However, it was not easy in the beginning. “I nearly couldn't make my mortgage payment,” said Streames.
“It takes time to get registered, to have the conversations, to do the business and I just made enough money, literally a couple of days before, to be able to pay that mortgage payment because I'd run out of savings.”
She said she did not like the focus on selling she had witnessed in previous financial jobs and setting up on her own made her realise there was a “bigger world in financial services”.
She currently has three advisers working at the firm along with support staff, and has ambitions to grow the team to 10.
Streames said ideally she wanted to retain an advising role in the business going forward.
How important is it to choose the clients and advisers you work with?
Streames said she would advise others to start out slowly and to carefully consider who they choose to employ.
“My advice would be to take it slowly, but then you can grow quickly,” said Streames.
“You have to understand all your processes, like recruitment and for me now, everything is a process. Everything is a system.”
Streames said all the clients she works with were referred to her, and she tends to work with a lot of doctors.
But she said she works with people with all levels of savings and investments.
“There's no point in saying it depends on what a potential client’s financial situation is,” she said.
“From my mum dying to now, mine has never been good and for a long period of time, I never had massive stability.
“I've seen it a lot that firms will not take the people that are at the lower end of the scale and I think that's a real shame.
"We treat people that are taking out a £20 policy the same as somebody who's having a £500 one.”
How do you see your work developing in the coming years?
Streames said she wants to be a visible presence in the industry and encourage more people of all backgrounds to consider advice as a career.
This year she launched a 12-week course to help advisers have protection conversations with their clients.
“I’ll be happy if I can leave this industry having made improvements,” said Streames.
“I’d love to see more young girls enter the industry. I recently went to my old primary school and did a talk for the kids there.”
She also thinks children should be taught in school how important protection is.
“I think we need to teach in school that you've got to earn money, you've got to protect money, and you've got to save money for the future. It's like a three pronged thing," said Streames.
