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Lisa Chastain is a Life Coach that specializes in personal finance. She has been working as an advisor, coach and mentor for over 20 years. Today, Lisa offers individual services, group programs and seminars that are aimed at transforming people’s relationships with money and life. Attention to detail, good listening skills and great empathy are symbols of her appreciation by her clients. You can learn more at lisachastain.com

City where you’re from: Las Vegas baby!

Hobbies:  Hiking, writing, spending time with family, friends and pup Cricket

Favorite quote:  St. Francis Of Assisi — ‘All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.’

Twitter: @moneycoachc

Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?  

I left my great job in higher education and told myself I would never work for anyone ever again.  I wanted my freedom to create and be whoever I say I am without having to seek approval from anyone.  

Who were your biggest influences?

Was there a defining moment in your life? Growing up my biggest influences were my sports coaches and leadership coaches.  On the grand stage I have always looked up to Martin Luther King and Jane Goodall for their perpetual stands for freedom and love.  Maya Angelou has been a major influence, the list goes on but these are the top ones.

The defining moment most recently was September 2016 when I decided to leave my firm and start my own company.  I was exhausted and at the end of my rope trying to make it as a financial advisor for a private firm.  When I realized that I had to be on my own and that what I really love is coaching and mentoring young people, I jumped and haven’t looked back!

Now

What are you working on? How did you come up with this idea?

My passion right now is my SISTER (Successful, Independent, Strong, Talented, Empowered for a Financial Future) Mentorship!  After leaving my firm I got clear about who my ideal client is – Millennial women who make great money but mismanage it and have little to show for themselves.  I help them get on track with their money, set up systems to support them in building their dream lives.  It’s amazing!  I have created a 6 month program for women to transform their relationship with money so that they can transform their lives!  My mentor runs a program similar in structure for female entrepreneurs, and I knew that I was going to create something for women to come together, talk about money, stretch and grow together.  One month in, it is already had an impact for the women, this first one was sold out!  I’m building my second program (SISTER02) as we speak.  

How is your product/service different and unique? What has been your favorite moment with it? What’s the vision?   

My product/service is unique because there aren’t many people focusing on personal finance coaching for millennials, specifically.  Also, I’m not an advisor – I don’t just tell them what to do and how to do it.  I teach them and inspire them to be in committed action to actually make something happen!  I’m in this so that after working with me these women are empowered and will make great choices with their money and lives for the rest of their lives.  I’m in this for the long haul with them, I think that’s what sets me apart from my competition.  My favorite moment so far was during my first weekend with my SISTER01 group.  The were sitting around and things got pretty vulnerable.  Suddenly, two of the women were in a very deep and emotion conversation in front of the group, and they both broke through their sense of worth – they were supporting each other – this is not something I could have created from a webinar or working with them one on one.  They are in this together!

My vision is to transform the way women think about their money. I am going to inspire the world to be conscious of their spending and encourage engaging and intimate conversation about money.  Money doesn’t have to be a dirty word and my vision is to be a thought leader in gathering women together to talk about the dark side of their financial lives so that they can be free from it!

How do you uniquely market your company?  

I market very specifically to Millennial women.  My message is targeted to THEIR problems, what they struggle with.  My messages are consistent across the board – “I hear you, I see you, and I’m here to help”” – I think they really get that and I am building a following of Millennial women who are ready to make some big changes.  Now they have a community of other women who get that too.

Why millennial women?  

I believe that they are our future.  They are passionate, driven, educated, talented, ambitious and they need mentors and leaders to embrace their talent so they can manifest their greatness!  Many of them are lost and lack a clear understanding of how to develop themselves.  That’s why I want them in my world – to teach them how to become powerful loving leaders on this planet.

What was your biggest failure and biggest success? What did you learn from them?  

My biggest failure was spending my life’s savings ($100,000) to build my business and ultimately having it fail.  I tried so hard to succeed as a financial advisor, but three years into it, I was out of money and ready to throw the towel in.  I spent my last $10,000 to hire my mentor 7 months ago, and that has turned into my biggest success! I’m now thriving, loving what I do, and have generated over $50,000 in sales from hiring her and shifting gears.  Today I know I’m going to be successful, and so will my clients.

The biggest thing I have learned from all of this is that I don’t get to give up on my dreams just because things aren’t going my way.  I have learned to keep swimming through the swamp of finding my way, giving up is never an option.  I have also learned how important it is to have the right people to mentor and support me as I reach for big goals.  Having the right people will ensure my success as long as I’m reaching out for coaching.  Finally, I learned that failure is just feedback that what you’re doing isn’t working.  I should have listened to my feedback much earlier than I did.  

Value-add questions

Give the readers the best entrepreneurship advice you have.   

FIND A MENTOR who has proven results in what you are aiming to do.  Pay them whatever you need to pay them, you’ll make the money back.  Having a mentor will ensure you’re going to take the right steps and avoid pitfalls.  You don’t know what you don’t know, and your mentor will help guide you because they have done what you’re doing and can help to keep you on track.

Teach us something about {internet marketing, social media ads, fundraising, sales funnels or another topic} Can you recommend any favorite websites to learn that topic?  

I have spent less than $100 on technology and I have built my business 100% online. You don’t have to invest big money on technology when you’re first starting out.  Your iPhone will work just fine.  Use Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to build your brand to start.  People need to know you exist, and they’ll watch you grow from the ground up.  Don’t invest a ton of money, just get out there, target your message and start talking to the people who are going to be your consumers.  I joined a mentorship – RobynCrane.com, and that’s where the majority of my content comes from.  I don’t follow a particular website, although I do love podcasts!  Tim Ferris is my current favorite.

While working on your project, have you come across any interesting bit of knowledge that you’d like to share? (i.e. any new research finding, any new platforms, some novel management technique, etc):

What I have discovered is that contrary to the “popular” opinion about Millennials that they are “lazy” and “entitled” I have discovered that they are profoundly conscious, ambitious, and creative.  They have new ideas about how they want to see the world operate, and they are frustrated that they don’t know how to operate in a world or make big changes in a world that does not want to hear them.  Our leaders need to listen to them more, they’ve got great ideas!  Just like what I’m doing, they need great mentors to not speak over them, but to listen and get them involved, teach them.  They are very powerful and talented!

Teach me something I don’t know

I love teaching clients about how what you value translates to your bottom line in your personal finances.  When you get clear about your life vision, and what you really really want instead of operating out of your unconscious mind, you will begin to generate wealth and feel like you’re living on purpose, its pretty cool!

What daily habits do you have that allow you to perform at your peak?

I’m up every morning with coffee and guided meditation.  I also walk my dog sans music every morning, taking in the natural world and allowing my mind to wander.  I have also realized that my brain works in frenetic ways. I don’t make a list of “to-do’s” and I don’t overschedule my day.  The more free time I have the more productive I am!  I make a list of things I will NOT be doing that day so that I can allow my brain to create whatever it needs to for the day. I am in bed every  night at 9:00 p.m. and up every morning at 5:00 p.m. – this keeps my body on track and consistency is key to health and longevity.

What should an entrepreneur focus on?  

An entrepreneur needs to focus on what brings in the money the fastest, especially when starting out.  Easy money is out there, and building anything takes time.  Focus on making cool shit for people who really need it, and take your business up a level each day, that’s how true success is built, not by focusing on the 10 year plan and getting so overwhelmed you’re paralyzed.  When you’re stuck, just ask, what’s the next step?, and do that.

Walk us step-by-step through the process that you had to go through to get from the early stages to where you are today.

One:  I had to take was to get clear on my ideal client.  Once I knew who she was, I started to talking directly to her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, in the community.  She had to know that I exist.

Two:  build pricing and sales models that support her getting into my world so that I can help her.  Without clarity about how she can work with me she will not.  So I developed a three step sales process that gets her into my world, gets her help fast with a compelling offer for her to join me for 6 months in my programs.  

Three:  build my brand.  This is my website, my YouTube Channel, and be a maniac on a mission to communicate as much value and passion about who I am and what I do.  When I’m out in the community, everyone locally has seen my videos, they get who I am and what I’m about and they want to support and partner with me in helping my clients.

Four:  Hang on!  I’ve had many ups and downs in this first part of my journey but being a part of a mentor group has helped me stay clear and focused.

Five:  Set tangible but stretchy goals that kept me focused.  I had my monthly sales goals on my bathroom mirror.  They were staring me in the face each morning.  I didn’t know how I would accomplish them but I was committed to making it happen, it was on the top of my mind EVERY morning. In the first three months of the year I crushed my goals.  Staying focused had a lot to do with that!

Six:  Always thinking about the next step – not the next ten steps – just one step at a time.

Seven:  Write, speak, repeat:  joined blogs, write for HARO, apply to be on Podcasts, speak publically, post videos on YouTube regularly, and shout my name off the rooftops so that people know who I am and what I’m up to.

What are some of the best books you’ve ever read?  

• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
• Power of Vulnerability – Brene Brown
• Power of Intention – Wayne Dyer
• To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
• Any John Grisham book
• Old Yeller and Charlotte’s Web are childhood favorites

Where do you see yourself and your product in a couple years?  

I see myself being a national brand and speaker on women’s finance and female empowerment.  I will be a best selling author inspiring people everywhere to change the way they spend so that they can change their lives and the world!

Find Lisa on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MoneyCoachC

Check out her Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvPhE5xa_thsJ_NcrNTVdA

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