DOING IT THE HARD WAY
- Sybil Verch
- Dec 20, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 20, 2025
“…but what really got me fired up was when
he told me i had three things working against me…”
Do what you love
For some this comes easy, for others it’s hard.
Working to pay the bills is a reality, but what if that work was something you enjoyed?
Don’t settle
I see people taking jobs for the wrong reasons, like higher pay levels, but sacrificing happiness.
I was five years old when my parents bought their first house. I remember it clearly as they were so excited, and so was I as it was a change and a move to a new neighbourhood with other kids next door. I asked them how much it cost and my mom looked at me with surprise.
That was when I learned what a mortgage was!
Scary to think I had an interest in finance at such a young age, but that was my natural born passion and talent. My favorite game happened to be Mr. Professor, a cross between a basic video game and a calculator. Math questions would appear on the screen and I would answer them.
I just loved it.
I started earning money at five years of age through lemonade sales and even made clay figures to sell outside our house on the sidewalk. I got my first paper route when I was eleven. The money was nice, but the early morning deliveries were not. At fifteen I got my first real job working in a women’s clothing store and started saving to buy a car when I turned sixteen. So far my life is sounding pretty easy, but things got more challenging when I decided to pursue a career in a male dominated industry.
I was twenty-four years old
when I decided I was ready to be an Investment Advisor. When I shared my aspiration with another senior advisor, I was shot down. This ‘male’ advisor with many years of experience quickly told me that I shouldn’t pursue that career choice.
He reminded me that it was an extremely difficult role and that the failure rate was high. That part was true as about 80% fail within the first five years, but what really got me fired up was when he told me I had three things working against me: I was young, female and attractive.
Only 10% of Advisors were female at that time (the number now sits close to 15%).
Well, if that wasn’t a challenge, I don’t know what is.
That was the deciding moment for me to move forward and succeed as an Investment Advisor.
I remember sharing the news with my mother who quickly said “why would you do that?” She just couldn’t understand why I would give up a stable full time position as an assistant where I made a reasonable salary with benefits to take an entrepreneurial role with no salary, only commission.
My decision wasn’t the ‘safe and stable’ choice.
I explained that’s exactly why I am going to do it!
I work hard, I’m smart, great with numbers, a natural problem solver and love helping people make the most out of what they have.
Making this move in my career
would give me the freedom to run my business the way I wanted to and eliminated the cap on my earning potential. I saw this as a no brainer. Maybe it was because I was young that I had no fear. Most likely it was because I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do and that excited me. I also had confidence in my ability to do anything I put my mind to. I had some pretty great role models to look up to and learn from.
Over the next few years I faced even more obstacles.
With persistence and hard negotiations, I convinced a firm to hire me. To get this opportunity, I agreed to help them set up a new branch and worked in a supportive role for a year. The extra year gave me more time to build a business plan and marketing strategy. I was more than ready when the time finally came, so I hit the pavement running.
Recognizing that the Campbell River market was underserviced, I spent two days per week there as I had family there to stay with. This presented a great opportunity, but also required long hours and lots of driving. The hard work paid off. In my first year I had built up a solid client base and was managing close to 20 million dollars for my clients. Most new advisors were lucky to manage a quarter of that after only a year.
The firm was thrilled and so was I.
My secret to success was simple; work hard and always put your clients first. The advisor who previously told me I shouldn’t pursue a career as an Investment Advisor was now knocking down my door trying to find out what I had been doing to generate such great results.
He also took the opportunity to tell me I had an advantage as I had three things going for me: I was young, female and attractive.
It took all my willpower not to remind him
that those were the same three things he had told me were disadvantages!
Along the way I faced numerous challenges
as I had to outperform my male counterparts to be treated equally. I dealt with harassment from my first big client, who I subsequently fired even though the revenue his account generated paid my monthly expenses.
A manager tried to forbid me from servicing the Nanaimo market as he told me I was doing ‘too well’ and the other advisors were jealous. When I hired my first assistant, a colleague tried to offer her more money to work for him but she saw my potential and stood by me (she ended up making more with me as a result).
When I applied for a management role, I was put through numerous interviews, required to take a leadership assessment and develop a five year vision, strategy and financial analysis. In my opinion these were all valid steps to be considered for a leadership role, but what bothered me was that the male managers did not have to go through the same steps.
The lesson I learned throughout it all was follow your dream
and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. I am pleased to say that the industry has changed considerably and is now actively trying to recruit more women!
Doing things the hard way
has been rewarding for me. It’s the experiences along the way that have made me who I am today. I’m excited to have been part of a new reality TV series called “The Hard Way” where I got to help struggling businesses overcome challenges to achieve success.
By Sybil Verch . First Published in Island Gals Magazine . 2013 . Volume 3 . Issue 3
