Our Brand & Our Culture
At Integrated Life and Financial Planning, we take our brand seriously. Our brand is more than just a few intersecting circles. It represents our philosophy of how we help our clients to not our conceptualize but to live their lives.
About 20 years ago, our founder, Jerry Bergner, was introduced to the image of 3 concentric circles when reading the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. When he first saw it, and it was explained to him, it did not make sense. The wording was a bit too business oriented and he had trouble with the economic engine term and the best in the world idea! It was just too large for him to wrap by head around.
But then he had a few years later, a lightbulb went off. Jerry participated in a class that literally changed his life, his business and subsequently the lives of many others, all because he heard the concept differently. This book, “If Your Life Were a Business, Would You Invest In It?, by John Eckblad and David Kiel, gave him the groundwork to turn this image into a guiding force in his life.
Here’s what was different. He now heard…
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- Discover the things you are passionate about, things you are skillful in, things for which you can be well compensated.
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- Engage in these activities as frequently as possible!
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- and at the same time eliminate activities that do not fit!!
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It really is quite simple in concept. It can be a bit more complex in execution.
Now, with this revision, this alternative visual made more sense and was something he could sink his teeth into!
This began as a realization that Jerry absolutely loved to teach, he loved to help others simplify their lives and he loved to create more satisfaction for his clients in their daily activities. For many people, making these changes involves dealing with some “financial reality!” Often the first thought that comes after the realization of “your sweet spot” is “How on earth can I do that ?!?” “How can I support myself, or my family, if I attempt to make these changes ?”
For Jerry, the gradual shift came as he realized that he was most satisfied working with clients who wanted assistance in shaping their lives in this way, and wanted help with the financial planning work to support these changes. As he slowly shifted his practice in this direction he reduced his business size from roughly 500 households (clients) to 100 households. He was living in his sweet spot, or the center of the concentric circles, our brand. Enjoying his work more than ever, he was engaged in to the fullest, had eliminated or delegate mostly all of the work he did not enjoy or did not need to do.
These are the clients who we love to work with. Those looking to create that same life.