Envestnet’s Hardwick: Women need support at work and at home in order to succeed

The executive credits strong mentors and her husband for the success she has achieved today.

I didn’t really know what having a high-powered career meant as a young girl growing up in a small town in Ohio, but somehow I knew I wanted one. I was born with an itch to succeed that I inherited from my father, and both of my parents strongly encouraged me to pursue my dream.

When I was fresh out of college, I was offered an opportunity to work on a bond trading desk in Chicago. It was my first exposure to the financial industry. It was a tough job, but I loved it. Nevertheless, I knew I wouldn’t be in that job forever given the sharp contrast between the roles of women and men on the team. I was one of only a handful of women at the firm, and I quickly recognized that women were pigeonholed into assistant positions. This realization was rather disheartening, but it lit a fire in me to strive to make it in finance.

I went on to work at another firm as a wholesaler responsible for 10 states in the Midwest. I found that I loved meeting with advisers, and knowing that I was part of the supporting cast enabling their clients to meet their financial goals inspired me. Although schlepping through airports with an LCD panel and a heavy laptop case while pregnant with my first child wasn’t exactly comfortable, my strong work ethic and the thrill of empowering advisers to better serve their clients helped me endure the physical discomfort.

Later on, I was given the opportunity to establish a new distribution channel for this firm, which provided my first taste of what it felt like to build something from scratch. That’s when I realized that not only did I thoroughly enjoy building new things, but I was darn good at it.

This role led me to Jud Bergman, who was in the early stages of launching Envestnet Inc. (of which he remains chairman and chief executive). I was impressed with his vision for what he wanted to accomplish for independent financial advisers through his new company, and I asked him if I could join Envestnet. Thankfully, he agreed.

The opportunity to help build Envestnet from the ground up has provided me some of the best (and worst) experiences in my professional life. It’s difficult to explain to non-entrepreneurs the amount of blood, sweat and tears that a start-up company requires of you. Working for Envestnet during its early years was extremely challenging and demanding (especially since I had a 9-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son at home), but helping to launch and grow this organization is truly one of my most rewarding accomplishments.

As with all of life’s rewards, a little luck was involved. Having the honor to work alongside two of the best and brightest minds in our industry, Mr. Bergman and Envestnet president Bill Crager, for the past 15 years has sharpened my ability to identify the best ways to serve our clients. They could not be more supportive mentors, and they continue to stand behind me as I take on new roles and expanded responsibilities.

Another factor in any successful career woman’s professional triumphs is the support of her partner and family. From the very start, my husband and I treated each other as true partners. Had I married a man who was jealous of my success, worried about my responsibility to entertain clients in a very male-dominated industry, or felt it was my sole responsibility to manage our home and kids, there’s no question that my career would have been stunted.

Forging a career in the financial industry as a woman over the past 25 years hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve never felt that my gender has prevented me from moving forward. Thanks to my colleagues and mentors along the way, as well as my supportive husband and family, I look forward to even more success in my career. And hopefully I can continue to pave the way for other young women in our industry.

Lori Hardwick is group president of Advisor Services at Envestnet Inc.