How The Financial Gym Prepared Me for a Lay-off, a Pandemic, and Starting My Own Business

When I moved to New York City in 2015, I knew saving money would be next to impossible. I learned quickly that I was right! I was living it up; spending $20 per cocktail, going to events regularly, eating $15 take-out meals for lunch every day and so on. After three years and just about $0 in savings, my boyfriend and I decided to move back to Philadelphia to slow down and begin to build the next chapter of our lives. A year went by and I noticed that my savings had hardly increased, even though I was no longer living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. My income and bills were roughly the same which led me to believe it was my spending habits and financial ignorance that may have been the problem all along.

In 2019 I attended a Women in Events conference where I was introduced to the Financial Gym. It seemed like perfect timing since I had been considering seeking help for my finances but always imagined I’d have to sit in a small office with a stuffy old man and piles of paper to do so. The Financial Gym was anything but that. Shortly after the conference I set up my introductory call which turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

In the first three months with my new (incredible) advisor, Terri, we completely reorganized my finances and the savings immediately started building. I was no longer paying late fees on my credit card and had a plan to pay it off interest-free, I set up multiple high-yield savings accounts and allocated money from every paycheck to automatically contribute to each account, my credit score increased by 54 points and much more! 

I was obviously excited about my progress, but I would find out soon just how imperative this work would be.

In February of 2020, I was laid off. This was shocking to me as I have been working since I was in high school and had all of a sudden found myself unemployed for the first time in my adult life. I only received a small severance package, so it was my new savings account that gave me the most comfort in this challenging time. Don’t forget, the country was still not-yet impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in February, so there were only more struggles to come.

Once the pandemic hit and quarantine began, I quickly realized how difficult it was going to be to find a new full-time job – so I didn’t. Because I had worked so hard to set myself up for success financially, I was able to comfortably embrace my unemployment and begin some new endeavors that I never had the stability to explore in the past.

With this time off I enrolled in a graphic design course, opened an Etsy shop, and launched a new virtual event planning business. I also earned money by car-sharing, because who is using their car much in a quarantine anyways?

Graphic design, art and entrepreneurship have always been where I saw myself thriving. However, because I was living paycheck to paycheck and so dependent on my employer, I was never stable (or brave) enough to take the leap and follow my dreams. 

I realize now, had I not joined the Financial Gym when I did, I would have had to accept any new full-time position I could get and immediately throw myself back into unfulfilling work. I am now so proud to say that I have two regular graphic design clients, a steady stream of Etsy orders and am a co-founder of a growing company. And, to top it off, I have more money saved than I ever had as a full-time employee.

I cannot thank the Financial Gym enough for giving me the financial independence, knowledge and courage that I needed to build this new life. As Henry David Thoreau once said: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” And thanks to the Financial Gym, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Ready to take your finances to the next level? 
To get started schedule a free 20 minute consultation call to speak to a member of our team. We will ask you a few basic questions to get to know you more, walk you through our financial training program steps, and of course answer any questions you may have. No pressure to join!