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

Lindsey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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.

I’m a full-time mom by day and Financial Coach by night. While this may not be the anticipated response to the “so, what do you do?” question at parties, I know there are many rockstar mamas out there raising their kiddos while building a business, like I am.

Running a business outside of traditional business hours has been a complete flip from what I was used to when I previously worked in higher education. However, it’s afforded me the ability to cater to the needs of my clients in some really unique ways. The obvious being scheduling client appointments, in some cases as late as 9pm. It’s also allowed me to expand my impact since I connect with the majority of my clients virtually. I never would have thought I’d have a global reach with my coaching practice, but just this past fall I was able to work with some amazing individuals outside of the U.S.

More than meeting mechanics and accessibility, there’s a personalization I strive to bring to my coaching style because personal finance is just that…personal! Everyone approaches money and their finances differently. There are emotions, learned behaviors and ideas about money that each of us carries that goes beyond dollar signs and spreadsheets. Earlier this year I worked with a client who was an incredible budgeter and saver, but was terrified of spending money outside of their necessities. Not only did we work together on building guilt-free spending into their finances but unpacked where that guilt stemmed from. As a financial coach, I start with understanding the person and then move to the numbers. This is where lasting behavior and mindset change happens, making coaching such a valuable resource.

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 first became interested in personal finance when my husband and I began our debt-free journey in early 2019. I was in graduate school, he had just started a new job, and we were a “normal” newlywed couple with a little over $64,000 in consumer debt. We were frazzled, broke and feeling financially lost.

A few months into our marriage we set a course to get a grip on our finances and went all in on it. Why not, right? What we were doing before wasn’t working and we were so ready for a change. Our original goal of paying off our debt in 5 years accelerated to an 18-month payoff! While that was a huge win for us as a couple, the greater gain was developing a shared language when talking about money along with financial goals and a high-definition vision for what we wanted our life to look like. Even today, we’re still building and shaping what we want that vision to look like.

Now, through my experience and training as a financial coach, I get to help people find freedom in their finances! I’ve walked alongside folks of all ages and life stages, including college students, couples, and soon-to-be retirees, as they navigate the financial season they’re in. My one-on-one coaching process is tailored to the individual with a person-centered approach.

What I love most about my work is seeing clients find hope and confidence in their finances. I cherish and celebrate each client win (big and small)–one of the most memorable being a picture I received of a sandwich ziploc bag filled with tiny shards of cut-up credit cards that had been paid in full. To them, that bag was a reminder of what they’ve accomplished and the financial freedom they now have.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I started my coaching practice about two months before giving birth to our daughter. Was that the best time to start a business? I guess my philosophy at the time was the age-old “there’s no time like the present”. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about getting absorbed in the day-to-day of motherhood and let coaching fall by the wayside.

Reflecting back on the last 18 months, I think two things really helped me stay the course.

The first being relationships. Over the last 18 months I’ve met some amazing coaches who were also in the trenches with me, figuring things out just like I was. They inspired me, pushed me, and, on occasion, just let me be a human and share my frustrations and exhaustion with juggling full-time mom life and building a business.

The second was more internal. I didn’t expect as a young mom to crave an outlet outside of motherhood. No mistake, I LOVE being a mom. Being a full-time mom was part of the shared vision on the other side of my husband’s and my debt-free journey. Even so, being able to take off the mom hat for a moment and put on my financial coach hat at the end of a day brings its own reward. I’ve found that having coaching has made me a better wife and mom, just as those identities bring value to my coaching.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The short answer? Relationships. But more than that would be trust. When people are in a tough financial season the big thing they want to know is “can you help me?”. I’ve found the best way for me to build relationships rooted in trust is through an initial connection. Most often these connections come through word of mouth referrals. I also volunteer to coordinate a personal finance class where I’ve been able to form individual relationships that have led client connections. However, I teach the class because I love doing it and not primarily for generating clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lindseyscottfinancialcoach.com/
• Instagram: @lindseyscottfinancialcoach
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560080273668
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-scott-martin/

Image Credits

Coaching photo credit: Amy Scott