If you’re one of our current clients, then you’ve probably had the privilege of working with Heidi Wilson—one of our superstar Account Managers.
Heidi is an incredible asset to our team and spends a great deal of her time working with financial advisors, helping them tell their stories and answer their questions.
But what you may not know is that Heidi’s mom was actually a financial advisor, which is what inspired her to start a career in this industry.
The story of Heidi and her mom is one of trials and triumphs, so I wanted to share it with you today. Give it a read below or watch this short video to hear Heidi’s story in her own words.

How It All Started: The Story Of Heidi’s Mom
At the age of 46, Heidi’s mom was laid off from her job in hospital management. She was a single mom and divorcee, so she had to immediately figure out how to help support her teenage daughters.
Heidi’s mom had always invested in the market (she’d learned about it from her dad, who owned a grocery store in a tiny town in Illinois). So she decided to look for a job in financial services.
It wasn’t easy for her to convince a brokerage firm to hire her because:
- It was 1986—a time where there weren’t many female financial advisors.
- She didn’t have any sales experience.
But she didn’t let that stop her. Heidi’s mom ended up getting a job with Dean Witter, where she was the only female broker in their local office for two years.
How Heidi’s Mom Inspired Her When She Was Young
Heidi vividly remembers her mom working seven days a week, 12 hours a day trying to find new clients. She would spend nights and weekends going through the phone book making cold calls.
Anywhere they went as a family was an opportunity for her mom to network. It didn’t matter if it was a gas station or the grocery store.
In fact, one time Heidi’s mom took her and her sister to an art show where she collected business cards from all of the artists. She then spent the next few days calling every single one of them to see if they needed financial help. This strategy worked—she actually ended up getting one of them as a client!
Heidi’s mom tended to work with a lot of female clients because she knew there would come a time where they’d be the heads of their household—either by divorce or death. She encouraged these women to understand their finances and make decisions for themselves so they’d be in control if life ever happened.
Heidi used to joke with her mom that she was more like a life coach than a financial advisor for many of these women. Looking back, she understands why so many of her mom’s clients needed her.
The Story of 1987
Heidi’s mom had just become a broker when the stock market crashed in 1987—a day Heidi will never forget. She was a freshman in college at the time, and she’d just broken her wrist. She called up her mom crying, asking for help on what to do.
Heidi’s mom calmly told her that the stock market had just crashed and that she’d need to go to the emergency room by herself to get it taken care of. Needless to say, Heidi grew up a lot that day.
Her mom spent 19 years as a financial advisor. To this day, Heidi is still amazed at all she accomplished during those two decades. Her mom is retired now but is still friends with many of her clients from all those years ago.
Why Heidi’s Work at Indigo Is So Important to Her
Heidi admits that she didn’t appreciate all the work her mom did for her clients when she was young, but now she completely gets it. She really enjoys building relationships with her advisors and getting a firsthand look at all the work they do for their clients. She sees all the unique ways her advisors go above and beyond, and it makes her proud to be able to support them.
At Indigo Marketing Agency, we understand firsthand how much work you have on your plate as an independent financial advisor. If you’d like help handling your marketing, we encourage you to schedule a free strategy session with our team today. We’d love to hear more of your story and talk about how we can help you cross marketing off your to-do list for good.
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