankie’s provides a space for women to learn as they go, with both personal finance and bigger investments.
The Investment Club has since transformed into what Frankie’s is today, a network dedicated to encouraging individuals to build their financial knowledge and flourish in their professional careers or entrepreneurial ventures, with over 80 members. It has since grown exponentially, attracting sponsorships from Boodles and Birkitt’s Law Firm. Frankie explains “That’s why I’m so passionate about AllBright, I love that we share the same ethos and focus”.
“At Frankie’s, we’re bringing some sparkle to finance- the power of the community is phenomenal”
Whilst educating women and empowering them to feel bolder in their investment choices, Frankie explains it was also a big part of her mission to out a little more fun into the industry. “Finance is a very dry topic. We bring a bit of sparkle. Of course we need to underpin that with serious topics, alongside discussing investments in some more enjoyable areas, like wine and jewellery.”
It has created a community that makes a real impact, one that Frankie is still learning the power of. Frankie is the only wealth manager in the country with such a community behind her, and this balance of finance and fun is vital to its success, “Of course, we’re having financial conversations. But our events are super fun, we’ve got amazing experiences, you can meet likeminded women. Women don’t just want the financial advice; they want the whole thing.”
“I’m passionate about engaging people who might be put off by the ‘traditional finance’ space”
Alongside her work with Frankie’s, Frankie also heads up FSWM, an independent financial advisory firm that works with entrepreneurs and professionals, to help them manage both their business and personal financial planning. Frankie explains how she intitially noticed a trend of entrepreneurs hiring separate financial advisors for their business and personal finances, “when for people in these professions, the two should be deeply intertwined”. Frankie positions herself as a neutral third party, offering an outside perspective that gives her clients the confidence to trust their own views, while providing fresh insights too.
With FSWM, Frankie has built another strong, supportive community, on a mission to make financial matters accessible and enjoyable. Frankie is both a relatable and supportive founder, which is the heart of FSWM’s success. This is especially significant in a field that is predominantly older and male. Clients trust Frankie to offer a fresh, welcoming and innovative perspective. It’s a trust she doesn’t take lightly, explaining when all her clients from her previous firm came with her to FSWM “it was a defining moment. A real testament- because they believed in me”.
Turning challenges into huge success.
Frankie’s grew from Investment Club to company exceptionally quickly, meaning Frankie needed to find a team and investors in a short space of time. The first challenge was to raise the money to take her business to the next level and hire the staff needed, something which Frankie advises takes a great deal of resilience. “The advice I’d give is to put an advisory board together. Once I had my board decided, I gave them one rule- each of them needed to be able to raise money”.
Frankie also advises putting together a team that truly understand the business they’re investing in, with each of her board members coming from the Venture Capital Market. Her principal investors all came from her network, further proving the true power and value in networking. Frankie explains “they share the same values and mission as me. Your network truly is your net worth”.
To help build your network when you’re time-poor, Frankie recommends really understanding the type of events and only attending those, which is where AllBright has really helped, “From an AllBright Townhouse perspective, there are events that cater to every interest. But you have to go into them knowing what you want to get out of them”.
Ultimately, Frankie attributes her success to being an open book, proving her worth and building a truly valuable network. “Build connections you can rely on, because ultimately, in a high-risk industry, it’s about trust”.
To find out more about Frankie’s, you can take a look at her websites linked above.