At 18, Victoria Cable picked up a part-time student job in a St. James’s Place (SJP) partner practice. Fast forward to today - she’s a qualified and chartered financial adviser, has built a £400,000 business value, and has established herself as a leader in protection advice. And she’s only 24.
From student job to academy graduate
While at university, Victoria worked as a part-time admin assistant in an SJP partner practice. It was the same firm where her mother, Adele, worked as a financial adviser. Seeing the positive impact Adele had on clients inspired Victoria to look into wealth management as a career path for herself.
Straight out of university, Victoria joined the SJP Academy. And following her graduation in 2024, she joined the practice set up by her mum, Advanced Wealth in Buckinghamshire.
“The Academy provided the tools, the inspiration and the motivation to power through as a woman in this profession”
In the two years since qualifying Victoria has achieved chartered status, built a £400,000 business value, and has carved out a niche for herself as a leader of protection advice.
Building a client base from scratch
Unlike many SJP Academy graduates, Victoria didn’t have an network of potential client leads from previous careers. This proved to be one of the first hurdles in getting started.
But Victoria is proof that with passion and entrepreneurial spirit, there are other ways to build a successful advice business.
Victoria took a deliberate and strategic approach to attracting clients. She honed in on two areas of opportunity to build her profile - financial education and protection.
Finding opportunity in education
A chance encounter with a charity manager gave Victoria the idea to focus on financial education as a way of widening her network.
The manager had expressed concern about seeing younger employees in the charity opting out of the workplace pension scheme. Victoria is a strong believer in the power of financial literacy, so she saw here a win-win opportunity.
Victoria started to deliver corporate financial education sessions to businesses in the local area offering staff access to financial support. This in turn meant Victoria was introduced to a pipeline of potential clients, which has helped drive her business growth.
Becoming an advocate for protection
At the same time Victoria has established herself as a leader in financial protection advice.
When starting out, Victoria noticed there was often less emphasis on the role of protection in financial planning. However, she had witnessed first-hand how protection and insurance can bolster clients’ overall financial resilience.
Reflecting on her experience, Victoria says: “I got to see people who had something happen and didn’t have any protection in place and the impact that had on their family and on them. I also saw how for those with protection cover in place, the financial impact of those events was felt far less severely. I think protection is incredibly important.”
Victoria offered her support to other financial advisers and soon began working with other SJP practices to deliver the protection side of their business. Through this, she has carved out her own specialism in an area she’s passionate about.
Advice for those starting out
To other young women considering building a career as a financial adviser, Victoria says “The St. James's Place Academy offered the best way for me into a career as an adviser. It provided the tools, the inspiration and the motivation to power through as a woman in this profession. It gave me so much confidence. I would recommend it to any motivated, hardworking, passionate individual looking to get into this career."