Episode 162

full
Published on:

26th Feb 2026

136. Think Like A CEO: Building A Life-Centered Business with Daren Blonski

What if the real measure of success isn’t how much you achieve, but how intentionally you spend your time? We sit down with Daren Blonski—founder of Fermata Advisors, including Sonoma Wealth Advisors and related firms—to unpack how he built a fast-scaling advisory enterprise by designing for freedom first. Darren shares why leaving a high-travel consulting career forced him to redefine success, and how a clear, values-driven schedule helped him be present at home and decisive at work.

We walk through his simple, powerful calendar architecture—days working in the business, on the business, and in renewal—and how mapping years in advance creates permission to focus without guilt. Daren explains how he hires complements using the DISC framework, pairing visionary drive with detail excellence to eliminate bottlenecks. He opens the playbook on scaling during uncertainty: pivot fast, pursue green lights, and keep culture practical. Along the way, we dig into his 10% rule for personal reinvestment through masterminds and coaching, and why curating the right rooms accelerates leadership growth.

Feedback takes center stage as Daren reframes it as data, not drama. He shares a no-cringe tactic to raise feedback quality—ask every team member, “What are your expectations of me?”—and highlights the obligation to follow through. We close with the habits that sharpen decision-making under pressure: pre-dawn reading to expand perspective, hard training to discharge stress, and sleep as a non-negotiable lever for cognition and steadiness. If you lead a growing team and crave clarity, presence, and sustainable performance, this conversation gives you concrete tools to design your time and think like the CEO your business needs.

Enjoyed the episode? Follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more leaders find these conversations.

In this podcast you will learn about:

• Redefining success around time freedom

• Moving from consulting to a life-centered business

• Choosing financial planning as an entrepreneurial medium

• Evolving from practitioner to CEO across growth stages

• Leading with presence and credibility

• Hiring complements using DISC to fill gaps

• Scaling through pivots and “pursue green lights” values

• Investing 10% in masterminds and coaching

• Treating feedback as data and filtering projections

• Morning reading, hard training, and sleep for sharper decisions

Highlights:

0:00

Rethinking Success Through Time

2:55

Leaving Consulting To Build A Life

5:30

Choosing Financial Planning As A Medium


8:25

Evolving From Soloist To CEO


10:55

Designing Work, On-Work, And Renewal


14:20

Presence As A Leadership Advantage


17:05

Building Teams With DISC Strengths


20:10

Scaling Through Pivots And Principles


23:00

Masterminds, Coaches, And The 10% Rule


26:05

Feedback As Data, Not Drama


29:05

A Better Way To Ask For Feedback


32:10

Morning Learning, Training, And Sleep


35:00

Where To Find Darren & Closing


If you were truly leading at the level your vision requires, what decision would you make this week?

I provide strategic coaching for high-performing financial advisors, service-based business owners, and leaders who want coaching that goes beyond accountability. I partner with you to execute on your vision and focus on what truly drives results: executive presence, leadership development, scaling, and prioritization.

The outcome: you realize your full potential, influence and inspire others, and lead a high-impact business that reflects your next-level goals.

To explore if coaching is the right fit, email me at meet@kristinburke.com to schedule a discovery call.

Connect with Kristin

LinkedIn

Instagram

Website

Goal Setting Success Course

Breakout Plan

Connect with Daren

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Elite Achievement

About the Podcast

Elite Achievement
A leadership and execution podcast for financial advisors and firm leaders
Elite Achievement with Kristin Burke

You’re a financial advisor. Your calendar is booked with back-to-back client meetings. You have a vision to grow your firm. You’re not sure if you have the right team in place. You’re holding on to work you know you should be delegating. You want to spend more time doing complex planning and working with your best clients, but you’re still trying to deliver for every client in your book.

At the end of the day, you’re still the one driving the revenue.

Or…

You’re leading a team of financial advisors or a firm. You’re responsible for growth, but don’t produce the results yourself. They come through the people you recruit, develop, and retain. And many of them aren’t traditional employees, which means you’re leading as much through influence as you are through expectations and accountability.

Your calendar is full, but your time doesn’t always feel well spent. You start the day with a plan, and it quickly shifts as people come to you with questions, challenges, and decisions that need your input.

You’re constantly balancing competing priorities. Attracting and bringing in new talent. Launching and developing new financial advisors. Supporting career advisors as they continue to grow. Having difficult conversations when someone isn’t performing. Protecting the culture and keeping everyone aligned to the vision.

At the end of the day, you’re still accountable for the results.

Different roles. Same challenges.

How do you create clarity around your vision and get others aligned to it?

How do you focus on the right priorities when everything feels important?

How do you develop people and hold a high standard of performance?

How do you lead effectively while still driving results?

This is the work of Elite Achievement.

A leadership and execution podcast for financial advisors and firm leaders who are building and scaling a firm and being challenged to lead at a higher level as success becomes less about your individual effort and more about how you lead.

Kristin Burke brings over 20 years of industry experience and works closely with financial advisors and firm leaders as they build firms, develop people, and navigate the challenges that come with growth.

Elite Achievement is about setting a bold vision, executing consistently, and becoming the kind of leader capable of building a legacy.