FinTekNews is pleased to offer our weekly feature column 3 Questions. Each week, we feature a thought leader within a unique sector of fintech and ask them to answer just 3 questions for our audience in their vernacular. This week, we’d like to introduce you to John Mackowiak, Chief Business Development Officer of Advyzon, a cloud-based practice management and customer service platform for advisors that provides a suite of practice management solutions including performance reporting and billing, client relationship management (CRM), configurable client web portals, document storage, and business intelligence.
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John MackowiakTITLE:
Chief Business Development OfficerCOMPANY:
AdvyzonWEB ADDRESS:
www.advyzon.comHow did you personally become involved in fintech?
My fintech career began back in 2004, when I was promoted by a much larger firm to be the first dedicated salesperson for what has now become a well-known advisor technology product. I discovered I truly enjoyed working with RIAs and independent advisors, so – rather than following in the footsteps of various peers who were climbing the corporate ladder and increasingly eschewing the industry– I made a conscious decision to stick around. After five years in my first sales role, I was tapped to manage an ever-expanding sales team, and ulitmately, oversee the product.
When I left to help launch Advyzon in 2014, I knew I would be working with some of the best in the business. Collectively, we embrace the idea that if we are in full control of our product, we can truly innovate and have a much greater impact on our clients’ businesses.
What does your firm do/offer within the fintech sector and what is your role there?
Advyzon is a comprehensive, cloud technology platform that includes portfolio management/client reporting, CRM, billing, client portal, document management and business intelligence capabilities. That’s just the technology component! We strongly believe that, at its core, this is a service business – so each firm that works with us also has a dedicated and experienced relationship manager to lean on. This individual is their go-to for all aspects of the Advyzon experience: from implementation and training, to ongoing support.
As Chief Business Development Officer, I have my hand in many aspects of our operation. Job #1 is focusing on continuing to attract new clients so, in addition to managing our expert sales team, I do have my own sales territory and client base. I also lead our marketing efforts, with input from my team, and work with the rest of the leadership team to drive Advyzon’s straegic direction.
What are the biggest problems facing the fintech industry in the future?
Data accessibility. We’ve been trying to spread the word about some of the challenges that many breakaway advisors face in accessing historical data, but we also see issues when advisors attempt to move data from one platform to another.
A big problem for everyone in our space – which simultaneously presents a big opportunity – is the proposed Secure Open Data Access (SODA) framework. It would be a gamechanger for consumers if fintech companies had access to clean, consistent data.
John Mackowiak, chief business development officer of Advyzon, has over a decade of experience in the fintech space. Prior to joining Advyzon, John spent more than 11 years at Morningstar managing the Morningstar Office software platform.