Reaching Goals & Building a Business with Jazmin & Erin Parsley

Dec 6

On this episode of Financially Naked: Stories from The Financial Gym, our host is Jazmin Higgins, a California-based, Level 2 Certified Financial Trainer. Erin Parsley, lifelong professional dancer, business owner, and Gym client, joins her today. Through her businesses Erin Parsley Dance and Steps to Love, she helps people connect to themselves and others and invites beginners to the joy of dancing. This year, Erin leveraged her business to reach personal financial goals and is here to talk with Jazmin about how she made it all happen.

Podcast Notes

Erin has saved a lot of money in a short amount of time. As a ballerina, discipline comes naturally to her. When there's a goal, she is wired to put all her energy and resources into it.
The first step in working towards a goal is making a decision. You have to determine the goal and decide you're going to make it happen. This process can be challenging, and society makes it difficult to connect with yourself and find the goals that are truly important to you.
Erin has a whole decision-making process, but it ultimately comes down to listening to her body.
Erin's most recent goal was to buy a home. She became a legal resident in Mexico a year ago, and her work lends to moving and traveling. For her, a permanent home base was the most important goal, so she decided this year she wanted to make it happen.
This home is a huge goal, and she knew this year would be a lot of work. It is a sacrifice, but these sacrifices are worth it for her. It's not just about the house; it's the bigger picture of how she wants her life to be. Vision helps with discipline and focus.
Right now, she's living on her bare-bones budget. Other than running her business, she doesn't do anything expensive. As a lifelong artist, she is used to living on the bare bones. Now, it's in service of the bigger goal, which makes it easier.
In February, she made a down payment on the house; once construction is complete, the remaining 90% is due.

Advice for folks who want to cut back on their expenses:

Understand there are many ways to be satisfied in life, many of which don't cost much. What are those things for you that bring happiness and satisfaction without costing money?
You are the only person with the power to find that internal fulfillment. It takes work but is a massive step in this process. Start understanding that your money does not equal fulfillment, and then focus on making more.
Understand where you are spending money now. Lay out your expenses in a list or spreadsheet to see everything visually.
Create a spending plan. It's essential to look forward in addition to tracking the money already spent.

Leveraging Your Business to Increase Your Income

Self-Employment suits Erin very well. This year, she worked hard and is incredibly excited about her business and the services she offers. Steps to Love was the most successful, as she was booked entirely by September and worked with fifty couples.
Being a business owner goes beyond the work you do with the client. Increasing your business skills is also essential. Think about marketing, networking, tech, and implementing processes to ensure a smooth client experience.
Erin didn't have any formal business training when she started. She jumped in and learned as she went.
Once you reach a certain level, investing in the business is important. Don't be afraid to get help. Erin has a team, and her business manager has been part of it for three years.

Tips for Transitioning To Running a Business.

Erin's process was gradual. As a professional dancer, she realized she always depended on others for her work. She decided to take a chance and start her choreography practice, even though it was scary.
She auditioned her first choreographed routine in the office of a theater she wanted to work with. She put herself out there, dancing in a man's office, which ultimately paid off because he took a chance on her. Performing her work was thrilling, and she never looked back.

The key to finding your niche is to pick something other than what you think will make a lot of money. Choose something you are excited about being utterly devoted to and see what is lacking in that market. How can you serve a population who wants to learn from you?
Erin aims to invite folks new to dance into the joy of dancing. Looking at what other offerings were out there, she decided to dive into choreographing customized wedding dances. This niche works because people will always be getting married, and it perfectly blends all her interests and specialties.

What's Next for Erin Parsley Dance?

Teaching couples to dance goes deeper than just learning the steps. At Erin's core, she is a coach and a healer. She is passionate about sex, love, relationships, and bringing people into harmony together as a team. Her focus is on healing the connection to ourselves and each other.
She is in a program now, studying to become a certified Sex & Relationship coach. Ultimately, she'll offer individuals and couples sex and relationship coaching.
Erin plans to continue growing through multiple streams of income. The new coaching will be an addition to the existing dance offerings.