Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauryn Williams.
Lauryn, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Pittsburgh, but my parents split when I was three. I was raised between Detroit and Pittsburgh. I have five sisters and two brothers. I started running track when I was nine years old. I always had natural ability, but it became more intriguing when I started to get letters for college. Education was very important to me.
As a junior in college, I ran the 2nd fastest time in the world and it was 2004 an Olympic year so I had to turn my focus from being a junior in college to representing Team USA. I was fortunate enough to make three Olympic Teams in Track and Field and earn one silver and one gold medal. I thought my time as an Olympic athlete was coming to an end but there was more in store.
A chance meeting at the airport led to me discovering bobsled. Six months later I was in my 4th Olympics. This time it was winter.
During my time as an athlete, I had many financial questions. I often wished I had someone to talk to about the possible answers. I realized there was a gap between what young professionals need to know about optimizing their finances and what the financial industry offered. I decided to fill that gap.
Now, I take a lot of pleasure in being able to help other people find the answers to their financial questions so they can focus on enjoying life.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As I transitioned to my professional career my biggest struggle was having people see me as more than an athlete. During my time as an athlete, I earned a finance degree and a master’s degree in business. Shortly after retiring I became a certified financial planner. I am more than an athlete. I am very passionate about my work and it very rewarding when people trust me to help them and are appreciative of my expertise.
Another obstacle I have faced is prospective clients understanding my knowledge is valuable enough to pay for and not just valuable but an investment in themselves. I myself have been guilty of looking at the price tag of something and not being willing to pay for a service because the dollars out of my pocket were too painful. I would learn later that while the cost didn’t feel great initially if I had made the purchase it would not have cost me as much as the mistakes I made because I didn’t have the information necessary to make a better decision.
Sharing my value proposition is still tough. While there are still some barriers to entry my services are fairly priced in comparison to others in the industry. Sometimes I am emotional when rejected or ghosted by someone who was interested in becoming a client because I want to help everyone who crosses my path. I still struggle with being ok that not everyone is meant to be my client just because my intentions are good.
Please tell us about Worth Winning. What should we know?
I have expertise in student loans. I decided on this area because many I kept encountering clients feeling as if they made a fatal mistake they could not rebound from. There are many ways to tackle student loans and understand the right way for your particular situation can save people tons of money and change their overall financial outlook.
I am different from other financial professionals in that while I do invest on my client’s behalf investing is not our focus. There are a plethora of ways to optimize your finances and looking at your full picture and your values help me do that. I help people understand their spending, 401k contributions, stock options, various insurance plans available, best way to say for a home purchase, how to mesh finances as newlyweds, etc. Whatever is on their minds is what we are dealing with. I believe with a good understanding of the full financial picture there are many ways to optimize finances so that they have more money to invest.
I am completely virtual which isn’t for everyone. My clients appreciate not having to rush through traffic or find a sitter to meet with me, they are relieved to be able to grab a conference room while at work then return to their day quickly. It is also easier for me to take a night or weekend meetings occasionally without upsetting my own personal life.
Professional attire is not required. I am a jeans and a t-shirt kind of girl. Not wearing business attire does not make me less equipped to help you.
I am most proud of creating a business that fills a gap and allows people to feel good about their financial situation.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over I would set a more strict budget. As a business owner, it is easy to let new expenses slide into the fold and justify them as investments but it also slows the process of becoming profitable. Money is emotional and my business is my baby. I needed to have a financial planner specifically for my business from day one.
Pricing:
- $0 – $100K – $177/mo (Year 1)- $125/mo (Year 2+)
- $101K – $200K – $243/mo (Year 1)- $175/mo (Year 2+)
- $200K – $400K – $310/mo (Year 1), $225/mo (Year 2+)
- $400K +- 1% of annual income, (paid quarterly)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://worth-winning.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauryncwilliams/ or https://www.instagram.com/worthwinning/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauryn.williams.963 or https://www.facebook.com/worthwinningfp/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/worth_winning
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/worth-winning-dallas-2
- Other: https://calendly.com/worthwinning/networking
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