Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in finance but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rick Valenzi, Founder and CEO of Financial Zen, located in San Francisco, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We fast-track tech employees to financial independence through our financial planning and coaching programs.

Tell us about yourself

I started my business in 2008, working for a big brokerage firm. I always knew there was a better way to help people achieve financial success, but I couldn't realize that vision with a big Wall Street firm. So I left in 2016 and started Financial Zen as a solution to help young professionals who the financial industry has historically overlooked.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Never settling. I took the long, hard road to realize my vision and refused a lot of help that would have advanced our progress faster but would have required sacrificing parts of our mission.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Owning a business is a never-ending exercise in priority management. With seemingly equally important action items, figuring out which ones deserve your current focus is challenging. It's equally difficult to figure out when something is "good enough" to move on to the next priority.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Find your passion for denting the universe. Money, success, and achievement only go so far. Your "why" will carry you the distance when those other things are nowhere in sight.
  2. Level up every day. Form a habit of learning, so it's not something you do but someone you are.
  3. Don't forget to have fun. It's a total grind a lot of the time, and if you don't stay vigilant about enjoying the ride, your business will break you.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://financialzen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rickvalenzi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickvalenzi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rickvalenzi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickvalenzi/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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