In 2007, I was a 25-year-old single mother working a $12-per-hour, dead-end insurance job in Dallas.
I was living below the poverty line and qualified for government assistance, including Section 8, which helps low- to moderate-income families with affordable housing. My entire income went towards rent, gas, daycare and, regrettably, payday loans in order to survive until my next paycheck.
One day, I was offered a $60,000-per-year job that could change my life, but was denied for having a low credit score of 303.
This wake-up call led me to study the credit system and launch AMB Credit Consultants, a side hustle that would later become a financial education enterprise. Last year, it brought in $1.4 million in gross revenue.
How I got motivated to start my side hustle
I had a 700 credit score when I graduated high school because my mom added me as an authorized user to her credit cards. But my credit profile crumbled as I got older. I didn't understand the credit system or how to manage my finances. At>My journey to $1 million in sales
Based>How I built an enterprise
AMB now has 10 employees, and serviced 672 customers in 2021. The business' success and the change I was making in people's lives inspired me to create an enterprise of financial education brands.
In 2013, I started posting>My best advice for starting a business
It's been a long journey to get to where I am today, but I'm glad I never gave up.
I'm now happily married with five children, in the process of buying land to build our forever dream home, and my business is doing better than ever.
Here's my best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs:
1. Make your story part of your brand.
An important part of my AMB brand story is my triumph over my low credit score and financial instability.
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I took on more than $80,000 in credit card debt to pay for holistic treatment. But by 2021, I had paid off over $60,000 of that debt, as well as loans for my family's two cars.
I used that story to show clients that I understood how to navigate financial planning and the credit system, even under the most stressful circumstances.
2. Be specific about who you can help.
Starting out, my mission was to help . Then I realized that I knew what it was like to be a young, Black, single mom on government assistance, so I had a unique ability to help those women.
To market my business in a way that resonated with them, I made a picture collage of women in my demographic and described their characteristics — like what struggles they were facing and the goals they had.
That helped me build a highly specific customer profile and strengthen my marketing and product development efforts.
3. Focus on community.
Having a large social media following isn't enough. You must cultivate a supportive community by engaging with your followers, catering to their needs and asking for feedback.
I like to offer free digital downloads for budgeting worksheets and education workshops to my followers and newsletter subscribers. I also host the Luxurious Credit Society, a Facebook group that allows people to ask questions about their credit situation and get advice from myself or another AMB representative.
This encourages customers to stick around and invite others to join. It also helps us measure the effectiveness of our services and brainstorm new ones.
