Leading Women to Financial Freedom

They say you should always build what you need yourself. I couldn’t agree more. I’m Allegra Moet Brantly, Founder of Factora  — an online wealth building course and community for women. 

But before that, I was a young, broke New Yorker living paycheck to paycheck — even when that paycheck eventually hit 6 figures. I’ll spare you the details of my reckless spending, but my financial mistakes can be summed up in two ways: 

1. Not investing more. 
2. Prioritizing other things. Consumer things. 

I know from experience that women face a lot of pressures. We have to slay at work, create deep, fulfilling relationships, take care of our parents, kids, and friends, AND look good while doing it. 

I let my vision for what I really wanted in life take a backseat to this unfair standard for way too long. 

When I finally got to overhauling my finances, I learned that one of the most powerful things a woman can learn is to let go of all the things we think we want, and strive toward financial freedom. At Factora, we define financial freedom as: 

1. Never stressing about money again.
2. When work as we know it becomes an option, not a necessity for paying the bills.

Say whaaaaat?! Yes, it’s possible! And sooner than you think, too. 

The thing is, most women don’t really understand the beauty of financial freedom. We also don’t know how to achieve it. So in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it’s easy to get distracted from prioritizing our finances.

The first step to changing this? Getting a financial education. 

Do not confuse this with a degree in finance. I got one in college and it taught me nothing about personal finance — only business finance. I’m talking about learning the key fundamentals of saving, investing and goal planning, so you can handle money and make financial decisions on your own. 

The second step? Getting comfortable talking about money. 

In the modern world we live in, as crazy as it sounds, talking about money is still taboo. So at Factora, we created a forum called Coffee & Coin, where women come together to talk about money. 

At each event, we interview a woman about her financial life in an open, transparent way in front of an audience. She shares her successes, her setbacks, and her REAL numbers (salary, net-worth, investments, all of it!). There’s nothing taboo about it. Just empowering conversation.

There’s power in numbers (and coffee)

Coffee & Coin started as a small get-together in an East Austin coffee shop that could fit 30 women max. As a small female-led company (with a small budget to match), I wanted to include more women in this powerful experience that proves money doesn’t need to be a closeted thing we never reveal to ANYONE. If she can do it, so can you. 

Enter Capital One. Capital One cared about our women and wealth initiative from the very beginning. And I mean it when I say beginning—we had less than 300 followers when they offered to host Coffee & Coin at the Capital One Cafe in downtown Austin. All of sudden, we could fit 130 women at each Coffee & Coin event, and we did! We were shocked by the results: every event sold out, with a waitlist. 

Capital One didn’t just care about us as a small business, they cared about the financial empowerment we wanted to bring to women, and we’re now expanding the series into new markets next year (helloooo, Denver! We’ll be seeing you in 2020!).

Empowered women empower women

We know so many intelligent, resourceful and powerful women…but we only know a handful that feel confident about their money. 

So let’s change that together! Jim Rohn famously said we’re the average of the five people we spend the most time with. Who are your five people? Can you talk about money with them? Are they consistently working to improve their lives personally and financially? 

If you’re looking for a place where you can join other women like you, no matter where you are in your financial journey, check out Factora and our Wealth Circles. Factora friends don’t just become your money pals, they become your confidants and wealth-building cheerleaders. For life! 

If you’re ready to get inspired about your finances, and totally change your life, sign up for our newsletter or come hang at a future Coffee & Coin event. 

We’ll help you get excited about taking charge of your finances like it matters. Because it does. Not just for your own sake—for your parents’, your children's, your partner’s, and your legacy’s sake.

The sooner you start, the better. 

PS - If you don’t currently have a money community in your city, let us know and together, we can work on expanding the Coffee & Coin event series. In the meantime, we’re launching a podcast (also called Coffee & Coin) where you can hear real women share the juicy deets of their financial lives. Subscribe to be notified when it’s released here.