Vicki Wusche is a wealth strategist who is transforming lives by helping people create an empowering relationship with money. A well-known international speaker, a best-selling author, a wealth strategist, a property mentor, and a financial coach, Vicki enables you to reclaim control of your finances, secure your tomorrow, and make an impact on the future.
In a recent interview with Aspioneer, Vicki shared how a tragedy brought her professional career to a standstill, her moment of truth, and her journey to becoming the Telegraph’s top 25 most influential people in property. Below are the highlights.
Thinking beyond just investments
Vicki Wusche: “I am the Founder and Director of vickiwusche.com. We develop wealth strategies that go far beyond financial investment. We assist business owners in exploring their relationship with time and money to create the life they want to live, breaking their reliance on a single income stream generated in exchange for their time. As focused consumers, our bespoke clients are frequently business owners and senior executives that lack the time to focus on making the most of the resources they have available. My biggest clients are fairly ordinary people who, with help, can realize their extraordinary dreams. The business was originally started back in 2006 by me as a sole trader, incorporating a few years later. Based in Surrey, in the UK, I have a global virtual team and work with clients from all over the world.”
Breaking conventions. Invoking changes
Vicki Wusche: “Unlike many old-school financial advisors that just get commission for selling shares and bonds, I bring together my property investment experience with a talent for wealth coaching and mentoring. As a former university lecturer, author, speaker, investor, and exponent of A Wealthy Life, I have used my experience to combine unique sets of skills that encompass strategic thinking, business advice, personal coaching, and my own investment experience spanning more than 25 years, to add power to our clients’ lives. Our model asks our clients what life they want to live, helping them to estimate their future financial needs and then explore the resources available and unrecognized to maximize those returns. All investments are kept under the control of the client, so they are “hands-on” responsible for their success. That is the way my model focuses on the creation of a cash-flowing property business and not just a property portfolio.”
“Many senior managers and business owners burn out because they do not put themselves first when designing and running their own business.”
Opportunity in disguise
Vicki Wusche: “In 2006, I was made redundant from a job I loved, as a university lecturer, and I vowed never to allow anyone to have financial control over me and my family again. I first became a qualified NLP practitioner and hypnotherapist and then, learning about property investment, I first started to invest for myself and my family. Initial funding through savings and equity release from both my parents’ homes meant that I could build my family’s portfolio. By 2009-2010, on average, I was buying 1-2 properties a month. In 2010, I wrote the first of five bestselling books spanning property investment, wealthy strategy, and even a story about a better future. In 2013, I was quickly recognized as one of the UK’s top 25 most influential people in property and went on to speak all over the UK and Ireland and was featured on more than 200 international podcasts. In 2010, I formally started to offer my model of risk-managed property investment to clients and have gone on to manage over 12.5 million pounds of property. All funding has been through leverage, and the only loans are secured against the individual properties as mini-business units in their own right. After a recent re-systemization of the investment process, my team and I bought and sold 28 properties in 2021 alongside supporting clients that chose me as a mentor and went on to sources and buy property for themselves.”
Products that change lives
Vicki Wusche: “Many senior managers and business owners burn out because they do not put themselves first when designing and running their own business. We repeatedly hear clients say they want to give up work because they are exhausted, stressed, or simply missing out on family life. Creating a time-focused, passionate, and strategic financial plan results in less stress, happier relationships (in and out of work), and the opportunity to bring to life untapped passions, leaving a legacy to be proud of. Our goal is to bring together strategic wealth consultancy with systemized property investment opportunities that are designed to help business owners create alternate streams of income that free their time to focus on their priorities and passions. And our philosophy is “What would you do if you never had to work another day just to pay the bills? I am part of a number of women-only groups that co-support the development and growth of our businesses. I also work with many women on a complimentary basis to realign their finances, particularly after the breakup of a relationship, and have, since 2020, worked with a number of men and families that simply lack the money math skills to see their way through the maze of interest rates, expenses, and stress badly managed money can invite.”
Making a difference
Vicki Wusche: “Before the world changed, I would say I was The Property Mermaid, travelling all over the world, and I mean Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, Maldives, Sri Lanka, through to the States, scuba-diving. I love sharks, especially the micro-life that is so challenging and rewarding to find. I used to do a lot of underwater photography. Then we got shut-in and I became The Property Propagator. (hahaha or a lockdown gardener). We moved to a new house in 2019, so both the house and the garden have been a massive project. We started to attend the local council meetings on climate change and sustainability and, after one very frustrating evening, came home and planned a local village-based project to introduce climate change and sustainability through our gardens. Https//:GardenGreenies.co.uk has just completed its first trial of our questionnaire to help villagers score themselves on a climate change and sustainability awareness questionnaire to support the village in making a difference through how we garden. And I must just say, as “Nonna” to my two grandchildren, I could not be happier, yet more aware of the need to make a difference.”
An advice to remember
Vicki Wusche: “My advice to aspiring female leaders is: don’t let anything put you off. While gaining accreditation, experience, or both, pay attention to where you see gaps in the market. You will (I guarantee) see the market differently as a woman, and there are missed opportunities to be maximized. Follow your passion and define your market – there is plenty of room and don’t be afraid to be the giraffe in the herd of zebras. You will see more and reach more than the herd does.”
What lies ahead?
Vicki Wusche: “Given that my purpose personally is to live A Wealthy Life and the business mission is to help our clients do the same, I am not bothered with the future of an industry that is patriarchic and not always fit for purpose. The trend towards investment in new gimmicks like Crypto and now EFTs sounds like schemes that we experienced in the property world. They will either become regulated or be shown to favor only a few early adopters, while the majority escape with their capital, if lucky. Our strategy is to continue to innovate based on our customers’ needs. And our customers are a small group of successful, cash-rich, time-poor business owners that recognize they have been missing out on what really matters in life. And we help them. That’s not to say that there is not a growing demand to help people before they start their businesses or in the first couple of years, to think through and sense check their plans for business success with what would constitute personal success.”
