We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful JA’NET ADAMS. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with JA’NET below.

JA’NET, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career

I would not exactly say change as much as I would say adapt. How can the educational system adapt to today’s world while also using lessons from the past. For example being to teach students today who want to work to solve poverty issues the work of Fannie Lou Hamer. Fannie Lou Hamer main goals were to alleviate poverty while at the same time fighting for racial equality. I think learning about the work of Hamer would be more beneficial to students than an entire year of medieval history.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Ja’Net Adams and I am the owner of EMACK Consulting. Majority of the world knows me by my brand Debt Sucks University. Of course by the name you can guess that my business is about finances. I work with companies and education systems/institutions through financial wellness.

The problem that I solve for corporations is productivity that causes a decrease in profits. I work with employees at organizations to help eliminate financial stress and increase wellness as well as productivity. In k-12 and higher education I work with students teaching relevant financial literacy that helps them to not only make to college, but to also graduate from college and financially live their lives on their terms. My program works to increase retention and graduation rates as well as improve the financial stability of students.

The reason I am where I am today is because of $50,000 of debt that I found myself in after being laid off from my job. I paid all that debt off in two years and it led to me teaching my step by step process to people around the world.

What makes me the most proud about my work is that I am able to simply explain money concepts in terms that anyone from a middle school student to an eighty year old can explain. I can relate it to the point they are in their lives so that they can take the information and bring more money into their lives.

My mission is to close the wealth gap and that is the reason many times people will see me speaking to first generation students and first generation/minority ERGs at orgranizations.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I believe what helped build my reputation within my field was actually showing up and doing the work. I have been in business for eleven years. I have spoken in front of over 80,000 students in those years and been seen by millions on tv sharing financial advice that is impactful. I strive to keep money principles simple. I don’t talk at people, but instead to them. I have been in the shoes of the people I speak in front of. I know that they need to hear from someone who has been where they are currently and see that the person made it to the other side. Also it doesn’t hurt that I have been on tv for over eight years sharing money tips.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Each time I step on stage I share my social media links. That has helped me build my social media audience. The advice I would give someone starting their social media is not to focus on numbers, but to focus on the quality of people that follow you. What I mean by that is that you want an engaged audience that you can help. Not an audience that never interacts with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.debtsucksuniversity.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetadamsspeak/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DreamGirlSpeaker
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janetadams1/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaNetAdamsSpeak
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs_QTRHwCRt6eP1-zYL27tw
• Other: themoneyattractoracademy.com

Image Credits
Jodie Brim Photography/ EJ McDuffie Photography/ Briana of Jodie Brim Photography