Kary Brownlee became a financial advisor after an unexpected career shift. Fresh out of grad school, he began working as a management consultant, but his path changed when 9/11 happened during his first project. Six months later, in February 2002, he was laid off along with half the office. With few job opportunities and a tough environment for starting a business, Kary turned to wealth management, inspired by family members at Smith Barney and Baird. He joined Smith Barney in Atlanta, where he spent the next decade building his career in a branch office.
Years of steady organic growth brought Freedom Wealth Partners to a pivotal point: maintain their current trajectory or strategically scale. Opting for growth, they partnered with Growth Suite Consulting, IAA’s recruiting partner.
From his office in Kennesaw, GA, Kary shared insights into their process, key learnings, and the resulting outcomes.
At what point did you realize it was time to grow the team?
Time became our constraint. Once we passed 150 households, with assets still coming in, we were working harder than we wanted. We’d already simplified our process and our ideal client profile. There were no more efficiencies left to squeeze without adding support.
How did you first hear about Growth Suite Consulting, and what prompted you to engage with them?
I met McCall at IAA’s ENGAGE conference in Nashville last year. At the time, we’d been toying with the idea of growing the team. We had a good connection, and it was a good place to start that conversation—even though we waited over six months to fully engage.
What specific challenges or opportunities were you hoping to address?
Capacity, plain and simple. After several years of intentionally slow growth, we found ourselves at a decision point. Do we keep things as they are, or are we ready to scale? Family transitions played a role—my kids were moving through college, and Leana, my longtime partner in the firm, was becoming a soon-to-be empty nester. The timing made sense to consider growth more seriously.
What did the process with Growth Suite look like from start to finish?
It was structured and easy to follow. We started with a Zoom call to lay out what we were looking for. Once we were ready to go, we shared some documents, did short personality tests for our current team, and then met with both McCall and Ruby (our recruiter) to define the role and candidate profile.
Within weeks, Ruby delivered four pre-screened candidates—complete with resumes, personality screens, and her own interview notes. Two of the four were a strong match. We interviewed both virtually, then brought one in for an in-person meeting. It took about six weeks from start to offer and we spent maybe 10–20 hours total on the process.
How did Growth Suite Consulting help you shift your thinking about the business overall?
It made growth feel more tangible and less intimidating. We realized we can grow, that great people are out there, and that it’s not impossible to find and integrate them when you’re working with the right resources.
Were there any hesitations before you made the decision?
Definitely. We asked ourselves: What roles do we need? Who does what? Leana and I have worked together for over 15 years—we have our rhythm. Before hiring, we spent months documenting our processes in Redtail, updating our IT infrastructure, and even rearranging the office to better support team growth.
How did Growth Suite help you navigate those unknowns?
They encouraged us to start low risk. We agreed on hiring a junior Client Service Associate (CSA) as a first step. If it didn’t work, it would be easy to undo. But it worked, and now Alex is on board. Plus, we believe future advisors should learn from the ground up.
How has bringing on a new team member affected your capacity or client relationships?
Still early, but promising. Leana and Alex are developing a workflow that’s allowing me to delegate with more confidence. Watching Leana mentor someone has confirmed what I already knew—she’s a rockstar. I should’ve been delegating more a long time ago.
Any unexpected benefits from working with Growth Suite?
Just how smooth it all was. Hiring doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming with the right guide. We’d absolutely use Growth Suite again.
In hindsight, would you have done anything differently?
Yes—we should’ve cleaned up our processes and IT sooner. It would’ve made everything easier.
What advice would you give to an advisor who’s overwhelmed but unsure whether they’re ready to grow?
Start by optimizing your client list. Are there clients causing more stress than they’re worth? Let them go. Next, streamline your processes. Are you over-delivering or over-communicating? What do your clients actually want? Deliver that—efficiently. If you’re still overwhelmed after that, it’s time to bring someone in—whether that’s a coach or staff.
How do you balance growth with maintaining a high-touch client experience?
Honestly, I think “high-touch” is the wrong goal. “Right-touch” is better. Reaching out to clients when they don’t want to hear from you is just annoying. Figure out when and how your clients want to engage, and deliver value then. Also—don’t take advice from consultants who’ve never been advisors. If they were good at this, they’d be doing it themselves.
Any tools, systems, or mindset shifts you’d recommend to advisors scaling for the first time?
Document everything. Eliminate unnecessary steps, touchpoints, and deliverables. If clients notice something’s missing, you can always add it back. You’ll be surprised how much fluff you don’t need.
What’s one habit that’s made the biggest impact on your firm’s success?
Always doing the right thing for clients, even if it’s uncomfortable. Clients can spot a fake, so be authentic. Own mistakes, have a plan to fix them, and be honest when you don’t have the answer. Then follow through.
What’s next for your firm?
Continued growth. We’re refining our processes, expanding our tax and estate planning capabilities, and looking for new office space. Ideally, we’ll add one new person each year, building toward a multi-advisor firm that outlasts its founder.
A little more about Kary
A Navy vet, Kary also served in the United States Navy as a Flight Officer and Intelligence Officer. Outside the office, Kary enjoys lake time and travel with his wife and their two (going on three) Georgia Tech alum kids. He also finds the time to referee a soccer match or two.
Learn more about Freedom Wealth Partners by visiting their website.
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Freedom Wealth Partners. is an other business name of Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC. All investment advice is offered through Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, a registered investment adviser.