Growth, Aligned

When he started Commonwealth Financial Group in Charleston, SC, Britt Gilbert was passionate about giving clients a financial planning experience based upon more than a solo advisor handling investments and strategies.

“From the beginning, it had to be something bigger than me,” Britt says. “To treat the client as if we truly cared about them, I wanted them to be able to draw upon many skilled professionals who worked alongside me, not through me.”

Commonwealth and its clients thrived, but the next two decades posed new demands in investment, planning, service, taxes, and estate management. Britt and his team were challenged to add people and skill sets without losing that seamless client experience.

The answer came in 2020 from one of Britt’s clients, who’d sold his business for a 13X multiple. “I asked what he did to make his business so successful,” Britt recalls. “He told me to read Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman.”

Traction championed alignment and process over individual stars. Commonwealth began the work of evolving from a typical producer mindset to a process mentality, aligning its internal systems and relationships to foster a multidisciplinary client experience.

The evolution was a success. Today Commonwealth clients interact not only with sales and advisory personnel, but practice management, service, planning, and investment teams, all integrated under a centralized approach Britt describes as “One firm, one way, on purpose.”

“Even though we’re not a traditional firm chasing growth for its own sake, we’ve seen a 15%–17% compound annual growth rate since we changed,” Britt says. “Over the past two years our staff has doubled, as we put multiple people into teams that once relied on individuals filling hybrid roles.”

As for the clients? “They love having many people to help them,” he notes. “It makes them feel more important and protected.” When Britt had to part ways with a million-dollar producer recently, “We retained 80% of that book of business—not through lawsuits or clawback tactics, but on client experience alone.”

Commonwealth’s flat organizational structure also helps foster young talent, despite industry trends signaling an aging advisor population. About one-third of Commonwealth’s advisors are aged 30 or younger.

“There are some really sharp kids coming out of school today, and we can offer them a clear career path,” Britt says. “If they’re not ready to be advisors because of the age gap, we can put them alongside seasoned pros in our planning or investment department, learning our processes and growing through actual client interactions.”

• Clarity creates momentum. A company vision must be documented and shared, not locked inside a leader’s head. “For five years our team has focused on what client service should look like and how to do things consistently,” Britt says. “The result is a shared response that now supports the client experience naturally.”
• Alignment beats raw talent. Organizational discipline and consistency help build long-term relationships. According to Britt, “Working with many people shields our clients from personality risk. We stress a shared way of responding, with handoffs and transitions that allow our entire organization to present as one.”
• What gets measured gets managed. “We track everything: revenue, new sales, product lines, open rates for campaigns,” Britt says. “But what’s most impactful is the two surveys we do every quarter for our people experience and client experience. If those metrics are improving, the financial rewards will be there.”
• The right people mean more than strategy. Employees whose values and skills fit their roles are critical to organizational health. “We look for curious learners with low ego, high ownership, confidence, and coachability,” Britt notes. “Are they comfortable being part of something bigger than their own book?”
• Let your systems carry the culture. “Each week, our meeting cadence targets one of our core values and how it fits in recent wins,” Britt says. “This happens at every department meeting, every staff meeting, every advisor meeting. We drive culture not through speeches or inspiration, but by using our system to support it.”