Learning & Development

Colten Christianson (he/him) thinks a lot about legacy.

“Legacy is one of the most fun and challenging aspects for a business owner,” he said. “Closely held businesses, or those that aren’t publicly owned, often carry a legacy due to their multiple generations of family involvement, history, and prominence in the community.”

Colten contributes to that legacy at Moss Adams Wealth Advisors. He leads a team responsible for collaborating with closely held business owners to serve their needs, including wealth management and other personal advisory needs. Though his role as a partner isn’t without challenges, it doesn’t feel like work—all due to many of his experiences growing up in a family business.

He explained, “My dad started a business when I was 10, and I knew what a leap that was even at an early age. A closely owned business is your family, and your family is that business. I experienced that firsthand.”

Refining the Vision

Colten’s father, John, launched his wealth management business in 1999. Before he sold the business in 2022, John worked hard to make it a success.

As a leader, John cared deeply about the people supporting him—a lesson Colten internalized early in life. He admired how his father prioritized the happiness of his family and employees, so Colten has carried the same approach in his career.

“Business owners know that their number one concern is the well-being of their people, which is something I’ve tried to adopt internally with our teams. Witnessing that at a young age, getting to know the people who worked with my dad, was such a great experience and life lesson for me,” said Colten. 

John’s accountability to his family and employees didn’t come easy, and the pressure of supporting so many people gave Colten another takeaway: “You’re not just running a business. You’re also supporting the livelihood of families, and that’s a tremendous responsibility.”

John’s journey inspired Colten to forge his own path. “I watched him bet on himself and take that leap, and it gave me the confidence to do the same,” Colten said. “He’s my hero.”

Strengthening Structure

When Colten found his way to Moss Adams in 2013, he hadn’t realized how his past experiences might be helpful in client relationships. Early in his career with the wealth management team, Colten joined two firm leaders for a meeting with a closely held construction company.

During the meeting, his past and career merged, developing a new passion to help businesses succeed.

“That was the moment I clicked in and realized I could leverage some of my past experiences in to help clients,” he said. “I spoke their language by pulling on my experiences with my dad’s business, which is something you can’t know intimately unless you have lived it. At that moment, I realized this was the work I wanted to do.”

As Colten developed professionally, he networked with folks around the firm and beyond to build his community. He invested energy in his personal and professional relationships, learning the importance of mentorship in his advancement. When offered the chance to move from Seattle to San Francisco and lead the business owner practice, Colten worried about uprooting his life to a place unknown.

It was Ivy, Colten’s wife, who convinced him to take the risk. Colten explained, “She told me how much she trusted Moss Adams and our partners, so she felt safe and believed I was in the right position. That was the best thing I could have heard. Nothing else mattered to me, and that trust is what I’m trying to recreate for our people.”

Community Legacy

In his work, Colten helps to settle the concerns of owners who have decided to sell their closely owned businesses. Many worry about losing not just the business legacy during the transition but their own, though Colten leverages his father’s experience selling his business to identify the new opportunity that awaits.

“Nowadays,” Colten said, “my parents have more time to spend with their grandkids and other passions. It’s been neat to watch them flourish in this new phase of life. Selling a business can be daunting, but it’s fun, too. Our clients rebuild their impact around what they care about most, and we get to be their guiding light.”

Colten understands how closely held businesses can be a pillar of their community, and over the course of his career, he’s become a pillar of his own. Like his father, Colten has taken risks, such as his move to San Francisco, to pursue his professional passions. He continues to prioritize the well-being of his team and encourages rising talent to get comfortable with being uncomfortable by seeking growth opportunities, even if it means making mistakes.

“Everybody makes mistakes,” he said. “You can’t get better if you don’t try.”

So, Colten thinks a lot about legacy—often for his clients, but sometimes for himself.

“Like the business owners I work with, I want my legacy to be about my people,” Colten said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without those who came before me, and I’d be lucky to create a safe place for others to have opportunities to succeed. That’s the value we bring for our clients, and I hope that’s what I do for my team.”