Formed in December 2018, Bolton James is a young firm. It faced the global pandemic with only 12 months under its belt. Fortunately, the firm was designed to facilitate remote working by default, and turnover rose 23% throughout 2020 as a result. It continues to do so in 2021 as well, with Q1 already showing a 33% increase.

Before Jim Ementon formed the firm, he had often seen self-employed advisers within the industry treated in a manner that he found to be at odds with the transparency and ethics expected of their own client relationships. He decided to build a firm that applied the same ethical approach and transparency to the firm-adviser relationship.

‘After all, the impact of embedded behaviour trickles down throughout the whole firm and colours the client relationship,’ says Ementon.

Bolton James encourages its advisers to approach their work just like advising a client – identify their values and then build their own goals around them. As a result, it has no sales targets or sales meetings, and the removal of the typical ‘them-versus-us’ adviser-firm culture enables staff to pull together in the same direction. The result is a model that champions the self-employed adviser. Their financial and commercial interests are prioritised and protected, and there is an unparalleled level of financial transparency within the firm.

‘It has been a busy and exciting first two years, and we are looking forward to what comes next – hopefully no more lockdowns,’ says Ementon.