Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ray’Chel Wilson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ray’Chel, thanks for 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.

My approach is different than the industry approach because I focus on impact versus income. I believe this approach allows income to flow more freely to me and in abundance. The first step to understanding how you can create an impact in this world is understanding your own values, both personal & professional. I teach value-based budgeting and investing as a personal finance educator, however, I believe being led by your values transcends to all areas of life, including the industries we work in and partnerships we create.

Ray’Chel, 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?

I am an educator turned entrepreneur who was born in Ohio & brought to Oklahoma through Teach For America. Although Teach For America is a program that develops leaders into teachers, I never wanted to be a teacher because, in my opinion, they did not make enough money. Ironically, although I now have a home in Black Wall Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma, due to entrepreneurship, initially I never wanted to be an entrepreneur due to the illusion of “too much responsibility”. I’m now thankful to serve as Director of Development for KIPP Tulsa Public Charter Schools, where I fundraise for the highest quality 5-12th grade education, as well as being CEO of Raise The Bar Investments & the upcoming ForOurLastNames app, focusing on personal finance & investing education for underserved groups. I found myself in these roles, simply by identifying my values, understanding my purpose, praying, and working hard. This short summary of my background is what makes my approach to professional success& financial wellness different.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Practically, this looked like applying to grants & pitch competitions to express & share my business idea. Whether local opportunities, such as those i found through BuildInTulsa, or online opportunities, such as SkysTheLimit.org, I said to myself “If there’s free money out there, I can get it. I just have to position myself in front of it.” I started to recite the prosperity affirmations found in my book, Holistic Money Mindset: Mental Preparation for Abundance. Of course, I also did the work to prepare for these grants and competitions. I focused on up-skulking, one of the pillars of wealth building ad defined by my company. I wasn’t successful at first, but the more I tried, the more I grew, the more I found success, and the more I won funding. When it comes to financial wellness, business or personal, it’s great to think about it like a table. Would you rather have a table with one leg, or multiple legs? That is what grant funding is to your business, an additional leg to add balance to your various revenue streams to help you achieve an, often social-based, mission.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After paying off my student loans with my cryptocurrency profits, I wanted to find a way to monetize my knowledge and interest in the field. I created the LLC for Raise The Bar Investments with the intention of creating a cryptocurrency ATM business. After creating a rough business plan, learning more about the regulation, and most importantly, the lack of direct impact towards my target market, I had to pivot. I look back, and now I see this moment as the most important shift toward impactful, social entrepreneurship.

I firmly believe that the most successful companies are those that address genuine challenges in the world. In line with this, my business is focused on addressing the issue of financial literacy and the persistent disparities in wealth between racial and gender groups. I believe this is a more meaningful and impactful mission than simply facilitating the buying and selling of cryptocurrency for the average, well-off individual, which would have happened if I didn’t pivot my business idea. There’s power in the pivot!

There is power in the pivot! Fail forward!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rtbinvestments.org/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/_theofficialraywilson | Business: https://instagram.com/rtb.investments
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rtb.investments/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raychelwilson
• Other: Give to a future without limits in North Tulsa: https://kippok.org/kipp-tulsa/

Image Credits
Ohio State headshot – Jordan McNear