We recently connected with Louis Guajardo and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Louis, thanks for joining us today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

I officially launched my business on November 20, 2023. When I left my previous job, I didn’t have a book of business filled with clients, leads, or centers of influence—just a dream and a plan to make it a reality. The plan was to share my knowledge with like-minded individuals eager to expand their networks, plan for their futures, and grow their businesses.

Two clients I had worked with previously came to mind. I admired their strength and determination to succeed and wished I could reconnect with them. However, a non-solicit agreement that I signed prevented me from reaching out. As I explored legal ways to stay in contact, I unexpectedly received an email from them. The subject line read: “Congratulations on starting your own firm! We are so excited for you.” The email concluded with a simple question, “We were curious if working with Moonshot Planning would be in the cards for us. We have loved working with you this past year and would love to continue working with you if possible. Let us know, thank you!”

That moment brought me to tears. Knowing my past work had made such an impact that they sought me out reaffirmed why I started this journey. To this day, they remain loyal clients, and our relationship has only grown stronger.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Of course! Let me start with a story that shaped who I am today and the mission behind my business. I grew up with a single mother of four children. She usually worked from 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM Monday through Friday. This meant our time together was limited to weekends. Even then, weekends were often spent running errands and keeping our household organized. I remember tagging along with her to the grocery store, where she would stare at cereal for upwards of 5 minutes. Being a curious kid, I asked her why she did this, and she explained that she was calculating the price per ounce to ensure every dollar was stretched as much as possible.

Her answer left a lasting impression on me. It exposed me to two things that guide my work today: first, it gave me a “money-vigilant” mindset—a deep awareness and concern for financial health. Second, it instilled compassion for women and the unique struggles they often face. These lessons became the foundation of my business, where I focus on helping womenpreneurs organize their personal and business finances so they can reclaim their time and focus on their dream life.

What sets my business apart is my belief that financial success isn’t reserved for the already successful. One of the biggest reasons I left my previous firm was my desire to help people on the journey to financial success—not just after they’d already arrived. I wanted to help people become millionaires, not just manage their money once they were wealthy. That’s why I created Moonshot Planning, a firm that offers personalized financial strategies tailored to womenpreneurs.

But I also realized that not everyone is in a position to hire my services yet—and that’s okay. I wanted to create a space where people could access resources, support, and encouragement, regardless of where they were in their financial journey. That’s why I started Moonshot Collective, a community focused on breaking the taboo around personal finance and business discussions. Through Moonshot Collective, we share content across multiple platforms, host in-person and virtual events, and provide free resources to support one another. It’s a space where anyone can feel empowered to grow, connect, and take actionable steps toward their goals.

What I’m most proud of is the impact my work has had on the lives of my clients and community. Whether it’s helping women reclaim control of their finances, providing a roadmap to build a successful business, or fostering open conversations about money, my mission is to make financial planning accessible, empowering, and life-changing.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’d like to expand on the four money personalities so the reader can understand theirs and I could expand on mine. The four types are money worship (believes money will fix all of their problems), money avoidance (believes money is greed and they aren’t worthy of it), money vigilance (believes that money is sacred and should be saved), and money status (believes that net worth is equal to their self-worth). Of course, this goes so much deeper. There are so many more traits and there are reasons embedded, typically in childhood, that lead us to these four different scripts.

Now I explained how my money type is as a money vigilant, and that’s due to the financial hardship I witnessed as a child. This led me to be the greatest saver among my friends but maybe the most annoying to bring on trips. Each of these personalities comes with pros and cons and it’s important to learn to deal with them. I had to unlearn the fear I had of spending my money. This is still something I struggle with today. Just last year I went on a vacation to Japan and I remember telling my friend “I’m going to do everything to not spend money, don’t worry about asking me if I want to do something. Just do what you want to do and I’ll follow along.” Thankfully my friends know this about me so they understand how I deal with my money script, but it’s still a work in progress.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

My hot take: treat every single client like royalty. The first two clients I mentioned earlier took up nearly all my time in the early months, and I made it my mission to ensure they felt valued and heard. I told them, “If you have a question, ask me. If I don’t have the answer, I’ll find it.” I wanted them to think, “Wow, Louis makes us feel important.”

One of the key things I did was respond to their emails, texts, and calls instantly. Yes, instantly. To me, email is like instant messaging. If they sent a question or concern, they got a response within five minutes. Why? Because when a client reaches out, it’s top of mind for them. If I can respond quickly and put their mind at ease, why wouldn’t I? Think about it—how great would it feel to get that level of responsiveness from someone you do business with? Put yourself in your client’s shoes and aim to exceed expectations every single time.

So, how has this been the most effective strategy for growing my clientele? Simple: it creates a talk-worthy and referable client experience. My clients know that if I treat them this way, I’ll handle their referrals with the same level of care and attention. This approach is why I’ve been able to grow my business entirely on referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.planningmoonshots.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-guajardo-cfp%C2%AE-2708b21b5/
• Other: https://www.joinmoonshotcollective.com/