Brian Himmelman has been playing hockey since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. Now the financial advisor is coaching his own kids’ hockey team.

The game has taught him to keep his eye focused on the puck, pick himself up when he gets slammed against the boards and understand that the goal may be scored by one person but it took a team to get that person to the right place at the right time.

The Nova Scotia native, who owns Halifax-based Himmelman & Associates Financial Planners Inc. , has taken this insight back to the office to build a successful financial advi-sory team. Ultimately, Himmelman says, the key to success is deciding where you want to be, both on the ice and off.

In about a decade, Himmelman, whose business is affiliated with Manulife Securities International Inc. , and his team have built a practice with roughly $60 million in assets under administration. He oversees a team of three advisors and two administrators.

“Collectively, our volume allows us to be a force within Manulife,” says Himmelman.

But, he adds, “Our clients will always be before the firm. It’s more about the relationship.”

His focus on clients is significant and consistent. Himmelman recognizes that clients have a checklist of questions and needs. His goal is to answer those questions and address those needs in the first phone call, in the first meeting and in every interaction thereafter.

A member of his team follows up on all appointments, and prospective clients receive a “press kit” of information about the business, the team and how prospects’ needs can be met by Himmelman & Associates.

This advance work, says Him-melman, pays off. At a first meeting, it allows him more time to focus on the client rather than having to sell his business.

“Everything we do is me trying to walk in my client’s shoes,” he says. “You need to understand the person genuinely. The people who do that well in our business just do that naturally.”

A Saint Mary’s University graduate, Himmelman’s first major career decision came in 1993. Having just completed his bachelor of commerce degree, Himmelman was keen to start his career: “I thought I wanted to be a stockbroker.”

After being interviewed by two firms, Himmelman rethought his career choice. The requirements for the job were rigorous and the idea of cold-calling did not appeal. “It seemed a very steep hill to climb,” he says.

Before he began the ascent, the Mutual Group, based in Waterloo, Ont., offered him a job. “I was interested in helping people on a broad range of issues, and I liked the idea of an advice-based business rather than a transactional business,” he says.

He also had a natural market: new graduates looking to grow their savings for the future. As a university student, Himmelman had worked at a local bar and knew a lot of people who were potential clients.

“My market,” he says, “was very broad, and it was less complicated in terms of clients’ needs.”

As an opening move, it was successful. He even earned a Rookie of the Year award. But as Himmelman learned more about financial planning, he wanted to try new strategies. “I needed to define myself, in terms of my philosophy and what I wanted to do for my clients,” he says.

He also felt constrained by the set line of products available to clients. “As you deal with a more sophisticated market,” he says, “clients will demand more options.”

After three years with the Mutual Group, Himmelman was ready for a new challenge. After he “checked out the landscape,” the young financial advisor joined Manulife Securities. As Himmelman grew his business, Manulife was expanding its reach. As the 21st century approached, Manulife was developing its wealth-management services and Himmelman was learning to pursue new ideas. He acquired his certified financial planner designation.

In 1998, he took on a partner, Colin Hicks, and together they attended a top performers’ conference in Toronto, co-ordinated by Dan Richards, president of Strategic Imperatives Ltd.

One presenter spoke passionately about what everyone could learn from Elton John: focus on your core strengths and build a team to provide the necessary support.

By the end of the conference, Himmelman and Hicks were well on their way to launching Himmelman Hicks Financial Services Inc.

@page_break@Within a year, Hicks would accept a job offer with Manulife. But until then, Himmelman Hicks was developing a winning strategy.

“The partnership helped me take the big leap to invest heavily in my business,” Himmelman says. “It was a shared risk.”

The partners created a team to build their business — and their reputation. It was a good idea, says Himmelman, but it may have been too early in the game for such a move.

“I was ahead of myself at the time. I was more concerned about our presence. Probably my main focus should have been on the clients,” he says.

Originally Himmelman’s approach to developing his business was to aim for clients with accounts of at least $50,000. However, he broke that rule for a couple who had only $5,000 to invest. They subsequently referred him a $1-million account.

“It was a big light bulb,” says Himmelman, “Now, I do not have any preconceived notions about what I should get in a year. That approach feels good — and it all works itself out.”

It’s also an approach that allows Himmelman time for what matters most: his sons, Bret, age 9, and Corson, age 6.

When Himmelman is not coaching his sons, he likes to unwind with them. After all, the best game plan calls for time off the ice. IE