Sole Véronique with Abraham Okusanya: Money, Resilience and Building Something from Scratch
Introduction
In this episode of A Taste of Financial Planning, Dennis Hall and Sarah Steele are joined at the table by Abraham Okusanya, founder and CEO of Timeline.
Abraham grew up in Nigeria before receiving a scholarship to study in the UK, a turning point that changed the course of his life. Today, he runs a financial planning and investment technology business responsible for managing more than £13 billion of client assets.
But this is not a simple story about moving neatly from one success to the next.
The conversation begins much earlier, with Abraham’s childhood memories of money, shared family meals and occasions when there was not quite enough to go around. He reflects on what those experiences taught him about earning, spending and valuing money, and how they continue to shape his thinking years later.
From there, Abraham talks about building a business step by step, pitching to investors while his wife was in hospital, being told no more than once and deciding to continue anyway.
It is an honest conversation about uncertainty, resilience and how our earliest experiences with money often stay with us, even when our circumstances have changed completely.
On the menu
Dennis served twice-baked soufflé to start.
The main course was sole with sauce Véronique and pavé potatoes.
In this episode
Dennis, Sarah and Abraham discuss:
- Growing up in Nigeria and Abraham’s earliest memories of money
- Family life and the importance of shared meals
- What it means to grow up when there is sometimes not quite enough to go around
- Receiving a scholarship to study in the UK
- Adjusting to a very different life and financial environment
- Building a business gradually rather than following a straight path
- Pitching to investors during a difficult period in his family life
- Dealing with rejection, uncertainty and setbacks
- Continuing when success is far from guaranteed
- How childhood experiences with money shape decisions later in life
- Raising children in a very different financial world
- The difference between outward success and the uncertainty behind it
- Building Timeline and creating Adviser 3.0
Links
Find out more about Timeline:
https://www.timeline.co
Find out more about Adviser 3.0:
https://adviser3point0.co
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The podcast is hosted by Dennis Hall and Sarah Steele.
To contact Yellowtail, email ask@yellowtail.co.uk.
Yellowtail is a financial planning firm founded by Dennis Hall. We work with individuals and families across the UK, helping them understand their finances, make considered decisions and plan for the future with greater clarity.