We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Meunier recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

There are two prominent gaps in the financial advising industry: price transparency and a focus on financial wellness.

Advisors in this space charge a % of assets under management (AUM) and often won’t work with clients if they don’t have a certain net worth. In my opinion, that is unacceptable – and a huge reason I started this business. Everyone should have the opportunity to manage their money and grow their wealth. While I don’t manage wealth, I provide education and support and I charge my clients by the session, so they know exactly what they’re paying for.

The other key difference is that I focus heavily on financial wellness. Much like a doctor helps you with your physical health, I help clients with their relationship and confidence with money – this benefit carries with them for the rest of their life. Together, we reframe negative feelings toward money, release baggage from the past and create a positive money mindset. These habits are critical and carry them through future life transitions for decades to come.

Jessica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My business, Empowered Personal Finance, was born out of wanting to combine my strengths in finance with a fulfilling career, and flexibility as a working parent.

My interest in personal finance began out of sheer necessity. My mother was an alcoholic who stopped meeting her financial obligations when I was a teenager. Anyone who has encountered financial insecurity knows how this experience can shape you. For me, it left a deep motivation to understand all things money. I became the one people would come to about personal finance questions, and I loved it.

Eventually, it became clear that providing affordable financial guidance was my calling. With the support of my husband, family and friends, I made the decision to leave my steady 9-5 job for the many unknowns of entrepreneurship.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One thing I love about numbers and math is there is a right and a wrong answer. I find comfort in knowing that there is a clear solution. I tend to think this way a lot in my life; there is a right way to do something and everything else is not the right way.

Through my business, I’ve met so many people from diverse backgrounds and with different life goals. In order to meet them where they are, I’ve learned to view the personal finance journey with more flexibility. Not every person should follow the same approach to budgeting, retirement, or investing. Each client has a different relationship with money, family situation, and lifestyle – their financial plan needs to reflect that. Becoming more flexible in my thinking has translated to more personalized and effective coaching for my clients.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Prior to becoming a financial coach, I changed jobs frequently because I couldn’t find the right fit. This became a joke among family and friends, but it turns out I just hadn’t found my path. I’ve had many great jobs in the tech industry, non-profit organizations and higher education. Every time I would settle into a job, I felt this tug to try something different.

I was always looking for more, but I didn’t know what more was. I love autonomy over my schedule and integrating the various roles I play together. Like many parents during the pandemic, the need for more flexibility with two kids sheltering-in-place and the stress of two working parents collided, making it the right time to transition to entrepreneurship – and I’m so glad I did!

The first 2 years of building my business were done organically. I created the website, a legal entity, forecasts, and grew my client base from the ground up. I focused on using free versions of super helpful tools like Canva, Flodesk, Google sheets, Calendly, Zoom and AirTable to organize and create content. Bit by bit, I have invested more in social media management, content curation and software tools, always balancing the return to my clients with the investment I am making.

Some key milestones so far have been hiring my first employee, reaching 100 clients and most importantly finding a way to take all my past, seemingly disconnected career choices, and build a company that changes lives and generations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.empoweredpersonalfinance.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empoweredpersonalfinance/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicameuniercpa/
• Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=empowered+personal+finance&sca_esv=563820032&sxsrf=AB5stBiKYSuQruct8SeS4dBq3zF88msr3Q%3A1694205268735&ei=VIX7ZK2lLM7PkPIP4omnwA0&oq=empow&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiBWVtcG93KgIIADIHECMYigUYJzINEC4YxwEY0QMYigUYJzIEECMYJzIIEAAYgAQYsQMyDRAAGIoFGLEDGIMBGEMyDRAAGIoFGLEDGIMBGEMyDRAuGIoFGMcBGK8BGEMyBxAAGIoFGEMyCxAAGIAEGLEDGIMBMgsQABiABBixAxiDAUidDVD3BVj3BXABeAGQAQCYAXGgAXGqAQMwLjG4AQPIAQD4AQHCAgcQIxiwAxgnwgINEC4YxwEY0QMYsAMYJ8ICChAAGEcY1gQYsAPCAhYQLhiKBRjHARjRAxjIAxiwAxhD2AEBwgIWEC4YigUYxwEYrwEYyAMYsAMYQ9gBAcICEBAuGIoFGMgDGLADGEPYAQHiAwQYACBBiAYBkAYMugYECAEYCA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp