We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sharon Lewis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sharon , appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started sooner or later?

If I could go back in time, I wish I would have started sooner… Part of me believes that we are all where we are supposed to be, and we make decisions based on where we are in life. However, when I started helping clients with their finances, I held a full-time job. I enjoyed that job but in hindsight, it became a crutch as to why I did not pursue my business. I made a decent salary at my full-time job, and I was very comfortable and did not want to give it up. Looking back, I often wonder how much further I would have been in my business, had I taken my part time business seriously and developed a plan to transition into a full-time business.

Sharon , 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 parents are from Guyana, South America and my mom being a single parent raised us in a predominantly immigrant community. We were not exposed to financial concepts such as investing. We saved the way my mom saved in her native country. We call it “Su-Su,” ‘Box,” and some Caribbean countries use the term “Partner.” A “Su-Su” is a pool of a specified dollar amount among a group of trusted people for a specified number of weeks. We used “Su-Su’s” to purchase our cars and our homes. This was all we knew when it came to saving our money.

In my mid-twenties. a Financial Advisor met with my family and explained the concept of investing and accumulating wealth. I was able to start an investment account with as little as $50 a month. Very affordable for someone my age. I enjoyed learning about the concept of growing my money and even though I did not know everything, I knew in my heart what the advisor shared made sense and it would put me on the right path.

I was later offered an opportunity to work with them part-time, where I could teach my friends and other families how to plan and invest for their financial future.

I help people solve the problem of figuring their money out. Most people know how to make money but saving, investing and getting out of debt is another story.

I help with retirement planning, understanding life insurance and reducing debt.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

In addition to calling my clients quarterly or annually, I use a Client Relationship Management (CRM) system to help me stay connected with my clients. CRM is my ‘virtual voice” and allows me to automate client check in’s, special occasions and general touch points with my clients.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for my business is word of mouth. Approximately 80% of my clients come from referrals. I am working on increasing my sales channels through social media.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sharonmlewis.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonmlewismoneycoach/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonmlewis/

Image Credits
Samantha Austin Jaida Moore