How a Triathlete Financial Advisor Built a 160-School District Empire (And How You Can Apply His Strategies)

By Dr. Lance Knaub | Moving Mountains Podcast

Mark Maroldo wakes up at 5 AM to run 10 miles before most of his clients have their first cup of coffee. By 9 AM, he's helping schoolteachers secure their financial futures. By noon, he's eaten his prepped gluten-free lunch between Zoom meetings. And by year's end? He'll have completed multiple triathlons while growing his financial advisory practice to serve 160 school districts.

This isn't just another success story—it's a masterclass in what happens when discipline, empathy, and strategic thinking collide.

The Educator's Son Who Rewrote the Rules of Financial Advising

Mark's journey began unconventionally. The son of two retired schoolteachers, he entered financial planning later in life after leaving a comfortable corporate job at 30. His first years followed the traditional script: 300 cold calls a day, a manager looking over his shoulder, and the growing realization that this wasn't how he wanted to serve clients.

The pivot came when he noticed something profound—just like his parents in their classrooms, his real value wasn't in pushing products but in educating. "How can anyone make a decision without being educated first?" Mark explains. This insight led him to specialize in serving school districts, where he could combine his financial expertise with his innate understanding of educators' needs.

The Triathlon Mindset: Where Endurance Meets Entrepreneurship

Mark's athletic pursuits aren't separate from his business success—they fuel it. With 200+ races and multiple triathlons under his belt, he's learned that the same principles apply to building a practice as they do to training for an Ironman:

Consistency beats intensity: Just as you can't cram marathon training into one week, you can't build trust with clients overnight.

Discipline creates freedom: His strict sleep schedule (in bed when his kids are) ensures peak mental performance for clients.

The pain is the lesson: Every "no" from a school district in those first eight months became data to refine his approach.

The Zoom Hack That Changed Everything

When COVID hit, something remarkable happened. Like many advisors, Mark switched to virtual meetings. Unlike most, he turned this constraint into his greatest advantage.

"Pre-Zoom, I was driving all over New Jersey for 3-4 meetings a day," Mark recalls. "Now? I do 7-10 without leaving my office." His secret? An agenda that always ends with one crucial question: "When do you want to meet next?" By putting the scheduling power in clients' hands, he eliminated the administrative drag of follow-ups while making clients feel truly heard.

The Unpaid Favor That Generated 30 Clients

Mark's most revealing moment came when he helped a stranger's father with a denied insurance claim—for free. "Just make me broker of record," he told them. "It doesn't cost you anything." Two days later, the claim was approved. That single act of generosity led to 30 new clients, including some of his largest accounts today.

This gets to the heart of Mark's philosophy: "In an industry where most people won't help unless they get paid, being willing to help when there's no immediate payoff changes everything."

Your Takeaway: Three Moves to Make Today

Flip your client conversations: Start with budgets and goals before discussing assets.

Schedule your self-care like revenue-generating activities: Your health is your business's foundation.

Give value before asking for anything: One genuine act of help can ripple further than a hundred sales pitches.

Because at the end of the day—whether in triathlons or financial planning—it's not about the shortcuts. It's about putting in the miles, one step at a time.