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In today's episode, Dr. Derricka Harwell shares how early success without the right systems and people in place can be costly.

She tells what she learned, how she figured out what didn't work, and the successful decisions she made the second time around.

https://plutusfoundation.org/2022/derricka-harwell-haste/

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We can build courses and do webinars, but these actions don't guarantee success.

Adrienne Taylor-Wells speaks with Michelle Jackson about the need to be authentic and vulnerable with our audiences and the importance of seeing people and not just sales.

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It is hard to know what areas to focus on when building your brand. One thing is clear, you can not do everything! Felicia Gopaul shares with Michelle Jackson how trying to do everything hurt her brand and what focuses allowed her business began to thrive.

https://plutusfoundation.org/2022/felicia-gopaul-misalignment/

Felicia-It’s funny, we talked about how we make mistakes when building out our online brand. In the beginning I was everything. That was the biggest mistake I made and not taking the time to understand who I was online.

Michelle-If someone was to ask you what your online brand is could you share how you began positioning yourself online?

Felicia-I like to talk and to educate. I’m not ok with clients just taking what I say, I want to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing. I’ve always spoken, done workshops, etc. When I say I’m an economic catalyst because I’ll educate you so you understand exactly why you should do what you’re being educated to do.

Michelle-We’re talking about the sins that content creators can make as they’re building out their brands. One of the things that I realized was that these sins don’t exist separate from each other. Could you share how inconsistency showed up in your brand and what you did to change that?

Felicia-When I first got online I had a hard time articulating who I was. I would invest with various different mentors. I would invest with Facebook, etc. and was an early adopter and can’t articulate who you were and what you do so I wasn’t able to get the traction that I was hoping for with those investments.

Michelle-The journey of trying different things isn’t that you’re inconsistent, you were testing things out. How did you recognize what worked for your audience?

Felicia-I took time off to take care of my father for 7 years and when I returned I realized that what I was doing before wasn’t working. What I would say to other entrepreneurs is there is a common theme or thread throughout your business that you’re comfortable doing within your business.

Michelle-Once you figured out that speaking was in alignment with your business how did you create products how did you build in consistency?

Felicia-I had to find a company that was in alignment with what I was trying to do. Recently, though, I found a company to work with that is consistent with the type of education/resources that create a synergy with my customers as well. I had a focus on creative affective content

Michelle-I want to know more. What’s a day in your life look like for you? How are you getting enough people to connect with who you are and your message?

Felicia-I have a team. When I’m doing quarterly events with the company I’m partnered with I direct them to their events. I’m constantly talking to people about what I’m working on.

Michelle-You’re doing ongoing messaging?

Felicia-Not an affiliate though. It’s an ongoing education company. I look at what’s coming up and then invite folks to those upcoming events. I know in general up to a year in advance the different events that are coming up on an annual basis. I also take the months of July and December off. I build into my schedule these breaks.

Michelle-What has the impact been scheduling those breaks? Sean DeSouza “The three month vacation” Podcast

Felicia-I started with working 4 days a week. But, that’s not enough of a break. I realized that I needed a longer break and I’m married to a gentleman who gets 6 weeks off a year. If he gets six weeks off I need to take 6 weeks off too. I also didn’t want to work too much in December and want to play and relax at the end of the year.

Michelle-What was the impact for your business (taking those breaks)

Felicia-I was very worried when I first did it and I didn’t announce it-I just did it. I wasn’t going to ask permission to do this. I was unwilling to do that. In terms of the revenue it means that I have to get the revenue within 10 months versus 12 months. I’m willing to do that because I get 8 weeks off during there.

Michelle-What’s your number one piece of advice for a content creator in this space?

Felicia-I admire that the younger entrepreneurs are open to trying stuff vs. worrying about reputation. They’ll just strike out and try stuff and it may not work but there’s a learning that comes from that. Know who you are and move forward.

Follow Felicia

• Felicia Gopaul (everywhere)

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When you are unclear and confused about the direction of your business, others will be too. Terri Huggins-Hart and Michelle Jackson discuss clarity and intentions in business and how ownership develops in a freelance career.

Show notes: https://plutusfoundation.org/2022/terri-huggins-hart-vagueness/

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Marcia Armstrong joins us to talk about the sin of inconsistency. Marcia shares how too many zero revenue months forced her to look at her business and the steps she took to turn things around in a little over 30 days.

https://plutusfoundation.org/2022/marcia-armstrong-inconsistencty/

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Fear and perfectionism are the constant enemies of a creator.

Today, Michelle Jackson speaks with Amanda Page about how creators can overcome these obstacles and take risks in developing projects that may feel out of reach for them.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2022/amanda-page-perfectionism

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2022/rahkim-sabree-hubris

Welcome to Series 6 of the Plutus Awards Podcast hosted by Michelle Jackson. Our community is filled with hundreds of stories from creators and entrepreneurs just like you. And through this show we share these stories of challenges and successes from bloggers to podcasters, from writers, speakers, and more.

In this season we talk about a somewhat taboo topic — the deadly sins that personal finance (and other content creators) can make. We share lessons learned, how to avoid these mistakes, and the fact that we’re all human, putting our creative work out there into the world. This season’s conversation is about the inherent risks we’re taking in developing online brands, our own hubris, and the impact that how other people perceive us can make us or break our online brand.

Today’s guest is Rahkim Sabree and in this episode we talk about hubris. Just because we built something doesn’t mean that our audience wants it. Learn the lessons learned from the mistake of building out a product without talking to your audience. We’ve all done it before and how Rahkim is avoiding making that mistake in the future.

Rahkim Sabree – The Sin of Hubris: How to Use Insight From Your Audience Notes and summary from this episode Rahkim-I’m Rahkim Sabree, I’m an author, columnist, speaker and financial coach. Got into financial education about 10 years ago. I talk about financial empowerment, financial trauma and financial mindset.

Michelle-How would you describe what your business is to other online entrepreneurs?

Rahkim-It evolves part of me feels like I act like a consultant and stepping into an influencer role. My business model is definitely digital media.

Michelle-This season of the Plutus Awards Podcast we’re talking about the 7 deadly sins that creators need to be aware of making in their businesses. We’re definitely talking about this with a lot of empathy. How did you even get into this space?

Rahkim-I fell in by accident. A happy accident. I spent 10 years in the banking industry. And one of the things I realized was that there was a lot that I didn’t know about money. In my banking career I had to learn about the products in order to sell them. I realized what I wasn’t exposed to growing up. For example-the idea of homeownership. It didn’t occur to me that homeownership was available to me. I shared my knowledge with my friends and family because they also didn’t know.

Michelle-What’s interesting around your brand and mission is that it’s positioned around firing your boss.

Rahkim-The best decision I’ve ever made and the hardest decision I’ve ever made. I had to figure out how I was going to move forward and figuring out how I was going to survive. It’s been a liberating experience, but the biggest takeaway for me is that my mental health has improved significantly. The idea of “I fired my boss” is to take back your power.

Michelle-What are some of the ways your building out your brand and components of your business?

Rahkim-I like this question. When I first started I didn’t know what to do. A lot of the growth I’ve experienced is based on a combination of things. Being active on Twitter, reels, etc. But, what solidified my credibility was contributing to publications and being featured. People look at you as a thought leader.

Michelle-You’re talking about building up your authority. What about building out how you’re making money? Let’s deep dive into the product’s conversation and the deadly sin related to product.

Rahkim-Most of my money comes from solidifying that credibility. I do a lot of writing and the writing brings in income. I wouldn’t have gotten paid for my writing if I was writing for free first. I also do some social media management, get paid to speak and one-on-one financial coaching. Going into products I was approached by a coach to build out a course. I was like “oh, ok.” I’d never thought about creating a course and this should be easy. I was convinced to do it and paid the coach to help me with it. I drank the kool aid. I thought I was going to pay a high ticket price, etc. Then, I would invest in Facebook ads. I spent 4 figures in Facebook advertising no sales, 4 figures in retaining the ad agency, 4 figures for the coach. And the thing that I learned in hindsight I didn’t ask my audience is this what they actually wanted (from me). The difference between my content and the course is that it’s not sexy. It’s not “I’m going to bring your credit score to 850 in 30 days” I was advised to market it differently and I knew that I couldn’t because the content was about abstract topics and the psychology of money. Not sexy. I really didn’t test the market and I assumed that I knew best and that they would buy.

Michelle-That’s a hard lesson especially because you developed a course and you have to factor in the time that you took to do that. I think a lot of content creators make this mistake. It’s hard to hear from people to pre-sell a product. It feels weird to make sales on a product that doesn’t feel real.

Rahkim-The coach did give me the advice to run a pre-sell and it didn’t really work. The coach and I even worked out what the revenue would like for pre-sells vs. post sales. The coach and I were friends prior to this and I trusted that their expertise was aligned with what they were articulating based on our friendship. This did have a negative impact on our friendship. There was very minimal involvement with the coach; they were theoretical versus on-hand. In hindsight I should have asked for a case study showing their results with other clients.

Michelle-You’re in the process of developing new products and how does this experience influence that process?

Rahkim-There’s definitely trauma associated with it. I haven’t abandoned the course and it lives in two places and rebranded the content and repriced it. As far as moving forward, I have a better pulse on what my audience resonates with. My favorite platform to test content on is Twitter and then Instagram is a close second. And then launching a pre-sell around these products to see the pace of buy in versus engagement. Because someone likes an idea on a post doesn’t mean that they’re going to buy something. There’s so much momentum with the Great Resignation and Work From Home because of the Pandemic. It doesn’t just mean quit your job.

Michelle-What types of products are you looking at and why?

Rahkim-I am working on a book. That’s the biggest product that has gained a lot of momentum. I’ve started some pre-sells around that. The process of emptying my mind of all of those experiences and the real, raw things about being in corporate America (has been hard)

Michelle-I know that a lot of people in the PF space write books as a way to get in front of other people and launch your brand. Are you prepared for some of the energy around the book and the reception of the book? What are you doing to get the book out there?Are you worried about missing out on this wave of interest?

Rahkim-That’s a good question. But, I got burnt out. I got to a point where I felt like I was done and then I looked at the word count and it wasn’t enough. I took a pause and in taking a pause to take the time to decompress and heal. I’ve been able to reflect and let those experiences marinate. I’ve asked my audience for some grace. I just continue telling my story. My audience has grown during this time due to viral posts and national television coverage.

Michelle-It’s an evergreen topic. I think that you’ve tapped into a feeling and sentiment that had really good timing with millions of people (in the U.S.) quitting.

Rahkim-When I hit a one year mark having made that decision and people congratulated me.

Michelle-What’s your goal for next year?

Rahkim-To continue to be free. Continue the momentum, continue to find ways to make income as an entrepreneur. It’s a little scary. Making smart choices financially to allow me to sustain this lifestyle.

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Welcome to Series 6 of the Plutus Awards Podcast hosted by Michelle Jackson. Our community is filled with hundreds of stories from creators and entrepreneurs just like you. And through this show we share these stories of challenges and successes from bloggers to podcasters, from writers, speakers, and more.

In this season we talk about a somewhat taboo topic — the deadly sins that personal finance (and other content creators) can make. We share lessons learned, how to avoid these mistakes, and the fact that we’re all human, putting our creative work out there into the world. This season’s conversation is about the inherent risks we’re taking in developing online brands, our own hubris, and the impact that how other people perceive us can make us or break our online brand.

Plutus Awards Podcast - LaTisha Styles Headshot

Today’s guest is LaTisha Styles. In this episode, we talk about the sin of pride. LaTisha shares how she bet on herself to never have to return to her 9-5 and then ended up working a 9-5. She shares why the second time around was different.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2022/latisha-styles-pride/

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For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2022/natasha-scott-omission

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Welcome to season 2 of the Plutus Awards Podcast hosted by Michelle Jackson. Our community is filled with hundreds of stories from creators and entrepreneurs just like you. And through this show we share these stories of challenges and successes from bloggers to podcasters from writers, speakers and more.

In this season we talk about a somewhat taboo topic-the deadly sins that personal finance (and other content creators) can make. We share lessons learned, how to avoid these mistakes and the fact that we’re all human putting our creative work out there into the world. This season’s conversation is about the inherent risks we’re taking in developing online brands, our own hubris and the impact that how other people perceive us can make us or break our online brand.

In proposing this series I wanted to touch on our shared vulnerability and humanity. We’re not perfect and sometimes I’m frustrated by the narratives shared online that content creators never make mistakes. Because a lot of what we do is failing forward. The other part of the conversation related to the 7 deadly sins to avoid making in the content creation space as personal finance creatives is figuring what’s the fine line between making a mistake (and resolving it) or committing an actual sin with no understanding of why it’s a sin and no intention to resolve it.

The goal with this season is not to shame anyone because of the mistakes that they’ve made, Instead, it’s to have authentic, empathetic conversations around what can go wrong when running an online brand, share how people address different situations so that you have ideas of what to do if you find yourself dealing with the same issue and try to answer the question “Are some mistakes unforgivable?” And what role does the greater personal finance space play in a creator’s redemption?

I’m about to share some of the Deadly Sins and one that I committed as well

• Omission-Are there aspects about building an online brand and business that you could be more transparent about? In the next episode my guest Natasha and I talk about this at length.

• Reputation-This refers to how the greater community perceives you positively or negatively. Interestingly, you may be perceived negatively and still be a pretty influential content creator.

• Consistency-Life happens and sometimes you may end up disappearing for a moment. How consistent do you really have to be before hurting your brand?

• Money-There are so many different angles that we can talk about from the money angle. There’s an endless number of possibilities where actions around money can impact your brand.

• Products-Developing unique to you products is a great way to earn money. But, what if something goes wrong? People hate your product, you don’t deliver on the premise of the product or maybe YOU hate YOUR product.

• Lack of Connection-This one is tricky, lack of connection could relate to the greater personal finance community or how your circumstances change and how those changes impact how the community you serve views you. I’ve noticed this in 3 different situations:

• When personal finance content creators earn more
• When their interests change and they fail to realize how this change impacts their community

• When a personal finance content creator seems to be out of touch with what their community actually wants from them

• Pricing-Developing and creating products and services is a scary and exhilarating process. But the pricing process can go bad very quickly. How? By under or overcharging what you’re selling and how your clientele perceives your pricing.

• Intentions-Sometimes your community doesn’t understand what your intentions are and things can go badly pretty quickly if this type of miscommunication isn’t addressed fast.

Michelle’s Mistake-Related to Money and Reputation This mistake happened several years ago and I’m still a little embarrassed by this even though the issue I’m about to discuss has been resolved for many years. When I first got into course creation, I loved it and I had the opportunity to share my course in some communities. In one, the sales went well and the creator received affiliate commissions. Now, I had been paying affiliate commissions as they were trickling in and then my income dropped. It dropped to the point where I couldn’t afford to pay the last pending affiliate commission that ended up being a fairly significant one to me at the time. And, instead of speaking to this content creator about what was going on.

I avoided it.

Similar to some of the financial behavior and financial anxiety that had gotten me into the financial mess that I was digging myself out of at the time. This creator has done VERY well for themselves. And, they weren’t chasing after me for the money. In fact, it took quite a while before their team member reached out to me about it.

It would take another 1 year before I took care of it. Again, they never bothered me about the commission. This person is a 7 figure earner but my delaying and avoiding this payment because of the stuff my head had the following consequences:

• Paranoia-I was wondering if people were talking about me behind my back and discussing the situation.

• Impacted my course sales-I just couldn’t put myself out there to sell the course even though a relatively small number of courses would have taken care of the problem.

• Negatively impacted how I felt about myself and the work I was doing in the personal finance space. While I never give financial advice and I’m fairly candid about the financial mistakes that I made, I felt horrible that I was unable to address this faster on an emotional level.

• It took up a lot of head space-I spent a lot of time thinking about this problem versus taking care of the problem.

And it was this issue that made it clear to me that there were underlying issues with money that I needed to address and maybe it would be a good thing for me to work with a financial therapist.

By the way, it was just $600 dollars.

You’ll notice that with my business now-I don’t use affiliates and if I were to ever do it again, I would have someone designated to manage that aspect of my business.

The other sin that I avoided had nothing to do with me or my actions. Instead, it was related to another content creator in an adjacent space (not personal finance) who I know as an acquaintance. This person lives in Colorado, had started a Meetup group and seemed like a nice, ethical person.

Then, one day, I was randomly on Twitter and saw entire threads about this person and people’s very legitimate concerns about how they were running their business. In fact, legitimate publications in the state had written articles about this person. I would have NEVER known about this if I hadn’t seen those threads.

What was concerning was that they said that every 6 months this type of thread comes up and it’s not a big deal. Now, I never let on that I had seen these threads. Instead, I stopped attending the Meetup group and am no longer in contact with this person which wasn’t difficult to do given that we were acquaintances. Part of why I made that choice was that it didn’t seem like this person was addressing the issues that people were bringing up. Maybe, I would have made a different choice if that had been the case.

But, being in the personal finance space even though I never give financial advice. And I don’t call myself an expert, reputation takes a long-time to build and a few minutes to kill. And while it’s possible to rebuild your reputation, you’ll forever have issues. Proximity to questionable people with questionable business practices would reflect badly on me.

You’re often judged by the company that you keep. Remember, people have receipts on what you’re doing and who you’re connected to.

I hope that you enjoy this season and the conversations that we’ll be having. Again, the goal isn’t to shame anyone. It’s to show that we’re human and make mistakes and also to shine a light on the actions that can irreparably harm your brand and hurt the good work that you’re doing as a content creator in the personal finance space.

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In the first episode of this season I spoke with Harlan Landes, founder of the Plutus Awards, Plutus Foundation and Plutus Voices events. It’s a great conversation about the evolution of the Plutus ecosystem and what motivates Harlan to do the work that he does.

The main question that the Plutus Foundation will be exploring this season is the tension that content creators in the personal finance space feel when deciding whether or not to monetize their brand. I absolutely felt this tension and nervousness at the time that I decided to monetize my brand partly because I had to ask myself if I was being inauthentic, greedy or disingenuous as a person in the personal finance space.

I thought it would be interesting to share what I thought about, what I was afraid of and how and why I ultimately decided to say “yes” to making money as a personal content creator.

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Rachel Hernandez is known as The Mobile Home Gurl. Rachel talks about listening to what your audience tells you they want, leaning into your authority and how making mistakes helps content creators find the right products and services for their brand.

• Rachel Hernandez- Who started her project in 2007 and currently runs Adventures in Mobile Homes

• How has creating content online changed since 2007?

  • Focus was on blogging, written content
  • Now the content is very interactive
  • And Rachel admits that she was late to the game with social media
  • People are more interested in seeing the content creators up front via video/etc.
  • Are Blogs Dead? No, they aren’t. But, those blogs have a tight community and loyal following. The bloggers who are the most successful tend to be the most transparent in the personal finance space.
  • What has been important about “story in content creation” vs. leaning into SEO?
  • Rachel shares a disclaimer that she’s not an expert in SEO
  • Anyone can share generic content but telling a story around a topic, it’s so much more interesting to people.
  • How did Rachel get involved in Mobile Home Investing? She read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and started in single family homes via Bird Dogging and Single Home Investing.
  • Found that she didn’t enjoy single home investing and she decided to sell her entire portfolio of homes and decided to do mobile home investing instead.
  • I wonder what Bird Dogging is? It’s basically becoming a property scout for other real estate investors
  • I decided to ask an awkward question “Why mobile homes? Vs. single family units”

  • Rachel is very kind about addressing my question and clarifies that there are several different types of mobile home communities

  • Low-end

  • Middle of the road
  • High end
  • Initially, Rachel did deals across different types of communities and now focuses on high end properties
  • How did Rachel create community in her niche? A lot of trial and error.
  • Rachel started doing affiliates and experimented with different ways to monetize her brand.
  • She got tired of the hustle even though she was getting ad revenue and was looking for a way to make things easier.
  • Rachel began focusing on building authority to help your brand stand out.
  • She wrote a book in 2012 “Adventures in Mobile Homes”
  • People began to go to her website because of the book and other opportunities began to open up.
  • Prior to her content creation life, Rachel was a sales executive and enjoys networking and speaking-focused opportunities that enable her to lean into the skills that she developed as a sales executive.
  • Events that helped grow her brand were FinCon2015 and the Plutus Impact Summit 2021
  • Rachel self-published her book and I wonder how people found her book?
  • She decided that she wanted control over her book and in the future she would revisit that decision. Rachel did a lot of guest posts.
  • What was her community’s expectation of her and what did her community want from her?
  • Her community kept asking for a course and Rachel refused to do a course for YEARS.

  • When she began her podcast she began to see the value of the course because people kept asking her questions and she had clarity about why a course would make sense as a part of her brand.

  • It saves her time

  • Rachel wanted to share a true narrative about the process of being in mobile home investing and avoiding being disingenuous
  • She wants to avoid the “Get Rich Quick” folks and is being very clear about the avatar that she works with.

  • Why is she building a membership moving free folks to paid and uses “Buy Me a Coffee” after moving it off of Patreon. Rachel references it as a support page.

  • Figuring out what people want from her was the key part of making an impactful membership.

  • She wasn’t sure initially
  • Danielle Desire was an inspiration
  • Attended the Plutus Impact Summit and heard Ramit Sethi’s advice-don’t sell anything that you wouldn’t buy yourself. This influenced how intentional she was with her product development.

  • Rachel is a member of a community-Jen Amos.

  • A lot of trial and error in figuring out the content for her community

  • She shares mobile home leads that she shares with her community because she only invests in her state of Texas.
  • People want information that cannot be found anywhere else. Rachel is able to share this content in her membership space which is a Safe Space for her.
  • Right now she’s working on content regarding a person who is defrauding folks and that information is only for members.
  • Has decided to forgo sponsorships because they didn’t fit her vision

  • Rachel is doing well with her mobile home business six-figures a year and has multiple streams of content.

  • Low content book business inspired by Nick Loper's show

  • Rachel is creating a Mobile Home Girl ecosystem

  • She wakes up at 5:00 am to get stuff done and is focused on productivity

  • Building up her authority has helped Rachel to avoid pushback behind the monetization approaches that she pursues.

  • I ask Rachel to share how people can network in-person after 2 years of being at home.

  • Mobile Home Gurl

  • What’s next for Rachel?
  • Growing the membership site
  • Low-content book business

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Patrina Dixon is the It’s My Money Lady. We talk about the impact that COVID had on her business and the unexpected opportunities for growth that occurred from pivots that she had to make during that time. We discussed why she loves affiliate marketing what it is and what isn’t and how her community guides her business decisions.

• Patrina Dixon-It’s My Money Lady she teaches people how to live better lives through understanding the fundamentals of finances.
• She shares how she got into the personal finance space.
• There was a point where she recognized that she needed to become a better steward of her money.
• As she got better with money she also decided to attend a financial conference.
• Patrina became a student of personal finance.
• What was it like for Patrina to start making content and then transitioning to make money with her brand.
• She’d always wanted to run her own business and building her brand was a perfect convergence of her goal and personal actions.
• Her initial actions were talking about personal finance, then she wrote a book in 2016 (geared towards youth)
• Attending FinCon and meeting other creators in the space really opened up her mind as to what she could do from a content creation standpoint.
• Patrina’s first book was self-published and the one thing she wished she’d done better was marketing her book.
• Standout products or service that she enjoys is speaking in-person to her community
• I wonder how COVID impacted her business

• People were finding Patrina via her website and she’s her own walking brand.

  • She intentionally wears her t-shirt wearing how to find her
  • People also finds her via Google
  • 2019 was her highest revenue generating year. 2020 was supposed to be the same and then COVID had a huge impact on her business. She had to figure out what to do next.
  • The question “What do I do next?” became the question that she focused on.
  • She reframed her availability to virtual and became comfortable with showing up online.
  • The second quarter of 2020 was severely impacted.
  • This pivot actually helped with the growth of her business and she brought in more people to her team.
  • I ask an awkward question about her revenue and how it was impacted. (It DROPPED)
  • Patrina and her virtual assistant pulled out her whiteboard and reworked the process.
  • Quarter 4 is when she saw the difference and they really talked about where to put her focus and time.
  • Patrina also works a 9-5 in addition to her business

  • I wonder about how Patrina found people to support her in her business.

  • She needed time back in her day and wanted to focus on the parts of her business that she excelled in

  • She worked with paid interns that she found via YWCA

  • Then she transitioned to a Virtual Assistant, podcast editor, etc.

  • Patrina focused on what was NEEDED in her business and found people to help her via her community.
  • What was it like building a community (The Squad) vs. just having content out there?
    The community were the people who were always engaging with her content

  • I ask Patrina about how she views affiliate marketing and what is it?

  • The promotion of other folk’s products and services. It’s not MLM or a pyramid scheme

  • She loves affiliate marketing so much that she created a course and has earned 4 figures just from affiliate marketing.
  • What’s the deal with the idea that affiliate marketing is an MLM play?
  • Don’t become an affiliate of everything, just of the things you love. Patrina LOVES Honeybook

  • 3 easy things content creators can do to monetize their platforms via affiliate marketing

  • What are the products and services that you use? Look for affiliate programs on the product’s website

  • Share the affiliate link often and talk about the product often and in a natural way. Avoid sounding like you’re selling.
  • Have a strategy.
  • EXECUTE your strategy

  • Patrina has a podcast and I wonder if she uses it as part of her affiliate marketing strategy

  • She does and includes a call to action within her conversations.

  • If the guest happens to have something she can become an affiliate of she may consider becoming an affiliate.

  • I wonder if Patrina has a YouTube channel. She leverages YouTube in two different ways

  • Records her podcast via Zoom puts the video on YouTube

    • Uses show notes
      • She also records short video episodes and shares links on her videos
      • Patrina has a spreadsheet that details everything related to the affiliates that she shares.
    • How does Patrina know what’s a good fit for her community?

  • She asks A LOT of questions

  • Building community via Facebook

  • Asking questions for clarity and getting people on her email list

  • It is a lot of time

  • Community members who DON’T purchase are valuable in different ways

Where to Find Patrina

• Patrina Dixon: itsmymoney_
• https://Itsmymoneyjournal.info
• The Money Exchange
• YouTube: It’s My Money with Patrina Dixon

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Joseph Hogue is creator of the Let’s Talk Money YouTube Channel with over 500,000 subscribers.

We talk about candidly wanting to earn money as an online creator, letting go of projects that aren’t serving you well and the important questions that multi-passionate content creators need to ask themselves in order for their projects to grow.

• Equity analyst background-private wealth management and in 2013 decided to start an online business and discovered that blogs don’t make money but learned how to monetize quickly.
• He started a YouTube channel that currently has over 500,000 subscribers

• Joseph went into the personal finance space with the idea of making money.

  • Looked at blogging first as a business
  • Self-publishing was a great way for him to repurpose the content that he was creating on his low views websites.
  • I share why I rebranded and included the phrase “money hungry”
  • Content creation is still really in its infancy and people aren’t aware of how much work goes into creating digital content.
  • We dig a little deeper into why Joseph began self-publishing and how he researched the different ways that content creators are making money online.
    He created a content strategy around self-publishing

  • I wonder how people found his books? This was a total gamble.

  • Joseph used SEO

  • Why did YouTube resonate with him? Why did he stick with YouTube?
    He encountered success really quickly on the channel and was able to monetize within 4 months and focused on hot topic videos

  • Joseph shares one of his favorite strategies-go to a (5-10) channels similar to yours, sort that person’s most popular videos top 10-15 videos. Pay attention to the keywords and topics.

  • Find the topics popular on all of those channels and then share your take on the topic

  • YouTube prefers to promote channels that are siloed into specific content

    • Graham Stefan

    • Andre Jek

      • He tried to do different topics and Joseph found that multiple topics slows down the momentum of the other videos on a person’s channel

    • Focus on the person vs. what they're talking about on the channel

    • Joseph shares his monetization verticals

  • Self-publishing

  • Video courses
  • Downloadable spreadsheet
  • YouTube ads which are around ¼ of his income (more than he expected)
  • Affiliates
  • Sponsors
  • Mastermind group
  • He points out that content creators have to have metrics around the progress around their monetization and in the beginning when you have a smaller community the approach is different
  • Multiple revenue streams are important to have because of the uncertainty around each revenue streams

  • How does Joseph avoid “Squirrel” syndrome with all of these areas of focus

  • He has a very defined and definite schedule

  • Joseph works on all content strategies. He has a list and works through them outside of the normal ideas that come up each year on the calendar.

  • Affiliates and sponsors influence this strategy as well

  • Right now Joseph is in the midst of a major pivot and I know that a lot of multi-passionate content creators will pay attention to the pivot he’s working through. He found that he just didn’t have the time or motivation to focus on the other project.
  • There’s a point where you have to ask yourself “what to do when you have a split focus?”
  • He’d tried to find business partners, managers and other stop gaps that just never worked. He also realized that he didn’t want to manage other people and that wasn’t the way he wanted to scale his business.
  • For people who are new to content creation, test out the different types of media to see which one resonates best with you.

  • Spend time on working your content strategy and monetization process

  • Most people need to earn money

  • I ask an awkward question-How is Joseph hedging the danger of building a business on a platform that he doesn’t own? He shares how he’s protecting himself.

  • Make the money while you can

  • Grow your email list and have a newsletter
  • Diversified income off of YouTube
  • There’s content and products-content creators have to be able to focus on both
  • Once he sells his 2 blogs he will be able to focus better.

  • Joseph shares two pieces of advice to help new content creators in the online space.

  • Don’t believe it when people say an area of content creation is dead

  • 2017 started working on YouTube and he grew it.
  • Study income sources and be strategic in your business
  • Learn strategies and business concepts

  • Books he recommends

  • Primal Branding

  • Superfans
  • Storybrand
  • Atomic Habits
  • The 12 Week Year

Where to Find Joseph
Let’s Talk Money-YouTube
https://mystockmarketbasics.com

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Angela and Regina are co-founders of Women’s Personal Finance, a massive community that is a safe space for women to talk about all aspects of how money shows up in women’s lives.

We talk about monetizing a community like this one, the purpose it serves and being able to lean deeper into the brand mission through intentional monetization.

• Regina is a pharmacist by background, Coast FI and is not really working as a pharmacist anymore. They both shifted Women’s Personal Finance into becoming a business entity about 13 months ago.
• The ladies have been friends for quite a few years.
• Regina shares how she got into the personal finance space via Twitter. She wasn’t blogging but wanted spaces that gave her the opportunity to talk about money.
• She purchased a property in her 20’s and her financial trajectory was unique and she wanted to connect with other people that had a similar experience.
• She wanted to create a place where she could share more content (rants)
• 2017 Angela remembers the details.
• Regina kept her blog anonymous which would allow her to speak freely about her interests and connected with Angela when she reached out to write a post on “Prepper FI” on Angela’s website.
• Angela was a lurker in the personal finance community for YEARS. Was a completely passive consumer of that content.
• She decided to start blogging after joining Twitter.
• Meet the Women of the Personal Finance Community Post that went viral. Decided that Women’s Personal Finance be an inclusive space and not niche down to only being a FIRE group.

• I ask why Angela and Regina were the ones to create this community?

  • They didn’t need a list but an actual community

  • What surprised them about creating an online community (I disclose that I’m a member of the community)

  • No longer letting things “happen” in the group and have become protective of the group.

  • Surprising realization that the group isn’t for everyone.
  • Initially it was uncomfortable to do but now it’s clear that it’s a part of how they protect women in their space.

  • Could you talk about the tensions that have arisen as you’ve monetized this project?

  • Regina talked Angela into monetizing the project

  • Why was Angela reticent about monetizing the community?

    • There were things not showing up in the Facebook feed and Angela was sent to Facebook jail because of saying “Smelly potato” and they can’t rely on Facebook
    • They decided to add a premium community and this leaned into their community building and advocacy work offline. They wanted to really make a community that wasn’t ABOUT them vs. the community
    • Neither Regina or Angela have added content onto their website and focus on elevating other people with their platform.
    • I note that Women’s Personal Finance, Elevate Community and Plutus Foundation
    • When you began selling products what was the response like? They definitely got pushback about the products.
    • The first thing they monetized was paying the moderator using Ko-Fi and realized that there was something “here” with the community though Angela has had to work through the tension of getting paid for a passion project.
    • I share why I rebranded my project to “Michelle is Money Hungry” and how someone was offended by the name and I wanted to have a conversation about money
    • There is a lot of work that goes into content creation. If we’re not getting paid what are we modeling to our communities and the people that we serve?
    • They found that higher earners who don’t want people to earn money and are unlikely to pay for what they’re producing.
    • 52,000 members in the group and a ton of moderation work, ego and emotion
    • Paying writers and speakers-a focus on compensating people for their work as soon as money is available “Paying Women for their Work”
    • The first year they made $50,000
      I ask about grants, they do have a Plutus Grant
    • What have been the most impactful conversations that they’ve seen in the group
    • Angela makes the point of how Facebook makes money off of the groups that are hosted on the platform.
    • I ask about the initiatives that they’ve undertaken in the group

  • A focus on women’s reproductive health-The ladies set up a reproductive health fund

  • Gifting memberships-Annual members vs. a free month
  • The conversations in the Women’s Personal Finance group move me on an emotional level. I love seeing the uniquely specific financial conversations about women’s money.
  • What does the future look like?
  • Where is the premium community currently hosted? Discord
  • I circle back and ask about why Twitter worked so well for them? They share how.
  • Content creator connections happened via Twitter

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2022/angela-regina-mission-driven-brand

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Jillian Johnsrud is the author of Fire the Haters, a book that isn’t about the FIRE movement, but is all about creating content online and the challenges that may impact your brand. We talk about how different seasons of life influence her business, the pushback on content creators positioned in the FIRE space aren’t they allowed to make money too? And why Jillian has decided not to attend any events in 2022

• Jillian writes and creates at Jillian Johnsrud.com, wrote a book, coaches, course creator and event host.
• I wonder how Jillian is able to do all of the things that she’s doing.
• Jillian is candid about how she doesn’t have a 9-5 job and that her husband also doesn’t work a 9-5 while outsourcing everything possible.
• How did Jillian know when it was time to outsource different aspects of her business. She shares that she started off by doing things the wrong way.

• I share my Virtual Assistant onboarding experience-I was the problem. Most entrepreneurs are behind the eightball when they hire.

  • Choose the uber professional-who is more expensive
  • Or, the person who you have to train
  • Hiring is an important part of the monetization conversation
  • Jillian shares her financial story and how she wanted to have a different financial experience.
  • Became financially independent when she was 32 years old
  • How does she make FIRE relatable to people?
  • Create financial freedom and flex that freedom
  • I ask a weird question: “When did you notice that you’d become a financial brand?”

  • She started writing a few years before FIRE became a “thing” and wasn’t planning on creating a brand. She asked herself:

  • Am I hobbyist

  • Am I myself
  • Or, am I a company?
  • Jillian shares that she’s opted to become a personal brand
  • Her season of life influences the type of content creator that she is.
  • What is going on with the pushback on FIRE content creators making money?
    Does FIRE actually work where you DON’T need income in the future
  • Jillian designs her business differently because the purpose of income in her business is to funnel money towards the projects that she’s passionate about vs. optimize profits.
  • What defining moment influenced the writing of Fire the Haters? About 4 months into her writing career and the title of her post was changed by the editor on a large curation site. Readers were pissed off and Jillian was trying to defend herself.
  • She reached out to Jay Money and asked “How do you deal with this? I’m not sure if I’m cut out for creating online” Jay Money laughed “Oh, honey, you don’t read the comments.”

  • FIRE the Haters has three main content sections

  • How do we deal with creating content online?

  • What are our boundaries?
  • The internal critic
  • What to do when things go wrong and how do we regroup?
  • What has the feedback been like for the book?
    Very good and that readers who aren’t content creators are able to apply the lessons in the book to their lives.
  • What has it been like incorporating this book into her FIRE focused brand since it’s an online business book vs. FIRE?
  • It’s ok that the book isn’t for everyone in her audience?
  • There are different points in a content creators journey and the challenge of splitting your focus/branding and clarity issues

  • How did Jillian find an audience for her book?

  • She was super passionate about the book and the content and was ok with it taking longer.

  • “I didn’t write this for year 1 sales, I wrote it for year 5 sales”
  • I ask Jillian to share the different parts of her brand and I wonder why she said “yes” to the projects/products she said “yes” to
  • Trying and working on products is the only way to know if something works.
  • 2022 no conferences-Event free year as a way to see if she misses.
  • My VA travesty was influenced by my travel to events
  • This year I’ve decided to only attend 3 events.

  • How is Jillian maintaining relationships and how have her relationships impacted her brand’s growth?

  • She and her family have been traveling a lot and being intentional about meeting with people during her travels.

  • Hosting(in the loosest sense) a get together in Mexico at an all-inclusive resort
  • “There’s no I would be doing this without the friendships that I’ve made”

  • The advice Jillian would give to a personal finance content creator considering monetizing their brand.

  • What are you better than the average at? Start with a headstart that amplifies your success?

  • What’s NOT your skillset and outsource it.
  • Being FIRE allowed Jillian to be a lot more candid about what she doesn’t need to do in her business.
  • Jillian uses a journaling activity focused on “What are your superpowers?” She refers back to this spreadsheet and information so that she is able to look back at what she’s shared with herself.

  • What does the future look like in Jillian’s business?

  • Focusing on scaling down

  • Less is more creation

  • 1 Tip for future content creators=Just FOCUS because 1 or 2 of the things that you do will give you 80% of your results.

  • Ask yourself what actually moves the needle for your brand.

  • We talk about Jillian’s in-person event, will she do it again? Jillian admits that she used to be an event junkie

  • She discovered that having the event was wonderful but the behind the scenes planning of an event took a lot

  • "I admit that I don’t have the capacity to host another event"

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Today's guests are Julien and Kiersten Saunders of Rich and Regular. We talk about the importance of knowing how to talk to your audience vs. at your audience. How they decided on a monetization strategy that allowed them to stay out of the pockets of the community that they serve with their content and the goals that they have for their upcoming book. Julien and Kiersten Saunders introduce themselves “Rich and Regular” and their upcoming book “ Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game By Walking Away” They share how they got into the personal finance space-they were content consumers and got excited about being involved They soon realized that a lot of people that they knew weren’t interested because they didn’t see themselves in the content. How to resonate with specific audiences became a driving question in the creation of their brand. I ask them to expand on what they do as content creators and I wonder why they decided to lean into video in the way that they did. What does it take to get their financial message to resonate with their audience? It had to stand out and be approached in a different way. Rethinking the design of their content and decided it had to be entertaining. Found a videographer that they paid and designed their content Why are so many personal finance content creators staying on the surface vs. digging deeper? Instructor vs. Connecting via story and role modeling The nuance of expression, questions, etc. communicate story better-but, might not be good for social media algorithms Creatives who don’t view themselves as creatives who are unclear about marketing Why vs. How to (do it) Why did personal finance content switch from story brands to SEO driven only? I ask “Is blogging dead?” No. Kiersten breaks down why this is a silly belief Were there concerns around your monetization strategy and the impact on your brand and community that you’re serving? They decided that they didn’t want to be a line item in their community’s budget. So, the Rich and Regular monetization strategy had to be approached in a different way. They focused on creating compelling content that attracts brands vs. monetizing directly from their community Brands reach out to Rich and Regular because it’s clear who they’re connecting with their content Recognizing the middle point in a business’s life cycle which needs different types of connection and content I ask Julien and Kiersten about what they invested in with their business specifically-editing their Money on the Table, etc. Julien points out that brands appreciate the level of investment that they’ve put into their personal content and that it will translate to the content that they would create for a brand. Be so unique you couldn’t unsee it In 2022 Julien and Kiersten are publishing “Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away” We discuss their upcoming book and what does “winning” look like in a 9-5 career? I share a story about how people’s beliefs may influence their ability to accept the message that Julien and Kiersten are sharing with their book Kiersten makes the point that the majority of retires are retiring early based on data 97% of Black employees do not want to return to the office How did Julien and Kiersten decide that they should be the ones to write their book “Cashing Out Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away” Having thousands of conversations helped inform Julien and Kiersten on what content actually resonates with their community I ask about how they decided to be on the cover of their book? Because Black people on the cover of a book like this is so rare I share that I would have missed seeing them on their book as a fan If you want to sell your book take the actions that will get likely buyers to actually buy your book. What is considered success for the book? Readers reaching out or is it sales? Or, a combination of the two metrics. The Black Experience at work as a welcomed critique within business spaces What’s their next goal after publishing their book Get rid of the vanity metrics and talk to your audience in person to gauge if your content is resonating. Sometimes you won’t see the return in metrics even though the community loves the content. Resources https://richandregular.com June 14, 2022 “Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away”

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Welcome to another episode of the Plutus Awards Podcast. Our community is filled with hundreds of stories from creators and entrepreneurs just like you. And through this show we share these stories of challenges and successes from bloggers to podcasters from writers, speakers and more. In today’s episode I share how and why I decided to monetize my personal finance brand. It wasn’t an easy decision and for those of you making the decision my monetization story will highlight the fears and concerns I had about the process leading with the following question that I needed to answer “Will monetizing my brand impact the authenticity, brand mission and purpose of my project and negatively impact the community that I serve with my content?” In the first episode of this season I spoke with Harlan Landes, founder of the Plutus Awards, Plutus Foundation and Plutus Voices events. It’s a great conversation about the evolution of the Plutus ecosystem and what motivates Harlan to do the work that he does. The main question that the Plutus Foundation will be exploring this season is the tension that content creators in the personal finance space feel when deciding whether or not to monetize their brand. I absolutely felt this tension and nervousness at the time that I decided to monetize my brand partly because I had to ask myself if I was being inauthentic, greedy or disingenuous as a person in the personal finance space. I thought it would be interesting to share what I thought about, what I was afraid of and how and why I ultimately decided to say “yes” to making money as a personal content creator.

The Beginning

I started blogging about money in 2012 and honestly, what I put out for the first couple of years was messy. I started with Blogger, a free blogging platform until eventually I decided that I liked blogging enough to tackle using Wordpress. I’ll never forget sitting in Eric Rosenberg’s apartment in Denver wanting to use his turntables on Christmas Eve and hanging out with his girlfriend who would become his wife as he transferred my website to Wordpress. Something that I couldn’t afford to pay for at the time. I wasn’t a prolific blogger, but I was passionate about the space, the community and the content that I was putting out there and my hope was that if I could help at least one person by sharing my story-I’d made a difference.

2012 soon became 2013, 2014, and then 2017 arrived. It was around that time that I was really having some deep private conversations with myself about the value of my time vs. what I was putting out. I still had debt that I was paying off, I had made the leap into self-employment and was navigating what I enjoyed doing as an entrepreneur and I was increasingly asking myself the following question “Does it make sense for someone in the personal finance space to say “no” to money…especially when they needed it?

They… meaning me. And the other question that I literally spent years working through is how can I make money, still be authentic and still advocate for the financial changes and empowerment that I talked about on my platform. I didn’t want to make money with credit card sign ups, I loved affiliates but hadn’t yet found many affiliate programs that were a good fit and “lit me up” At the heart of the conflict that had over monetization was how to do it in such a way that I could still share what I believed without having the products or services that I partnered with negatively impact my brand? Finally I figured out how to monetize authentically while staying true to my brand.

I became incredibly clear about the overall mission of my brand which is to empower Black and Brown communities while educating and partnering with allied communities to increase access to financial tools, products and opportunities that were previously inaccessible to these communities. This looked like sharing free content in the form of podcast episodes, leads for projects and sharing opportunities such as grants, jobs and scholarships. Basically, kicking the door open and getting rid of financial gatekeeping.

Being candid about wanting to unapologetically want to earn more money. I decided to rebrand and “Michelle is Money Hungry” was born. I made it clear that I was modeling, earning more for other Black and Brown women to see and feel good about. I also shared the statistics that backed up why this initiative was so important.
Black women earn significantly less than white men
We are typically financially responsible for other relatives or friends who need financial support.
We’re battling what we don’t know such as the right wage to negotiate for
We have to bridge the financial gap that Americans find themselves dealing with in the form of: health insurance, childcare costs, expensive housing and more.
Also, the math wasn’t mathing. I was known for being in the process of paying off my debt. I had no business not making as much money as possible in order to achieve that goal

I sought out affiliates, projects and partners that were 100% in alignment with my brand and thoughtfully grew my content to support my monetization moves.

I said “no” to anything that would be off brand, inauthentic or just felt wrong for my community. No more weird backlinks on the website, no more yesses sponsored blog posts that felt random on the website, no paid projects that had my name on it that felt off-brand. Those became ghostwritten projects if I even said “yes”

Always leading with my community in mind and having a greater purpose. Because of these moves the projects that I was attracted to work on paid better over time and were just enjoyable to do.

Additional actions that I took as I undertook the monetization process

I kept my side-hustles and used that money help me avoid saying “yes” to things that I should be saying “no” to

I did not and do not judge other creators who’ve opted not to monetize their brands. This could be their life’s opus and who am I to judge their decision around how they spend their time.

I designed products, goods and services that allowed me to say “no” to anything that didn’t serve me well.

I added applying for grants and scholarships so that I could continue to create content that serves without compromising the integrity of the work.

Some last thoughts and reflections

Monetizing your personal finance brand is personal. You earning money (however much you earn) may create some tension between you and other content creators

If you’re able to monetize beyond a decent wage-basically, make epic money, be prepared for some feedback around this. For example: are you FIRE or just an entrepreneur?

There is no right or wrong answer on whether or not you should monetize your brand. There will be people who disagree with your decision either way. It took me 4 years to say “yes” to monetization and even then I was uneasy about it at the time. Creating a mission and monetization rubric helped me be clear about what I could say “yes” or “no” to authentically. Ultimately, I also moved all business of content creation of my website and launched a new how to build an online business brand where I could comfortably share affiliates and other resources that didn’t accidentally cannibalize the spirit and mission behind “Michelle is Money Hungry” What say you? Do you plan on monetizing your personal finance brand? What are your fears and concerns?

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Can your business succeed if making money isn’t its guiding factor? Perhaps in the most successful businesses, creating monetary value isn’t the primary objective -- or, at least, owners have another purpose in mind.

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain has a candid conversation with J.D. Roth, founder of Get Rich Slowly. J.D. discusses the benefits of getting away from the idea that money is the primary goal in business, how to blend your business and personal life together and enjoy meaningful and successful work, and why he is not fond of search engine optimization (SEO).

Episode highlights

• J.D. discusses different types of goals when making money is not top priority in your business
• How its ok for your purpose to change for your business and personal life
• J.D. expresses the importance of creating meaningful work
• How pivoting Get Rich Slowly from a blog to something meaningful to J.D.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/money-business-purpose

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Success is not necessarily defined by how much money you make or how many subscribers you have. You can create your own vision of success, and your metrics may be unique to you. It helps to know what’s within your control and what’s beyond your control, and define your success accordingly.

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Candice Latham, brand business owner of Latham Agency. Candice shares what it means to own your own version of success, how she shifted and pursued her goals in her business and life, and how you can work backwards to capture the feeling of success in your business.

Episode highlights

• Candice describes what success meant to her in the past
• How seeing other people’s success changed her definition of success
• How to deal with the competing versions of success
• How to pinpoint what habits you need to accomplish your goals

About Candice Latham

Candice Latham was born and raised in the inner city of Boston. She started using her skills from her nine-to-five ad agency job to start her own design business on the side which later became her full-time hustle. Candice documented my journey of paying off $47,000 of debt and investing, going from a negative net worth to a positive one. She believes that even if you grew up in an environment where you didn’t see opportunities & possibilities, you can still defy the odds, build wealth, and think differently for yourself and your family.

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You love the idea of becoming an entrepreneur, but without some of the struggles that past generations have faced. Passive income can play a role in taking some of the obstacles away from creating a life where you have options.

Acquania Escarne, wealth strategist,and host of The Purpose of Money, went deep in conversation with our host, Sarah Li Cain, to discuss how she discovered her own path to entrepreneurship by watching her mother’s journey, the importance of creating passive income, and how she manages incoming cash flow for the day she decides to leave her 9 to 5.

Episode highlights

• Acquania discusses why she wanted to become an entrepreneur
• She walks us through the steps on how she grew her network
• How she is focusing on other arms for creating passive income
• Acquania explained her strategy behind having passive income

About Acquania Escarne

Acquania Escarne is a Wealth Strategist who helps clients across the country build and maintain generational wealth through saving and investing.

With more than a decade of experience, Acquania follows a step-by-step system that helps individuals and families maximize their income and leverage money they are already spending to produce residual and tax-free income.

Her Podcast and Blog, “The Purpose of Money,” teaches Women of Color about saving, investing, and building wealth through real estate, investing in the stock market, life insurance, unique savings strategies, and more. Acquania’s guests are working women and entrepreneurs that have found ways to build wealth and create more freedom in their lives today.

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Ep. 77. Creating boundaries is crucial to any sport. You can’t play football or soccer without the referee reminding you to stay inbound., but what about creating boundaries in a business or a side hustle. Is this something a business should have in place? Yes, creating boundaries within a business not only helps your business grow but helps your mental state remain healthy.

Whitney Hansen, the host of the award-winning podcast, The Money Nerds, had a detailed conversation with our host, Sarah Li Cain, to discuss the importance of setting boundaries around her business, and how having boundaries keeps you from creating identities solely around the business.

Episode highlights

• Whitney discusses the importance of creating boundaries
• She walked us through the steps on how to establish boundaries in your business
• Whitney touches on giving yourself permission to take days off
• She lists the benefits in creating boundaries

About Whitney Hansen

I’m Whitney Hansen. I’m a personal finance coach and entrepreneur. I teach overwhelmed millennials how to pay off debt and be financially independent by giving them the tools to have more fun with money and sprinkling in a little silliness. Some of my accomplishments are paying off $30,000 in 10 months, buying my first home at 19, and paying $472 for my master’s degree.

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To expand any business, you must be open to change. Some businesses are afraid of change because they don't know what to expect. They are afraid of the unknown, but without change how would your business grow. Growth requires change!

Harlan Landes, the founder and executive director of Plutus Foundation, had a detailed conversation with our host, Sarah Li Cain, to discuss when to know when to quit a business or side gig even when things are going great, and he digs deep into the types of self-awareness that is needed to find both personal and outward success for professional projects.

Episode highlights

• Harlan discusses the ideas of prioritizing a business
• He explains the challenges of making tough decisions
• How to pivot around situations when things change course
• Harlan expresses the importance of reflecting on your business

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/identify-priorities-pivot-business

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There’s nothing inherently wrong about keeping it safe when writing and creating other content about personal finance. Many who do want to provide actionable and interesting information that gets the job done and helps their audience. But maybe, just maybe, you can have a bigger impact by breaking some of the rules and not playing it safe. If your audience sees your authentic self in the insight you share, even if it pertains to personal finance, you will have a better chance at connecting with and growing your audience while influencing them to take action.

Piggy and Kitty, the founders and writers of Bitches Get Riches, had an exciting conversation with our host, Sarah Li Cain, to discuss how they grew their blog with being true to who they are, why they believe it's a disservice to the finance industry if people delivered the same content, and steps on how you can monetize your blog without relying on corporate dollars.

Episode highlights

• Piggy and Kitty discusses their ideas on breaking the rules
• They share how they collaborated choosing their brand
• They touched on how monetization can cause you to stay in the box with content
• How they grew their audience with being who they are

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A book deal is a writer's dream but writing a book with your business partner may seem like a daunting task. You both have great ideas, but how will this work? What organization tool will you use, and how will you divide the work between the both of you? Don't worry, we have the answers for you.

Vicki Cook & Amy Blacklock, co-authors of Estate Planning 101, and co-founders of Women Who Money, joins our host, Sarah Li Cain, to discuss how they got a book deal, how they were able to complete the writing and editing within three months, and why Twitter DMs helped them be more productive in completed their book.

Episode highlights

• Vicki and Amy discuss the logistics of writing their book together
• They share the tools used to organize in helping writing the book
• Amy and Vicki share how they navigated boundaries within their personal and work life
• How the content on their website paved the way for the content in their book

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Everyone wants that instant stardom within the social media world. Selfies after selfies are what people think will increase their followers, but can you grow your followers with content such as illustrations or stories? Listen on for the answer to this question.

Alyssa Davies, the founder of Mixed Up Money and content specialist for Zolo, joins our host, Sarah Li Cain, to discuss the turning point on why she switched to illustration content on Instagram, and how she uses stories as her main way to increase followers on social media.

Episode highlights * Alyssa’s transition into illustration content on social media. * How Alyssa pivoted her posting to gain followers * Alyssa discusses how she schedules and plans her content * Alyssa talks about the challenge with Instagram community

About Alyssa Davies Alyssa Davies is a content specialist for Zolo and a published author living in Calgary, Alberta. She is the founder of the two-time award-winning Canadian Personal Finance Blog of the Year, Mixed Up Money that has over 40,000 followers across social media. Through her work, she has been featured in many notable publications, including The Globe and Mail, FLARE, Global News, and more. Her first book, The 100 Day Financial Goal Journal, was published in 2020.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/illustrations-social-media/

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So, you are looking for ways to make extra money. The gig economy may be the steppingstone you need, but what is the gig economy? How does the gig economy work? Are you able to quit your day job to become a successful gig worker? Listen on to discover the answers to these questions.

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain chats with writer, side hustler, and blogger Kevin Ha from financialpanther.com..Kevin talks about how he quit his job as an attorney, how he uses the gig economy as a stable income source, and the challenges he faces growing his website.

Episode highlights

• Kevin’s breaking point that led him to quit his 9 to 5
• How Kevin views the gig economy as a side hustle
• Kevin discusses different types of side hustles that is scalable
• How Kevin was able to make the gig economy more efficient

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/stable-income-gig-economy/

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Freelancing can offer the flexibility and empowerment that we often do not find in a typical 9-to-5 job. If you have made the decision to take up freelancing, then you may wonder how to navigate the challenges of quitting your 9-to-5 and finding full-time freelance work.

In this episode, Bethany McCamish, the founder of Bethany Works, joins our host, Sarah Li Cain, to discuss how she began her journey as a freelancer while teaching full-time, how she then transitioned from freelance writing to owning a design business, and the different challenges she had to face in this period of major change.

Episode highlights

• Bethany discusses what led her to freelance writing
• How Bethany set pricing that is sustainable and profitable for freelance writing
• Bethany discusses the process in selecting the right clients
• How Bethany cut the cord from freelance writing to focus on her design business

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/full-time-freelancer

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Your idea gained traction. Four thousand people have joined your free members group. Hard as you work to provide your expanding membership with content and materials, you know you could create a lot more value with more resources. It is time to transition into a paid membership group. But how will you get your free members to welcome this change?

Danielle Desir, the founder of The Thought Card, joins our host, Sarah Li Cain, to discuss how she monetized her free Facebook group, the pricing models for her membership community, and how her members’ success stories fueled her passion.

Episode highlights

• Danielle discusses what motivated her to start her membership only group
• How Danielle attracted the interest she needed to transition her free group into paid membership only
• How Danielle set membership pricing that is sustainable and profitable
• Danielle discusses the different challenges paid groups face

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/paid-membership-group

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Have you ever watched a talk show or listened to a podcast and thought you had the answers to what was being discussed, but then the host brings out an expert? As the expert gives their expert opinion, you are shouting, THAT’S WHAT I SAID as you shake your head back and forth in agreement with the expert. Have you ever wondered how these people became an expert on that subject? Did they have to go to school to become an expert, or were they able to turn what they know into what they do?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain had a heartfelt conversation with award-winning personal finance journalist Cameron Huddleston and author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations with Your Parents About Their Finances. Cameron shared how she had a pivotal moment in her personal life in becoming her mother’s caregiver, how writing a book turned her into a subject matter expert, and how she leverages that into other business opportunities.

Episode highlights

• Cameron discusses how she managed writing and taking care of her mother.
• How Cameron expanded her idea on writing her book
• How to turn your life story into a book, including how to create a successful proposal

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/book-deal

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Monday through Friday is on constant repeat. You are fighting through rush hour traffic trying to be on time for your 9 to 5 job. You settled down at your desk with your cup of coffee in your hand only to be reminded that you do not have enough money to eliminate your debt. You cannot leave your 9 to 5 just yet, but you have so many ideas on how to make extra money. Some may call it a side hustle, but this side hustle may be your way to get out of debt. Do you take a chance on your side hustle, or do you continue living paycheck to paycheck?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Jason Butler, the owner of My Money Chronicles, a website where he discusses personal finance, side hustles, travel and more. Jason shared how he began flipping thrift store items, a side hustle to pay down his student loan debt, and how he used this experience to begin his blog. Jason also discusses what made him take his website more seriously in 2015 and his plan to scale this aspect of his business. Episode highlights Jason discusses his experience with EBay selling How he juggled his side hustle (flipping) and blogging business He shared his metric for success Jason discusses his five-year end goal for his each of his businesses.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/side-hustle-success

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As children we were always taught to be yourself and not worry about what people may think, but into adulthood, we realize this may not be the case. We get to a point where we try to build our platform, but somehow, we get boxed into what society wants us to be or what they want us to represent. We sometimes lose our identity in the process, all while forgetting the valuable lessons we were taught as a child.

Do you want society to represent you, or do you want to own your identity and build your platform on just being you?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Natalie Torres-Haddad, an international award-winning author, educator,and bilingual podcast host of Financially Savvy in 20 mins. Natalie shares why she stopped hesitating on using her Latina identity in her marketing, how she stands out without being a token, what she does to help lift others up, and her goals with her portable podcast studio.

Episode highlights

• Natalie discusses how she embraces her Latina identity
• The challenges she is facing with tokenism
• The specific values she has in her business and how she expresses them
• Long-term goals for the Savvy Trailer

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/own-identity-build-platform

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Losing a job unexpectedly can be devastating especially if you do not have a backup plan or enough money in your emergency fund to sustain your lifestyle. You are racing against time. Your family is looking at you for answers. So, you decide it is time to turn your passion into your side hustle, but can you do it in the midst of your financial setback?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Pete McPherson, the founder of Do You Even Blog, an award-winning blog, podcast and YouTube channel dedicated to helping businesses profitable on the internet. Pete shared how he had to manage three years without a steady income source after quitting his job, moving to another city, and losing the part-time job he had planned on working to give him time to scale his side businesses.

Episode highlights

• Pete discusses what he did to monetize his online business
• How he scaled his business with little money
• Pete discusses what is or is not justified in terms of investing in one’s business
• How Pete grew his listeners and newsletter subscribers in the community

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/build-business-financial-setback

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With the pandemic shutdowns, most businesses and individuals no longer make the kind of income they have grown to expect; nor do they spend as much as they would have, pre-Covid times. So how do we find a way to pivot and maneuver our way out of this earning shortfall?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with author and speaker Tarra Jackson, known as Madam Money®, about Tarra’s creative methods of leveraging and positioning her books, the skills that unexpectedly saved Tarra from a financial bind, and the evolution of Side Gig Con.

Episode highlights

• Tarra discusses the income from her speaking engagements
• How Tarra positions her book as a marketing tool and a leverage to generate speaking gigs’ income
• The start of the pandemic and an unexpected pivot
• Tarra discusses the pros and cons of turning Side Gig Con virtual

About Tarra Jackson

Tarra Jackson, known as Madam Money®, is the author of the best-selling books, "Financial Fornication" and "4 Financial Languages: The Secrets to Communicating about Money." Tarra is also an animated International Speaker and Personal Financial Expert.

Tarra’s extensive professional background in the financial services industry includes Vice President of several financial institutions across the country, as well as Interim President & CEO of an Atlanta, GA based credit union. Her experience, knowledge and witty sense of humor makes her a valued resource and favorite financial commentator for national and international media outlets such as Fox News, Cheddar TV and Al Jazeera News - English.

Tarra is a regular financial contributor for national magazines, such as Black Enterprise and Upscale Magazines; and has appeared in numerous syndicated radio shows, like the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, and national events, like the Essence Music Festival.

Tarra is the host of the popular podcast on Spotify, "Financial Fornicating with Madam Money & Friends," where she shares fun financial tips for a more fun and healthier relationship with money and credit. She is also the founder of DUALpreneur®, an organization that provides support services and events for entrepreneurs who have full-time or part-time jobs.

Tarra's passion is to help people experience more pleasurable and enjoyable relationships with their finances through fun interactive presentations, webinars, and keynotes.

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Hiring somebody to complete tasks in your business can be dreadful, as any cost directly chips away at your bottom line. So how do we determine whether a hiring decision makes financial and business sense? 

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Carter Cofield, the founder of Cofield’s Concepts, about the birth of Cofield’s Concepts, the decision-making process and pay-off from his hiring choices, and how to leverage hiring as an investment to grow your business. 

Episode Highlights

• The first product by Cofield’s Concepts
• Lessons Carter learned from other content creators
• How Carter outsources and delegates
• How to decide if a hiring decision is smart

About Carter Cofield

Carter Cofield is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs save money on taxes. He's spent years learning the best tax savings strategies so that he can teach them to entrepreneurs and business owners everywhere.

He’s also the owner of Cofield’s Concepts which is a financial literacy website teaching people how to make more money, pay less taxes, and be their own boss! Check out his website and podcast for free resources at cofieldsconcepts.com.

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The pandemic has catalyzed more changes in our lives than we could ever have predicted. How should we go about factoring these changes into the stride of our daily lives and the progress of our work?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Emily Guy Birken, a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer and book author, about the systems that Emily set in place for herself and her family to reorganize their routines and adapt to both the pandemic and the change in Emily’s work intensity from her new book contract.

Episode Highlights

• How the pandemic impacted Emily’s work and life priorities
• How Emily and her family handle the change in her work intensity
• The systems Emily implements to organize her work and home life
• Emily discusses lessons from writing her book

About Emily Guy Birken

Emily Guy Birken is a former educator, lifelong money nerd, and a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer who specializes in the scientific research behind irrational money behaviors. Her background in education allows her to make complex financial topics relatable and easily understood by the layperson. Her work has appeared on The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Kiplinger's, MSN Money, and The Washington Post online. She is the author of The 5 Years Before You Retire, Choose Your Retirement, Making Social Security Work for You, and End Financial Stress Now. Emily lives in Milwaukee with her engineer husband, two elementary-aged sons, a retired racing greyhound, and a cat that doubles as a throw pillow.

You can find Emily at her EmilyGuyBirken.com and on Twitter

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Personal experiences shape the way we approach our finances, and sometimes those experiences hinder us from making the best financial decisions. How do we go about empathizing with the experiences of our audience to better provide more nuanced, applicable, and actionable financial advice?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Elyssa Kirkham, the founder of Brave Saver, about Elyssa’s emphasis on honoring the experiences of her audience, acknowledging how personal experience informs financial decisions, and creating nuanced financial advice.

Episode highlights

• How Elyssa’s relationship with money inspired the start of Brave Saver
• Elyssa’s thought process in creating content honoring her audiences’ experiences
• Elyssa discusses the reason content creators rush to offer solutions
• Elyssa’s approach to finding a voice in creating content

About Elyssa Kirkham

Elyssa Kirkham is a personal finance writer who has spent 8 years covering everyday money topics like budgeting, debt, and saving money. She founded Brave Saver in January 2019 to write about the behavioral, mental, and emotional side of managing money.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brave_saver/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/elyssajk?lang=en

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The concepts of personal finance, while directly applicable to daily life, often appear unfamiliar to the average student. A former teacher sets out to transform how students interact with financial concepts through gamification and story-telling.

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Paul Vasey, the founder of Cash Crunch Games, about the educational impacts of gamification, and the ups and downs of building his business from gamification to change how students learn personal finance.

Episode highlights:

• Paul’s vision for Cash Crunch Games in educating students on personal finance
• Marketing lessons from Cash Crunch Games
• Paul’s search for business partners
• Paul’s thoughts on selling Cash Crunch Games

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/boost-engagement

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Offering a membership site can be a profitable decision, but the benefits of this model are entwined with its unique challenges. How should we go about deciding whether a membership site is suitable for our business and navigate the teething troubles of adopting this model?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with David Stein, the founder of Money For the Rest of Us, about the intricacies of operating a membership site and the steps he took to set his membership site up for success.

Episode highlights

• How David came up with his pricing model
• How David marketed his membership site
• The systems David set in place to operate his membership site smoothly
• How David converts podcast listeners to membership and forum subscribers
• How David responds to the biggest challenges in operating a membership site

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/paid-subscribers-membership

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There are no lack of challenges when turning a side hustle into a full-time business. But once we have made the switch, how do we optimize the resources at hand and take our business to the next level?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Kevin L. Matthews, the founder of Building Bread, about his journey building a business, the support he received from his spouse, and the mindset shifts that needed to take place before he could maximize the value proposition of his business.

Episode highlights

• How Kevin managed to balance the workload between his full-time job and side hustle
• The systems Kevin set in place to maximize efficiency
• Making the switch to running a professional business
• The mindset change that took Kevin's business to the next level
• Kevin's take on how a full-time job can help us achieve our personal goals

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/side-hustle-money-making-business/

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The gig economy has made it easier for many of us to find pleasure and success in our side hustles. How do we manage the multitude and magnitude of the freelancing work we take on without burnout or compromise to work quality?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Scarlett McCarthy, the founder of Literally Broke, about Scarlett’s experience balancing a full-time job, multiple freelance gigs, and personal health and happiness.

Episode highlights

• How Scarlett finds side hustles to undertake
• The biggest challenges when balancing a full-time job and freelance work
• How Scarlett handles being overwhelmed with changes and uncertainties
• How Scarlett manages her work-life balance

About Scarlett McCarthy
Scarlett is a freelance writer, screenwriter, and playwright. In January 2020, she founded Literally Broke, a personal finance platform for artists and creatives. When she’s not writing, you can catch Scarlett creating memes and defending her latte habit.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2021/leverage-multiple-side-hustles

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When a job takes more than it gives, it is time for a personal reflection of our priorities. How can we decide when to leave the stability of a day job to pursue our personal aspirations and projects?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Jessica F., aka Mrs. Fioneer, the co-founder of The Fioneers, about the thought process that led to Jessica leaving her job, how an abundance mindset propelled her forward, and the keys to cultivating and maintaining an abundance mindset.

The Fioneers won Plutus Awards in 2019 (Best New Personal Finance Blog) and in 2020 (Best Content Series for the Slow FI interview series).

Episode highlights * The decision-making process that led Jessica to leave her job * How Jessica makes financial projections * How to develop an abundance mindset * The moment that sparked Jessica to fight for her personal happiness * How to maintain an abundance mindset while avoiding burnouts

About Jessica F. Jessica is a Co-Founder of The Fioneers, a financial independence blog focused on the intersection between financial independence and lifestyle design. By day, Jessica is an HR Manager at a nonprofit organization. By evening and weekend, Jessica is a writer and lifestyle design coach.

Socials:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefioneers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefioneers
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefioneers

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When partners no longer share a vision or priorities, it is difficult to move forward together. How do we decide when it is best to end a partnership and pursue something independently, and what systems should be put in place to ensure a smooth transition?

In this episode, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Rich Jones of Paychecks and Balances about how he and his podcast co-host decided to go their separate ways, the difficulties of a one-man operation, and the lessons from this split.

Episode Highlights:

• A more detailed account of the split between the co-hosts of Paychecks and Balances
• How Rich Jones found the motivation to press on despite near burn-outs
• The future vision and direction for Paychecks and Balances
• Hindsight and lessons from the split with his co-host

Rich is the founder CEO & Founder of Paychecks & Balances, a multimedia platform dedicated to helping millennial professionals navigate their finances and career so they can achieve the freedom they want. Beyond P&B, Rich has 11 years of experience working in staffing and human resources across industries and in 2018 became 100% debt-free. He’s been building online brands since 2008 and podcasting since 2013. By day, he’s an Internal Communications & Change Management Specialist at Google.

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How do you manage during the difficult times in life? Through this past year, it has been hard to balance the realities of everyday life with the arduous situations that are impacting our society.

Julien and Kiersten speak with our host, Sarah Li Cain, about their coping mechanisms at the beginning of the pandemic. They share the different tools they utilized to create better strategies, boundaries, and systems so they can flourish in business and family.

• How they moved from unhealthy to healthy coping mechanisms
• The importance of bringing in help when pressure is building up
• Their goals of using their brand to impact their community and drive social change
• The creative ways they set systems and boundaries in how they communicate

Julien and Kiersten are the couple behind the award-winning blog and forthcoming book, rich & REGULAR ® . They are also producers of the original series, Money on the Table which blends their passion for food with conversations about money. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, their mission is to inspire the African American community to consider and adopt the FIRE lifestyle as a path to building generational wealth.

The couple has used frugal living, real estate, index fund investing and their online business to set themselves on a path to achieving financial independence by 2021.

They’ve paid off $200,000 in five years and their story has been featured in The NY Times, Forbes, CBS This Morning, Marketwatch and more. When they're not sharing stories about their experiences with money, they are parents to their son Beau, traveling the world or searching for their next great meal.

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Many of us want to be successful, whether by making more money or being a person of distinction in our niche. But does this kind of success really equate to happiness and fulfillment?

Jason Vitug, of Phroogal, talks with Sarah Li Cain about the journey he has taken since achieving what others would define as success. He delves into what his business is now becoming as he focuses on his personal values as his true metric of success and happiness.

• Why he was unhappy at the height of his success at Phroogal
• The conflict he faced when it came to internal and external methods of success
• The clear requirements Jason has developed for him to work with a company
• Growing and sustaining a business that truly aligns with his values

Jason Vitug is a wellness expert helping a generation achieve a victorious life through health and wealth. Jason is a bestselling NY Times reviewed author, You Only Live Once. Founder at phroogal.com, creator of the Plutus Award-winning project the Road to Financial Wellness, a certified yoga teacher and breathwork specialist. He's backpacked around the world after resigning from his corporate executive job and has road-tripped across the US multiple times covering over 30k miles.

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Dealing With Income-Loss Grief and Forming New Partnerships.

Many of us are trying to figure out how to move forward through this pandemic. While trying to care for ourselves and loved ones, how do we deal with the loss of security and loss of income that adds to the ordeal?

To discover ways to get unstuck in difficult times, Sarah Li Cain speaks with Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez about her business and financial struggles during COVID. She shares how she dealt with the loss of income and stability and the ways she was able to pull through.

• How the pandemic affected Stefanie's business
• How she worked through losing 6 figures of income
• Some of the values she connected with through this difficult time
• The shift in how she wants to present content

Stefanie O’Connell Rodriguez is a nationally recognized millennial money expert and author or the book, ‘The Broke and Beautiful Life’. Stefanie has appeared on CBS News, Fox & Friends, ABC World news, and the Dr. Oz Show. A regular contributor at SUCCESS magazine, her work has been featured in outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Glamour and more.

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Whether in the form of an illness, caring for a loved one, or the loss of a loved one, sometimes life steps in and you need time away from work. What do you do when difficulties enter your life and you can no longer bring in any income?

Our host, Sarah Li Cain, speaks with Laura Gariepy about the recent loss of her father, how it affected her freelance career, and the kind of relationships she developed that allowed understanding with her clients. Laura also shares about the safeguards she had in place that allowed her the time away and what things are like now that she is working again.

• How her father's illness affected Laura's outlook on money vs family
• What it was like navigating a return to work during the pandemic
• How using LinkedIn has been profitable in gaining clients
• The biggest lesson she has learned about her business and herself

Laura Gariepy is the owner of Every Day by the Lake, LLC, a freelance written content creation company that helps busy business owners stay top of mind with their target audience. She is also a business coach to new and aspiring freelancers and runs an online resource hub for freelancers called Before You Go Freelance.

You can learn more about her by visiting her website:
www.beforeyougofreelance.com
You can follow her on Twitter @EverydayLake or connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauragariepy

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The pandemic has negatively affected many businesses. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, most small businesses are concerned about financial hardship due to prolonged closures (70%) and more than half (58%) worry about having to permanently close.

Jessica Moorhouse joins our host, Sarah Li-Cain, to discuss her experience with setbacks due to COVID-19. Jessica shares what her business looked like pre-COVID, how her business changed once the pandemic happened, and how she pivoted so she can continue diversifying her income.

• Jessica discusses what her business was like before the pandemic
• The emotions that most overwhelmed her as her streams of income dried up
• How she handled the negative feedback she received by selling a course during COVID
• The mindset shifts she went through to make the best of 2020

Jessica Moorhouse is a millennial money expert, Accredited Financial Counsellor Canada®, speaker, award-winning personal finance blogger and host of the Mo’ Money Podcast. Aside from being a regular guest on CTV’s Mind the Gap, she is also frequently featured in major publications like The Globe and Mail, BNN Bloomberg, CBC News, Yahoo Finance, and MarketWatch. Jessica is also the founder of the Millennial Money Meetup®, a financial literacy event for young adults in Canada.

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What do you when you are on a comfortable trajectory and things suddenly change? With the pandemic, many of us have experienced unexpected turns in life and business and are trying to figure out our next step.

Doc G speaks with Sarah Li Cain about the changes he made to his podcast and website when he faced his own time of uncertainty. He explains the opportunities that opened up as well as the shifts in his mindset that needed to happen.

• Some of the lessons he incorporated into rebranding his podcast successfully
• How to identify your strengths and weakness and strategically fill in the gaps
• One of his greatest mindset struggles he had to overcome as his podcast changed
• The ultimate goal of his partnership and all his efforts

Doc G was an internal medicine physician when he discovered the personal finance community through a book called The White Coat Investor. Since then he has left clinical practice to pursue his passion for deep conversations about money and life. He loves his family, side hustles, contemplating retiring early, and the philosophy of financial independence (FI).

https://earnandinvest.com
https://twitter.com/earnaninvest
https://www.instagram.com/earnaninvest
https://www.facebook.com/groups/earnandinvest

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According to Forbes, "Latinas make just 53 cents for every dollar the average white, non-Hispanic man makes. Compare that to the 79 cents white women earn on average compared to white men, and the 63 cents that black women make. Latina women must work 305 extra days into the next calendar year just to earn what the average white man earns in a year."

Harlan Landes sits down with Daniella Flores, Athena Valentine, and Natalie Torres-Haddad to discuss Latina Women's Equal Pay Day and the Latina pay gap. They delve into why this day exists, the struggles of their community, and ways that we can all help to further the cause of equal pay for Latinas.

• What is Latina Women's Equal Pay Day and why it is not a day of celebration
• How does being the family's caregiver affect forward progression in a career
• Some resources available for Latinos that offer career development, scholarships, and/or mentorships
• The struggles Latino families face due to the pandemic
• Some helpful tips for negotiating pay

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Sandy Smith, Jordon Cox, and this year's host of the Plutus Awards, Joe Saul-Sehy, join Plutus Awards founder Harlan Landes to discuss the legacy of the premier ceremony recognizing excellence in financial media.

• Learn what our previous hosts and present host have been up to over the past year
• Some of their favorite moments from past Plutus Award shows
• The diversity of the personal finance community and the people they reach
• Some of the special things that are happening at the Awards this year
• The category you can still vote for!

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/passing-plutus-awards-torch

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We've all seen the attention-grabbing headlines that are used in personal finance media and on blogs. They can be useful in pulling people in but are these unique narratives attracting your true audience or turning them away?

Sarah Li-Cain speaks with Michelle Jackson of the Money Hungry podcast about the amazing personal finance stories we see and why they can't be the only portrayals that are given attention. Michelle explains that being authentic in her content, even though not always 'sexy', best serves her audience and her desire to be true to herself.

• The money mistakes Michelle made and where she is now
• How she overcame the roadblocks to her financial freedom
• Her thoughts on the "financial unicorn" narrative
• What is her ultimate goal when creating content?

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/attract-loyal-fans

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Starting a business is hard. It's even more challenging when it is a brick-and-mortar business and there is a lot of upfront money needed to get things off the ground.

Once Shannon McLay had the idea for the Financial Gym, she needed to find investors that would support her vision. Miranda Marquit speaks with Shannon about the business acumen it took to get her company going and the strategic moves she is making because of the pandemic.

• Shannon shares how she was able to raise capital for her business
• The importance of networking and how to nurture networking relationships
• The role investors play in your business
• The challenges the Financial Gym is facing because of the pandemic

For information and resources, visit https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/raise-funds-build-dream

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When it comes to the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement, there are many opinions about which route to take to achieve FIRE. For some, it is a traditional 9-5 coupled with side hustles to increase their income. Many prominent people in the FIRE community have been able to gain enough income from their side hustles to leave their regular jobs behind.

Gwen Merz started pursuing FIRE soon after graduating college and her savings reached a point where she could quit her regular job and work for herself as she achieved her FIRE goals. She talks with Chris Browning about her choice to return to a conventional job after almost a year outside the workforce. She also shares how her path to FI is one of self-discovery and pursuing opportunities that are fulfilling.

• What factors drew her towards the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) community
• Why being a full-time freelancer was not the ideal situation for her
• What are some lessons she learned for the nine months she was self-employed
• Her experience jumping back into the workforce

Gwen Merz's goal is to help guide her fellow millennials along similar paths to financial freedom. Gwen has been on the path to Financial Independence for about 8 years. She decided to focus more on the ‘excel at W2’ path to FIRE over the ‘hustle every minute’ path. Her cat is incredibly adorable. You can find her swimming, biking, quilting, and playing games of all kinds.

https://www.fierymillennials.com
Instagram @FieryMillennial

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For content creators, it is a constant endeavor to provide the best content that reaches and helps their audiences. Sometimes you may have to pivot in your approach, tweak your ideas, or get coached to improve your message.

Miranda Marquit speaks with Jeff Rose about his shift into video after being a successful blogger. He shares what prompted his move to video and the lessons he has learned to hone his craft as a video content creator.

• What caused him to change his approach to serving his audience
• Some of the constrictions he experienced when first starting to do YouTube videos
• What is his motivation and inspiration for creating content
• What piece of advice did he get that helped him improve his YouTube videos
• How he withstands the need to produce more content

https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/goodfinancialcents
https://twitter.com/jjeffrose
https://www.facebook.com/GoodFinancialCents
https://www.instagram.com/jjeffrose/

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2020 has brought a lot of challenges due to the pandemic and the child care and education crisis is one of the largest. As parents manage their children's emotional health and schedules on top of their own work situations, the lack of consistency and resources is taking its toll. Sarah Potter is joined by Miranda Marquit, Wilson Muscadin, and Rebecca Neale to talk about this dire situation. They share how they and their children are being affected and the tools they are using to navigate these times. - Sacrifices they've made to handle their work and child care difficulties - How the child care crisis is changing the economy - The reason the child care crisis is a problem for everyone - Some solid strategies to mitigate this crisis right now

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When the pandemic first happened, many people were confused, anxious, and were in need of immediate help. As we continue to deal with the pandemic and our ever-changing economy, many are still looking for clear guidance and answers.

Jacob Wade of I Heart Budgets wanted to help as soon as he saw the rapidly-changing times. He talks with today's host, Harlan Landes, about the urgency that led him to create the COVID-19 resource page, giving updated information to those in need.

• What was the impetus for him to take his life and family on the road
• How his focus and family life pivoted when the pandemic occurred
• Some of the information and updates included on his resource page
• The response in the finance community to the pandemic

Jacob Wade is the budgeting expert who started iHeartBudgets, a place where Millennials and young families come to learn EXACTLY how to build a budget that WORKS. Jacob quit his job in 2018, sold his house and 95% of everything they owned to take off on an adventure of a lifetime. He is traveling full time in an RV with his wife and 3 kids. He is now on a mission to spread the message of Financial Freedom around the country, and help others build a “Freedom Plan” of their own!

Links to Jacob's resources can be found at https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/042-jacob-wade/

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There are a lot of books, podcasts, and websites giving financial advice without considering culture, environment, or trauma. These issues directly affect our view and experiences with money and should inform the financial help we give.

Eugenié from The Money and Flow Podcast talks with Harlan Landes about adverse childhood experiences, ACE scores, and how these have an effect on people's ability to implement sound financial strategies and take basic financial advice.

• How does a parent's trauma affect a child
• How understanding your trauma can help you move forward
• The need to find the correct financial help to nurture your situation
• What ACE Scores are and how they affect your money story

Eugenie uses her over 10+ plus years’ experience in tech, education, and finances to lead high-achieving individuals to understand their money habits. Eugenie uses non-traditional ways of understanding business and personal goals because many were not taught the true skills of money. A master at mindset, Eugenie teaches and coaches a wide range of individuals and her genius has created a new method of money through research, practice, and creativity, taking the anxiety around math and money away and making them work for you.

For more details and links to resources, go to https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/041-eugenie-george

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Many people create great content but what is the best platform to get your content seen and grow your audience? With Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and now TikTok, do you use one of them or tackle them all?

Candace Latham, Martin Dasko, and Katie R. join Sarah Potter for this week's podcast on how to leverage TikTok and Instagram. They discuss the benefits of TikTok and Instagram and the best ways to use them in content creation.

• Should you cross-promote content on different platforms?
• Are followers or views more important?
• Dealing with negative comments and trolls on TikTok
• How can these platforms actually make you money?
• Best ways to make addictive content for your audience

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Dealing with COVID has been tough enough, but many have to consider the effects of COVID on the economy. Some people are interesting in buying or selling a home, and others are looking for investment opportunities because of the low interest rates.

Wendy Mays share her real estate experience with us about the current housing climate. Is it a good time to buy? Or sell? For first-time homebuyers as well as seasoned investors, here's how to navigate the real estate market today.

• Is it safe to buy a home only using a virtual showing of a property?
• Considerations for first-time home buyers
• How government involvement will affect the housing market in the near future
• Some things you can do to prepare for a home purchase

• Is it a good time to refinance your mortgage?

• Resources:
  https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201503_cfpb_your-home-loan-toolkit-web.pdf

• https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/guide-coronavirus-mortgage-relief-options
• https://houseoffi.com/money-foundations

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Webinars are a popular marketing tool for online business owners. Unfortunately, many of them struggle with how to create one and how to utilize it in the right way to grow their business.

Thankfully, Harlan is speaking with Kathleen Celmins on today's podcast, the master of webinars. She has helped many business owners start successful webinar series and she is walking us through how to do the same.

• How the 30/40/30 framework is used to build a successful webinar
• The 2 topics that work really well for a webinar
• What is one thing that webinars do that is better than any other lead magnet?
• The right kind of ad to get people to attend your webinar
• Should you use a fake live webinar or stick to authentic ones?

Kathleen Celmins is a marketing-focused web designer and digital marketing expert. She's been working online since 2011, and is launching a brand new video content marketing agency, AmplifiedNOW, that helps people create engaging videos around the topics they know best. Find out more at AmplifiedNOW.com.

https://kathleencelmins.com
https://kathleencelmins.com/coaching

https://www.facebook.com/kathleencelminsdotcom
https://twitter.com/kathleencelmins
https://www.instagram.com/kathleencelmins

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The number of people filing for unemployment benefits continues to rise with COVID's persistence. Many more are unsure if they should file and what exactly they should apply for under the CARES Act.

Harlan Landes sits with Sandy Smith and Lillian Karabaic to discuss all your burning unemployment questions. They unravel some of the confusion about what to apply for, who is eligible, and the additional benefits due to COVID-19.

• Who qualifies for unemployment assistance under the CARES Act
• How the implementation of unemployment benefits offered by the CARES act differ by state
• The availability of help for undocumented workers
• A plea to apply for Social Services and overcome the mental hurdles to receiving aid

About Sandy Smith:

Sandy has been a personal finance blogger since January 1, 2009, when she resolved to get out of debt or die trying. No, no, that was 50 Cent. At age 29 she was frankly tired of paying living paycheck-to-paycheck and feeling as if she would never get ahead financially. Her blog, Yes I Am Cheap, was born out of sheer frustration with the hope of paying down a $120,000 debt much faster than the average debtor without filing for bankruptcy.

Sandy is also a Senior Certified HR Professional and the founder of the Elevate Influencer conference, an event designed to reach financial influencers whose audience is primarily comprised of individuals of color.

Social Handles

cheapskate@yesiamcheap.com
@yesiamcheap (everywhere)
thehustlecrew.com
https://elevateworkshops.com

About Lillian Karabaic:

As the host of Oh My Dollar!, a weekly syndicated financial advice radio show and podcast, Lillian Karabaic has built a reputation for talking money without being boring or stiff. The New York Times called her show "endearingly quirky". She covering the kinds of modern money issues that don't fit in the white-picket-fence salary world. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, CBS, NPR, Forbes, and Vox Media. Her cat-filled purrsonal finance illustrated book, A Cat's Guide to Money, is in its second print run. She has 12 Bowie costumes and is an aspiring spandex style icon. Social Handles

Website: http://ohmydollar.com
Oh My Dollar! on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Wl8xzBfvkpmydPs97toeh
Instagram: http://instagram.com/anomalily
Youtube: http://youtube.com/anomalily
Twitter: http://twitter.com/anomalily

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The demand for virtual assistants is growing but not everyone who is interested in this path knows where to start. Many are unsure about the skills needed, how to find legitimate work, or what to charge for their services.

Sarah Potter speaks with Kayla Sloan about the virtual assistant field and her advice to people seeking to make it a side hustle or full-time career. Gleaning from her $10k VA course, Kayla answers questions for those seeking to hire or become a virtual assistant.

• How she was able to make $10k per month as a virtual assistant
• What are the job growth opportunities for VAs
• How can you go about raising your rates as a VA
• The importance of setting boundaries with clients

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Over 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment. How many of them are high-risk individuals who have now lost their health insurance? How many more are suffering because they are underpaid, unbanked, or unable to stop working in potentially harmful conditions?   Miranda Marquit speaks with Athena Lent of Money Smart Latina about the difficulties at-risk communities are enduring due to the pandemic. They discuss the challenges these communities face in finding resources, employing those resources, and staying safe in the midst of Coronavirus.
- What makes some communities more at-risk and what are some of the risks that they face?
- How can someone find resources available to them if they do not have internet access?
- What are some of the financial priorities for at-risk individuals?
- The difficulty when officials weigh the health of individuals against the health of the economy

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Why are people protesting and crying for change when slavery ended centuries ago? For some, because their experiences have not intersected with those that many people of color face, the idea of systemic racism does not exist.

Harlan Landes has a candid conversation with Steven Hughes and Alanna Anthony about some of the historical events that helped extend a culture of inequality that lies beneath the surface of this nation.

• Why the Emancipation Proclamation did not mean freedom for everyone
• The effect of keeping people of color out of positions of power and influence
• What is redlining and its effect on ones ability to building wealth
• Some things you can do to help the efforts of people of color

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Recent events are bringing to light the collective experiences and concerns of BIPOC communities. Many of the financial issues they encounter are systemic and further highlight why we can not use a one-size-fits-all approach to personal finance.

Sarah Potter spends some time with Kevin Matthews and Carmen Perez talking about the financial challenges of communities of color and steps we can all take to remove the barriers they face.

• The necessity of promoting access and visibility in financial conversations
• Examples of the financial services that prey on low-income communities
• Steps and strategies for people of color to get out and stay out of debt
• The importance of a support group in helping to navigate wage disparities
• Bridging the gap in generation wealth

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Recent events are bringing to light the collective experiences and concerns of BIPOC communities. Many of the financial issues they encounter are systemic and further highlight why we can not use a one-size-fits-all approach to personal finance.

Sarah Potter spends some time with Kevin Matthews and Carmen Perez talking about the financial challenges of communities of color and steps we can all take to remove the barriers they face.

• The necessity of promoting access and visibility in financial conversations
• Examples of the financial services that prey on low-income communities
• Steps and strategies for people of color to get out and stay out of debt
• The importance of a support group in helping to navigate wage disparities
• Bridging the gap in generation wealth

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With the current turmoil, learning how to pivot has been by far the most important skillset to acquire, especially if you're lacking some income and the unemployment line is still busy.

Harlan Landes speaks to Bethany McCamish about ways to identify your strengths and how to use them to adapt to something new. She also talks about ways to sell yourself and how freelancers can find potential clients.

• How work experience affects your ability to pivot
• Steps to identify the skills you have that are transferrable to a new situation
• Uncommon ways to prove you have 'equivalent' skills if you don't have the length of time requested
• Some of the stresses that arrive when switching directions and how to manage them
• Ways to snag a great testimonial from clients

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If you talk or write about money, it's good to have some fun with it. The science of play aids learning about finance, and Stacking Benjamins is a great example of this.

Joe Saul-Sehy, founder and co-host of Stacking Benjamins and Money With Friends talks about how Joe's shows have found the best formulas for podcast success.

• He shares how he learns, which explains his approach to teaching through his podcast
• What are some areas he spent time on to help shape the show
• How he handles criticism and why he can't allow critics to guide his decisions
• The importance of narrowing your focus to improve your work

Joe was one of twelve financial advisors with American Express and Ameriprise who spoke to the media on a national level, before selling his financial planning business and transitioning to financial media. He created the Stacking Benjamins show based on the science of play and Money With Friends to help people interpret sometimes confusing financial headlines. He lives in Detroit with his spouse Cheryl and cat Cooper...and hosts game night in the basement about once-a-month. Come on out!

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A blog you start becomes your baby. You pour endless hours into it, connect with an audience, and freely share your thoughts. But when it's time to move on, it can be difficult to leave your baby behind.

Miranda Marquit speaks with J. Money about selling his blog and the challenges in letting go and moving on. J also shares about different projects he walked away from and his resolve to frame the life he wants.

• J shares how he knew when it was time to sell his blog
• What is his "triad of hustling"
• The lessons learned when something you started is out of your hands
• How his thoughts on minimalism transferred to his online work
• The importance of doing work you are excited about

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/030-j-money/ 

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Sustainability and frugality ties together two important goals that allow us to flourish. While people are interested in more thoughtful usage, they may not know where to start.

Harlan speaks to Angela Rozmyn about her passion for looking holistically at our world and how we fit into it. Angela shares the steps she has taken to save money, lower her consumption, and support her community more.

• How saving money and saving the environment work together
• What are Buy Nothing groups
• The easiest switch to make in your home to be more ecofriendly
• The many benefits of a tight-knit community during the pandemic
• Environmentally smart things you can do to be comfortable at home in varying climates

https://treadlightlyretireearly.com/
https://ecofrugals.com/

https://www.facebook.com/treadlightlyretireearly
Twitter: @TreadLightly_RE
IG: treadlightly_retireearly

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/029-angela-rozmyn

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When it comes to personal finance, one size does not fit all. It can be challenging to find resources that specifically apply to you and your situation.

Kara Perez speaks with Chris about her pop-up event, Talk Money to Me, and her strides to give access to those who do not feel traditionally represented.

• Kara talks about her Talk Money to Me event
• The way she was able to hold an event without compromising her values
• Confronting the internal bias of favoring people like you
• The topics her audience is interested in that brings more money and stability to their lives
• She shares other areas of personal finance she plans on delving into

Kara Perez is the founder of Bravely Go, a feminist financial education company. Bravely focuses on bringing actionable, intersectional and accessible financial education to people via pop up events and online community.

Additionally, Kara co hosts the award winning podcast The Fairer Cents, which has been named the top money podcast for women by Forbes and The Balance. Kara has been featured in Forbes, NPR, Glamour, ABC Nightline News, and US News and World Report as a financial expert. She lives in Austin TX.

https://talk-money-to-me.teachable.com
IG: @webravelygo
Tw: @bravelygo
FB: @webravelygo

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As we all deal with COVID-19 as a society, the economic downturn is not only affecting us practically, but also emotionally. Figuring out how to cope daily, uplift each other, and deal with our finances is a real and present struggle.

Harlan chats with Sarah Li-Cain to discuss the emotions surrounding the current world status and dealing with the grief surrounding our finances today.

• Sarah discusses her struggles moving from China and becoming a full-time business owner with her first child
• How emotional buying is a form of grief
• Ways to help local business in this time without emptying your bank accounting
• Routines to help your emotional health through financial and emotional difficulties

Sarah Li-Cain is a finance writer and an AFC (Accredited Financial Counselor) candidate whose work has appeared in places like Bankrate, Business Insider, Redbook, Financial Planning Association, Stacking Benjamins and Her Money podcast with Jean Chatzky (of NBC Today). Her work blends practical tips and mindset strategies so that those trying to change their financial life can see themselves in the starring role. She also integrates physical, spiritual and mental wellness so that money becomes a tool to enhance people’s lives.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/027-sarah-li-cain/

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Anyone who starts a business hopes that they will be successful and be around for a long time. That road is fraught with challenges and as a business owner, you have to be able to adjust to the many changes that life brings.

Eric Rosenberg joins Chris to talk about his journey in personal finance media, from a part-time blogger to a thriving business owner. Eric shares lessons he has learned, challenges he currently faces, and some of the bumps along the way.

• How Eric learned to brand and position himself online
• What are some of the shifts he's noticed since he started blogging
• The challenges he is facing because of the AB5 law in California
• He shares a few of his business ideas that didn't pan out

Eric Rosenberg is a finance, travel, and technology writer in Ventura, California. He is a former bank manager and corporate finance and accounting professional who left his day job in 2016 to take his online side hustle full-time. He has in-depth experience writing about banking, credit cards, investing, business, and other financial topics. When away from the keyboard, Eric enjoys exploring the world and spending time with his wife and little girls. You can connect with him at Personal Profitability or EricRosenberg.com.

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There are online and offline businesses shutting down or pausing due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Freelancers who have lost client work are feeling stress and uncertainty and are looking for answers.

Harlan speaks with Ashley Barnett and Clint Proctor about how businesses are faring in this climate. They offer tips about what freelancers can do now to help them successfully navigate disruptions to their income.

• Some of the options you have while your regular niche or clientele is on pause
• If you are a writer, some of the other services you can offer if you aren't getting new assignments
• How times like these might be the perfect time to invest in yourself
• Unemployment and Paycheck Protection Program information for freelancers and contractors

hitpublish.com

Ashley Barnett is an expert in blog management and content creation. She works with sites like Money Under 30, PT Money, and Choose FI. Her course, Hit Publish, teaches new and intermediate bloggers how to produce the best content on the internet.

https://www.facebook.com/HitPublish
https://www.instagram.com/hit_publish

Clint Proctor is a freelance writer and editor and founder of WalletWiseGuy.com, where he writes about how students and millennials can win with money. When he's away from his keyboard, he enjoys drinking coffee, traveling, obsessing over the Green Bay Packers, and spending time with his wife and two boys.

For more, visit https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/025-ashley-barnett-clint-proctor/

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Sexual orientation, disability, racism - these are a few of the vast hurdles that affect individuals and the financial struggles they face navigating their world.

Through her experiences and interactions, Brynne Conroy has discovered the complexity of these issues and has given voice to them. She talks with Chris about her passion for understanding these systems and impacting those who are facing oppression.

• How expecting a child affected her view of money and the resources to which she had access
• The transition from blogging hobby to full-time business
• Her view of financial skills for varying economic situations
• How her book offers perspectives from savvy women navigating difficult systemic issues

Brynne Conroy is the owner and creator of Femme Frugality — a women's finance blog which has been a Plutus Awards finalist for four years running. She is also the author of "The Feminist Financial Handbook," which has been called "revolutionary" and "a unicorn among finance books."

Her freelance writing has been featured in respected print and online publications where she looks beyond the dollars and cents to examine both the systemic and psychological flashpoints that determine the state of Americans' finances.

In addition to her own writing, she serves as the coordinator of Personal Finance by Women, a benefit company which strives to amplify the voices and concerns of women in personal finance media.

For more, visit https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/024-brynne-conroy

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We are in trying times with the Coronavirus and people need answers when it comes to the changing laws and their student loan debt.

On our recent webinar, Harlan Landes asks lawyer, Jay Fleischman, some of the pressing questions about student loans during these times.

Jay brings his 25 years of experience in helping people deal with student loans and debt, as well as his understanding of the recent CARES Act that passed, to educate us on what this means for student loan borrowers.

• Which type of student loans are included in the recent CARES Act?
• Are student loan borrowers responsible for the interest after the suspension ends on September 30, 2020?
• What is the difference between forbearance and deferment? Which one is the better choice?
• Will your stimulus money be garnished if your loans are in default?
• Some of the issues currently-enrolled students face with their student loans

For more, got to https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/023-jay-fleischman/

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A comfortable career, a house, kids, then retirement. This well-worn path of adulthood has been challenged as people question which things are truly fulfilling and bring joy.

"Purple" started writing to document her journey towards the life she desired. Three years after writing privately, she made her blog public to share her thoughts and experiences with others. She talks with Chris about her start on the journey to financial independence and the choices she makes to reach her audacious goals.

• The unusual way she got introduced to the Financial Independence movement
• What she did when her dream job didn't work out
• Why she finally decided to make her private writings a public blog after three years
• The difficult choice between being honest with her identity or with her finances

In 2015 I started my blog and hatched a plan to retire in 10 years at 35. With the help of decreased spending, increased wages, and geo-arbitrage I’m on track to reach my goal in half the time and retire in September 2020 at age 30. My blog catalogs my journey to and through early retirement.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/022-purple-life

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When you're working long hours with little time for much else, it is hard to imagine a life outside of that work-sleep cycle.

Holly Johnson, along with her husband, Greg, worked tirelessly in the funeral home business until finding success in their online business. As she talks to Chris, Holly describes the slow and steady progress it took to achieve their goals and live a life they can fully enjoy.

• Holly shares how working in a funeral home affected her view of what living means
• How she and her husband, Greg, work together while having separate focuses
• Do you need to be an expert to write about specific topics?
• What are their retirement plans, considering their young children and lifestyle

Holly Porter Johnson is an award-winning writer who focuses on frugality, budgeting, and credit as the cornerstones of her career. Greg Johnson is an entrepreneur who turned his love of budgeting and digital media into an online empire. Together, the power couple blogs about money at ClubThrifty.com, travels the world, and enjoys the good life with their two kids.

For more, https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/021-holly-johnson

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What if you could travel the world and fuel your finances at the same time?

Lee Huffman, founder of Bald Thoughts, invites us into his world of travel rewards, tips, and deals. He lets us know what it's like to write consistently with such a distinct focus and what keeps him going.

• Lee lets us know how he got into travel rewards
• He shares how he keeps content fresh and the connected topics he explores
• The importance of passion and enjoyment when you choose a niche
• How he combats burnout when sticking to a specific topic

For more, visit https://plutusfoundation.org/2020/020-lee-huffman/

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Side hustles are a great way to complement your income and get your finances on track.

Crystal Hammond, the owner of Sew So Fab, shares how her finances and creativity began to flourish when she discovered side hustles. Always wanting to give, Crystal talks about using her side hustle as a way to pour into others in need.

• Crystal shares how her personal finance background and how she got into the world of blogging
• How she galvanized her sewing students to make care package bags to help the victims of the 2017 hurricane in Puerto Rico
• Crystal talks about her sewing side hustle and how it continues to grow
• The importance of saying "No" and making the best use of your time when you're hustling hard

Crystal Hammond is a full-time engineer who is the side hustle queen. She started Sophisticated Spender in 2011 and that led to her sewing side hustle that's taking the world by storm: Sew So Fab. She's also a landlord, Zumba (and INSANITY) instructor and social media manager.

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The number of voices in personal finance media is growing as creators and consumers recognize the value of having people to whom they can relate. Our panel today dives into the hole they saw that needed to be filled and share their experiences as women in personal finance.

As we wrap up the first season of the Plutus Awards Podcast, Chris Browning sits down with Berna, Jamilla Souffrant, and Bethany Bayless to have a candid conversation about diversity and representation in the finance arena.

• Growing up, did the panelists have anyone that looked like them that provided a good example of how to handle money?
• Was it difficult to step into the personal finance space with such limited examples?
• The struggle of dealing with people in their lives who don’t understand what exactly they do
• How they deal with people doubting them because they are women

https://www.heyberna.com/

https://www.facebook.com/heyberna

@HeyBerna

Berna is a financial hype woman. She creates videos, articles and other ridiculous Internet Things to teach young people about money. She is a financial literacy educator, a video producer, a speaker, and a writer. She is a first-generation Filipina-American, a “micro-influencer”, a 3B-3C curl, and a Trojan.

In 2017, she paid off $50,000 in debt, saved enough money to quit her job at Instagram, and booked a one-way ticket to New Zealand with her partner. She has been traveling the world yelling about money ever since.

https://www.journeytolaunch.com/

@journeytolaunch

Jamila is the creator of the blog and podcast, Journey To Launch. She is a wife and mom of three small children and a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI). She was born on the gorgeous island of Jamaica and grew up in the famous borough of Brooklyn (#bkallday). Raised by a single mom, She learned the concept of hard work and the value of money at a very early age.

Through her site, Journey to Launch, she wants to teach you what she has learned through a little trial and error and a lot of discipline over the years. Her goal is to help you eliminate debt, save more money and increase your net worth.

https://bethanybayless.org/

@BethanyBayless

Bethany Bayless is a public speaker and professional emcee known for her unique comedic style and high-energy presentations. She has hosted 50+ conferences and events, including Heroes at Home Events, Military Influencers Conference, The Plutus Awards, and #FinCon18.

She is also Director of Communications for Heroes at Home and host of the fun, upbeat podcast The Money Millhouse, where she and her co-host, Ellie Kay, have conversations about saving money, couples communication, spend plans, general frugality, traveling on a budget, and more.

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Allison Baggerly has taken her passion for budgeting and cultivated her growing business, Inspired Budget, in a short period of time.

Chris Browning talks with Allison about her use of Instagram as a tool to build Inspired Budget and gain followers who are drawn to her unique style.

• Why she chose 2 platforms to get started on, IG and her blog
• How being herself was a game-changer in her increased following on Instagram
• She shares some of the techniques that worked to help build a strong community
• The benefits of scheduling IG posts and stories ahead of time

Allison is the founder of Inspired Budget. As a teacher and small business owner, Allison combined her passion of teaching and finances to help others learn how to start budgeting. Allison's passion for budgeting surfaced after she and her husband found themselves newly pregnant and under $111,000 worth of debt. They did not have enough money left over each month for daycare expenses, so they knew something had to change. It was during those years of sacrifice and paying off debt that she realized just how much she loved finances and taking back control of her money through budgeting. Now Allison is helping women all over the world get started with budgeting when they feel lost and overwhelmed.

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Getting out of debt is not just about spending less and saving more. For many, there are many emotional and psychological factors that affect their ability to move forward toward being debt-free.

Chris Browning talks with Melanie Lockert about her own journey to deal with the mental and practical aspects of dealing with debt and how her voice resonates with many others who have similar struggles.

• Melanie shares her most memorable Plutus award and what made it so poignant at that time she received it
• Her passion for bringing conversations and situations to the forefront to shine a light on the impact debt really has on day-to-day life
• She talks about her own story about getting out of debt and the psychological struggles along the way
• What her brand is built on and the message she is sharing that differs from many in the personal finance media space
• How she keeps empathy in her work and come from a place of caring

Melanie Lockert is the founder of the blog and author of the book, Dear Debt. Through her blog, she chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt. She is also the co-founder of the Lola Retreat, which helps bold women face their fears, own their dreams and figure out a plan to be in control of their finances. She is passionate about empowering women, helping others get out of debt, and focuses on the intersection of debt and mental health. Every September she organizes a Suicide Prevention Awareness Blog Tour, to help share resources for those struggling with debt and suicide.

You can find her at DearDebt.com and @DearDebtBlog.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2019/16-melanie-lockert/

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Anyone who spends a good portion of their life creating projects, working on projects, or otherwise being an entrepreneur will experience burnout or will feel overwhelmed at times.

Bethany Bayless, founder of The Money Millhouse, is no stranger to this feeling. Bethany has, however, been able to overcome the frustration, and on today's podcast with host Chris Browning, she shares her best advice for overcoming burnout.

• How the feeling of wanting to quit is common
• How you care for yourself when you feel burned out or disappointed
• Taking significant amount of time off without guilt
• Setting accomplishment goals that avoid burnout

Bethany Bayless is a public speaker and professional emcee known for her unique comedic style and high-energy presentations. She has hosted 50+ conferences and events, including Heroes at Home Events, Military Influencers Conference, The Plutus Awards, and #FinCon18. She is also Director of Communications for Heroes at Home and host of the fun, upbeat podcast The Money Millhouse, where she and her co-host, Ellie Kay, have conversations about saving money, couples communication, spend plans, general frugality, traveling on a budget, and more.

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Caroline Vencil has a successful blog that didn’t come easy. She shares with our audience her less-than-smooth beginnings and what running her business is like while raising her children.

Caroline talks with Chris Browning about the many bumps and lessons learned in getting her blog off the ground and balancing her home life.

• Caroline shares how unglamorous life is when running a six-figure business and taking care of her family
• The puzzle piece she needed that allowed her blog to take off
• The things she has implemented to spend her time well between business and family
• How she deals with “mom guilt” that is sure to arise
• Advice to other moms who are struggling to find the balance

Caroline is a money-saving expert, especially when it comes to her family of 6 living on one low income. She is a master of living on a tight budget and still having a full life. Her passion is to teach other women how to make their money work for them and to take charge of their own financial lives.

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Jim Wang has been able to sell his first successful blog for seven figures and take on a number of projects since, including starting another website in the personal finance space.

Miranda Marquit talks to Jim about the process of starting and selling his first website as well as the challenges in moving on after letting go of his “baby”.

• Jim talks about what it takes to create a website of value
• The struggle to forge a new path when you give up something you create
• He shares his feelings about failure
• How did he approach building up Wallet Hacks with the changing personal finance landscape
• Jim gives his best advice for someone who is starting a website

Jim Wang has been writing about personal finance for over 15 years, most recently at WalletHacks.com where he shares his strategies for getting ahead financially and in life.

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Jen Smith, one half of the duo that hosts the Frugal Friends Podcast, shares with us how they developed a community that is an active part of what they do.

Chris Browning talks with Jen about the different ways her audience gets to be a part of the podcast and the ways that has helped them developed an enthusiastic and involved Facebook group.

• How did they develop the audience participation aspect of the Frugal Friends podcast
• With being so involved, how does Jen balance time spent in her online community with her real life
• Jen explains why they stay flexible with the issues that arise in their community
• Jen shares future goals for the podcast and community

Jen Smith is a personal finance expert and writer. She and her husband paid off $78,000 of debt in 23 months and now she helps others get out of debt, strengthen their finances, and find contentment in simple living.

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Ashley Barnett loves the world of personal finance, and when she decided to end her blog, she turned her skills and love of this area into an opportunity to help other people manage their blogs.

Ashley talks with Chris about the transition from blogger to blog manager. Today, our listeners will learn what it takes to start fresh, navigate your fears, and own your business like a boss.

Ashley explains shares how she got her start as a personal finance blogger

What was her initial struggle when taking on her first client

How to make connections that can lead to business or client opportunities

How to deal with the self-doubt that sneaks in when you are waiting for a response from a potential client

Ashley gives detailed tips to grow your business as a freelancer.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2019/011-ashley-barnett/

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The go-to guy for podcasting, Steve Stewart shares with Chris why he loves the medium so much.

Steve also helps our listeners who have their own podcasts to straighten out some podcasting hiccups and gives some things to consider if you want to start a podcast.

• Steve shares how he got into podcasting and what he believes is special about the medium
• How meeting one stranger you’ve impacted can affect what you do
• Helpful tips on what’s important when you want to start a podcast
• After years of editing many podcasts, Steve shares some fixes podcasters can quickly make
• What Steve loves about podcasting and what it brings to his life

Steve Stewart is the Grayson Bell of podcasting.

He started his own podcast in 2010 to help market the financial coaching business he was growing, but gave it all up in 2016 when personal finance podcasters wanted help with the editing and production of their recordings.
He currently produces 20+ shows weekly, including Plutus Award Winning podcasters such as Stacking Benjamins, Choose FI, and Paula Pant's Afford Anything.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2019/101-steve-stewart

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Chris talks with Maelisa Hall & Amber Hawley, expert networkers and cohosts of the My Biz Bestie podcast.

For many people, networking can be awkward and uncomfortable. Maelisa and Amber help our listeners build their social muscles and give healthy approaches to relationship building.

• How do they get comfortable connecting with people and networking?
• What is modern-day networking about and how is it a long game?
• How it is important to be a trustworthy source in relationships
• They share the one thing you need that will push you out of your comfort zone
• If you do have a goal for a relationship, when is the right time to present your ‘ask”
• They share the value of a mastermind group and what to look for in such a group

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2019/009-maelisa-hall-amber-hawley/

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Harlan Landes and Miranda Marquit talk about the progress made with the Plutus Voices series of events since last fall and what's planned for the remainder of the year.

The Plutus Foundation is more than just the Plutus Awards. Plutus Voices events bring the financial media together as well as local communities to discuss how to make the biggest impact with audiences. Speakers, bloggers, podcasters, authors, and their audiences come together in intimate settings and small groups for networking and learning.

Episode highlights:

• The first Plutus Voices event was hosted by Bobbi Rebell, and the speakers were David Bach and Sandy Smith. The event focused on building successful communities.
• Other events were hosted in Phoenix and Irvine (near Los Angeles), and feedback from attendees has been incredible
• Upcoming events include Denver (Financial Independence and Women, Oct. 2), Atlanta (Transparency, Oct. 28), and New York City (December).
• Have you ever wondered what really happens at a Plutus Voices event? Here is what you can expect.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2019/008-plutus-voices

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Paula Pant is the founder of the website, Afford Anything and the host of the Afford Anything podcast. Her motto is that you can afford anything, but not everything.

Today, Paula Pant tells us about her experience launching her course, Your First Rental Property.

Creating a course is no easy undertaking and Paula has a lot to share about her experience in its development. It's more than formulaic strategies, well-produced videos, and great marketing if you're making something that is built to last.

Paula talks about her experience launching her first course
What she has found to be the limits of blogging and podcasting and how a course is different
Was Paula's background in newspaper journalism a help or hindrance to her as a blogger and course creator
What were some emotional difficulties that arose in developing her course
What she learned from other creators outside the personal finance space
Paula shares advice for others who are considering creating a course

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2019/paula-pant-007

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Philip Taylor (PT), founder of FinCon and PTMoney.com shares his journey of adding FinCon as a side hustle to PTMoney.com

He explains that growing as a trade show organizer and event planner was no easy feat and gives us insight into his decision-making as FinCon continued to grow over the years.

• What was Phil's motivation to start a conference, along with his successful blog
• Phil discusses some of the benefits and hurdles of event planning he experienced early on
• How did PT know when he needed to hire employees and stop taking on things himself
• What is his underlying philosophy for FinCon and how that's affected the way the conference has grown
• How you can attend FinCon '19

For more information, visit the show notes at https://plutusfoundation.org/2019/006-philip-taylor

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Harlan Landes and Miranda Marquit are back to give us some more info on the 10th Annual Plutus Awards presented by Capital Group.

They also give us some insight into the nomination process and how the winners are chosen. Finally, they share how you can still participate in choosing the winner of one final category!

The ceremony will be held on Friday, September 6, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. as part of FinCon. If you are attending FinCon, you can reserve your ticket to the Plutus Awards:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-10th-annual-plutus-awards-ceremony-presented-by-capital-group-tickets-62322636684

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Sandy Smith is the founder of Yes, I Am Cheap and the co-host of this year's 10th Annual Plutus Awards.

Today, Sandy Smith shares how writing "like she has balls" has transformed into starting multiple, thriving Facebook communities.   When Sandy discovered Periscope, she could not have imagined how speaking directly to her audience would change her online business. She shares her insights and struggles with growing groups that have unique purposes and goals.
Highlights * Sandy talks about her long-standing feelings about being in the shadow of the Plutus Awards stage - until this year * Why Sandy chose to start a blog as her medium to share her journey to financial freedom * How Sandy was forced by her listeners to start her group of now 11,000 members * The differences between managing the larger and smaller groups she has started * The struggle with cultivating trust in a community * Advice on starting a Facebook group and helping it grow healthily

For resources mentioned in the show, visit https://plutusfoundation.org/2019/005-sandy-smith/

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Harlan Landes and Miranda Marquit share the latest news about the 10th Annual Plutus Awards, to be held on Friday, September 6, in Washington, D.C.

They are thrilled that Jordon Cox (Britain's Coupon Kid) and Sandy Smith (Yes, I Am Cheap, Elevate Community) will be featured as this year's hosts for what will be an amazing 10th anniversary awards ceremony.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.plutusawards.com

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Jordon Cox is Britain's Coupon Kid. He's also the co-host of the 10th Annual Plutus Awards.

Today, Jordon talks about how his family's challenges while he was growing up led to him becoming Britain's Coupon Kid.

Jordon's own health challenges resulted in six months spent in the hospital, nearly losing his life. He talks about how this affected his outlook on life and how he was able to write a best-selling book on saving money and entertain the nurses.

ABOUT JORDON COX

Jordon is known as Britain's Coupon Kid and has been blogging about how to save money since age 15.

He is a regular expert commentator on TV, Radio and Print and travels around the country teaching people the tricks of the trade. He also writes for the biggest MoneySaving website in the U.K, as well as national newspapers.

Jordon will be co-hosting the Plutus Awards in 2019 in Washington DC.

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Miranda Marquit is our host today as we hear from The Budgetnista, Tiffany Aliche. We speak with Tiffany about her group, Dream Catchers: Live Richer, which she started in order to provide women with financial tools and information. She shares the ups and downs of starting her Facebook group and how she has dealt with its tremendous growth over time.

Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche is quickly becoming America's favorite, personal financial educator. The Budgetnista is the founder of the LIVE RICHER Challenge and the Dream Catchers, a community of over 500,000 women worldwide that work together to improve their lives through financial education. Her most recent project is the LIVE RICHER Academy, helping people maximize their life within a safe, supportive, and private community.

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Steven M. Hughes from KnowMoney.org is money expert, speaker, and social entrepreneur, and the creator of The Bankroll Summit.

Steven talks about the importance of empowering today’s college going youth with the tools they’ll need to be tomorrow’s financially literate adults.

Steven M. Hughes is a financial psychology and behavioral finance nerd and weekly on-air money expert for the CBS affiliate in Columbia, SC. In 2014, Steven founded Know Money Inc, a nonprofit that teaches college students how to think and talk about money differently, so they can live carefree, responsibly.

For all these Plutus Awards, check out our link here: https://plutusfoundation.org 

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On our first “official” episode, join us as we talk to Erin Lowry from Broke Millennial. Fresh off her most recent book tour for “Broke Millennial Takes on Investing,” she’s here to talk about why it was so important for her to coordinate her tour as an “experience” so people can have real conversations about investing.

ERIN LOWRY is the author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together and Broke Millennial Takes On Investing: A Beginner's Guide to Leveling Up Your Money. Her first book was named by MarketWatch as one of the best money books of 2017 and her style is often described as refreshing and conversational. https://brokemillennial.com/

For all these Plutus Awards, check out our link here: https://plutusfoundation.org/

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Meet your host, Chris Browning, and the founder of the Plutus Awards and Plutus Foundation, Harlan Landes.

What can you expect from this show? Listen to this short trailer.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.plutusawards.com/podcast