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Ensombl Darin Skinne

Ensombl Darin Skinne

The Financial Advice Community Driving Innovation and Growth.

An interview with Darin Skinner, Chief Operating Officer at Ensombl.

From startup struggles to scaling up, Ensombl’s mission is clear: drive the positive evolution of financial advice. With a thriving community of 9,200 professionals, real-time problem-solving, and events like the record-breaking professional development day, they’re reshaping the industry. 

Darrin Skinner, Ensombl

Ensombl Darin Skinner

Credit: Darin Skinner, Chief Operating Officer, Ensombl

Surely someone has solved this problem before?

Our mission is to drive the positive evolution of financial advice!

Tackling things one step at a time, focusing on high-impact projects!

Milestones and memorable moments

Ensombl’s growth is remarkable and they now represent one in three advisers in Australia.

 

Darin talked about one of the standout moments for him and the team: the annual Professional Development (PD) days. The most recent PD day hosted 1,927 attendees—the largest single-day PD event for advisers in Australia. Seeing these events come together and receiving positive feedback from attendees has been incredibly fulfilling.

 

Another notable achievement has been reaching over 800,000 downloads across Ensombl’s podcasts. Patrick Gardner, Head of Technology at Collins SBA hosts the Ensombl AdviceTech podcast. Pat is a substantial contributor, guiding advisers in tech decisions and helping them integrate the right tools for their businesses.

Hurdles and challenges

Growing a business always comes with its hurdles, and for Ensombl, managing time and resources has been a significant challenge. With a small team split between Australia and international locations, prioritising initiatives like PD days requires careful planning. 

 

Darin noted that if they had double or triple the resources, they’d achieve even more ambitious goals. But for now, they’re tackling things one step at a time, focusing on high-impact projects.

 

Their approach to setbacks is refreshing: they embrace a “fail forward” mentality. Ensombl encourages team members to make “good mistakes,” which are opportunities for learning and innovation, while avoiding “bad mistakes,” or repeating known errors. This mindset has helped them learn and adapt without major disruptions.

Industry wide challenges

Ensombl is also proactive in addressing industry-wide challenges. 

 

One example is the current highly cumbersome Continuing Professional Development (CPD) process, which Darin described as “tedious” due to the paperwork and verification steps involved for all advisers.

 

Ensombl plans to streamline this with a new CPD platform that will simplify attendance tracking and reduce administrative hassle. Their goal is to save advisers time so they can focus more on serving their clients.

Collaboration and podcasts

Collins SBA collaboration with Ensombl is something we’re truly proud of. Darin praised Patrick’s role as the host of their AdviceTech podcast, noting how he’s brought expertise and independence to the role. 

 

This podcast has helped advisers make informed tech choices, and it’s become a trusted resource within the community. Additionally, Jono Elliot, Managing Director from Collins SBA recently appeared on the Ensombl Engine Room Podcast, discussing the success and challenges at Collins SBA. 

 

This exchange of knowledge aligns perfectly with the Ensombl mission and reinforces the strength of our partnership.

Looking ahead

As we wrapped up our conversation, it became clear that Ensombl  continue to look for ways to innovate, support and grow with the industry, always staying true to their mission of elevating financial advice. Thank you, Darin, for sharing a little of your story with us. It’s inspiring to witness the evolution of such a collaborative community and we’re excited to see what’s next!

Operation Shine

Operation Shine is an initiative of Collins SBA. This project is about building stronger connections with the partners and friends we work with but might not always have the chance to truly know. By engaging with people we aim to: (1) Acknowledge their contributions to our shared successes in the community where we live, play and work (2) Explore fresh ideas and perspectives that may fuel future collaborations and (3) Strengthen our business relationships by showing genuine interest in their stories. We appreciate the time and commitment our special guests gave to this project. 

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