Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in financial services but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Maria Cecilia Sangalang, Founder of My Wealthy Quest, located in Delta, BC, Canada.

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

I am a financial advisor offering financial coaching, education, and unbiased financial advice. I help people be financially confident about their current and future situations. When clients come to me, they are usually confused, with no knowledge about investing or finances or how they will achieve their goals. That’s where my role comes in. I guide them on their path…from someone timid to becoming confident in their financial future.

Tell us about yourself

I have been a financial advisor for 10 years now. I am an immigrant and migrated to Canada last 2008. I am a mother of a 13-year-old girl with Down Syndrome. How I started this business was unintentional. But I feel very fortunate and thankful that I got into this industry. I grew up in a middle-class family in the Philippines with 2 sisters, and I was the youngest. I lost my mother when I was in university due to kidney failure; at the same time, my dad lost his job as it was in the 1990s recession. We didn’t have money to pay for my mother’s kidney transplant and her weekly dialysis. She only suffered for a year, and she passed. I was still studying, and I vividly remembered our financial hardships. There were times I had to be absent because I didn’t have money to pay for my fare.

Nine years later, my dad had a stroke, but he recovered. We still lost him as he was killed in our own home because of theft. At that time, he didn’t have any insurance, so we were left to pay for everything. We also found out that he had a pile of credit card debt. He never told us because he was always the breadwinner. We knew that since our mom died, he had a hard time finding a good job to provide for us, which could be the reason for his debt. Because of my family’s story, I have realized the importance of financial planning. Not having a financial plan greatly impacts the loved ones you will be leaving behind. This is why I am doing what I am doing. I want to share my story and educate more people. Hopefully, this would inspire them to take action and be prepared for their financial future.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner, aside from the fact that I am in the business of transforming people’s lives, was when I was one of the 8 Keynote Speakers (the first and only Filipino speaker) for the Advocis Vancouver Event “Building Blocks for Success” held at the River Rock Casino Theatre June 2022.

I consider this as my biggest accomplishment because my audience was 250 advisors in our industry, with different levels of expertise, seniority, and success levels. To share my story with my industry colleagues is a rare opportunity that is not given to all. I am both honored and humbled.

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

The hardest thing about being a business owner is finding the right clients and building them from the ground up. It takes a lot of patience, hard work, creativity, confidence, resilience, and emotional maturity.

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

  1. Believe in yourself and have the right mindset. Your dreams are achievable and guaranteed. What makes them unachievable is if you tell yourself that you cannot achieve them.
  2. Trying or making mistakes is still better than not doing anything at all. You have to take action and make decisions everyday. As this would help you inch closer to achieving your goal.
  3. Educate and invest in yourself to improve your business. When you improve, your service to your clients is also improving. When you strive for excellence, your clients will benefit from it. So don’t stop learning even if your business is already established.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://wealthycel.wixsite.com/mywealthyquest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mywealthyquest_cel/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-cel-sangalang/

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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