Joshua Strzelecki

Last year Joshua Strzelecki hit his stride: His strategy of building a sustainable stream of referrals boosted the assets he manages by 46%.

It was hardly an accident. Strzelecki has positioned himself as the go-to advisor for midcareer medtech entrepreneurs in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin.

As the son of a pharmacist and a nurse, he understands their world a bit — especially the blend of mission and money. But when he formed his own firm in 2020, Strzelecki, 38, realized that he could make inroads with that community by helping them with seemingly routine decisions that have big implications for building financial security.

It helps that he’s going through the same life stages — starting a family, buying a house, figuring out how to save for children’s educations. “Retirement is still critical, but for most of my clients it’s a projection,” Strzelecki said. “So I help with the main pain points for the next few years while still making sure we’re on track.”

He puts that philosophy into action with a concentrated content marketing strategy.

“I hyperfocus messaging on the main things that they need now. And it resonates,” he said. Corporate benefits enrollment period is open season for Strzelecki, who aims to know as much about benefits as the staff of companies offering them. Helping rising entrepreneurs and executives choose the right offerings and combinations of benefits immediately helps them — and results in a steady stream of referrals from clients’ perplexed colleagues.

—Joanne Cleaver