"Together Talks" feature #75: Prosperity Wealth Strategies presented by KLS, freight company
Some Background on Prosperity Wealth Strategies
Today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the opportunity to interview Prosperity Wealth Strategies and Founder, Nicole Wirick. The company was created to help clients define and achieve prosperity. Nicole seeks out to meet with clients to understand their goals, their fears, their trajectory and how to build a plan for them to follow to reach their goals. Prosperity WS believe that the building blocks of a successful advisory relationship include open communication and mutual understanding coupled with compassion and tenacity.
Creating from scratch
Nicole founded her company in 2019. Prior to creating her boutique firm she had worked in a consultant role which allowed her the opportunity to come across many financial advisors during her time there. These experiences resonated with her and she truly enjoyed the relationship between advisor and client. Ultimately she made the leap because she couldn't find what she felt in her soul she could provide. Nicole mentioned that there are plenty of independent boutique registered financial firms providing financial services to families, but she believes that their approach makes their firm unique.
The boutique approach of Prosperity WS are individuals who desire a more personalized experience. As Nicole told us, "Folks that resonate to our company, are interested and want to learn." Clients of hers typically don't just want to be sold stuff, products for example but rather interested in the process and options. Her clients are more hands on in the design and implementation of their goals.
She credits Prosperity Wealth Strategies for having great planning tenacity. The firm loves to lean in to the work, truly understanding each client and how they can best reach their potential and performance. Nicole admitted she loves the harder challenges as well. The second component of their approach is compassion. While it is compassion across the board, she highlighted their initial conversations with prospects before they are clients. Prosperity WS strives to understand what makes them tick, but more importantly why. Nicole mentioned she believes the why is just as if important if not more. "If we can't understand the person how can we possibly put a plan forward to financially plan for their life?", Nicole explains.
Before jumping into financials, the company wants to learn about the individual. Understanding the prospect first is crucial prior to determining what path is best for them. Nicole explained it takes a lot of time to do that work up front, but fit is really critical. Nicole didn't feel like she found a firm that was doing what she wanted to provide. So she decided to build it. Even though it would've been much easier to join an established firm, she wanted to chase her goal of creating her vision and bringing it to life.
Her goal is to get her clients to lean into their finances, as she explains, "You are the CFO of your own household." Individuals need to be empowered with the foundations and building blocks of the decision making process. Her company creates the environment where they collaborate to break down barriers where people feel comfortable to ask questions and understand the building blocks she references.
Pandemic impact
Starting a business prior to the Pandemic, the traditional ways to network weren’t possible once the world was being shut down. Nicole told us she had to pivot, and had to figure something else out. She took it upon herself to go through a media training course. While she may not have felt fully prepared she made a promise to herself to take any press opportunities that came her way. Over time she has remarkably developed as a thought leader in the space.
She explained to us that she learned that she had a talent or skill that she might not have realized prior to the Pandemic. Nicole also mentioned that it is rare for wealth management to be active in the social media space. The Pandemic created new opportunities that she took advantage of, opportunities that historically were not present.
Opening a brand new boutique firm prior to the Pandemic certainly provided challenges for Nicole. It started with zero clients and not getting any calls or emails. "I was wondering every day if I made a mistake and this was going to fail.", Nicole explained. But that led her to finding her way through the work which would remain a pillar of her firm today, lean in. She made a list and made sure to accomplish one thing each day. She would not let herself stop moving forward. This led her to the realization that owning a business you wear a lot of different hats. The CEO is also the janitor at one point she joked. But the beginning being extremely humble, was exactly what she needed to keep moving forward.
Over time traction began to accumulate and Nicole started seeing her vision come to life. She said that along the way she had learned from every experience she had. When given the chance to watch others in the role she studied what worked and what didn't. How she could implement tendencies, approaches, and deliverables meshed with her personality. Once she knew this was her path she utilized all those lessons to finally feel ready. As Nicole told us, "Everyone's timeline is different."
Partner with KLS
KLS offers LTL and FTL for both dry and reefer transportation.
Our nationwide coverage provides companies a reliable, consistent, and dependable logistics partner to handle your trucking needs.
For more information on how we can help call our office today 708-980-0920 or reach us via our email quote request here!
Shared Vision
The connection and authenticity between clients and Prosperity Wealth Strategies is part of that critical fit Nicole previously described. She said their ideal fit are clients who don't just want to see their wealth grow for the sake of it growing, but rather the individual who wants to know when and understand how it helps them. Typically clients of her firm are complex in that they need the planning tenacity that Prosperity WS excels at. Complicated tax situations, high income, or legacy planning is when the boutique firm is able to display all of their offerings to their fullest ability. Working with clients who care about the next generation or charitable transition of wealth are the complexities that Nicole truly enjoys.
The culture was described to us as an environment where people embrace who they are and what they believe. Open dialogue is a foundational piece for Prosperity WS. Nicole explained if there is an opportunity to explain something isn't going well, empowering her staff to share their thoughts, feelings, and suggestions. Nicole said it is paramount to hire people who are the best people they can find who crave the opportunity to rise. Their culture empowers best ideas rising to the top regardless of position.
Nicole explained her favorite aspect of working there as the clients, but more importantly the relationships developed. She shared they have turned into life-long relationships that have been built over the 4 plus years of being in business. Helping clients realize their goals are possible and then creating the path for them to achieve their version of success has been so incredibly fulfilling to her.
Growth
While her firm is structured to help their clients achieve financial growth, Nicole has also had to work on her growth. One aspect was during the Pandemic when she made a goal for herself to be quoted in 12 publications. She told us she felt it really was impossible. At the time she thought she was writing great media replies, but the feedback she was receiving was of the contrary. Nothing she was producing was getting picked up. Nicole said she needed to do self-retrospection and realized her writing was very technical (courtesy of her lawyer background). She decided she had to reframe her writing. She placed herself in the shoes of a reporter and applied their thinking to her writing.
Once she understood her new approach, she wanted to resonate with the audience. She had found the new approach and it began to build. Once she started to have some success with her written pieces she then wanted to test herself with video and on-screen media. As she told us, "Each iteration I had to learn something new. Why isn't something working, what do I need to adjust, how can I improve?", Nicole shared.
This retrospection with her writing and delivery she was able to apply with her clients and the interactions she shares with them. She leaned into her creative approach and realized there is no "script" when discussing options for a prospect. There are different personalities and Nicole said it is critical to understand how to approach certain topics and the type of person you're speaking to. Again resonating with the audience is the biggest goal. The challenge is getting the same message across through different deliveries. "It isn't about me or our firm, but the listener. The message reaching them and resonating.", Nicole mentioned.
Owning a company allows Nicole the freedom and flexibility to implement change when it is required. If something isn't working there is nothing preventing change. Prior employment did not allow that. She explained how incredible it is to identify and issue and then just as quickly process the change to the policy immediately. That level of adaptability allows the firm to run smoothly and effectively enabling them to focus on client fit. Finding the right client fit allows for a mutual selection process. She also commented on the fact that women in her industry is around 25%, which Nicole is passionate about trying to bring more women into the profession.
With the typical highs and lows of owning a business, which is why we were curious how Nicole celebrates the victories. She told us she isn't great about it, but is trying to work on it. The goal constantly moves as we progress forward as business owners. She did mention there was a moment recently where she was featured through Women's Seen (She met Chelsea Gheesling, Founder of Bundled, from previous feature #73). Going through the process, interview, photo shoot Nicole mentioned she didn't think a lot about it. But when people started telling her they saw her on a magazine it started to sink in how big of an achievement it truly was.
Piece of Advice
The conversation with Nicole ended with her providing her piece of advice:
"The thought of starting a business can be scary. But set goals and focus on taclking them one at a time. Sometimes we can feel paralyzed. Sometimes we do the one thing and that is all we can do, sometimes it leads to doing a second thing. But always moving forward by doing one thing. One thing at a time, keeps you moving forward. Small steps, accountable goals, actionable plan."
“Prosperity Wealth Strategies is a registered investment adviser.”
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In Closing
KLS wants to thank Nicole Wirick, Founder, of Prosperity Wealth Strategies for today's "Together Talks" feature. Keep up to date with Prosperity Wealth Strategies by following their blog on their website, check it out here. Follow along for the Prosperity Wealth Strategies journey with their social handles below!
Klimson Logistics Solutions - Together Talks with Prosperity Wealth Strategies feature #75
*Klimson Logistics Solutions is an Industry Leading Customer Service 3PL. Our focus and commitment to our clients has us striving to be the BEST customer service 3PL for LTL, FTL, Reefer, and Drayage in the country. KLS, freight company, is a 3PL providing nationwide logistics solutions. KLS shipping services include: LTL freight, FTL freight, Reefer LTL freight, Reefer FTL freight, and Drayage. Klimson Logistics Solutions thanks you for viewing our marketing campaign, "Together Talks". If you have any interest in being featured or questions regarding your freight operations please contact us today!
Why KLS?
Our precise and reliable effort.
We handle every shipment with the exact same process. It does not matter if you move one shipment a year or ten per day, you will receive the same level of customer service from us. When we started this company, we had one goal in mind, treat every shipment like it was our own. With our vast knowledge of the industry, we understood what a customer would want from a communication standpoint. We applied that process to be the standard here at KLS. Our reliability and being able to depend on our consistency is why we have such long-standing relationships with our clients.
Our Process?
Every shipment in our industry starts with a quote. We are firm believers that time is money, thus we strive to have quotes back in a 5-10 minute reply time for LTL and FTL, any FCL quotes are at the mercy of the carriers getting back to us. For LTL we have the flexibility to quote both off of NMFC and also Density depending on the carrier. Utilizing our services, you’re allowing us to use our expertise to class your freight accordingly to ensure we are providing the best rate we possibly can.
Once a quote has been submitted and a client chooses to proceed with KLS handling the arrangement of the shipment our full process begins. We create the BOL that will be used for the shipment. If it is a new location for our system, we will obtain all the important/special details (reference numbers, contact details, shipping hours, closed for lunch, dock/doors, etc.). We meticulously build every detail into our software for all future shipments involving that location. After we have both locations built and necessary reference numbers have been applied we will tender the shipment to the carrier. We use this method because it provides us a real time pickup number from the carrier to obtain updates prior to pickup. Our staff will either email the BOL directly to you or to the shipper (at your request) the minute after the tender has been accepted by the carrier. LTL carriers require a 2 hour window prior to close time in order to schedule it for a same-day pickup attempt.
The following morning you’ll receive an email from us. It will either provide the reason the pickup was missed (driver’s trailer filled up, driver missed the close time, truck broke down, shipper said no freight, etc.) or if the pickup was successful you will receive the PRO (tracking) number from us, along with the eta for delivery. Our staff will track it throughout the duration of transit and advise if anything happens that will alter the estimated delivery date. The day the shipment delivers we will email you with confirmation and the POD (Proof of Delivery), should you require it.
Your shipment has been quoted, scheduled, picked up, and delivered. The next step is waiting for the carrier to invoice us and make sure the rate matches up. If it does, we close out the invoice from the carrier in our system and automatically your invoice is created and sent to the requested party at your company. In the event the carrier has an additional charge on their invoice “Variance”, we will never send you an invoice with an additional charge without first identifying you of the charge.
Let us repeat, NEVER WILL WE JUST BILL OUT AN EXTRA CHARGE WITHOUT YOU BEING NOTIFIED.
You are our customer, we represent you. Should the carrier provide an extra charge on an invoice, “Lift gate, additional weight, reclass, detention, etc.) We notify you of the charge via email first. Second, within that email we identify what is required should you choose to dispute the charge. Again our goal is to honor your request, if you want to dispute, we will dispute. During a dispute we will provide you updates every step along the way. Once a dispute is closed out, whether it is approved or rejected, then we will invoice you as the invoice has been resolved.
For reference, our company only had 6.2% of all shipments go to dispute in 2022 and we successfully won 91% of those disputes on behalf of our customers.
This is our process for every single shipment you move with us. We don’t cut corners, we don’t hide from difficult situations. We believe in being available, honest, and transparent. We don’t ever want to tell you that a shipment is lost, damaged, misrouted, but it is our duty to notify you the second we find out something has gone wrong. We hate to present bad news, but it is part of the job. What you can guarantee is that we will work a shipment all the way through and turn over every stone until we get a resolution for our clients.
Services offered?
Our core business is LTL and FTL. Within these options we have options for both dry and refrigerated/frozen. We also offer FCL/Drayage options. Our company as a 3PL has nationwide options and services clients across the US.
Let’s breakdown our services more in-depth
LTL:
Standard and Guaranteed
CFS (Imports & Exports)
Tradeshows
Hazmat
Anything that is on a pallet can be moved LTL. Typically LTL is up to 10 pallets, but the sweet spot for a carrier is 6-8 pallets at most for an individual shipment. LTL quotes are good between 5-30 days depending on the carrier. LTL can be quoted either via NMFC or density to determine the class (we do this for you).
Volume:
Anything over 10-12’ of space in the truck is the technical rule for a volume shipment. When we run a quote for you we will determine if it qualifies for volume and provide you a rate if available. Volume moves allow you to get a reduced rate for larger shipments. The caveat to volume shipments it the quotes are only valid for 3-7 days and they move on capacity between terminals. If a terminal is backed up they will move their LTL freight first before the volume freight, which can lead to longer transit times for volume moves.
FTL/Dedicated/Expedited: 53’ Dry and Reefer 26’ Box trucks with lift gate Sprinter Van The main difference for FTL vs LTL is space and transit time. For standard pallets you can fit either 26 or 30 pallets in a 53’ dry van. The other main difference is transit time, for FTL each day counts in the transit time, whereas LTL does not count the day of pickup, weekends, or holidays in their transit time.
Reefer/Frozen:
LTL and FTL
We specialize working in the CPG space with food manufacturers. We regularly deliver to
the following locations:
Kehe
UNFI
Core Mark
DPI
Wegmans
Cugini
H.T. Hackney
Netrition
HEB
ALDI
Chambers and Owens
EBY Brown
Nassau Candy
Harris Teeter
Wakefern
NU INC
Long Distribution
What makes KLS different?
There are thousands of freight brokers and 3PL in our industry. Barrier to entry is rather easy and agents or owners will often hire sales people without any intention of properly training them. It results in high turnover for many freight companies and a forgettable experience for the client. We choose to operate differently through our consistency. We truly care about doing right by our clients and prospects too. While we would love to help provide our services to every company we speak with, that just isn’t realistic. We won’t always be the right fit for every company that moves freight and that is ok. Our authenticity as a shipping company sets us apart from the competition and that is backed up by our testimonials. We also run a marketing campaign bi-weekly called “Together Talks”. We interview, highlight, and promote two businesses every week. Our goal is to grow our network, make new connections, and learn something new with each collaboration. Check it out on our website and if you’re interested in being featured reach out.
Our company also runs a year long charity promotion. Book your first shipment through KLS and we donate to the charity of your choice in your name. Our way of thanking you for giving us an opportunity to show you the KLS way and what makes us one of a kind. This entire package is what we offer to every prospect and every client. Our goal is to help provide answers that customers may have when it comes to shipping. We want to always be available as a resource and will always offer a lending hand whenever we can.