Welcome to Money Moves: A 12-Week Guide To Investing In Yourself, our e-course in partnership with BlackRock that aims to help more and more people experience financial well-being. Each week, we demystify the true cost of the milestones we want most in life—retirement, marriage, home ownership, business ventures, and more—and deliver the tools you need to achieve your money goals. That includes real stories, from real women.
“I worked for one of the largest tech companies for more than a decade, where my life was robotic and passionless, but it was comfortable and stable. My life now as owner of an online boutique for petite women is a complete 180 from that. It’s grueling and financially unstable but has filled me with more joy, purpose, and creativity than any work I’ve ever done. I’ve had to learn to do everything: operations, marketing, creative direction, janitorial, and more. The work is so challenging that it can make me cry, but I love it more than anything.
“After making the decision with my partner that our income would decrease by half, and with the savings I’d put away, I quit my job to start my business two years ago. My dip in salary was drastic; it went to zero, as I’m not currently paying myself, but I’m immensely fortunate to be with a partner who supports me emotionally and financially. I also have a community that is generous in sharing their time and expertise to mentor me in specific areas (resources are not just financial!).
“My business expenses vary but some of the ones that have been unexpectedly costly include legal, accounting, and bookkeeping. I’ve always understood the importance of marketing and brand building, but in the digital age, these require so much more capital for a new business, which is a difficult pill to swallow. I’ve gone through a lot of my personal savings to start my business, but reserved a portion of it for future investments. Although my business is still in its infancy and isn’t profitable (yet), I’d say it’s been worth it because what I’ve really invested in is myself—the building of skills and experience—an education I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.”
—Camille, 38, Brooklyn (owner of Stature)
For more stories from women finding solutions to their financial woes, sign up for our e-course, Money Moves, in partnership with BlackRock.
