39 www. Char l es tonWomenPodcas t . com | www. ReadCW. com | www. I ns tagram. com /Char l es tonWomen When did you decide to go into the business? I decided to enter the financial world in October of 2020 amidst the pandemic. I was teaching math and needed a change, so I transitioned from educating my students about math to educating my clients about finances. How did your business get started? When I started my career in the financial industry, I had a goal to build Hope Financial. In January of 2022 I established my LLC and created Hope Financial, and I haven’t looked back since! How do you find your passion? As a former educator, my passion has always been teaching. From a very young age I was intrigued by the opportunity to learn and better myself. Unfortunately, most of us grew up in a world where there wasn’t an educational opportunity as it pertains to finances. I want to provide that opportunity to as many people as I can. As Russell Simmons said, “One step toward financial literacy takes you two steps toward personal empowerment.” Have you encountered challenges as a woman and business owner? As a woman in a male-dominated world, I have faced challenges, but each challenge has motivated me to become better. With challenge, comes growth, but only if our mindset around the challenge is in a place to foster learning. The challenges I have faced in my industry have inspired me to create a part of my business that focuses on outreach to women. What or who inspires you? The ability to help others inspires me. Being a part of someone’s journey is so rewarding. When I meet with clients and I’m able to see their excitement for taking steps in bettering their financial future, it puts the biggest smile on my face. Tell us about how you grew up. To be candid, I did not grow up in a home with an excess of money. From a young age, I saw the hard work that went into providing for our family and learned the value of a dollar. I was always motivated academically, and even started working at the age of 14 as an ice cream girl (I can make one heck of an ice cream swirl). Starting work young has shaped me into the hardworking woman I am today. I am no stranger to putting in the time and energy it takes to build Hope Financial and for that, I am thankful. Give us some success tips for someone starting out in your line of work. My biggest piece of advice for someone starting out in my line of work is to be genuine. This line of work is about building relationships and creating a solid foundation of trust. We are talking about working with people’s money and their finances--it is their livelihood. Without a solid relationship and trust, there’s nothing. Offering investment advisory services and programs through Pruco Securities, LLC (Pruco). Offering insurance and securities products and services as a registered representative of Pruco, and an agent of issuing insurance companies. 1060171-00001-00 Hope Sullivan Hope Financial Q and A 403 Squire Pope Rd. Summerville, SC 29486 (518) 534-4083 Photo by S t ephan i e Se l by.
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