Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin - Should You Quit Your Job? Here's The Formula from Nicole Walters

Episode Date: April 16, 2024

This episode checks all of the boxes. Want the secret sauce to being a bigger player at your company? Check. Are you thinking about starting your own thing and want the formula to determine whether you can leave your job behind? Check. Are you raising kiddos and want help teaching them the value of a dollar? Check, check and check. The reason this episode has everything is because it features the incredible and wise entrepreneur Nicole Walters. And when the Nicoles get together, they leave no stone unturned. Find Nicole's incredible new book, Nothing Is Missing, here: https://nicolewalters.com/nothing-is-missing/ Originally aired on: 2023-10-05 $ If you're ready to find your dream team, use LinkedIn Jobs. Post a job for free at: linkedin.com/mnn $ Want to level up your money moves? Check out Facet. Facet is the next generation of personalized financial planning that is making professional financial advice accessible to the masses, not just the rich. Facet will help you understand and expand your financial opportunities by providing you with a team of financial planners (with the CFP® certification you want) and a team of professionals across all the major food groups of your financial wellness: retirement planning, tax strategy, estate planning and more. To claim Facet’s offer for Money Rehabbers, go to: https://facet.com/moneyrehab

I love hosting on Airbnb. It's a great way to bring in some extra cash. But I totally get it that it might sound overwhelming to start, or even too complicated, if, say, you want to put your summer home in Maine on Airbnb, but you live full-time in San Francisco and you can't go to Maine every time you need to change sheets for your guests or something like that. If thoughts like these have been holding you back, I have great news for you. Airbnb has launched a co-host network, which is a network of high quality local co-hosts with Airbnb experience that can take care of your home and your guests. Co-hosts can do what you don't have time for, like managing your reservations, messaging your guests, giving support at the property, or even create your listing for you.

I always want to line up a reservation for my house when I'm traveling for work, but sometimes I just don't get around to it because getting ready to travel always feels like a scramble, so I don't end up making time to make my house look guest-friendly. I guess that's the best way to put it. But I'm matching with a co-host so I can still make that extra cash while also making it easy on myself. Find a co-host at airbnb.com slash host. One of the most stressful periods of my life was when I was in credit card debt. I got to a point where I just knew that I had to get it under control for my financial future and also for my mental health. We've all hit a point where we've realized it was time to make some serious money moves. So take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no

maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at Chime.com slash MNN. When you check out Chime, you'll see that you can overdraft up to $200 with no fees. If you're an OG listener, you know about my infamous $35 overdraft fee that I got from buying a $7 latte and how I am still very fired up about it. If I had Chime back then, that wouldn't even be a story. Make your fall finances a little greener by working toward your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in just two minutes at Chime.com slash MNN. That's Chime.com slash MNN. Chime feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank N.A. Members FDIC. SpotMe eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Boosts are available to I'm Nicole Lappin, the only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand.

It's time for some money rehab. The conversation you're about to hear checks all of the boxes. Want the secret sauce to being a bigger player at your company? Check. Are you thinking about starting your own thing and want a formula to determine whether or not you can leave your job behind? Check. Are you raising kiddos and want help teaching them the value of a dollar?

Check, check, check. The reason this conversation has everything is because it's a conversation with the incredible entrepreneur Nicole Walters. The reason Nicole can cover so much ground is because she has lived a lot of lives. She has a new book called Nothing is Missing, which she calls a fresh start manual. Today, we talk about all of her fresh starts, which are jam-packed with useful advice for your career and beyond. Here's Nicole. Nicole Walters, welcome to Money Rehab. Oh my goodness. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to have you. I've had a lady crush on you from afar for many, many years. I am such a huge fan of yours. I love that both of us are like open books. And now you have a new book out. Nothing is missing. And so I don't want to miss anything, pun intended, in this conversation. Let's start with the moment in your life when you wanted to get a fresh start

in your career. Yes. So I think a lot of those of us who started in corporate or did the more traditional background, just like you, I mean, so much of being an anchor is corporate. I don't think people even understand how much paperwork y'all do. But all that said, when I realized that I was going to be capped, that I was going to be capped. I was 28. I was in my division within my company as the youngest person there. And my boss literally looked me in the face and said, yeah, you're just going to be here for a while and making money for the company and yourself. And what's interesting is I needed money. I loved the work I was doing, but I didn't feel fulfilled. And it was the first time I was faced with that question. Is my work meaningful? And is this what I want to do for the next 20 years? So I quit my job live online in front of 10,000 people. So what I saw, you streamed the call where you quit the

corporate job and you were making six figures at the time. Why did you do that? So okay, it sounds crazy, right? But I always try to tell people, and you do this too, but I built a place for me to go, right? I had already started working my own side hustle, taking private consulting clients. So it wasn't as wild as it seemed. It was still a big, bold move, but I was prepared to be my own boss.

I was prepared to pay myself my own salary. I'd made sure that I understood my budget. I knew my profit and loss and my margins and my overhead. So I was really comfortable in knowing that this was just as good as taking an offer to work for another company. Just the company was mine. Talk dirty to me about those margins. Yes. I mean, that is the part that I'd love to dig into too. It's not the fun, sexy kind. Like the fun, sexy thing was, it's so interesting watching you do it live, no filter whatsoever. But what about the preparing for that moment? Like the squirreling away savings? What did that look like? Yeah. So I love this because a lot of people want to hear about the, how did you get the confidence? How did you do something so bold? And the truth is, trust me, if you do the work that I did on the back end, you'll have it too. So one of the exercises I always tell people is I set up three columns, worst case scenario, likely scenario, and best case scenario. And then I went to find the numbers that would fall into those columns.

What do I need to do to replace my salary? How little do I need to make in order for me to sustain my life while still saving in case there's a rainy day? And what is the best case scenario after testing my new product if I have blockbuster projections? So once I ran all those numbers, I realized that I could survive on half my salary, which literally was I could get a job at Target and still be okay. It would be uncomfortable. There wouldn't be as many dinners out. There wouldn't be a vacation. But I could give myself a shot at building my own thing and having some good breathing room. And once I realized that I wasn't as far away from goal as possible, and I was doing pretty well, I started actually working. So I started building my dream before I quit. And I saved at that point $11,000 in one week. So I knew that I had proof of concept, I knew that my product was viable. And I also knew that I had some working capital to fund my business for a while before I actually brought in

any revenue. But fortunately, revenue was coming in. So it all worked out. Nicole, this is so, so important. And I want to double click on it a little bit more because you'll hear all these entrepreneurial experts being like, go out YOLO, FOMO, whatever. Just do it. Burn your corporate bra. Like, if not now, when? Right. You don't want to be on your deathbed regretting it. It's like, goddamn. Like, there is no shame to feeding yourself and your family and like budgeting.

And unless you have a trust fund, and I certainly did not. So like, I don't hate people that do. Right. But you have to prepare yourself. And it's so important to start doing that when you still are gainfully employed. Yes. I think that people really don't understand that part of why these companies fail in the first five years is because they aren't doing the thing they should be doing from day one,

which is looking at your money. You need to fall in love with your numbers because these decisions aren't that hard. They aren't as emotionally tied as you think. If you are trying to figure out, well, when is the right time to quit? Well, I'll just ask them, when can you afford it? What do your numbers look like? Because your data will drive your decisions. And that's what I did. I just said, look, I still have this beautiful safety net of corporate, right? Even though I want out, let me start putting things aside, paying off what I paid. So first of all, I paid off all my debt,

my credit card debt. So I knew I was going into it without that pressure. And then I was like, all right, now it's just about how big can this thing go? I can give myself six months to a year before I would need to go back to corporate. And if I can't do it in six months to a year, then honestly, I should go back to corporate, you know, because it's not working. And also, you know, this whole thing that I think a lot of entrepreneurs do where there's pride in not paying yourself. I hear this all the time. I didn't take a check for 10 years. I didn't pay myself for three months. That's terrible. You are the worst boss to yourself of all time. Why would you leave your horrible nightmare boss and not cut yourself a check? Even if that check

is for a dollar, shouldn't you honor the way you're showing up in your business? And so I was really proud to say that from day one of starting my business, I paid myself the same thing I made in corporate. And obviously now I pay myself significantly more, you know, but since day one, I paid myself, I've been the best boss I've ever had. And why is that so important? Like, let's reiterate that to entrepreneurs to pay yourself first. Because one, I mean, if you have going concern in your business, and you know that you want to be able to bring in new people, and honor them with hopefully a 401k one day and benefits and grow, shouldn't you start doing that to yourself? Because as a leader in your company, everything is going to be dictated by how you behave. So if you can't give yourself a break, your team is going to feel

like they can either. If you can't pay yourself a proper salary, your team isn't going to think that either. So the habits that you start your business with are the habits that will sustain your business. So for me, you better believe that I went hard, but I also honored myself by paying myself a good salary and treating myself well, like vacations, homes, nice things, because I deserved it. I did the work. Yeah, you did. And what was your rubric around that vacations? Did you give yourself PTO? How many days was it? Did you create a structure? So one of the first things I did in my business on the front end was a kind of bonus driven structure. So if we hit certain monetary goals, I was allowed to bonus myself out. So I wasn't

just sitting here saying, Oh, yeah, you know, my business is my bank, you know, like, Oh, my gosh, I had a great launch. Let me go buy that awesome bag as a reward. I said, no, I have to build up my working capital in my business to this amount. Why? Because what that means is I'll be able to hire teams. So my goal being if I can take off every Friday, I can take off every Friday. I mean, I really had perspective around the long-term goals versus the short-term win. A lot of people live in that short money instead of the long money. And for me, I was like, no, I'm not pressed to be able to take a photo of my laptop on my knees in Bali tomorrow to show that I had a big launch. I would much rather show people that I'm at Target crying in joy while eating copious amounts of cheese in my passenger seat

and watching old episodes of Friends in celebration. And then they can still see me here seven years later in a villa in Bali that I was able to bring my whole family to, you know, perspective. Yes. I don't know if you show these in your courses, but I'd love to see those spreadsheets that you came up with and those different scenarios. Yeah, for sure. For sure. Because they're also modifiable. I love a function and a formula, you know, so being able to say like, OK, here's where we were, and then here's what we changed. And it makes you feel better. I mean, people freak out about entrepreneurship. And there's tons to freak out about making sure your consumer loves you making sure that you're seeing your kids enough making sure you know, like there's tons of stuff. But realistically, the money part and those numbers, that's been done. We have the data for that. Don't let that be the thing that makes you scared in the process. You need to look at your money and face your money so that that way you can control your money the best you can. That has helped me so much.

And there's kind of this shame of like, oh, well, I'm doing it for my passion. It's like, that is a very luxurious thing to do something for. It sure is. Let's talk about the savings that you have or the money or the not fun Gary V type rhetoric. Right, right. I almost feel like people are like, oh, well, I'm not doing it for the money. It's like, well, then how the hell are you paying your rent or your bills? Yes. And let's just be all the way legit. You know, I have a policy that I've used for the past 10 years, which is I don't do free. I am allergic to free in freeenza by Felicia free gives me itches like I'm not here for it, you know, and it's crazy because people

are like, so you're saying you don't do charity and you go through this? No, I charge so I can do philanthropy. It's churches, charity, and my children. And even the church pays the plumber. So why shouldn't I charge? Understand that money is just a tool that gives me options. So if I'm the type of person who doesn't want to charge money so good with me that I should have a lot of it so I can do good things. People who are terrible people have tons of money and have zero problem doing bad things with it. So why shouldn't we get it if we know we're going to make big changes in the world? And what I love to see you promote is how to sell because I think whether you're in a corporate job,

whether you work for yourself, whether you have a big team, everything goes back to sales and customers. You don't have any kind of business, whether you're an entrepreneur or entrepreneur, if you cannot sell that sizzle. So I would love just personally to see some magic in action. If you could, could you pitch me your 1K1 day course

and then break down like why you pitch it that way. Absolutely. In a heartbeat. So I got to tell you, Nicole, I am so impressed with everything that you've built. You have built an incredible business. But what I often find is when people start building their business, they skip steps. And if you're in a position right now where you're saying to yourself, I know that there's an X level, but I'm not 100% clear around what those steps are, how to get there.

And if I have all the tools I need or where to get them, I know that 1K1Day can stand in that gap to give you what you need, give you the confidence to get it, and make sure that you understand how you got it so that that way you can continue to soar. 1K1Day is the comprehensive course solution that teaches you your financial foundations, the importance of product development, and how to execute it so you have sustainable results, not a one-hit wonder. And we do it at a reasonable price for the support that you require. Sign me up. Buy it now. So why did you frame it that way? What are those elements that people can take away

to pitch their own anything class product? The first thing is you really do need to know your own product. That's like the no brainer. I got to tell you, whenever I work with my clients as a consultant, one of the things that I keep running into is that they, without a doubt, have built something that they thought they were supposed to build. They don't even love their own product. You know, it's, well, someone told me that this was the next hot thing, or this is what I felt was like kind of a good idea. If you don't love it, I can tell every minute when you're selling. If you don't really believe it can work or change lives, your sales already not going to

work. So get immersed in your product, love it, have a story behind it, because that's what's going to sell it. The next part is a lot of people talk about money too much, which sounds so weird to say here. But the truth is, you want to talk about the value proposition, you want to make sure people understand what value change and transformation the product is going to bring into their life. Because at the end of the day, people are willing to spend to get the thing that they think is going to improve their life. I mean, they will figure out the money. As a mom, you know, I faced cancer with my daughters. I faced all sorts of crazy experiences where money really gave us more

options. And I would have cut off my left arm to get them whatever they need. And people feel the same way about changes in their life. So you better believe that that's a huge part of any good sale is making sure that you understand the value proposition. And then obviously ask for the sale. At the end, if you don't tell them, here's where you go, here's where you buy it,

and here's where to start, then what was the point of all the things you said before? Yeah, the call to action. Yep. And people value the stuff that they pay for. They do. More than the stuff they get for free. I call it a commitment fee, right?

I commit that I will show up and this will commit that you'll do the same. That's all it is. Hold on to your wallets. Money Rehab will be right back. I love hosting on Airbnb. It's a great way to bring in some extra cash. Money Rehab will be right back. like that. If thoughts like these have been holding you back, I have great news for you. Airbnb has launched a co-host network, which is a network of high quality local co-hosts with Airbnb experience that can take care of your home and your guests. Co-hosts can do what you don't have time for, like managing your reservations, messaging your guests, giving support at the

property, or even create your listing for you. I always want to line up a reservation for my house when I'm traveling for work, but sometimes I just don't get around to it because getting ready to travel always feels like a scramble, so I don't end up making time to make my house look guest-friendly, I guess that's the best way to put it. But I'm matching with a co-host so I can still make that extra cash while also making it easy on myself. Find a co-host at Airbnb.com slash host. One of the most stressful periods of my life was when I was in credit card debt. I got to a point where I just knew that I had to get it under control for my financial future and also for my mental health. We've all hit a point where we've realized it was

time to make some serious money moves. So take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at Chime.com slash MNN. When you check out Chime, you'll see that you can overdraft up to $200 with no fees. If you're an OG listener, you know about my infamous $35 overdraft fee that I got from buying a $7 latte and how I am still very fired up about it. If I had Chime back then, that wouldn't even be a story. Make your fall finances a little greener by working toward your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in just two minutes at Chime.com slash MNN.

That's Chime.com slash MNN. Chime. Feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank N.A. Members FDIC. SpotMe eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Boosts are available to eligible Chime members enrolled in SpotMe and are subject to monthly limits. Terms and conditions apply. Go to Chime.com slash disclosures for details. And now for some more money rehab all right let's talk about this story behind nicole walters because damn we have a lot to get to let's start with your love life tell me about your divorce what did you see in that marriage that made you recognize you needed to do something different? So I came into my marriage having

a background of being a poor child of immigrant, you know, and I talk about that for the first time in my book. A lot of people don't know that I grew up with every single ounce of scarcity mindset because I actually had scarcity. And I knew that there was something more and I was willing to work for it. And that was so much of my life, looking for what was missing. And even in my marriage, happiness always felt like it was some mystery destination where if I worked a little harder, or if I changed this thing, whether it was lose a couple pounds or move to a different home or live in a different neighborhood or something that we might finally be positioned for the greatest of joy. And I got married really young. I was 22. And as I grew in that marriage,

I learned that, no, money isn't it. When it finally came time for me to transition out after 12 years, I was like, oh, I have everything. We are taking private jets and vacationing in villas and I am absolutely miserable. I'm unhappy. My partner's unhappy. My kids aren't seeing me being loved well. You know, I have girls. They need to understand that money isn't everything,

that we value our health and love. And so I did. And I was grateful that I'd made the choices in my business and my life prior to that, that gave me the flexibility to make those moves the way that they need to be made. So this is now your fresh start to love. You have said you're in the most loving, supportive relationship now. So what was that like dating after divorce? So it's crazy because I dated in LA, which is a whole category in and of itself. I'm in it now. Oh, you're in it now. Bless it.

Nicole, bless your spirit. I hope you find the right person because it is like there's the in the dating pool. It's insane out there. So I am very grateful though, because I met an incredible guy. He's a producer. And I never understood what people meant when they would talk about being in the type of partnership where you felt like it actually enhanced you and that you weren't operating as an island. I think I always thought before that in life, you know, it's kind of two people working side by side with their independent gifts towards goals. I didn't realize that there's a unifying thing that can happen when you have someone who's willing to

not just support you, but also call you out, who can bring a fresh perspective, who can lend their gifts to what you're doing. And I just achieved so much more. And I feel so safe in my relationship to be flawed, to know that I could have zero dollars and he would love me. I could have billions of dollars and he would love me. And I'm just not validated by my work and how I show up the way that I was before. I feel like everything I do now really is for a purpose of changing lives. It's not just about hitting marks and hitting goals. And he's also super hot, which is like, that's a real blessing. I'm, I just I just I'm so grateful. All the things are good.

I really love this. I love this for me, too, girl. What's cool, though, about having a fresh start is that it's so powerful to bring all the lessons that you have in your lived experience to this whole other chapter. So what are some of the lessons that you learned from your marriage that have influenced the way you approach your fiance? I think now yes, I'm on. Yes. I think that one of the things is that I shouldn't be afraid of fresh starts, right? I think that a lot of times starting over, and you know, quote, unquote, failure has such a negative connotation.

But my goodness, if you are still standing to start over, what a blessing. And above all else, you get to bring everything you learned before. So I'm doing this relationship, this marriage, number two, so differently. I've grown. I am more patient. I am less anxious. I'm a better partner, you know, and I don't even know if my husband would even recognize me today, you know, because I've come a long way. And I'm really grateful for that. You know, I attributed that to therapy, to prayer, to solid friendships, to taking the time to really do my own self exploration to make sure I found someone that supported where I'd like to see myself. So yeah, I learned a lot supported where I'd like to see myself. So yeah, I learned a lot and I'm applying everything I've learned.

And of course, you will love you no matter what it sounds like, $1, $1 billion or anywhere in between. But how do you feel about prenups? Oh my God, girl, prenup it down. You know what's crazy? And you want to hear something that's really funny. So I have always felt I needed a prenup, even when I was broke. And that really says something about our vision of self. And if anyone hears that, and that like resonates with them as women, where you're like, Oh, you know, I may not have made all my money yet. Or I feel like I'm just like full of ideas. And I'm starting something, get your prenup anyway, girl, because you know, you, you know what you're capable of, and you know what your future looks like, you may not have all the funds yet, get that prenup anyway, girl, because you know you. You know what you're capable of and you know what your future looks like. You may not have all the funds yet.

Get that prenup anyway because you still deserve to protect that. You wouldn't buy a business without a contract. You wouldn't hire an employee without a contract. You wouldn't have a nanny watch your babies without a contract. It's just a contract to make sure things are easy paperwork on the back end. Save yourself legal fees. Save yourself time and headache. Be a better, more attentive mother during the divorce process because everything

is already figured out because custody wise, you know, get that prenup. It's the right thing to do. Marriage should have a contract also. Yeah, because yes, you're never going to get divorced. You're in love, la la la la la. But also you don't want the state to decide. And that's a big reason. Like it's a big reason. Like, I mean, you don't want your house to catch on fire, but you still get insurance. You don't think that you're going to get sick tomorrow, but you still get insurance.

It makes sense. So do it. Yeah. Listen, I have not been married, but I have my prenup ready to go all day. I'm like, he's going to find me. The good part also is you get that prenup done while you are friends, while you are still at your peak hotness, because marriage can be a very long

time. OK, while he is looking at you saying I want all of that, let him sign and agree. OK, ladies, this idea, I think, is really important to reframe, especially for women, because I hear it like, oh, he's making me sign a prenup. No, I'm protecting my own things. These conversations of I have to sign this prenup because I'll only get whatever X from him. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We have to take control. Yes. A hundred percent. I think if you're on the other side of prenup signing where maybe you're not the breadwinner, girl, get your own lawyer and recognize that if you can't get through the prenup process, I don't know what you think marriage is,

but it is nothing but a million of those conversations coming from someone who, when you have the first kid, like what diet are we going to have? What school are they going to go to? How are we going to raise them in terms of values and parenting? You are going to have those conversations all the time. If you can't talk about a contract,

about something as clear cut as dollar amounts, it's going to come up later. A prenup will save you a lot of headache down the road. It always does. And so much goes back to money trail, as you know, especially in marriage. What advice would you give somebody who is currently in an unhappy marriage? I mean, I think what's so cool about what you and I do is that hopefully we empower women who are scared to leave abusive relationships because they're scared they can't take care of themselves or make their own money. So the first thing I would say is it's kind of an old school thing, but they call it a Lord have mercy fund, right? You know, a Lord have mercy fund is a woman should have her own money. It should be your own money that you are allowed

to have. It doesn't mean that you can't have a mutual shared account. You know, it doesn't mean that you can't contribute to the household, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with you having things in your own name. And it doesn't even have to be millions and millions and millions of dollars. It's nice if it is, but just enough that when you know you're in a situation where you need flexibility and you don't want to have to answer to anyone, whether it's about you or your children, you want to have that. So if you're currently in something difficult or challenging or frightening or scary, one, seek support, right? Therapy, resources, most important thing. But two, while you're in it, you can start planning an exit.

So save money, start that side hustle and train yourself on skills. You know, take that extra crack, do whatever you can do right now to empower yourself to have more choices later. Because as much as I talk about money, like, oh, you can do this and I bought these things and all that, all that money is as a tool

so that you can get out into the world and do big things without bureaucracy, paperwork, or permission. Yes. I call it the oh shit fund or like breaking case of emergency. That's exactly right. Same thing.

Yep. And do you think a secret account is kosher? If you have to have a secret account, you have problemos anyway. Yeah, absolutely. Right. Exactly. And either way,

in a divorce, it isn't secret. Forensic accountants, right? Everything comes out. But I will tell you that whether or not they know about it, it's in your name. They can't do anything to you. It's your money. You use like a nationwide bank, one that has full nation distribution, like a large big bank, then just go somewhere else and access your money there. So you don't have to tell them about it. They don't need to control what's in it. You are allowed to have your money there. You know, so you don't have to tell them about it. They don't need to control what's in it. You are allowed to have your own money. You are allowed to. When you give this advice, like I feel like the pain behind it,

like you're giving it from life experience. It cuts deep. I mean, thank you so much for writing this memoir. It's truly incredible. Your life experience and your stories. I think we could have a whole series. In fact, I'm going to try to recruit you for our network because you should have a full series on this. I can't even get into all of the amazing stories on this one episode,

but I'd love to talk about you adopting your three girls after meeting their mom, who you saw panhandling on the street. I suppose becoming a mom to three daughters overnight wasn't on your bingo card for the year. Yeah, it wasn't on my bingo card. This happened 10 years ago. And I was just driving down a street. And you know, that thing hit me where I was like, this seems really off, you know, but I'm going to pull over and see what I can do. And they were 311 and 14 at the time. And I just, you know, got into their life and helped out where I could. I didn't have a dollar to my name at the time. And I was 28. And so after about 30 days or so, she told me she was going to be incarcerated for substance abuse issues. And so I said, okay, well, what's going

to happen to the girls? And they said, well, they will end up either split up by the state or we'll figure something out. And I said, okay, well, I'll take them. I'll help. So I had the girls. And after she came back, it was just very clear that we needed to figure something out so they could stay stable. And again, this ties back to money. When you have kids, it incentivizes you. It was part of what initiated my, I need to quit my job because I need more hours. I've got two kids in the next five years going to college and I have zero fun for them. What am I going to do? I've got a kid going into kindergarten who needs to be in top schools. We lived in a crummy neighborhood at the time. And I was like, I have to move into a better school district. All of a sudden within a year, I had all the pressures that parents typically have a solid 10, 15 years to figure out. I needed to solve them all. And so it was challenging. But what was

crazy was the answer was, bet on yourself. I can't get four jobs. I can bet on myself, though. And that's what I did. And throughout my life, it's worked. You are a good woman. You're very kind. I did not know what I was doing. And I talked about that in the book as well. You know, what it is, it's kind of like entrepreneurship. I think parenting is like that too. There's a reason why you jump to something blind because you learn how much you're capable of figuring out along the way. And if you just try to do the next right thing, it really does work out. So Nicole, like we talk about knowing your numbers and doing the right thing with your money does work out. So Nicole, like we talk about knowing your numbers and doing the right thing with your money and being responsible and all those things. But there

are times where in your business, you have to do what's right, even if it doesn't monetarily make sense. And I think that a lot of people forget that that is part of being a good business owner and evolving. And it's why we try to make the right decisions as often as we can, so that when it's time to just make those calls, you can. I've had times where it was like, I've had an employee who's been going through it. And the right thing to do was to issue their bonus now and not wait till the end of the year because it would transform the trajectory of their life. And I knew that that didn't make sense in terms of that quarter's numbers, right? But it made sense overall.

And because I understood my total business, I knew I could do that safely. And it was the right thing to do. So I'd like to think I'm good. But part of it is that I really have worked hard to make sure that I know what I know so I can do what's right. Well, it's an art and a science, right? Like when you're thinking about cutting somebody a business truck where it doesn't make business sense, there's humanity to it as well as mathematics, right? Like both coexist.

And you grew up in a household, you mentioned that money was a huge struggle like mine, also first generation American. It sounds like, you know, your daughters in their early life struggled, but now their household is run by a self-made millionaire. How do you think about approaching money with your daughters? Well, you know, it's really interesting. And I hope this resonates with anyone who happens to be a mom. Your kids are different. So I've got three. They're not my bio babes. I don't know if it's different when you raise them all at the same time. But their approach to money, despite having me as a mom, a lot of that is fully formed, I think, very early on. And I think it really resonates. I'm sure there's studies about that. But my 24-year-old relationship with money is that

I don't know if I'll ever have it. Scarcity runs my life. I have tons of fear. And I got her at 14. She understands the struggle she lived in very early on. She's more of a like hustler. My 21 year old is a scraper. She's like, I don't want to spend anything. I will live bare bones to the point where I regularly have to teach her value, where your time is worth something. It actually does not make sense to try to build your own bed because it'll cost you

more in the long run versus spending the money for it. And then my little one, her relationship with money is actually the most healthy. She's 11, where I really have to balance some of her charitable nature of it because she's like, oh, yeah, money comes and goes. There's plenty in the world. I can always work to make more. And if I do right and serve people, I'll make it. Like that's where she is.

And I'm like, girl, hold on though. But you need to save because this is also mom's money, not your money. So let's get it together. You know what I mean? There's like that. So it's interesting to watch them sort of apply what they know

and evolve with what they've learned. But people like you create resources that I get to put into the hands of my daughters. You get to be examples that change their life. And so I'm thankful to you for that. And I'm thankful to you. And they're thankful to you. Are they excited about touching this book? My little one is at about three quarters of the way through. And it has been, I mean, you've written an incredible book that literally changed lives. People come up to you and they say like, I did this thing from your book and it changed everything. So you understand what books can do. And

I'm like, I feel like I'm getting a little emotional about it. But having my daughter have conversation with me about the book, because she's like, Mom, I didn't know your life was so hard growing up. It's a lot like ours was because she doesn't remember that. She was three when I got her. And I was like, yeah. And she was like, I didn't know that we both could have hard lives and still end up really good. And I was like, oh, yes, you know, and it's just a calm, you know what I mean? It's just the conversations are like, wow. And I'm just grateful because if this can happen for an 11-year-old, my God, what could happen when it reaches the rest of

the world? So it's just such a privilege. To end our episodes, I ask all of our guests for a piece of money advice listeners can take straight to the bank. It could be anything, investing, saving, retirement, negotiating. What would yours be? So this is one that applies in all those categories. Grant yourself some grace. I think we're all way too hard on ourselves. We set these expectations for wild, incredible results and weird returns financially. And I just want to let you know that as long as you're still breathing, you have another day to try again. And shame is not going to serve you as you start over fresh. So grant yourself a little grace as you go.

Have you given yourself grace during this crazy time? I try every single day. Money Rehab is a production of Money News Network. I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Money Rehab's executive producer is Morgan Lavoie. Our researcher is Emily Holmes. Do you need some money rehab? And let's be honest, we all do. So email us your money questions, moneyrehab at moneynewsnetwork.com to potentially have your questions answered on the show or even

have a one-on-one intervention with me. And follow us on Instagram at Money News and TikTok at Money News Network for exclusive video content. And lastly, thank you. No, seriously, thank you. Thank you for listening and for investing in yourself, which is the most important investment you can make. you