Thomas Helfrich

InstantlyRelevant.com

Instantly Relevant helps B2B companies grow faster by combining AI, automation, and human expertise into one end-to-end marketing system. We manage everything from social media and content creation (posts, podcasts, YouTube, newsletters) to direct outreach, personal brand growth, and AI-SEO powered, human-written thought leadership articles.

Our value is simple: we don’t just build strategies... we execute them. Clients range from billion-dollar engineering firms and $100M SaaS companies to solopreneurs making $500K–$2.5M annually. Across industries — insurance, engineering, software, marketing, and consulting — our customized approach works because it’s designed around results.

All of this comes for less than the cost of an intern.

Lead AI Marketing Strategist

Cut The Tie (Instantly Relevant, Inc. Company)

Cut The Tie | Own Your Success
Cut The Tie is a multi-channel amplification platform that turns one podcast conversation into a powerful marketing engine. We amplify your story across YouTube, social, blogs, newsletters, digital magazine features, and ads—maximizing visibility, credibility, and ROI.

Podcast Host

Computer Aid, Inc.

Led enterprise adoption of AI and Intelligent Automation across sales, delivery, and marketing functions at a $1B+ services firm.

Designed and executed innovation strategies that modernized operations and improved efficiency.

Created AI-powered solutions that enhanced customer experience and supported revenue scalability.

Served as an executive advisor for technology-enabled transformation, positioning CAI as an industry leader.

Chief Innovation Officer

ISG (Information Services Group)

Trusted advisor to Fortune 500 clients including Eli Lilly and Stanley Black & Decker.

Spearheaded AI and automation strategy programs that optimized workflows and reduced costs.

Partnered with executives to align technology investments with measurable business outcomes.

Delivered scalable process optimization frameworks that improved operational quality across enterprises.

Senior Director, Intelligent Automation Services

KPMG

Executive advisor to global enterprises on governance, AI adoption, and automation frameworks.

Guided clients in adopting new technologies securely and strategically.

Developed frameworks that balanced innovation with regulatory compliance.

Senior Manager

Elsevier

Director Business Technology

Accenture

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Solutions Architect

Win More Marketing Clients, Get Verified | Build trust faster, overcome skeptical buyers, & win more clients | Get Verified, Risk-Free | 1 Mil YouTube Subs / Top 10% Global Podcast

I deliver on the promise of Ai marketing to generate leads and build your brand. In fact, I guarantee it.

I bring together AI, automation, and human expertise to drive measurable growth for clients ranging from billion-dollar engineering firms to $100M SaaS companies to high-performing solopreneurs. Book a time with me here: Calendly.com/instantlyrelevant

My team and I provide end-to-end growth solutions:
• Social media management (LinkedIn, Meta, and more)
• Content production (posts, podcasts, YouTube, newsletters)
• Direct outreach (DMs, connections, network growth)
• Thought leadership + AI-SEO human-written articles
• 1:1 coaching to sharpen offers, systems, and sales flows
• Integrating Ai into you business to achieve measurable results

In the past five years, we’ve helped secure over $500M in contracts, doubled revenue from $40M → $80M in just two years, and scaled small businesses from $1M → $3M ARR. Every engagement is customized—and all of it comes for less than the cost of an intern.

Before launching Instantly Relevant, I spent 20 years in consulting (including KPMG) and led intelligent automation and AI strategy implementations at Eli Lilly and Stanley Black & Decker.

🎙️ In 2024, I launched the Cut The Tie podcast + YouTube channel, which grew into a top 2.5% globally ranked show with 1M+ subscribers—proof that the same growth systems we use for clients work at scale.

👉 Want to see how your lead gen stacks up? Take my 3-minute assessment: assessment.instantlyrelevant.com

Chief Executive Officer

Let's double your LinkedIn revenue with the Instantly Relevant sales and marketing system.

Derek N.H. Notman, CFP®

Couplr AI

The Find-an-Advisor Platform for Insurance & Wealth Management Companies.  Couplr AI is a cutting-edge Advisor Matching Solution that's Leveraging AI and data science to provide a highly personalized and digitally enhanced experience to help consumers match with the right advisor, for the right reasons, at the right time and place.

The "eHarmony" for Insurance & Wealth Management companies (and their advisors) to acquire more customers (clients) in a modern way that's more efficient and less expensive.  Only available as a white-label, enterprise solution.  Contact me to learn more!

Founder & CEO

REBL Dads

REBL Dads (Responsible, Entrepreneurship, Balanced, Leadership).  A global mastermind helping dads be the best dad and entrepreneur possible.

Founder

Rethink. Financial Advice Podcast

Fellow Fintech CEO Adam Holt and I are hosting Rethink. Financial Advice podcast. With decades of real-world experience as veterans and actively practicing advisors, we are rethinking what it takes to succeed as a financial advisor in the 21st century.

Kiplinger Advisor Collective

Founding Member

Intrepid Wealth Partners, LLC

Intrepid Wealth Partners is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor that focuses on comprehensive financial and Investment planning.  Derek is a Virtual CFP® that specializes working with Self-Minted Millionaires who are CEO's, Founders, Business Owners and C-Suite Executives.  As a Virtual CFP® practitioner Derek loves to help his clients enjoy life today while still planning for tomorrow.

Certified Financial Planner (CFP)®

Tribe of Luxury

Luxury: "a material object, service, etc., conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity."

Luxury is represented in a variety of physical aspects of our lives but it doesn't start there.  Physical luxury is a byproduct of being in a luxury state of mind.

Envisioning a life of luxury, wealth, travel, happiness, and fulfillment drives us to action.  Action to manifest the physical aspects, pleasures, and benefits of a luxury state of mind.

Enjoying our wealth is a right.  How we choose to enjoy it is personal and unique to us.  The Tribe of Luxury is a place to learn from other self-minted millionaires on how to get the most out of our Luxury.

In other words; how to Live Your Best Life Today & Tomorrow.

Creator

Entrepreneur Media

ENTREPRENEUR LEADERSHIP NETWORK CONTRIBUTOR

Conneqtor

Successful exit December 2023.

Financial advisor practice management course & training empowering financial advisors to achieve excellence in the 21st century by showing you how to:
● Acquire More Ideal Clients
● Lower Your Expenses
● Do It From Anywhere

Conneqtor is how to build an advisory practice in the 21st century.  It is THE cutting-edge, modern solution teaching advisors how to start, run, grow, and market their business in the digital world we live in.

If you are looking for a better way to acquire new clients (lead generation), learn digital marketing, and learn a modern approach to practice management to help you thrive in the a digital world, then this is exactly what you have been looking for.

Eagle Strategies LLC

Financial Adviser offering investment advisory services through Eagle Strategies LLC, A Registered Investment Adviser. I am not licensed in all jurisdictions. My California Insurance license number is 0K35010.I am an Agent licensed to sell insurance through New York Life Insurance Company and may be licensed with various other independent unaffiliated insurance companies. Additionally, I am a Financial Services Professional of and offers securities products & services through NYLIFE Securities LLC, (Member FINRA/SIPC), A Licensed Insurance Agency. 999 Fourier Drive, STE 300, Madison, WI 53717.  608-827-2104. Neither Intrepid Wealth Partners, LLC nor New York Life Insurance Company, or its agents, provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. Please consult your own tax, legal, or accounting professionals before making any decisions. Intrepid Wealth Partners, LLC is not owned or operated by New York Life Insurance Company or its affiliates.

(MDRT), The Premier Association of Financial Professionals, is recognized globally as the standard of
excellence for life insurance sales performance in the insurance and financial services industry.

Eagle Strategies LLC and NYLIFE Securities LLC are New York Life Companies.

CFP® & Financial Adviser

New York Life Insurance Company

Agent

Founder & CEO @ Couplr.ai = Solving the Client Acquisition & Orphan Client problems for Wealth Management, Insurance BDs, Wire Houses, Large RIAs, Orgs and Financial Advisors | REBL Dad | Co-Host Rethink FA Podcast

Dad. World Traveler. Fintech Rebel. Fixing our Relationship with Money using AI (and Flip-flops).

Hey there! I'm Derek, a self-proclaimed REBL Dad on a mission to repair our relationship with money.

Catch me on Substack for behind the scenes insights, data, and ideas: https://dereknotman.substack.com/subscribe

Born in Dublin a global nomad (Irish, South African, German-American, Minnesotan!), I crave adventure, once even being dubbed "The World's Most Interesting Man" (jury's still out on that one).

‍I'm a husband, father, car enthusiast, aspiring surfer, and yes, I even jumped out of a plane for fun! (Not financially related, but hey, it shows I'm not afraid of a challenge!) 🪂

Award-winning financial advisor, fintech founder, and NAIFA Leading New Advisor. Basically, I know my stuff (and I'm not afraid to shake it up).

What I Do:

● Founder & CEO of Couplr AI: Doing for Insurance & Wealth Management what eHarmony did for relationships by using data science to tackle the client acquisition & orphan client problems facing our industry.

️● Co-host of Rethink Financial Advice Podcast: We question everything about financial advice, because sometimes the best way to fix things is to laugh at them first.

Why Connect with Me?

I'm a connector and love meeting new people! Whether you're a fellow rebel, a curious mind, or just want to chat about the future of finance (or flip-flops), hit me up!

P.S. Want to learn more about my AI brainchild? Check out Couplr AI: www.couplr.ai

Couplr is the future of LeadGen, this is what you've been looking for.

The "eHarmony" for financial advisors, helping financial services companies (and their advisors) get more customers (clients) in a modern way that's more efficient and less expensive.  Only available as a white-label, enterprise solution.  Contact me to learn more!

Email Derek Notman at derek@couplr.ai to inquire about Couplr for your enterprise or organization.

“Behind every great man is a great woman.”

We were reminded of that truth this week with the passing of Joan Branson - a woman whose quiet strength and steady presence supported one of the most impactful entrepreneurial journeys of our time.

I only met Joan briefly through our work with REBL Dads, but even in that short moment, her warmth and grounded energy were unmistakable.

This candid moment of Richard laughing with my wife during our time on Necker now hits differently this week…

It reminds me not only of the joy, partnership, and support that surrounded him - much of it shaped by Joan behind the scenes - but also of the support I’m fortunate to receive at home.

The kind of support that makes it possible to build anything meaningful.

Her passing is a powerful reminder that none of us achieve anything alone.

Behind every legacy is someone who believes, encourages, and quietly holds things together.

My thoughts are with Richard and his family.

Founder & CEO at Couplr AI | Science-based matching for firms with 100+ advisors | REBL Dad | Speaker | Co-Host Rethink FA Podcast

My dad showed up for my childhood… but not for my fatherhood.

When I look at this picture of us washing my mom’s old car - two of us climbing all over it, doing everything the “wrong” way - I see more than just a messy Saturday.

Back then, my dad wasn’t living with us, but I still saw him every week.

He was present enough to feel real.

Consistent enough to count on.

A part of my life, even if only in pieces.

But something changed when I became a father myself.

And suddenly, the man who showed up for my childhood… stopped showing up for my adulthood.

Here’s the part that hit me hardest:

I didn’t need him to be perfect - I just needed him to show up.

Kids don’t measure love by grand gestures.

They measure it by presence.

And that’s exactly what I’m building my fatherhood on.

I can’t rewrite my childhood.

But I can rewrite the pattern.

My son will know two things with absolute certainty:
His dad is here.
His dad is staying.

Sometimes the best way to honor the father you had… is to become the father you needed.
#dadlife #fatherhood #growth

Most people think sales is about closing scripts. Mandela’s life makes it obvious: it’s about meeting people in their world.

I recently was standing by a statue of Nelson Mandela — a man who spent 27 years in prison and still walked out choosing connection over resentment.

Here’s something incredible: while locked up on Robben Island, Mandela didn’t just wait to be freed. He learned Afrikaans — the language of many of his guards. He greeted them in their own tongue.

Why? Because he knew: when you speak someone’s language, you speak to their heart.

Sales works the same way. Most reps talk at people.
Mandela talked with them.

He didn’t view the guards as just obstacles. He saw them as part of the story. And by acknowledging their humanity, he built influence.

TAKEAWAY:
Your deal isn’t just a transaction. It’s an invitation into a mutual language.

Learn their words. Reflect their reality. Build the kind of relationship that gets you a seat at the table—before you ever pitch.

Your relationship is your real pipeline.

Skills close deals. But connection builds legacies.

#sales #growth #marketing #connection

📸 Snapped this at a national Financial Planning conference last week in SA — good energy, great people, and a lot of honest conversations. 🤙

I spoke with a loads of executives from large insurance and wealth management firms, and almost every single one said the same thing:
“We don’t have a lead problem. We have a conversion problem.”

And they’re right.

You don’t need more lead generation. You need better lead conversions.

Most firms are doing a good job with Lead Generation — but starving for conversions and connection.

They’re still matching prospects to advisors using postal code and net worth…

That’s not matchmaking. That’s admin work.

Here are 2 shifts that actually move the needle 👇

1️⃣ Build a matching tool that feels human.
 Match clients to advisors based on communication style, values, and goals — not just geography.
 People don’t buy from whoever’s closest.
 They buy from whoever gets them.

2️⃣ Flip the model — make it client-driven.
 Think Bumble, not blind date.
 Let clients see advisor profiles and get to know them a bit — then make the first move.
 
When clients choose who they connect with, trust skyrockets.

And so do conversions.

This isn’t about tech for tech’s sake.

It’s about creating real alignment between clients and advisors.

Because the future of growth in financial services isn’t who can generate the most leads…

It’s who can create the best connections.

Everyone’s pouring millions into lead gen tech.
Almost no one’s investing in conversion design.
Which side would you bet on five years from now?

#leadgeneration #leadconversions #wealthmanagement

My grandfather, my uncles, and my father-in-law all served. I didn’t — and that decision still sticks with me.

Today, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to all who have served — past, present, and future.

Below are my father-in-law and one of my uncles.

Your dedication and sacrifice have given the rest of us something priceless: the freedom to build, create, and pursue our passions without fear. That’s a gift I try not to take for granted.

I don’t have many regrets in life, but one of them is not serving in the military.

My grandfather, both of my uncles, and my father-in-law all wore the uniform. 

Watching their discipline, integrity, and sense of purpose left a lasting impression on me — and shaped a lot of who I am today.

So today, I simply want to say thank you.

Thank you for your courage, your sacrifice, and your service. You’ve set a standard for the rest of us to live up to.

👉 Tag a veteran you appreciate today and let them know how much their service means.

#veteransday #gratitude #service

Tomorrow we’ll all be talking about gratitude — so here’s mine: getting blocked by a surfboard when I tried to take a picture of my teenage son.

Yesterday at the beach, right after surfing, we asked our teenage son for a quick photo.

In classic teenage fashion, he raised his surfboard like a full-body privacy screen so we couldn’t see a single pixel of his face.

Apparently we’re the paparazzi now.  (Zero autographs were signed.)

But as we head into Thanksgiving, I’m reminding myself that these silly, stubborn, so-them moments are exactly what I’m grateful for, especially as a father.

These tiny snapshots of parenting — the ones that don’t look like a holiday card — are the ones we’ll laugh about for years.

The ones that remind us our kids are growing, changing, experimenting with who they are… and letting us tag along for the ride.

Here’s to the surfboard shields, the eye rolls, and the imperfect moments that somehow become the perfect memories.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the parents out there — enjoy every weird, wonderful second. 🦃🌊📸

Financial advice isn’t a product.
It’s a relationship.
And just like dating, the first impression determines everything.

When we studied adviser–client behavior through the lens of online dating psychology, we uncovered patterns that completely transform how advisers should connect, build trust, and create long-term relationships.

I cover it all — including the 3 types of trust and where most companies and advisors unintentionally lose clients — in this week’s article.

Read it here 👇

Most insurance and wealth management companies, and their advisors, still think their biggest problem is “getting more leads.” But what if the real is

Open article: Why Financial Advice Is Starting to Look a Lot Like Online Dating by Derek N.H. Notman, CFP® • 2 min read

Why Financial Advice Is Starting to Look a Lot Like Online Dating

Executives in wealth and insurance — if your companie's growth has plateaued, the issue isn’t lead flow.

It’s conversion friction.

Here’s what I’ve learned after building Couplr and working with thousands of advisors through our corporate partners:

➡️ Trust is the new KPI.

Full breakdown here 👇
👉 Scaling Human Connection: How Psychology + Technology Fix Advisor Growth
#WealthManagement #leadgeneration #marketing #organicgrowth

If you lead a large insurance or wealth management firm, you probably know the story all too well: 👉 Marketing’s generating plenty of leads. 👉 Advis

Open article: Scaling Human Connection: The Real Fix for Advisor Growth by Derek N.H. Notman, CFP® • 2 min read

Scaling Human Connection: The Real Fix for Advisor Growth

Most marketing is polite.

Predictable.
Forgettable.

Then I saw this:
A hearse converted into a hotel shuttle.

Rear window glowing with a neon sign that says “VACANCY.”

It’s dark.
It’s funny.
And it’s absolutely brilliant.

Why?

Because it does what 99% of marketing forgets to do — it makes people stop.

You don’t need a big budget, a creative agency, or a massive team to stand out.
 
You just need the courage to be unmissable.

💡 Lesson:
The goal of marketing isn’t perfection — it’s attention.
 
Find a way to surprise, delight, or even make people laugh.

If they notice you, they’ll remember you.

If they remember you, they’ll buy from you.

Big brand or small business — the principle’s the same:

Don’t play it safe. Play it memorable.

What’s the most original piece of marketing you’ve seen lately?

Drop it below — I’m collecting ideas that refuse to die. 💀

#marketing #business #growth

Most lead-gen tools feel like a bad first date — one that’s being forced for all the wrong reasons.

You know the type.

Someone sets it up. There’s no chemistry. It’s awkward from the start.

Both people leave wondering why they were even there.

That’s exactly what’s happening with lead generation in insurance and wealth management today.

I’ve been there — I’ve paid for the tools, tested the systems, and heard countless horror stories from firms trying to make them work.

The intent is good: connect more advisors with more prospects.

But the way most tools go about it? It’s forcing connections that shouldn’t happen — and it’s eroding trust in the process.

Here’s what’s really going wrong 👇
1️⃣ Data scraping and automation break trust before it begins.
Most systems scrape personal data and automate outreach to people who never opted in.
That’s not marketing — that’s matchmaking without consent.

2️⃣ The same “leads” get sold to multiple advisors.
Imagine showing up to a first date… and realizing your match also went out with three other people from your firm, at the same time!
That’s what happens when “exclusive” leads get recycled.

3️⃣ Third-party platforms build their brand, not yours.
When your marketing lives inside someone else’s funnel, you lose control of the story.
You’re renting visibility instead of building credibility.

4️⃣ Firms chase volume instead of alignment.
A bigger list doesn’t mean better connections.
If the prospects aren’t the right fit, your advisors spend their time convincing instead of connecting.

5️⃣ Matching by data ignores what actually builds relationships.
Zip code, income, and portfolio size might predict capacity, but they don’t create chemistry.
Real trust doesn’t come from algorithms — it comes from alignment.
Technology isn’t the enemy.
But forcing relationships through the wrong tools is.

Firms are shifting their approach:
 ✅ Building ecosystems that attract people through authentic brand presence
 ✅ Using tech to enable connection, not manufacture it
 ✅ Measuring trust and engagement — not just clicks and leads

Because in this industry, sustainable growth doesn’t come from forcing first dates.  It comes from earning the right ones.

When I was an advisor, I learned something simple but powerful:

The best “first dates” with clients weren’t the ones that came from cold lists or clever funnels.

They were the ones where we connected as people first — where trust was real, timing was right, and the relationship grew naturally.

And today, technology can actually facilitate more of those moments — when it’s used with the right intent, the right strategy, and a focus on helping people connect like humans again.

That’s the future of lead generation — not more automation, but better connection at scale.

#leadgeneration #sales #connection #trust

Referrals built my business—until I realized they were slowing me down.

When I first started as a financial advisor, everyone told me the same thing:
“Referrals are the best way to grow your business.”

They were half right.

I tried the “just ask for names” approach.

You know how that goes — people give you one or two, maybe, and they’re usually not great leads.

No one wants to hand over their friends’ contact info and have you cold call them.

So I changed the game.

I bought a stack of 50 carbon copy referral forms — the kind with 10 blank lines.

After doing business with a client, I’d pull one out and say:
“Would you mind writing down 10 people, and their phone numbers, who might need help from someone like me?”

They almost always filled out all 10.

I’d tear off the carbon copy, hand it to them, and say:
“Please let them know I’ll be reaching out next week — and if anyone’s not interested, tell me and I’ll leave them alone.”

When I called a week later?

Almost everyone said, “Yeah, I was expecting your call.”

The meetings were easy. The business followed.

It was a referral machine.

But times have changed.

That system worked when phone calls ruled.

Now it’s not scalable, still manual, and honestly — just a warmer version of cold calling.

So what if we flipped the script… and let clients come to us first?

That’s what happens when you:
 ✅ Create valuable, educational content
 ✅ Build a strong online presence
 ✅ Deliver an experience that empowers clients to reach out when they are ready

And now, technology is finally catching up to what we’ve always known — that human connection is still the most powerful growth strategy.

Only now, we can facilitate those connections digitally — authentically, efficiently, and at scale.

We’ve gone from carbon copy paper…to systems that help people connect with the right people — faster, easier, and more naturally than ever before.

Question for you:
How are you building real human connection into your business in a digital-first world?
#referrals #leadgeneration #growth #financialadvisors

Every December, I feel two opposite emotions at the same time:

I love the holidays and time with family.

And they give me anxiety as a founder.

While most people wind down, I’m still in motion — long days, tight goals, loose timelines, and a world that suddenly switches into “let’s revisit in January.”

And that gap between my pace and everyone else’s?

That’s where the anxiety lives.

It makes me feel like I’m losing momentum…
or worse, falling behind.

But over the years, I’ve learned something that’s made this month feel less heavy:
December is one of the best months to work on the business instead of in it.  Not because things are calm - but because the chaos quiets down just enough to see clearly.

Here are the 3 things I focus on that make the holidays easier to navigate:
1️⃣ Reduce the number of goals, increase the quality of the work.
 Instead of trying to “catch up,” I pick one or two projects that actually move the needle.
2️⃣ Pre-decide what you’re NOT doing this month.
 Founders don’t get time off, but we also don’t need to carry everything.
 Saying “not this month” is a power move.
3️⃣ Use the slowdown as a strategic advantage.
 
Competitors pause.
Customers pause.
But inspiration, ideas, and getting clarity doesn’t.

December is where I build the systems that make January easier.

So if you’re feeling the holiday joy and the pressure - you’re not alone.

You’re not going backwards.

You’re just in the part of the race where everyone else takes a break.
And if you treat December like the reset button instead of a setback…

January gets a whole lot lighter.

What’s one thing you’re focusing on this month?

#entrepreneurship #founders #startups

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Derek N.H. Notman, CFP®

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