I attended hundreds of meetings filled mostly with men - CEOs, CFOs, and other equity research analysts.
It was uncomfortable to stand out.
I was nervous when I spoke.
I wore boring navy suits to make sure I didn’t draw any extra attention to myself.
I was the only girl in the room.
But there were advantages.
Steel, copper, and metals and mining company CEOs, and CFOs knew my name.
Guys would walk up to me at conferences to talk.
I was in the middle of the conversation and in the center of attention.
Then there was a problem.
I had no real friends.
No real connections.
Worse, one of my former portfolio manager colleagues would brag and talk nonstop about how awesome it is to have a son.
I have 2 daughters.
What a jerk.
When Woody Allen in the movie Annie Hall said,
“I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member”.- Groucho Marx, it resonated.
Then the craziest thing happened.
Being outside of the circle has its advantages.
You learn to see the world in new ways and see ideas others don’t.
My old colleagues are comfortable in their packs.
Most of them never had the balls to start their own firm.
Instead, I saw women were ignored by Wall Street firms when it comes to receiving #financialadvice.
I gained the courage 2 years ago to start my own firm after figuring out my path 6 years ago and making tough decisions and career choices.
To quote Jason Feifer Editor-in-chief at Entrepreneur Magazine, “Over the past few years, I have seen entrepreneurs transform their lives and businesses for the better. Oftentimes, they did that by being forced out of their comfort zone. They once had a set of ideas that made sense to them, and that they believed were the correct ideas, and they had discarded anything that seemed too difficult, complicated, or just plain stupid.”
Time to embrace how you are different and unique, lean into it and embrace the idea it's just plain stupid to stay part of the pack.
A Harvard MBA, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™, and LinkedIn Content Creator, Tiffany Kent writes weekly about making decisions, navigating bad experiences, and her financial journey.
If you or someone you care about is going through a divorce or someone in transition, please feel free to reach out to me, I can help. #financialliteracymonth
Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide,
Tiffany Kent
Wealth Engagement LLC
3715 Northside Pkwy NW
Building 100 - Suite 500
Atlanta, GA 30327
Office: (404) 795 - 6124 / (917) 826 - 5955
Email: tiffany@wealthengagement.com
Disclaimer: All information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal or tax advice, or an offer to buy or sell any security.
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