Wes and Sarah Kotys’ journey to build Kotys Wealth Professionals into the company it is today started with an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to build deep, meaningful relationships based around the idea that, as Wes puts it, “You’re our client, not your money.”
The Kotys’ desire to truly know a client far beyond who they are on paper. This mission, and the emphasis they place on building relationships, has ultimately led to their company’s success. Recently, their 10th anniversary celebration attracted not only clients, but clients and their families who travelled from across the Midwest to enjoy the milestone with the people they put their financial trust in, Wes & Sarah Kotys and their team of professionals.
Before founding the company, Wes had worked for around eight years at two larger broker-dealers and Sarah worked, as an accountant, auditing for the State of Indiana.
“We always wanted to work together,” Sarah said. “So, I went and got my licenses while I was in school but when Wes went to one of the larger firms they didn’t really want a husband and wife team. When we decided to start our own firm, we thought it was the perfect time to join forces and start working together.”
What really gave Wes and Sarah the confidence to start Kotys Wealth Professionals was a dinner they had with some close, personal friends who, themselves, were successful entrepreneurs and business owners.
“Prior to that, and an instrumental piece in starting the company, we had dinner with great friends of ours who we really love and respect, and who are entrepreneurs,” Sarah described. “They believed in us and we were sharing with them our vision - we’d love to work together, we have a love for finance, and we love to work with people.”
“We always say, ‘Some couples can work together and some can’t!’” said Wes, clearly indicating that he and Sarah are the former. “We complement each other really well.”
While at dinner, though, one question that struck Wes and Sarah was, ‘Are people doing business with you or the company you work for?’ That thought and their answer was the exact push they needed to strike out on their own.
Sarah described those beginning moments of Kotys Wealth Professionals in saying, “We thought, ‘Well, they’re doing business with us!’ They said, ‘Then it’s time. Go off on your own and you guys can do this!’ So, a week later we said, ‘Let’s do it!’”
Since 2007, Wes and Sarah have built a team of professionals who take to heart their work and desire to build meaningful relationships in a family-oriented office. Working to create deeper connections with clients has changed the way that the Kotys’ have grown their business over the years.
“We truly work as a team and that was our goal,” said Wes. “In the investment industry it can be pretty cutthroat at some of the bigger broker-dealers and true teamwork can be rare. So, we worked to build a firm where we know each of our clients very well. Managing larger assets and fewer relationships allows us to keep more intimate relationships with each individual client; more so than being a transaction or volume-oriented type of business.”
“With one of those bigger firms prior to starting this company, there would be months where we would open 100 accounts,” he added. “I had an epiphany at one point realizing that, ‘If I do this for 30 years I’m going to have 12000 households, and to walk in the grocery store and see someone who is a client but I have no idea what their name is,’ was eating at me. I didn’t want to get into this spiral of working with thousands of people that we don’t really know how to help them because we don’t know what their goals are or what their family life is like.”
Before last year, Kotys’ growth stemmed, almost entirely, from client referrals which is a true testament to the value of building rock-solid relationships that truly impact the clients they serve.
“That’s really how the business grew and when we do a client event, like the 10th anniversary, it’s a bit of family atmosphere,” described Wes. “That can be a cliché but I don’t think it is with this business. We’re a team here, we’re close, and we care, and I think that bleeds into the client relationships.”
Kotys Wealth is there with their clients during times of celebration and times of sadness. From the birth of a child to the death of a loved one, a family’s finances can be affected by endless possibilities, and Wes and Sarah know how profound and impactful these experiences can be.
“Your money is important and we need to do a great job with that, but when a couple sits down and says that their goals have changed, they found out they have cancer, or they have to move because of a job, these are life issues,” said Wes.
Sarah continued saying, “A lot of times, those major life transitions are tied to finances as well. Whether it’s a celebration of a marriage, for example, or the death of a spouse, they come in here and say to Wes, ‘I’m relying on you as my head of household.’ That’s a very big deal and we’re thankful of that trust in these relationships to take some of that pressure and stress off of our clients.”
Wes reflected on that hug he receives at the end of the meeting with a widow who, while she’ll never have her husband back, is thankful that Kotys Wealth Professionals are there to alleviate any financial worries that come with a life-altering event.
Sarah and Wes Kotys genuinely love getting to know their clients, helping to grow their wealth and realize their goals, and they work hard to stay involved and generously support organizations and initiatives throughout the region.
To find out more about what makes Kotys Wealth Professionals special, visit their website at: https://kotyswealthpro.com/
