Today we’d like to introduce you to John Lanza.
John, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My kids inspired my wife and I to come up with The Money Mammals, a pioneering show that helped young kids get excited money smarts, including the core skills: distinguishing needs from wants, making smart money choices and saving for goals.
My start with money was inauspicious. Moving to LA at 21 to get into entertainment wasn’t conducive to money smarts. I bought a Gateway 2000 computer (remember those?) on a credit card. That $2000 computer ended costing me another $1000 in interest. Ouch! I did eventually get my financial act together.
My wife, who has always been money smart, and I didn’t want to leave money-smart learning to chance with our two girls. When our now 14-year-old was six months old, we came up with The Money Mammals idea. It began with a DVD, “Saving Money Is Fun,” and has since expanded into a kind of mini money-smart universe. I’ve written three children’s picture books about Sharing (charitable giving), Saving and Spending Smart. We’ve developed some fun apps and license the program to credit unions across the country to help them spread money-smart movement to their members.
My first book for parents, The Art of Allowance, just published. There is no one allowance approach that will work for every family so the book is a guide to help parents find the “why” behind their allowance system to ensure that it sticks. An allowance need not be complicated, but programs often fail because tactics are employed without the all-important why.
My goal this year is get in front of as many parent groups with our money-smart message as possible. I love speaking directly to parents. The Q&A sessions of my talks are always spirited affairs. We dig deep.
Has it been a smooth road?
I didn’t intend for my initial business plan to read like a comedy script, but in retrospect, that’s pretty much what it was — a work of fiction. Crazy numbers and no real perspective on what it takes to create a sustainable business. That said, without it, we may not have raised our initial seed money. I’m glad we acted because we figured out a way to establish a more sustainable business. When we began with the original DVD, I had no idea that I’d write three kids books and now a book for parents. It’s been a wild, exciting ride and I look forward to what the coming years have in store for us.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Our focus from the very beginning was to get kids excited about money-smart thinking. The Money Mammals invited kids to join them and learn to “Share and Save and Spend Smart Too!” Their motto. I’m proud that what we do has really expanded more broadly into a money-smart movement — helping families raise money-smart kids.
I have yet to meet a parent who doesn’t answer yes to the question, “Would you like to raise your kids to be money smart?” That’s why I wrote my new book. It was the natural next step in our business. I think it really helps parents channel the excitement that The Money Mammals generate by helping them create an allowance system that give kids essential real world money experience. Of course, it works just fine as a standalone guide too. I’m looking forward to creating a companion podcast to further spread our message this year.
Our credit unions partnerships have also been very rewarding. They are each trusted local institutions with a core commitment to provide financial literacy to their members. Our partners use our program to help their communities become part of the money-smart movement.
They are always coming up with novel ways to engage current and future members.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles was an ideal place to start our business. Our original DVD featured puppets and required the caliber of talent unique to the city. I worked for years in animation, yet I knew next to nothing about puppeteering. We originally thought, “hey, how hard could this be” and gave it a go. That was a massive fail. When we tapped into the incredible talent right under our noses, the show blossomed.
I am grateful to this city for inspiring dreams and providing the talent and infrastructure (e.g. stages and post production facilities) to make those dreams happen.
Pricing:
- The Art of Allowance, $15
- The Family Pack (Art of Allowance + The Money Mammals), $40
Contact Info:
- Address: 419 N. Larchmont Blvd. #5
- Website: www.theartofallowance.com
- Phone: 3239626828
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themoneymammals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themoneymammals/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnlanzajr
- Other: www.themoneymammals.com
Image Credit:
Snigglezoo Entertainment
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