The Most Valuable Clients You’re Probably Overlooking

Most advisors don't do what they do for the money. Many could make more in other jobs but choose to advise owners because they want to feel like they're having an impact. The key is to make sure you target companies large enough to action your advice, ones where the owner isn’t trapped in daily operations.

According to new analysis from Value Builder Analytics, two-thirds of owners running companies between $1M and $10M in annual revenue — we call them Zebras — say their business would “hardly suffer” or only “suffer a little but survive” if they were out for three months. That’s 27% higher than owners who earn less than $1M in annual revenue, showing how Zebras have built more resilient companies with dependence on the founder.

Zebras are the clients that have the potential to deliver bigger fees and faster wins. These $1–10M owners have the ability to act on your advice and the motivation to pay for it. They’ve built something real but know they’re not at the finish line yet and that mix of ambition and capacity makes them ideal clients.

Quick Links

🎥 Watch our recent webinar replay and see why $1–10M “Zebra” businesses are often the best clients advisors can serve. Hosted by John Warrillow, author of Built to Sell, The Automatic Customer, and The Art of Selling Your Business, this session reveals what makes Zebras stand out and how you can attract more of them.

Watch here

🔧 Think of Value Builder as your advisor’s toolbox — packed with assessments, growth planning tools, and ready-to-use nurture campaigns. It’s everything you need to guide owners toward building a more valuable company, while saving you hours of prep time.

See what’s inside

📊 Real stories. Real results. Discover how top advisors are using Value Builder to win better clients and prove their impact.

Explore our case studies

Was this email forwarded to you? If so, subscribe here.

Advisor News is brought to you by The Value Builder System^TM, a value assessment platform that helps advisors start strategic conversations with business owners.

This Issue’s Contributors: Jason Reilly, Editor; Michael Sarkis, Director of Value Builder Analytics; Deanne Kong Ting, Director of Customer Success; Jen Chou, Senior Graphic Designer