Doug Denlinger of Lifeguide Financial Advisors joins us today as our very first guest in our Brand Ambassador business spotlight series.
Welcome to the very first Brand Ambassador business spotlight. Today we’re sitting down with Doug Denlinger of LifeGuide Financial Advisors to talk about his business, his story, and what keeps him motivated to serve his clients at the highest level.
First, what does Lifeguide Financial Advisors do?
Doug knows it can be very difficult and stressful to manage your own money, but it doesn’t have to be. Managing your finances should be easy, fulfilling, and even fun and exciting. LifeGuide Financial Advisors helps people understand where they are, discover where they want to be, and develop a comprehensive plan to get there. All the while, they walk them through every step of the process.
Doug was born and raised in Carlisle, went to Penn State, took a job making potato chips at Frito-Lay, and then transitioned into a startup job where he took the company from 200 employees up to almost 1,300. He was making more money than he ever thought possible and had everything he wanted, but he realized it was all meaningless because that success had come at the expense of his relationship with his family.
“I was not present in my family’s life, and therefore became irrelevant to the people that were most important to me,” he says.
That’s when Doug left that career behind and got into financial services. He felt like this industry was a place where he could positively impact people’s lives and also be home every night for his family. The transition wasn’t easy—his first year, he made less than what he paid in taxes the year before—but that road led him to where he is now.
What drives Doug and keeps him up at night is the same thing that gets him up in the morning. LifeGuide Financial Advisors manages the hopes and dreams of over 600 families across the U.S., which also entails managing almost $200 million worth of funds. They know they have to be the best at what they do, so they strive to get better every single day. He has a great team of high-character people behind him, so he focuses on creating a work environment that allows them to serve their clients with excellence.
If Doug could share one insight with struggling small business owners, it’s to “keep the main thing the main thing.” In other words, small businesses can be greedy, and they can suck the life out of you if you’re not careful. Set aside some time to step back from the business and evaluate where you’re going, where your business is going, and what impact that has on other people.
“I really believe that a business’ most valuable asset is a team that’s healthy, motivated, and focused. And that team needs to be led by a leader that’s healthy, motivated, and focused as well.”
We want to give a special thanks to Doug for joining us today, and we wish him the best of luck moving forward with LifeGuide Financial Advisors.
As always, if you have any other questions, would like more information, or would like to discuss your real estate goals, feel free to give me or my team a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
