How do you keep a growing organization aligned and moving forward together? What role does vision play in overcoming resistance to change and creating momentum?

In this episode, Daren Blonski and Carmine Corino continue their scaling series by exploring vision as the critical simplifier for growth. They share practical strategies for keeping teams focused, from weekly GSL (Grow, Serve, Learn) calls to reading books together as an organization. Carmine discusses his powerful ten-three-one business planning framework and how he challenged 50 advisors in Greenville to compress their 10-year vision into a 3-year milestone, forcing elimination and pathway clarity.

Daren and Carmine discuss:

• Weekly GSL calls to keep teams grounded in growth, service, and learning goals across dispersed offices
• Reading books as an organization to create shared language and reinforce cultural values
• The ten-three-one business planning framework and why the 3-year milestone is where the real work happens
• How compressing timelines from 10 years to 3 years forces the elimination of pathways that won’t achieve 10X results
• Why detachment and thinking time are essential for breakthroughs, not endless desk work
• And more!

Resources:

• Broken Dealer: Navigating the Path to Financial Advisor Independence by Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski
• 10X Is Easier Than 2X by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Ben Hardy
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• The Science of Scaling by Dr. Ben Hardy

Connect with Daren Blonski:

• LinkedIn: Daren Blonski
• Sonoma Wealth Advisors

Connect with Carmine Corino:

• LinkedIn: Carmine Corino
• Cornerstone Planning Group

Growth is steady. Scaling is exponential. What separates the two?

How do you shift from incremental progress to transformational results? What does it take to build a practice that doesn’t just grow by percentages but multiplies in value and impact?

In this episode, Daren Blonski and Carmine Corino launch their five-part series on scaling financial advisory businesses. They break down the difference between 10X thinking and 2X thinking, sharing practical strategies they’ve used to scale their own billion-dollar practices. From intentionality and decision discipline to eliminating distractions and focusing on what truly matters, they reveal the principles that drive real transformation in advisory businesses.

Daren and Carmine discuss:

• The core difference between 10X scaling mindset versus 2X growth mindset and how to apply it
• Why intentionality and knowing your destination are the foundation of any scaling effort
• How decision discipline and values-based filters eliminate noise and focus energy
• The importance of understanding whether you’re an operator or an advisor before scaling
• Why 80% of daily activities keep advisors stuck and how to focus on the critical 20%
• And more!

Resources:

• Broken Dealer: Navigating the Path to Financial Advisor Independence by Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski
• 10X Is Easier Than 2X by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Ben Hardy
• Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Ben Hardy
• The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Ben Hardy
• Built to Sell by John Warrillow
• Strategic Coach Program by Dan Sullivan

Connect with Daren Blonski:

• LinkedIn: Daren Blonski
• Sonoma Wealth Advisors

Connect with Carmine Corino:

• LinkedIn: Carmine Corino
• Cornerstone Planning Group

When your independent broker-dealer sells, it can change everything about how you serve clients and run your business.

In this episode, Daren Blonski and Carmine Corino break down what happens when your firm sells or changes direction and what you can do about it. From evaluating alignment and fiduciary responsibility to exploring independence, they share hard truths about how these transitions impact advisors and their clients.

They discuss:

• How advisors should assess whether to stay with a sold firm, move to another, or go independent
• Why private equity ownership often creates misalignment between advisors, clients, and shareholders
• How the concept of fiduciary duty gets distorted within broker-dealers
• The consequences of compliance and “selling away” rules that protect firms, not clients
• Why true independence may be the only way to gain long-term alignment and control
• And more!

Resources:

• Broken Dealer: Navigating the Path to Financial Advisor Independence by Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski

Connect with Daren Blonski:

• LinkedIn: Daren Blonski
• Sonoma Wealth Advisors

Connect with Carmine Corino:

• LinkedIn: Carmine Corino
• Cornerstone Planning Group

Growth as an advisor begins with growth as a person.

In this episode, Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski discuss how self-development, health, and discipline directly impact your capacity to lead and grow your business. They share how tracking a personal development budget, joining masterminds, and committing to daily habits have transformed their lives and leadership.

Key takeaways:

• How Carmine and Daren allocate 10% of their annual budgets to personal development
• The link between physical discipline and business growth
• How a personal development (PD) budget fuels leadership capacity
• The importance of asking, “Who do you need to become to achieve your vision?”
• Why breaking barriers in health and mindset makes business challenges easier to overcome
• And more!

Resources:

• Broken Dealer: Navigating the Path to Financial Advisor Independence by Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski
• The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
• What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
• Who Not How by Dan Sullivan

Connect with Daren Blonski:

• LinkedIn: Daren Blonski
• Sonoma Wealth Advisors

Connect with Carmine Corino:

• LinkedIn: Carmine Corino
• Cornerstone Planning Group

Many advisors excel at client service yet struggle with the demands of running and scaling a business.

In this episode, Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski break down the three key identities that every advisor must recognize: advisor, business owner, and entrepreneur. They discuss how to align your time and energy with the role that drives you most, the hidden costs of “going independent,” and how AI and firm dynamics are reshaping the advisor landscape.

Key Takeaways:

• The three roles every advisor plays: advisor, business owner, and entrepreneur, and why clarity between them is vital
• How to identify which role gives you energy and align your work accordingly
• The real cost of independence versus tucking into an established firm
• Why AI and technology shifts will redefine advisory roles and firm relationships
• How mid-sized “sweet spot” firms empower advisors through flexibility and support
• And more!

Resources:

• Broken Dealer: Navigating the Path to Financial Advisor Independence by Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski
• 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy
• The Science of Scaling by Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Connect with Daren Blonski:

• LinkedIn: Daren Blonski
• Sonoma Wealth Advisors

Connect with Carmine Corino:

• LinkedIn: Carmine Corino
• Cornerstone Planning Group

Adversity can either break you or build you.

For Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski, it became the spark that shaped their resilience, drive, and commitment to growth.

In this episode, The Broken Dealer hosts share raw personal stories of hardship, bullying, and professional friction, and how those struggles became powerful motivators. They explore how mindset shapes success, why responding matters more than reacting, and how to turn criticism into fuel.

Key takeaways:

• Carmine’s sixth-grade time capsule revealed the roots of his resilience and determination
• How workplace adversity and regulatory battles transformed Carmine’s perspective and discipline
• Why negative voices and critics can be reframed into motivation and “fire in the belly”
• The importance of teaching children grit in a life of abundance
• How trauma, when acknowledged and redirected, can fuel growth and purpose
• And more!

Resources:

• Broken Dealer: Navigating the Path to Financial Advisor Independence by Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski

Connect with Daren Blonski:

• LinkedIn: Daren Blonski
• Sonoma Wealth Advisors

Connect with Carmine Corino:

• LinkedIn: Carmine Corino
• Cornerstone Planning Group

Advisors today must decide whether technology will hold them back or propel them forward. Big firms often utilize AI to reduce costs, while independent advisors can leverage it to enhance efficiency and the client experience.

How can AI empower advisors instead of replacing them? How do you build a tech stack that supports growth rather than restricts it?

In this episode of The Broken Dealer, Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski delve into how AI and automation are transforming the role of advisors. They share real examples of tools that work, discuss why independence offers more autonomy, and explain how technology can elevate both practice management and client service.

Key takeaways include:

• How AI is giving small-town advisors the capabilities of big firms
• Why large broker-dealers restrict innovation to protect the “lowest common denominator”
• Practical examples of AI streamlining tax planning and client onboarding
• How independence creates wider highways for adopting tech that benefits advisors and clients
• Why even basic tools like online scheduling can dramatically improve efficiency
• And more

Resources:

• Broken Dealer: Navigating the Path to Financial Advisor Independence by Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski

Connect with Daren Blonski:

• LinkedIn: Daren Blonski
• Sonoma Wealth Advisors

Connect with Carmine Corino:

• LinkedIn: Carmine Corino
• Cornerstone Planning Group

Choosing the right firm isn’t just about payout numbers.

It’s about alignment, vision, and transparency.

In this episode of The Broken Dealer, hosts Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski unpack the crucial questions advisors must ask before joining a new firm. From ownership incentives to fee structures and long-term vision, they reveal how to “peel the onion” and see what’s really driving a firm.

Their stories and examples show the hidden costs of quick checks and the transformative power of working in an aligned environment.

Key Points:

• Why ownership incentives shape firm behavior and advisor experience
• The pitfalls of upfront money and hidden product requirements
• How misaligned visions trap advisors in short-term decisions
• A case study where alignment led to tripling assets under management
• The difference between growth cultures and environments focused only on product sales
• And more!

Resources:

• Broken Dealer: Navigating the Path to Financial Advisor Independence by Carmine Corino and Daren Blonski

Connect with Daren Blonski:

• LinkedIn: Daren Blonski
• Sonoma Wealth Advisors

Connect with Carmine Corino:

• LinkedIn: Carmine Corino
• Cornerstone Planning Group