A year ago, I was earning a six-figure salary at a job I was good at that made me miserable. In March 2021, after spending 2020 developing my side business, Delyanne The Money Coach LLC, I definitely left to run my company, which reports six figures.
It took a long time to get there. I was born in Brazil and moved to the United States when I was 8 years old. I have always enjoyed school and learning, and as I got older I considered becoming a doctor or a lawyer. I finally chose to get into employment law because I wanted to help people.
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While in my element and graduating at the top of my class, three years of law school earned me $ 150,000 in student debt. I got what I thought was my dream job at an employment law firm specializing in plaintiff representation. But I quickly realized that the academic preparation and the reality of practicing law were very different and that office life was not suitable for me.
In 2014, I did a career change and got a job as a lawyer editor. I was making more money than ever, but felt completely disengaged and empty. I found myself jealous of people who really liked their jobs and wanted to know what it was like.
Yet even though I knew something had to change, I hesitated. I was the first in my family to graduate from university and the first to become a lawyer. As an immigrant and eldest child, I felt a tremendous sense of responsibility and some shame when I thought about making an important decision in my life, like quitting my job or starting something new.
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How learning about investing inspired me to start my side business
In the fall of 2019, I started my debt-free journey, paying off my student loans, and it was important for me to talk about it openly on social media. At that time, I discovered the concept of Financial independence.
My whole perspective changed when I realized that investing in the stock market could help me retire early. And I am not talking about day trading. I’m talking about invest for the long term with index funds. It’s a system that has been around for years but I had never heard of it, and I was sure I wasn’t the only one in this situation.
So after years of struggling with my 9 to 5, I decided to start a secondary activity. And the same willingness to help people that has guided my legal career has been the basis of my new business, Delyanne The Money Coach LLC.
I opened a TikTok account for the business in February 2020, not knowing what to expect. The more I shared things like my progress on my debt journey and my experience opening my first brokerage account, the more my business grew. I think my transparency on my financial goals and the struggles resonated with the people.
Today, Delyanne The Money Coach LLC has over 183,000 followers on TiKTok and 56,000 on Instagram.
I launched my Slay the Stock Market course at the end of 2020 and over 1,100 students have registered since. In the course I teach people the stock market, how it works, its history, and how people can start investing in financial freedom so that they too can have the flexibility to choose their own path instead of depending on a job that might go away at any time.
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Video of Courtney Stith
Too many people have been denied access to this type of information. This is information that should be taught in our schools or provided by our employers. when we sign up for a 401 (k). Today I also created an investment plan with the goal of retiring at 45, and I continue to work on it today.
On March 15, 2021, I gave my two weeks notice and said goodbye to my legal career forever. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was a decision that lasted for years. I was ready.
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“Reach out to your community” and more tips for successful secondary activities
Over the past year, I have learned so much about what it takes to transforming a secondary activity into a successful business and a full-time career that fascinates me.
Entrepreneurship is hard work, but I realized that long hours working on things that spark your passion are worth it. After spending countless hours creating educational content online for free, I knew I was ready to make a business out of it.
If you’re feeling stuck, my best advice is to reach out to your community. Learn about new topics that might intimidate you and talking to people about what makes them happy, and how they pursue their goals. Expand your world and find the things you love.
Don’t pursue things that seem lucrative if your heart isn’t there.
And if you’re at the point where you’re planning to go from a side job to full-time, I would recommend sticking to your 9 to 5 until your business starts producing enough. constant cash flow to cover your expenses. After the income from Delyanne The Money Coach LLC replaced my salary, I felt comfortable enough to leave.
Remember, you don’t have to go it alone. My sister Nathalie Copeland is a business coach, and I was fortunate to benefit from his advice and expertise during this time. I don’t know if I would have succeeded as I did without his help.
There are a lot of moving parts to starting an online business, and Nathalia taught me everything about topics like writing, sales, building lists, email marketing, and how to build new leads. If you can, enlist the help of someone who knows your industry and how business works.
As a Latina and an immigrant, I have often struggled with the idea of giving up such a prestigious career. My parents sacrificed a lot to make sure I got a good education growing up. I had invested so much money and time to pursue this initial goal.
But I couldn’t let this guilt control my lifestyle choices and my sanity.
The biggest lesson I learned from this experience is that there is no shame in changing your mind and trying again. I started over at 37, and while things may be more unpredictable now, I have so much hope for my future.
Delyanne, labor lawyer and financial mentor, launched Delyanne The Money Coach LLC after discovering FIRE (Financial Independence Relax Early as she likes to call it). Since then, she has paid off $ 110,000 in student loans and her business has generated several numbers. She is now on track to achieve financial independence within 45 years. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok under the handle @delyannethemoneycoach.
The article “In one year, I transformed my secondary activity into a company that brings in 6 figures: here is my best advice” originally published on Grow up + Acorns.
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