Success Story: Monica Salazar, Feminine Money International, LLC

This week’s Work-At-Home Success story comes from Monica Salazar, Money Relationship Expert, Hispanic outreach specialist
and cross-cultural business owner of Feminine Money International, LLC. She uses Results-Oriented Money and Business Coaching to help consultants and business women to have crystal clear money talks with their partners, clients and suppliers from any cultural backgrounds, so they can accelerate their profits in an increasingly global market. She works both from her home office (thru Skype) and in-person, as she’s a passionate traveler.

1) How did you get started working from home?

I started very small in 2006, with an online shop featuring very specific products that at the time were not available in the Hispanic market. After finishing my studies abroad, I found that even a world-class academic background wouldn’t allow me to land the kind of job with the time flexibility I wanted, as a single mom of a 1 year old boy. At first, I combined the online shop with some freelance work as a translator, and a part time job with very few hours outside the home. It wasn’t an easy start, but I was very determined.

2) How did you choose the work-at-home career you do?

Since becoming a mom, I’ve had different work-at-home activities, so when I found out about coaching, I saw it was a perfect fit for my ambitious goals as an entrepreneur, and my lifestyle as a single, homeschooling mom, who also loves to travel and connect with people.

3) How did you get started (basic initial steps)?

The first step was to have clarity on the people I wanted to work with, their problems, and come up with a solution that would help them make more money. The next step was to design the online delivery of that solution, with downloadable material, and Skype sessions. Having clarity myself about the value of my offer, allowed me to start reaching out to people with confidence. In terms of logistics, my first offer was an email with an outline of the program information and an invitation to apply for a complimentary conversation. Make it simple and profitable!

4)  How did you get your first client or customer or job?

My first coaching clients in 2013 were people who I had a previous “online relationship” with. Since 2006, I’ve met hundreds of women online, as subscribers, social media followers, and hundreds of real-life acquaintances who turned into online followers. As it is in the offline world, building a network of contacts and developing an interest for people’s needs leads to profits. I invited my online connections to a private Skype conversation where I explained the benefits of my coaching program and before my 10th conversation I got my first client!

5) How do you market your business?

I focus on finding out where the people who most need my services is, and present a solution to their problems, in an introductory level. It could be a free teleconference, or a free one-on-one clarity call, where we could have a sense of connection, as being a good “people connector” is one of my financial gifts. This year I’ve started offering live workshops in different cities in Latin America and the USA, and that has provided me with contacts that would either join my programs or wholeheartedly recommend my work.

6) What does your usual day look like?

I usually wake up before 6, have my time for prayer, reading, exercising and meaningful connection with my now 10 year old son. We then have breakfast together, and by 9:30 am, I get started with the business. 

I designed a weekly calendar with time blocked for marketing and reaching out to people individually, designing new content, delivering group calls and coaching private clients. I also allocate time to review my numbers, and to my own business and coaching training. These time capsules are mostly distributed before noon, but I do work some afternoons.

I try to avoid late hours work, yet once in a while I use the silent nights to work in creative content that would only flow after sunset.

The last thing I do in the day is to “close” with a 5 minute routine where I clean up my office, evaluate the day, forgive myself for what wasn’t done, and plan next day’s priorities.

7) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

As I landed into the money coaching world, both as a client and as a certified coach, I realized how my relationship with Money influences every area of my business and life. Being able to know myself from a perspective of my relationship with money, has helped me to design the kind of environment, routines, and work-from-home beliefs that will support me towards my goals. 

I also wish I knew early morning wake-up is a productive habit, even for those who had operated as night owls over the years. I used to belief my productive time could only happen at night, and once in a while I still find myself working late night in a specific project, but it’s definitely not sustainable on a daily basis. Once I switched to the belief that morning sunshine could be productive, I’ve been enjoying better sleep, and more productivity.

8) What advice would you give someone who wants to work from home?

Start by reviewing what your work-at-home beliefs are, and transform your beliefs to support your journey.

Be realistic with your time expectations, and allocate weekly time for marketing, development of products or services, and building business systems. When you focus daily in profitable activities even for 30 minutes, you’ll start to get results, that you can later magnify.

Get out of the box! Both to take a breath outside, to engage with people in real life, and to push yourself into practicing self-care. Even if you work exclusively online, you’ll find that delivering your content in-person is going to strengthen your ability to connect with people online. 

Get a results-oriented mentor! Using Google as your coach at 3 in the morning is not a sustainable strategy…been there, done that, not anymore!

Find out how she can help you make more money at SalazarMonica.com

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