Make More Money Archives - Page 12 of 12 - Amanda Abella

September 29, 2015 By Amanda Abella

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FinCon Recap: I Roll With the Coolest People In Finance

“I almost cried when I saw how people get excited over spreadsheets here! It’s like I found my people!” said my new friend and fellow Miami native Ani Mercedes.

“Yeah, we get that reaction a lot,” I replied.

FinCon is the one event I look forward to most each year. It is probably the only financial conference where people bust out their phones to start a Periscope broadcast as they throw back a few (okay, way more than a few) adult beverages and talk about stock market swings, early retirement and Google Analytics.

As someone recently described it on LinkedIn, FinCon is like crack for creative people in finance.

Better yet, when I told a waitress I was in Charlotte for The Financial Blogger Conference she looked at me and said, “Bullshit! You’re way too cool to work in finance!”

Well, as the awesome tote bag I got at the Fidelity Women’s event said “Frugal Is The New Cool.”

But seriously, this conference is not just full of cool people, but the coolest people in finance. From people who retired at 30 thanks to investments to people who’ve converted a school bus into a mobile financial education classroom.

Like the waitress, you would think people in finance are a drag, but this event has brought together hundreds of people who are changing the game for good. Here are just a few of the reasons I think FinCon has some of the coolest people in finance.

We understand that money is just a means to an end.

While at the pre-party someone mentioned to my friend Michelle Jackson and I that they couldn’t find any investment bloggers. Michelle and I looked at eachother quizically since we happen to know there are a ton of bloggers who talk about investing.

“Did you try looking for financial independence or early retirement?” Michelle asked. “Those guys are all over investments.”

This is an example of how the FinCon community understands money a little differently than how most people would. Rather than seeing money as the end goal, the FinCon community understands that money just allows them to do stuff they want in life. They are conscious of their goals and make financial decisions accordingly.

We’re willing to have tough conversations.

One thing I appreciate about FinCon is the willingness to discuss difficult conversations such as women, minorities and education. Most people wouldn’t touch these topics with a 10 foot pole (Hell, I’m a woman and a minority in this country and this stuff even makes me uncomfortable!), but in the FinCon community we’ve got people asking “Okay, how can we properly address these important issues?”

Granted, these are difficult and complex issues with multiple layers and a lot of emotion, but the fact that the FinCon community is even willing to go there says a lot about the caliber of people who attend this event.

12039201_931948396853944_304410658539541657_n — *Fidelity’s Women and Money Tea Event*

For example, Fidelity had an event for women in finance. We had women from all walks of life and they did an amazing job at creating an intimate atmostphere where the women could open up and share their thoughts. From talking about our upbringings to how financials affect divorce, the entire event was a beautiful moment where we could just be there for each other.

Another example is when I found my apparent sister from another mister Zina Kumok. We connected on the basis that we both come from immigrant families who fled communism. Other than different countries and different religions, we practically had the exact same upbringing because our families experienced the same kind of oppression. J.D. Roth (of Get Rich Slowly fame) heard us talking about this and said, “Holy crap I need to get the two of you on a podcast!”

Our version of hard work is probably different than yours.

Everyone who attends this conference is a hustler. I did six media interviews, had seven meetings and attended eight events while I was at this conference. The way I see it I need to make a return on my investment (and I always do).

However, while I was working hard I was also having an absolute blast. I got to hang out with some of closest online friends like Carrie Smith and Shannyn Allan, make new friends like Debt Free Guys, explore a new city, dance my ass off and have several laughs.

(Debt Free Guys, if you guys are reading this I was totally serious when I asked you to be my gay best friends ;))

I think work-life balance is a load of horse shit, so I try to focus on a work-life blend instead. As such, FinCon is like a work-cation. I was hustling my ass off, but I was also having a really good time.

Paula Pant of Afford Anything once wrote a blog post about how she was working at a cafe in Paris and an American tourist practically pitied her for working on vacation. What the American tourist didn’t understand is Paula’s work is so flexible she can pack up her stuff and go to another country the next day if she wanted to. The American tourist had to work enough to accumulate the required vacation hours and then get their time off approved only to go back to work in two weeks. In other words, they totally missed the point.

Another killer example of this is Tiffany Aliche of The Budgetnista. Her hustle is serious and I have immense respect for it, but because she is on a mission to educate people about finance she doesn’t necessarily see it as the “hard work” we’re accustomed to hearing about. It’s clearly a vocation, not a struggle.

Through our version of hard work, the FinCon community reaches over 1 billion readers. Yes, that’s 1 billion with a b. We wouldn’t be able to do this if we didn’t make sure to have fun along the way.

This is the part where I have to end the blog because I’m pretty sure I’m experiencing symptoms of separation anxiety. To my fellow FinCon friends reading this, I cannot wait to see you in San Diego next year! I already bought my ticket and reserved my hotel room for 2016.

For those of you who have thought about going, as Nike says JUST DO IT!

Click here to learn more about FinCon and meet us in San Diego in 2016!

July 7, 2015 By Amanda Abella

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How to Quit Your Job: How I Quit My Job for An Awesome Career Change

Welcome to the end of the Quit Your Day Job Series! This is the day you all have been waiting for: the day you set your quit date!

Sometimes we just have to leap before we feel totally ready. Truth be told, not a single entrepreneur I know felt 100% ready when they quit their jobs to work for themselves. Some were even forced into it due to lay offs even though the’d been thinking about quitting for months! It was the Universe’s way of giving them a helping hand.

Watch the video below to set your quit date and move through the fear of taking the leap. I even share a little bit about how I quit my job almost two years ago for an awesome career change. (Spoiler alert: it was the best decision I ever made!)

If you’re on the go you can download the MP3 for your listening pleasure.

How I Quit My Job for An Awesome Career Change Video Recap

1. Decide on a quit date and commit to it!

Bust out your calendar, circle a date in red and COMMIT TO FOLLOWING THROUGH! The difference between those who quit their jobs and those that don’t is just a matter of follow through.

2. No one ever feels 100% ready to take a leap.

Not a single entrepreneur I know has ever felt 100% ready to take the leap and quit their day job to work for themselves – even if they hated their job! We live in a society that tells us to go to school and get a job, and for many a regular job equals security. As a former recruiter, I can tell you that a full-time job is no more secure than running your own business. In fact, you have more control when you run your own business, you just need to make sure you’re running it properly.

3. Commit to yourself, otherwise you’ll feel like you failed and are less likely to quit your job later on.

This is a big one people! You must commit to yourself when you make the decision to quit your job to work for yourself full-time. It’s only through commitment and perseverance that so many entrepreneurs have been able to make their dreams come true. It’s up to you to show up, do the work and take the necessary action – otherwise it’s never going to happen!

Resources Mentioned In This Video

1. Make Money Your Honey Workbook – now available on Amazon!

Previous Videos In This Series

Part 1: See Your Job Differently

Part 2: Budget Your Money

Part 3: Find People Who Pay

Part 4: How to Not Be Afraid of Sales

Part 5: Better Time Management

January 13, 2015 By Amanda Abella

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Manifesting Money: Is this shit for real?

When you’re in the world of personal development the notion of manifesting money (and manifesting anything, really) inevitably comes up.

There are tons of gurus out there who talk about the power of manifesting money and attracting abundance into your life.

We have movies like The Secret and The Moses Code which claim to teach the key to manifesting money.

There are a plethora of self-help authors, life coaches, wealth experts, business geniuses, millionaires and psychotherapists who credit much of their success to manifestation.

The topic is so heated that I had to address it in the second book. (Sign up for the newsletter to stay updated on when it will be available.)

Over the last year or so I’ve secretly put this notion to the test.

Can we really attract more money? Is there something to this whole manifesting money thing?

The short answer: yes and no.

**Why it does work.**

There is undoubtedly something to be said for the power of the mind.

We won’t get paid what we deserve unless we believe we can.

We won’t be successful unless we know without a shadow of a doubt that it’s ours to have.

Furthermore, there is something to be said for random synchronicity that occurs all the time in my life.

I got a check from American Express for a credit I don’t know how to explain on an account I closed months ago.

I get those rare and miraculous medical refund checks every once in a while.

A recent medical claim that I filed got accepted immediately with no issues.

Money (and sometimes a lot of it at one time) shows up almost immediately after I give up doubting my ability to make it.

I visualize my lectures and talks being wildly successful and participants buy out all the books I have on me.

I visualized the success of my book and it hit Amazon bestseller status in two categories.

I started randomly telling people I was a speaker and lo and behold I’ve now spoken at conferences and have organizations emailing me asking about my rates.

So yes, to a certain extent I think manifesting money does work.

There is absolutely 100 percent power behind words and the mind and I’ve done everything possible to make sure it’s in tip top shape – meditation, visualization, subliminal audio, you name it.

All in all I find that if you work it, it works.

So why does it seem to work for some people and not others?

**Why it doesn’t work.**

When it comes to manifesting money people often times gripe about the fact that it’s not working.

They visualize, meditate, make vision boards, say affirmations and still find themselves broke.

Many people mistakenly assume that manifesting money is like some magic pill that will solve all their financial woes.

I feel like this is where there’s a huge disconnect in the manifesting community: you can visualize all you want, and opportunity will show up, but you have to put in the work.

Manifesting money doesn’t always mean you win the lottery or own a Ferrari. It also doesn’t always mean that money shows up out of the blue.

Often times money shows up in the form of work. Real work. Hard work.

I would not have gotten a claims check had I not called Aetna and complained that they didn’t cover me when they should have.

I can make a lot of money at one time because I’ve learned how to sell and ask for it.

I can close great writing deals in an hour because I have spent years building my online brand and know a good opportunity when it comes my way.

This doesn’t mean I don’t apply a lot of the tools and techniques about manifesting money that many people teach. We’ve already established that I most certainly do.

It just means that I don’t wait for it to just fall into my lap.

Sometimes it does.

But often times I have to meet the Universe halfway.

For more on this topic feel free to check out this really fun podcast interview I did with Moving Millennials a while back.

This is by far one of my favorite interviews to date because we really get deep into this topic.

What are your views on manifesting money? Do you think it works? Think it’s all new age horse shit? I’m curious to see so sound off in the comments.

September 8, 2014 By Amanda Abella

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8 Ways to Tell If You Should Kick a Prospective Client to the Curb

One of the beauties of working for yourself is the ability to choose who you work with. Seriously, this alone makes even the most difficult days totally worth it.

Unfortunately, many beginning entrepreneurs go through the growing pains of having to deal with less than spectacular clients. I get it and I’ve been there. You may bring on less than stellar clients to pay the bills. You may think you need to “pay your dues” or you think you just have to put up with it because the customer is always right.

Well here’s a newsflash – the customer is not always right for you.

This is critical to understand if you’re going to make it in business. When you value yourself enough to put a halt to the dud clients then that value will be reflected back to you.

So how do you tell if a client is a dud even before signing on the dotted line?

They are totally unprofessional.

This was a pet peeve of mine as a recruiter and it’s a pet peeve of mine as a business owner. If I get an email from a prospective writing client where they are rude, unprofessional or just downright hoighty-toity I immediately cut them loose. Simple as that.

They may not even be rude but maybe unprofessional, like not setting up a proper meeting or emailing me on weekends. These are clear cut signs to me that they just don’t have it together and they would be, as Marie Forleo puts it, a PITA (pain in the ass).

Another little litmus test I use if they treat me the same way I strive to treat my own contractors. I pride myself on treating my contractors as equals, if your prospect isn’t doing that you may need to kick them to the curb.

They don’t meet your ideal client standards.

It is imperative to know who your ideal client is both for marketing purposes and for keeping you sane.

If you know who you do your best work with it becomes easier to tell when you shouldn’t let someone into your world (by the way this applies to your personal life as well).

For instance, I’m pretty picky about who I invite to private coaching. It’s not because I’m being rude, it’s because I know who I can help the most in that moment. If I’m at my best then I can make the biggest impact on someone’s life while having fun. Simple as that.

Clearly identifying your ideal client is something I walk students through in the Make Money Your Honey Academy and it is by far one of their favorite exercises. Why? Because it makes their entire business so much easier to run.

They don’t pay enough.

I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. However, let me paint a picture for you just in case. If a prospective client wants to pay you $5 for a 500 word blog post you need to kick them to the curb.

Being very clear on the kinds of clients you let into your business speaks volumes about how much you value your work. And as I preach all the time, when you’re an entrepreneur you are trading value, not time, for money. The more you value your work the more it’s reflected back to you in the world.

Additionally, as you gain expertise and find yourself making more money, don’t be surprised if you end up dropping older clients who don’t want to pay your new rates. In fact, my friend Carrie Smith over at CarefulCents.com suggests doing a client audit every once in a while to make sure you’re only keeping the highest quality clients in your pipeline.

They ask you to do shady shit.

As I’ve gained more visibility I’ve had prospective clients ask me to do some shady – and I’m pretty sure some illegal – things. For example, I had someone offer to buy my Huffington Post column. That can’t possibly be legal. Or, I get approached by companies for sponsored posts who don’t want me to put a disclaimer saying it’s a sponsored post. Uh, pretty sure that’s against FTC guidelines there, buddy. Or, I get approached by companies wanting me to push some product I’m not comfortable with because they see I have a following.

All of these examples are a big fat nope. As soon as I find out something fishy is going on I drop them like a bad habit. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

They don’t want to sign a contract.

Most of the companies I write for have their own content agreement for freelancers, but sometimes I have to draft up agreements myself. It goes without saying that at this stage in the game I won’t do shit without a contract so if they refuse to sign one I keep it moving.

They can’t give you a number.

This isn’t for clients that are quoted per project, this is for those companies that approach you promising to give you a cut of the revenue share if you do x, y and z. Don’t get me wrong – you can make some passive income this way – but you need to make sure it’s legit. For example, ask to see sales projections and ask for exact revenue share numbers. If they can’t answer then they’re probably bullshitting you.

They want too many meetings.

My colleagues and I seem to agree on one point – we tend to think most meetings are a waste of time. Most of the time it’s something that could have been sent in an email, but instead the prospective client insists and tying up your time for half an hour on the phone. Granted, this doesn’t happen to me that often, but when it does I consider it a red flag.

They have a ridiculous non-compete.

I recently got approached by a company who wanted me to write financial articles for them. They are well known in the industry and it would have been a cool opportunity – except for the fact that they required full-time work, I couldn’t write for any competitors and I would have had to stop writing for my own blog.

Yeah, no thanks. As a personal finance expert the worst thing you could say to me is that I can no longer have multiple sources of income, or that my time now belongs to you. Bye Felicia.

Final Thoughts

By keeping an eye out for these signs you’ll be able to avoid signing on clients that are only going to be a headache down the line. Instead, you’ll be able to dedicate your time and your business to working with awesome people and making more money.