Leaving a Comfortable Job Is the Best Move I’ve Made

Leaving a comfortable, well-paying job is a risk many people are simply not willing to take. But Beth Guinn was able to make this choice with confidence. While she admits she wasn’t nerve-free, she says that the process of interviewing at Fisher Investments — where she now works as a VP —  left her feeling confident about making her next move. 

“There was such honesty in the interview process; the people I spoke to at Fisher were direct, and I knew what the role was going to look like,” she explains. “That made me feel a lot more confident that moving to Fisher would be a smart choice. It was a company I felt I could be proud of being a part of.”

Guinn adds that when she began her job at Fisher, everyone was welcoming from day one, and the training made her feel comfortable and well-prepared for her new job.

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Recently, Guinn shared with Fairygodboss what it was like relocating for a job, the most rewarding aspect of her work, and her no. 1 tip for women who are job searching. 

Tell me a bit about your current role. What are your priorities?  

I serve as a Vice President at Fisher Investments, so I am the first face that clients see when evaluating if we can help them achieve their goals. My priority is to help people better understand the value of having a team like Fisher in their corner for some of the most challenging and exciting times they will face. 

How did you end up at Fisher? 

I was actually living in Chicago before I came to Fisher, and I was at a point in my career where I was getting too comfortable. I was bored! So in 2018, I reached out to a recruiter who I had talked to on LinkedIn a couple years before, and I asked if we could chat. The next thing I know I’m picking up my life in Chicago, dragging my fiancé along with me, and working at Fisher out of the Plano office. 

What about the hiring process stood out to you? 

It was clear from the beginning that honesty is one of the company’s core values. There was a point in the process when I thought to myself, “This seems too good to be true!” The people I spoke to were direct in what the role was going to look like, and after being here, I’ve learned that the things I heard in the interview process — about the company, the culture, the values, and how Fisher cares for employees — are all true. I still can’t believe the compensation and benefits package, too. It’s amazing when you walk in your first day to exactly what you had expected and hoped for.

Tell me a bit about the onboarding process. What kinds of things made you feel comfortable? 

Everyone was extremely welcoming from day one. Before I started in our Plano office I went to our Camas office for a two-week training program and I loved it. I met three other people who were starting in the same role as me and we became very close. 

Being in sales means dealing with the highs and lows, and it is so helpful to have people to go through that with you. In my previous work experience you had to either sink or swim — that was absolutely not the case at Fisher. The training really stood out and the time put into preparing us for the role helped me feel more confident in the transition. Even now, if I have a question about anything, there’s always someone I can talk to who genuinely wants to help. I don’t think there are a lot of companies out there where so many people are excited to be there, but I do feel that at Fisher. 

What were you doing prior to coming to Fisher?

I was at a small RIA where I ran my own practice. I ended up taking a management role with them, so not only did I manage my own books, I also managed all of the 40 advisors in the Chicago Branch. Even though I was successful in that role, I was really struggling with my “purpose” there. There were a lot of moments were I would think, “This is not why I went into this industry; this is not what I wanted.” I decided that even though I was comfortable and I love Chicago, I needed to leave in order to be happy. 

What made you take such a risk? 

It was something I struggled with. It seemed crazy to leave a role where I had gotten comfortable and didn’t have to work hard to make good money. I knew I was uprooting my whole life just to take a chance on something. But there was such honesty in the interview process; the people I spoke to at Fisher were direct, and I knew what the role was going to look like. That made me feel a lot more confident that moving to Fisher would be a smart choice. It was a company I felt I could be proud of being a part of. That means more to me now than I even realized then.

Did you always know that you wanted to do sales? 

I actually got into sales by accident. I needed an internship in college and the only one left was a door-to-door sales position, so I took it. Turns out I was actually pretty good at it. I ended up being the number one intern in the company and brought in the most money of any representative they had ever had in the company’s history. That’s when it clicked for me with sales. 

What do you think it was about sales that was a fit for you?

I have always been a person who is willing to put in the work. I am very “type A,” so if I’m not working, I feel like I should be. I realized that to be successful in sales I just had to deal with people telling me no and still be willing to work hard. I knew that was something I could do and that really drew me in. 

What is the most rewarding part of your job? 

By far the most rewarding aspect of my job is trying to help put people in a better position financially. I work with clients who are living off of assets that need to last them 25 or more years, and this is something that I do not take lightly. I fully trust Fisher. Every time I bring someone on as a Fisher client, I breathe a sigh of relief because I believe they are in better hands. That is the best part of the job, hands down.

What’s your No. 1 piece of advice for women who are looking for jobs right now? 

Take the leap into financial sales! There is a huge opportunity in this industry for women. All it takes is being willing to persist through the bad times, celebrate the good times with a level head, and continue to work hard. You really can be more successful than you ever imagined. And what’s even better about Fisher is that if you are willing to put in the time and effort, you are able to create your own path, whether that is staying in sales to build depth or exploring other lines of the business to build your breadth. 

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