Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Hernandez.
Hi Samantha, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am the founder of The Money Institute. I initially started my Instagram page to document my personal journey to debt freedom. I was about $40k in debt with little savings and decided to share my truth with the world. At first, I was anonymous and had intended to use this page to build community and hold myself accountable.
After three months, I had several people messaging me that they were in similar situations and asking for advice. I have always loved talking about all things money-related, so when the opportunity arose, I jumped on it. I invested in a business coach to teach me the ropes while I continued working my 9-5 job. Quickly, my Instagram page turned into my coaching platform. I quit my corporate job in October and have been running TMI full time ever since. I identify as a lesbian, so I have made it part of my mission to educate the queer community on personal finances. I run an Instagram TV series called “Broke and Gay”, where I discuss the impact that being gay has on your finances. I now coach 1:1 clients and am working on a group coaching program to build a safe space for the queer community to discuss finances.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This has not been a smooth road. I struggled for the first six months of my business to figure out my niche. I was just a general “money coach”, like everyone else. There was nothing unique about me. It made it harder to connect with potential clients and I was getting discouraged. I wasn’t sure if I would ever find my audience. My most recent struggle was figuring out when would be the right time to quit my corporate job. Should I take a leap of faith and invest in myself? Should I keep the regular income? My tipping point was when I completely despised my 9-5 job and was becoming someone who I did not recognize.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Money Institute?
The Money institute’s mission is to create a supportive and safe space for the LGBTQ+ community to learn and talk about finances. I have yet to find another money coach who specializes in the queer community. I discuss topics ranging from my coming out journey to the costs of my dog to why you will need to save more money to retire as a queer person. I am most proud of an Instagram TV series that I have made called Broke and Gay. In this, I discuss how being gay affects your finances. I currently offer a 1:1 coaching program and it is truly incredible to watch my clients use my method to gain control of their finances and live as their true selves.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
For me, success is about having a clear goal and action steps to obtain said goal. It is not the goal that defines success, it is the journey. For example, I set a goal to quit my corporate job by December 2020 and was able to quit two months early!
Contact Info:
- Email: themoneyinstitute.coaching@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.themoneyinstitutecoaching.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themoneyinstitute/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/brokeandgay
