We were lucky to catch up with Monet Colbert recently and have shared our conversation below.

Monet , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

When I was younger, I used to think the best investment you could make was in property or stocks. But as I got older, I realized that the best investment I could make was in myself.

I started investing in my education and learning new skills. That way, I knew that no matter what happened in the world, I would always have something to fall back on. As it turned out, this was the best decision I ever made.

The skills and knowledge I’ve acquired over the years have helped me start my own businesses while finding my purpose in life and in business. So, if you’re looking for a good investment to make, don’t forget about yourself .

Monet , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Q: For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself,

Apart from being a lover of Christ, wife, mother, and proud glamma, I’m a serial entrepreneur. My only goal is to provide products and services that make the average person’s life easier and financially solid.

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Q: how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc.,

This is explained in detail in my last answer.

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Q: What type of products/services/creative works do you provide?

• Real Estate: Buying & Selling
• Real Estate Investments
• Financial Needs Analysis
• Legacy Wealth Distribution
• Insurance Planning
• Help with Trust Wills and Power of Attorney
• Cash flow & Debt Management
• Consumer Credit
• Lending

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Q: What problems do you solve for your clients?

I help families close the inequality wealth gap. People come to me when they need financial solutions. I’m a natural problem solver, and I love nothing more than finding a solution for my clients. Whether it’s a difficult real estate transaction or a complicated financial challenge, I’m always up for the task.

My clients know they can rely on me and my team to get the job done right, and they appreciate our dedication to solving their problems. I take great pride in our work, and we’re always looking for new ways to improve our skills so we can serve our clients better.

We truly enjoy helping others, and it’s this passion that drives us to be the best problem solvers possible.

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Q: What do you think sets you apart from others?

1. We treat our client’s money as if it were our own.
2. We listen, then fact-find BEFORE we prescribe.
3. We make every relationship matter, so they last a lifetime.

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Q: What are you most proud of?

Everyone has something they’re most proud of. For some, it’s their accomplishments at work or school. For others, it might be a personal challenge they’ve overcome. But for me, I’m most proud of myself for the day I decided I was never going to give up, and for always finding a way. Even when the tasks seemed so impossible.

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Q: What are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.?

There are many things to consider when choosing a company to help you with your financial needs. But what matters most is trust.

You need to be able to trust that the company understands your goals and is capable of helping you reach them. You need to be able to trust that they will provide valuable advice and guidance, and that they will always put your best interests first.

At the Co-Creation Agency, we pride ourselves on being trustworthy and reliable. We understand the importance of communication and collaboration in achieving success, and we are dedicated to providing our clients with the highest level of service possible.

We take the time to learn about each family’s needs and what they hope to achieve with the Co-Creation Agency. Then we create a plan that is tailor-made specifically for them and the future to come.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

• The Bible
• 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins
• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
• Three Feet From Gold: Greg S. Reid and Sharon Lechter
• Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
• Play Bigger by Al Ramadan

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I love that CanvasRebel and Voyage are asking entrepreneurs to share their stories. Sometimes it’s hard for me, as someone who has been a serial entrepreneur (you know how things go), but if you want an inside look into what drove this dreamer, then please check out the article on Voyage so you’ll have better context as to where I am now four years later.

Meet Monet Colbert of Shades of Monet

Fast forward and closing out Shades of Monet. I was offered an opportunity at the right time to sell the formulation to Shades of Monet Cosmetics. In 2018, I was ready for a major change in my life. I would go on to leave REDKEN (a LOREAL brand) as one of their brand sales educators as well as closed my salon Monet & Co. Many people thought I was crazy! But I was ready for a reinvention of my dreams. I felt like what I was doing in the beauty industry was no longer as fulfilling as it was 15 years ago.

Now, I was ready to try something new and was on my way to starting a business with my father in real estate and financial services. However, on May 1, 2018, I would receive a phone call that would change my life forever. I would come to learn that my father had been tragically taken away from me. Leaving me with so much pain and all the financial responsibilities from another state. This is where the first “pivot” of my new startup began and became a “real-life lesson.”

They say the greatest teacher in life “is life itself.”

The story is too long and sad to share but what I can say from my own experience is that it’s not until we lose a family member, friend, or loved one for any reason that something inside of us changes.

Having a parent who has little to no wealth can be difficult for children. However, this was not my father’s case. In my case, the issue was that there was just no blueprint left behind and I wasn’t clear on how to go about the transitioning of assets. So, just like most in these situations. I too, found myself being forced to hire legal counsel. These are the type of circumstances that leave loved ones feeling overwhelmed and confused about how they should proceed with their life goals and their deceased family member’s wishes.

I had every reason to give up and throw in the towel. I was so angry that my father had been taken from me, not to mention leaving me with this overwhelming level of responsibility. Especially when I had my own family obligations and commitments. I had already had my own share of legal battles with my previous business that almost broke me financially (as I shared in my previous journey with Shades of Monet on Voyage). Not to mention my father assured me that “everything was taken care of should he pass away.”

How many times have we heard our parents say these things before?

I was able to finally close his estate after almost 2 years of legal counsel. But ended up losing $65K of my own capital, even after liquidating assets, real estate and insurance policies. There was just not enough money to help me pay for the 3 attorneys in 3 different states that were needed to help me untie all his business affairs and outstanding debt.

I can share with you that this was not what my father worked so hard for all his life, nor intended for me or my sister to have to contend with. Yet these were now the cards I was dealt.

This is when I started to clearly see the purpose of the Co-Creation Agency and how it could help save a lot of families from going through the same hardships.

I remember when I was just starting out, trying to find new meaning and purpose for this journey. Especially since my father was no longer a part of it. But keep reading because this new chapter has an ironic twist.

While venturing into real estate as part of the Co-Creation Agency model, I had this wild idea that real estate could be done virtually. Many people laughed at me; not only because I had no experience yet, but also because they felt it would be impossible to accomplish virtually. No one had ever done it. NEVER LISTEN to Naysayers! You can see for yourself on Zillow. How was this even possible? I aligned myself with visionary thinkers, the right brokers, coaches, and mentors that would help me fast-track what I was searching for educationally, entrepreneurially, and spiritually.

Shortly after, COVID-19 took our nation by storm and life became unbearable I would also lose my father-in-law right before Thanksgiving. I was witnessing firsthand homeowners auctioning their homes in various ways just to try and make ends meet. Many homeowners would need money to pay for funerals due to the loss of life from COVID, pay their mortgage, or maybe just trying to scrape up just enough money to help pay for their COVID prescriptions. Regardless, money was depleting rapidly because so many families weren’t prepared for that “just in case” scenario.

Starting to sound familiar?

This was when I had to go deep within and ask myself. Was this a prophetic calling on my life? Or was it just a coincidence? I don’t know what your religious beliefs are, but I truly believe “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” As Mark Batterson once said.

Unemployment was at an all-time high and stimulus checks couldn’t be written fast enough; also, the death toll was climbing.

Research for yourself. Look at the number of GoFundMe accounts created from 2019 – 2021 due to COVID. This should not have been the case. Nor should it be the norm. However, it is something that I am now very passionate about changing.

For me, in many ways, this was 2008 all over again. I shared this story in full in my book Shear Destiny “50 Ways to Map Out Your Career & Win.” It was clear that my father’s passing was the guiding light for me to help families avoid what I went through.

It was during this time I went on to also Co-Found Credit to Success – Where we provide educational resources that go beyond credit and tradelines.

So, as you can see from 2018 when I was first interviewed by Voyage to 2022, I have had to pivot more times than one can count. Although this process was painful in the beginning. It has been both cathartic, and tremendously rewarding because I truly am helping families close the inequality wealth gap

I hope that in closing, I can leave you with three key takeaways:

1) The grass is greener wherever you water it.
2) Always have a plan A, B, and yes, C.
3) Only do business that aligns with your values, passion, and “conviction.”

And remember the clock resets every day. Your wins don’t matter. Your failures don’t matter. Don’t stress on what was, fight for what could be.’ -Sean Higgins

And don’t forget; tomorrow is never promised.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cocreationagency.com/ | https://credittosuccess.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monetcolbert/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monetcolbertofficial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monetcolbert/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MonetColbert
• Other: Zillow: https://www.zillow.com/profile/MonetColbert

Image Credits
Red and grey dress images credit: Nicole Fleming.