Doyenne financial Ltd. is a female-founded portfolio management company that focuses on ethical and equitable relationships with employees and clients
Why did you become an investment entrepreneur?
I was in the investment business as an advisor, a Portfolio Manager and then an equity owner of a national brokerage firm over the span of 20 years. I had the experience the smarts and the drive to manage 100s of millions of dollars, but all around me were people I couldn’t respect. I started my own Portfolio Management company so I could focus on research and trading and building a business that makes as much sense for clients as it does for me. Four years later, I’m able to provide a great investment service for business owners and professionals.
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Appreciate it.
I joined the investment industry at the age of 25 as a Girl Friday. After 19 years in the industry and 2 firm changes, I had been a Portfolio Manager for over 10 years and was now an equity owner, but I realized something wasn’t right….where are the women owners? We were two of very few that were equity owners and even we couldn’t make decisions firm-wide. It was at that moment I knew I had to step into the role I had always wanted, it was not going to be given.
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Let go of it.
I had to recognize and let go of the scarcity mentality. Operating with a scarcity mentality means only solving the immediate problems, it's like driving on a highway and only looking 30 feet ahead of your front bumper. It’s especially true in the investment business. Hundreds of advisors across the country are miserable where they are but they feel stuck by the promise of a future payout that almost always comes with strings attached. There is another way.
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Grow it.
We are not technically business partners anymore but my mom came out of retirement to help me launch Doyenne Financial Ltd. which is, as far as I know the only female-founded Portfolio Management business in Manitoba but also one of the few in Canada.
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See it.
As a financial services business gets to be more successful, it tends to raise its minimums for clients and advisors. The house keeps a minimum of 50% which is why so many advisors move from one place to another so often, to get a better deal. I found myself having to explain things to clients that didn't make sense to me.
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Share it.
I want to create more Portfolio Managers and more women business owners, in particular. We want them to be successful and under our banner for as long as they like. In the meantime, advisors can come to work in peace and not have to worry about high pressure head office tactics, harassment and intimidation.
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Respect it.
In my career, I have learned that someone’s profession isn’t a measure of their character but how they work in their profession is. It comes down to respect. At Doyenne, you don’t have to lose in order for me to win. We work together with clients and advisors to work toward our goals.