I am a native Chicagoan, father of 3 wonderful children, and a 20 year veteran of the financial services industry. 

-I am passionate about working with business owners who would benefit from having an objective partner in their financial lives.   
-I am trying to help my clients realize their best selves. We use financial tools to help them achieve the freedom, control, or time that they desire. 

How do I know if I'm a good fit?

-Business Owners between 35&55 who want to have the ability to make work optional

-Household income of at least $150,000

-People who want to delegate so you can spend more time with the people they care about and doing the things they love


What is the benefit of working with Chris?

-Create an easily understandable 1 page financial gameplan so you always know what the next steps we will take are

-Knowing there will be a day when you can make work optional so you can have a defined goal to work towards.

-Optimize insurance policies to maximize coverage and reduce costs.

-Proactive tax planning to minimize your lifetime tax bill

-Provide financial partnership and help solve your financial problems so you can focus on the most important things in life

 I love working out, cooking, bourbon and cigars. 


Please note: While I appreciate endorsements of my services, I cannot accept endorsements or recommendations on my LinkedIn profile, as these are considered a prohibited testimonial under SEC regulations.

I can be reached at (312) 850 3600 x16 or you can schedule at https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=12813504&appointmentType=1941784

Securities offered through The O.N. Equity Sales Company, Member FINRA/SIPC, One Financial Way, Cincinnati, OH 45242 513.794.6794. Investment Advisory Services offered through the O.N. Investment Management Company

Christopher Clepp

I keep hearing that AI is going to replace financial advisors and other knowledge professionals.

Here’s the reality.

The information has always been out there.

You could Google how to build a financial plan 15 years ago. You can ask ChatGPT today. That doesn’t mean you have one.

Six-pack abs are the perfect analogy.
The workouts are free. The nutrition plans are free. The science is clear.

And yet most people don’t have them.

Not because they lack information.
Because they lack execution and accountability.

Financial planning is no different.

The real value isn’t in generating ideas. It’s in:

• Structuring them correctly
• Catching the mistakes before they become expensive
• Keeping you from stepping on landmines
• And helping you execute when emotions get loud

AI is a tool. A powerful one.

But tools don’t replace judgment, context, or behavioral coaching.

And they certainly don’t sit across the table when markets drop 20% and remind you why you built the plan in the first place.

undefined undefined

President @ Building Towards Wealth | ChFC, Financial Planning, Wealth Management

Exits reward preparation, not just performance.

Two founders can sell similar businesses for similar numbers and walk away with very different outcomes.

The difference isn’t luck.
It’s decisions made long before the deal was ever discussed.

Is it just me, or did sleep become the most valuable currency overnight?

Eight hours feels abotu right.
Six hours feels reckless.
Anything under 7 and I’m negotiating with myself all day.

I used to brag about running on fumes.
Now I guard bedtime like it’s a board meeting.

Please tell me this is normal.

Many founders are financially successful and financially anxious at the same time.

High net worth, but low liquidity.
Strong revenue, but unpredictable income.
Big upside, but unclear timelines.

That tension is normal.
Ignoring it is not.

Reinvesting everything back into the business sounds disciplined.

Sometimes it is.
Sometimes it’s avoidance.

Liquidity creates options.
Options create leverage.

A strong personal balance sheet doesn’t weaken your business.
It strengthens your ability to make better decisions.

AI is not the threat people think it is.

It’s a force multiplier.

For professionals who know what they’re doing.

The mistake is thinking that asking a chatbot a few questions equals real planning.

It doesn’t.

Planning is layered:

Business structure.
Tax exposure.
Liquidity timing.
Estate coordination.
Behavior under stress.

Miss one layer and you can create a cascading problem.

AI is helpful at surfacing options.
It is not yet reliable at spotting second- and third-order consequences.

That’s where experienced professionals still earn their seat at the table.

Optimization is nice.

Avoiding landmines is essential.

Experience in financial advice isn’t about knowing the newest products. It’s about recognizing patterns.

What tends to repeat.
What usually disappoints.
What looks great on paper but struggles in real life.

Most shiny objects aren’t bad because they’re evil. They’re bad because they’re mistimed, misunderstood, or misapplied.

Experience brings context. And context is what keeps people from making confident mistakes.

That perspective doesn’t come from headlines or sales decks. It comes from cycles, mistakes, and time.

Experience isn’t about knowing the newest strategy.
It’s about recognizing patterns.

What tends to work.
What usually disappoints.
What looks great on paper and fails in real life.

That perspective is hard to Google.

In business, long-term thinking is a competitive advantage.
In investing, it’s the same.

Most people aren’t underperforming because they lack information. They’re underperforming because they change direction too often.

A plan only works if it’s given time to work. Constant adjustments may feel responsible, but they often undermine the very outcomes people want.

The advisor who keeps you anchored to long-term outcomes isn’t limiting you. They’re protecting your edge.

I love building. I love competing. I love growing.

But my business is a tool. It’s not who I am.

If everything you built disappeared tomorrow, who would you still be?

That question has a way of clarifying priorities.

The best stories always sound like this:
“This is the moment.”
“This is different.”
“This time it’s obvious.”

That’s how marketing works.

A good advisor’s job is to slow that moment down and ask:
Does this actually move the plan forward?

Most of the time, the answer isn’t exciting.
It’s effective.

“Won’t AI replace financial advisors?”

Short answer: no.

Long answer: it depends on what you think a financial advisor actually does.

If you believe it’s just running numbers and producing a report, then yes — software has been doing that for years.

But that’s never been the core value.

The value is:

• Seeing around corners
• Coordinating tax, estate, business, and personal decisions
• Stress-testing assumptions
• And protecting clients from catastrophic errors

I’ve intentionally tested AI with complex scenarios.

It’s impressive. It’s also still wrong in ways that would be financially painful if someone blindly followed the output.

AI can generate possibilities.

It cannot yet own the consequences.

And that difference matters.

If you're worried about your job security or whether your business will weather what's coming, that's actually the perfect signal to get your finances in order right now. 

Uncertainty has a way of exposing the gaps in our financial plans that we've been meaning to address for years. 

We're helping clients build that safety net every single day, and the ones who act early are the ones who sleep better at night. 

Don't carry financial stress on top of everything else you're already managing. 

Reach out to me or another financial advisor and let's start building your resiliency plan.

Here's the thing about economic uncertainty: you can't control what's happening in your industry, your market, or the broader economy. But you can absolutely control whether you have a solid financial plan backing you up when things get hard. 

The business owners and professionals I work with who feel most confident right now aren't the ones with the most money. 

They're the ones who know exactly where they stand and what they can weather. 

That peace of mind is worth more than people realize. If you don't have that clarity, now is the time to get it.

The work of keeping what you earn doesn’t start at the exit.

It starts with:

Structure

Timing

Tax awareness

Risk management

Each decision compounds quietly.
So do the mistakes.

Let me save you $47,000 in taxes this year.

Just kidding. I have no idea what your tax situation looks like.

But someone on this platform will make that promise today — and some of you will believe them.

Here's what real tax planning actually looks like for the business owners I work with:
It's boring. It's detailed. And it starts with understanding your LIFE before touching your returns.
→ Are you planning to sell your business in 3 years or 15?
→ Do you want to fund your kids' education or are they figuring it out?
→ Is charitable giving part of your values or not?
→ What does your income look like this year vs. next year vs. five years out?

Once we know THAT, we can talk about:
Entity structure optimization
Retirement account strategies
Charitable giving vehicles
Capital gains harvesting
Income timing and deferral

Every one of those tactics is a lever. But a lever only works when you know what you're trying to move.

I don't do tax planning in a vacuum. I do tax planning inside a comprehensive wealth strategy that's built around your goals, your values, and the life you're trying to live.

Because saving $10K in taxes means nothing if you're still building someone else's version of success.

What's one tax strategy you implemented that you wish you'd done sooner?

#taxplanning #businessownertaxes #wealthmanagement #financialstrategy #smallbusinessfinance

If asset allocation is the first conversation, the planning is already backwards.

Founders need to answer:

What risks am I already taking?

Where am I illiquid?

What decisions are coming next?

Only then do investments make sense.

Aggression builds businesses.

But structure protects wealth.

At some point, wealth needs to become more than a scoreboard.

It needs to become:
• Stability for your family
• Freedom of time
• Optionality around what’s next

That requires structure:
• Intentional investment strategy
• Risk management
• Tax coordination
• Exit modeling

Aggression builds income.
Clarity turns it into freedom.

Business owners already understand this lesson, even if they don’t always apply it to their money.

You didn’t build your business by pivoting every time a new idea appeared. You picked a direction, refined it, stayed uncomfortable longer than most, and resisted distractions along the way.

But when it comes to personal finance, that discipline often disappears. A headline hits. A friend shares a strategy. A new product gets attention.

Suddenly, the patience that built the business is replaced by constant tinkering.

Your financial life deserves the same long-term thinking that made your business successful in the first place.

substack.com

Little Reminder (@littlereminder)

CRO To Make Your Bank Account Dance 🕺🏼 | Scaling D2C Brands | $30 Million In Incremental Revenue Added Through CRO | 400+ Websites/Landing Pages Average CVR 5.37% | Co-Founder @ Solvexmedia | We Are Hiring |

Looking to lower your customer acquisition cost and supercharge your sales?

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Working at Deloitte gave me direct exposure to Fortune 500 companies looking to diversify their marketing efforts into digital. My three years there consisted of handling ad-spend budgets in excess of $1,000,000 a month all while generating a positive ROI and meeting all KPIs.  

Got tired of corporate, decided to use the skillset I had to build a few ecom brands, made some money (two exits), then had some fun. 

Now back running the show at one of the fastest-growing growth agencies, Solvexmedia. With the goal of passing forth the knowledge, skills, and experience I have acquired by being in the trenches, getting my teeth kicked in, and learning the hard way.

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🔥 Have the resources, marketing and strategic guidance you need to navigate your way to the next major revenue milestone in your business?
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🤙 Message me here or email kam@solvexmedia.com

Kam Hossieny

I nearly had a heart attack looking at our client's sales dashboard.

This skincare brand had been selling their hero face serum at $29.99 for years. 

It was their comfort zone. 
Their safe space.

Still, one question kept bugging me

What if they were losing money without knowing it?

So we ran a split test. 

Four price points:

• $24.99
• $29.99 (their original)
• $34.99
• $39.99

I was SURE the $24.99 would win on volume. 

My client bet on their tried-and-true $29.99.

Both of us were dead wrong.

The $39.99 price point crushed everything else. 

Not just in revenue - in UNITS SOLD too.

Mind. Blown. 🤯

They'd been undervaluing their product for YEARS.

Here's what we learned:

1. Higher price = higher perceived value
When we raised the price, people assumed the serum was more potent than competitors.

2. Price anchoring works
We added a $59.99 "premium size" that few bought, but it made $39.99 feel like a bargain.

3. Conversion rate isn't everything
The $24.99 option converted best (4.2%) but the $39.99 made way more money at 3.1%.

4. Test EVERYTHING, even when you're scared
Your gut feeling might be holding your business back.

The craziest part? 

We almost skipped the test—thought no one would pay more.

Thought we “knew” the customer.
We didn’t.

solvexmedia

How we cut customer acquisition costs by 40% by fixing this one retention issue ☝️

I was reviewing a client's marketing budget last month when I spotted something alarming.

They were spending $50K/month on ads to acquire new customers...

...while completely ignoring the 67% who bought once and never came back.

"We need more customers!" they insisted when I questioned their strategy.

Wrong. ❌

What they needed was to stop the leaky bucket.

Here's what we discovered:

Their post-purchase experience was a DISASTER. 

After checkout, customers entered a black hole of communication. 

No follow-up emails. 
No usage guidance. 
No community connection.

Just silence until the next promotional blast.

So we made one critical change:

We built a proper onboarding sequence that actually TAUGHT people how to use the product they just bought.

The results shocked even me:

• Repeat purchase rate jumped from 22% to 48%
• Customer lifetime value increased by 71% 
• And most importantly – acquisition costs dropped by 40%

All because we stopped chasing new customers and started valuing the ones we already had.

Here's the harsh truth most brands miss: 

➜ Retention isn't just some nice-to-have metric. 

It's the economic engine of your entire business.

When customers stick around longer

you can afford to acquire them in the first place.

The best marketers understand this simple equation: 

⭐ Fix retention first, then scale acquisition.

Not the other way around.

Your FAQ page is more powerful than you think. 🧠

I stumbled across Quiet Mind’s FAQ section today and... wow

It wasn’t just informative 

it *felt* like someone genuinely cared.

Most FAQ pages? 

They’re either a legal checklist or a last-minute SEO dump. 🗑️

But Quiet Mind made theirs feel like a soft landing. 

➜ gentle tone 
➜ specific questions 
➜ empathy baked into the copy

They didn’t assume people knew what a weighted pillow is. 

They addressed real concerns:
– ADHD
– anxiety
– even how long it takes to adjust

This is smart CRO.

Why? 

Because the more questions your customer has to Google, the less likely they’ll buy from you. 

Instead of pushing the product harder

👉 Quiet Mind slowed down and walked with their customer. 

That builds trust. 
That boosts conversions.

So if you’re building your FAQ page? 

Don’t just think “search terms”
Think about “support” 

Make it sound like you’re answering your best friend’s questions.

Because in the end, people don’t want perfect copy. 

They want to feel understood.

The "anti-hype" copy approach that tripled my client’s conversion rate

I just committed e-commerce blasphemy last month.

I convinced a client to REMOVE all the hyped-up marketing language from their product pages.

Their marketing team nearly had a collective heart attack.

"But HOW will people know our product is amazing without saying it's amazing?!" they protested.

Here's what we did instead:

We replaced EVERY single hype phrase with brutally specific details.

• "Revolutionary formula" → "Contains 0.5% retinol that took 37 trials to stabilize"
• "Unbelievable results" → "73% of users saw reduced fine lines within 28 days"
• "Game-changing technology" → "Uses a patented airless pump that prevents oxidation"

No more empty superlatives. 
No more meaningless buzzwords.

Just honest, specific, verifiable facts.

The result?

Their conversion rate TRIPLED in the first 30 days.

Email signups jumped 78%.
Return rate dropped 24%.

Turns out, customers in 2025 have developed a powerful immunity to marketing hype. 

They've seen too many "revolutionary" products that were anything but.

What they crave now is SPECIFICITY.

They want to know exactly what they're getting and exactly how it will help them.

The best part? 

This approach actually forces you to create better products. 

You can't hide behind vague language when you commit to specifics.

One e-commerce founder told me: "This approach made us realize our product wasn't as good as our copy claimed. So we improved the actual product instead of just the marketing."

Try this: 

- Look at your highest-traffic product page. 
- Count how many empty superlatives you're using. 
- Then replace each one with a specific, provable detail.

You might just be shocked by what happens next.

Would you dare to try the "anti-hype" method on your store?

I fired a client last week.

They were bringing in $20K monthly revenue, but I walked away from the contract.

Why? 

Because they asked me to lie.

"Can't you just say our product is handmade? No one will know the difference."

After ___ years in this industry, I'm tired of pretending there isn't a MASSIVE ethical problem with how most brands approach marketing.

Let's call it what it is: 

Most of what passes for "marketing" today is just manipulation wearing a fancy name tag.

I see it everywhere:

• Fake scarcity ("Only 3 left!" when there's unlimited inventory)
• Fake urgency ("Sale ends tonight!" that magically extends)
• Fake exclusivity ("VIP access" that everyone gets)
• Fake results (Photoshopped before/afters)

All designed to short-circuit critical thinking and trigger impulse purchases.

But here's what I've learned from working with over 200 e-commerce brands:

The companies that ACTUALLY win long-term don't manipulate. 
They market.

Real marketing is about two things:

• Telling the genuine truth about your product
• Understanding human psychology to communicate that truth effectively

The difference? 

Intent and honesty. 🔥

One approach builds sustainable businesses. 

The other builds short-term sales that collapse when customers realize they've been duped.

I watched a skincare company triple their customer lifetime value by simply being radically honest about what their products could and couldn't do.

Their competitors are still pushing miracle claims and wondering why their retention rates are abysmal.

The truth sells better than lies

—it just takes longer and requires a better product.

So here's my challenge to fellow marketers: Can your products succeed without manipulation tactics?

If not, maybe it's time to improve the product instead of the persuasion.

What do you think? 
Is the line between marketing and manipulation getting too blurry?

American Giant didn't beg for my money. 

That's why I gave them more.

Here’s what happened 👇

I was checking out with one item 

But before I clicked “Complete Purchase,” 

they hit me with a smart upsell.

No aggressive discount countdown.
Just this calm, confident message:

“Add our best-selling tee for $30 — only at checkout.”

That’s it.
No fluff. 
No scroll-heavy carousel.

Just one clear offer, perfectly timed, and priced to make me pause.

✨ It felt like a nudge, not a pitch.
✨ It was relevant — same aesthetic, same quality.
✨ And the copy? Subtle but persuasive.

This is how you do upsells right.

✔ Show up after the buyer commits, not before.
✔ Keep it focused — don’t give them decision fatigue.
✔ And make it feel like a perk, not a trap.

The result?

I added the tee.

Because it didn’t feel like a marketing trick.
It felt like a brand saying, “Hey, this piece completes the look.”

And that, my friends, is good CRO in action.

The best navigation feels invisible. 🤔

But when I clicked on PANGAIA's site, something made me stop scrolling...

I opened the Men’s menu—and I just stared. 

It didn’t flash. 
It didn’t animate.
It didn’t even try to be flashy. 

But it felt *premium.*

A quiet flex. 

Here’s why this minimal slide-out menu works:

1) It respects your space.
It doesn’t take over the screen. It slides in *just enough* to offer options without hijacking the shopping vibe.

2) It organizes like a stylist. 

The layout feels like a curated wardrobe rack. 

Clear categories. 
Easy to skim. 
No “explore everything” chaos.

3) It complements the product.

That full-screen model on the right doesn’t just look good—it adds emotion. 

You don’t just see clothes. 

You *feel* the mood.

From a CRO lens? 

This is a clean, low-friction way to boost browsing without interrupting intent. 🤑

A lot of brands go full chaos on mobile navs: 

Sliders, pop-ups, carousels, filters on filters. ❌

But here’s the truth: 
Less noise = more flow 🧘 

And PANGAIA nails that soft confidence.

I spent $10K testing offers across 50 brands. 

The winners all broke these 3 "rules"

Last quarter, I did something a little crazy.

I spent $10,000 of my own money buying from 50 different DTC brands to study their offers.

My credit card company called TWICE to check if my account was hacked. 

But the insights were worth every penny.

Here's what shocked me:

The brands with the highest conversion rates weren't following the standard "best practices" at all.

In fact, the most successful offers actually BROKE these 3 so-called "rules"

I just reviewed an e-commerce brand's A/B testing history from the past 6 months.

All 17 tests they ran were "inconclusive."

The marketing director was pulling his hair out trying to figure out why nothing was working.

"Maybe A/B testing is just overrated," he told me.

It's not. 
But almost everyone is doing it completely wrong.

Most eCom brands do too much. 😵💫

But Julie? 

They did something bold:

They did less.

No clutter. 
No noise.

I landed on their homepage and didn’t feel like I was on a website. 

(did not feel like a constant sales pitch)

Here’s what I noticed (and loved):

1. No overwhelm.
Just a single headline explaining the product in human words. 

2. Visual trust.
The packaging is front and center

rotating like it’s saying, “You’re in safe hands.” 

3. Focused CTA.
One core action: *learn more or find in-store*. 

no shouting. 
no clutter. 

4. Smart use of animation. 
The pill spins slowly. 

It *moves*, but doesn’t scream for attention. 

It feels intentional

(not decorative)


Why does this matter?

Motion should guide

❌ not distract

Julie uses animation to tell a story of:
✅ safety
✅ trust
✅ control

All without a single popup, discount, or fake urgency timer.

That’s real conversion work. 
Not loud. Just clear.

If your product is sensitive, personal, or trust-heavy 
(like health, wellness, skincare)

Look at how Julie makes people feel before asking them to click.

Sometimes, conversion isn’t about pushing harder. 

It’s about “removing pressure” so people can decide for themselves.

I just completed a research project that completely changed how I view mobile optimization.

I spent $5,000 of my agency's budget ordering from 50 different e-commerce brands

—half on desktop, half on mobile.

The results? Follow and message me!

The "10-year-old test" that boosted our product page conversions by 31%

Last month, I watched my client nearly pull her hair out trying to figure out why her premium skincare line wasn't selling online.

The products were incredible. 
The photos were professional. 
The site was beautiful.

But something wasn't clicking with customers.

Then I asked her to try something that sounds ridiculous but works EVERY time:

"Show your product page to a 10-year-old and see if they can understand it."

She looked at me like I was crazy. 
But she did it.

Her neighbor's kid couldn't explain:
• What the product actually was
• What it actually did
• Why it was better than other options

BOOM. 

Diagnosis complete.

We had fallen into the classic e-com trap of writing for industry insiders instead of actual customers.

So we rewrote EVERYTHING with this simple rule: 
👉 If a 10-year-old can't understand and explain it, it's too complicated.

The results?

Bounce rate dropped 22% ⬇️
Time on page increased 41% ⬆️
Conversions jumped 31% 📈

I now use this "10-year-old test" with EVERY client.

Because here's the truth: Nobody has time to decode your marketing jargon. 

People make buying decisions in seconds.

Your copy doesn't need to be impressive.
It needs to be CLEAR.

I laughed when our junior analyst suggested we pay attention to "average time on page."

"That's a vanity metric," I told her. 

"Focus on conversion rate."

(boy, was I wrong)

Last quarter, we noticed something weird in our client's data. 

Their yoga mat product page had terrible conversion rates but INSANE time on page.

People were spending 4+ minutes reading about this mat... 

but not buying.

Strange, right?

Instead of ignoring it, we research deeper.

Turns out, people loved the product but HATED the price. 

The comments section was full of "wish I could afford this" and "maybe next payday."

So we tested a "Buy Now, Pay Later" option.

Conversions jumped 215% overnight.

That yoga mat is now their #1 product

accounting for 30% of total revenue.

All because we paid attention to a "vanity metric" everyone told us to ignore.

Here's what I've learned:

1. There are no useless metrics
Only useless interpretations.

2. High engagement + low conversion = massive opportunity
Something's keeping interested people from buying. 

Find it. 
Fix it. 
Profit.

3. Listen to the quiet signals
While everyone chases conversion rates and AOV 

the real money often hide in overlooked metrics.

4. Trust patterns, not opinions
When the data shows something unusual

Investigate. 
Don't dismiss.

My analytics dashboard looks completely different now. 

I track weird combinations of metrics that most "experts" would laugh at.

But guess what? 

Our clients aren't laughing. 
Their bank accounts are too busy growing.

What "useless" metric might contain your next breakthrough?

Look again. 
The gold is often hiding in plain sight.

Last Tuesday, I watched a marketing director break down in tears during our review meeting.

Because I showed him that the $30K they spent buying Instagram followers wasn't just wasted money...

It was ACTIVELY DESTROYING their business. 😬

Here's the shocking test we ran on their e-commerce site:

"50K+ Instagram followers" badge: 
-3% conversion rate (YES, NEGATIVE)

"Join our 2,000 happy customers" badge: 
+18% conversion rate 

"93% of customers buy again" badge: 
+34% conversion rate

Their precious follower count was actually SCARING away potential customers.

(and it makes perfect sense when you think about it)

When people see inflated follower numbers

their BS detector goes off. 

They assume you bought them 

(and let's be honest, many brands do)

After removing ALL mentions of their social following from their site and highlighting their repeat purchase rate instead 

their conversion rate jumped by 21%.

I've now run this test with 7 different brands. 

Same result every time.

The painful truth? 

Real customers don't give a damn about your social media popularity contest. 

They care about REAL RESULTS from REAL PEOPLE.

This is why I get so frustrated watching brands chase follower counts like they're the holy grail of marketing. 😤

They're not. 
They're often the opposite.

Focus on metrics that actually matter:
✅ Repeat purchase rate
✅ Customer satisfaction scores
✅ Actual reviews from real people

Has anyone else noticed this trend? 
Or are you still chasing the follower mirage?

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Christopher Clepp's LinkedIn Performance

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