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As a part of the Morning Lazziness sequence highlighting empowering girls who’re making a exceptional influence with their concepts, I had the pleasure of interviewing Salena Kulkarni.
Salena Kulkarni is a Chartered Accountant, personal investor, and wealth educator with 25+ years’ expertise difficult the standard guidelines of cash. After seeing too many hard-working folks comply with the “proper” path but find yourself with little actual freedom, she started a lifelong examine of investing and constructed her personal wealth from a modest earnings.
Right this moment she runs Freedom Warrior Dentist and I Can Be Rich, serving to folks reduce by noise, consider alternatives correctly, and keep within the driver’s seat of their monetary future. Her mission: to show wealth into freedom, selection, and influence.
On this interview, she affords a candid take a look at the realities of entrepreneurship, sharing each the challenges and the victories that outlined her path.
What impressed you to start out what you are promoting, and what drawback had been you obsessed with fixing?
I began my profession as an accountant, and really early on I observed that so lots of the folks I labored with had completed “all the best issues,” however their monetary outcomes had been disappointing. They had been working far longer than they wished to, with little actual freedom to indicate for it. That sparked a lifelong obsession with learning cash, investing, and influence, particularly looking for higher methods to create wealth.
On a modest earnings, I started experimenting and shortly began attaining outsized returns in comparison with my friends and earlier than lengthy, I used to be being requested to share what I used to be doing in a different way. That’s what grew into my applications and enterprise: serving to others reduce by the noise and create higher monetary outcomes a lot prior to the standard mannequin permits.
The issue I’m most obsessed with fixing is monetary battle and ending the cycle the place hard-working folks hand over a long time of their lives solely to grasp too late that they’ve been following the unsuitable playbook.
How has what you are promoting advanced since its launch, and what key selections have helped drive that development?
Over time I realised that typical wealth-building recommendation is usually at odds with folks’s well-being. The normal mannequin encourages you handy your energy over to “specialists” and delay freedom for many years. My philosophy is the alternative: keep within the driver’s seat, deal with what actually strikes the needle, and use cash as a software for freedom and influence, not stress.
That shift reshaped how I ship assist. As a substitute of repackaging generic recommendation, I’ve constructed applications and communities designed to create actual conversations, sensible instruments, and a mindset of lifelong studying. Individuals who be a part of me aren’t searching for a guru. They need to personal their wealth journey, not outsource it.
In your view, what actually units your model aside in in the present day’s aggressive market?
I feel what units me aside is depth of expertise. I perceive a large spectrum of wealth-building methods (many who most individuals have by no means even heard of) and I‘ve spent a long time searching for methods to higher develop and defend wealth. Due to my publicity to excessive web price buyers, I’ve had a front-row seat to how wealth is actually constructed, that goes past the noise and hype that saturates the market.
And in contrast to many on this area, I stroll my discuss. I don’t simply educate concept. I’ve constructed my very own wealth utilizing the identical rules I share. That mixture of insider perspective, actual outcomes, and sensible steering is what makes my work totally different.
What has been your best advertising and marketing technique to date, and why do you assume it labored so effectively?
My best technique has been main with schooling. I share tales, frameworks, and insights that simplify cash and wealth-building with out dumbing it down. By doing that persistently, folks see that I’m not attempting to promote a fast repair. I’m serving to them assume in a different way. That builds belief, and belief is essentially the most highly effective type of advertising and marketing.
How do you keep linked to your ultimate viewers and perceive their wants or behaviors?
I keep near my viewers by listening, not assuming. I run common trainings and group classes the place folks overtly share their struggles, fears, and wins. Most significantly, I’ve lived these struggles myself, so I can empathise deeply with the place they’re on the journey.
What’s one branding transfer or marketing campaign that helped elevate what you are promoting to the following stage?
The largest branding shift got here after I stopped attempting to appear to be a “conventional” finance skilled and leaned totally into being a contrarian wealth builder. I began exhibiting up with my actual voice, sharing candid tales and unconventional insights as a substitute of enjoying it secure. That honesty struck a chord, and it elevated my model from being “one other finance enterprise” to serving to folks begin considering like true buyers.
What does success appear to be for you, not simply in numbers, however in objective or influence?
For me, success is about ‘feeling good’. This for me has been a north star. I really like the work I do, however I actually wouldn’t do it only for the cash.
Numbers are essential, however the true influence helps folks really feel empowered and free. If my work helps create extra selection, freedom, and influence in somebody’s life, that’s success.
How do you personally outline success, past income and development metrics?
I outline success by alignment. Am I residing the values I educate? Am I spending time with my household, contributing to causes I care about, and constructing a life I don’t want a vacation from? If the reply is sure, then I’m succeeding.
Are you able to share a problem or setback that finally turned a turning level to your model?
I used to mentor lots of people one-on-one. This was a really heavy raise and finally left me drained and stretched. A number of years in the past, I decided to boost the bar on who I wished to work with and why. This was a scary, however recreation altering technique to method enterprise. I’m clear I’m not for everybody. I do know I can present folks the best way to shave a long time off their timeline to freedom, however I solely need to work with motivated people who’re dedicated to doing the work to get outsized returns.
What day by day habits or rituals hold you centered, artistic, and grounded as a pacesetter?
I begin every day with reflection. It clears my head and units my vitality. I additionally journal concepts continually, as a result of creativity usually comes within the areas between duties.
Most significantly, I strive arduous to apply gratitude; it retains me grounded, particularly when the stress of management feels heavy.
How do you method innovation and danger in what you are promoting technique?
I deal with innovation and danger the identical means I method investing: consider, check, and study. I strive to not chase traits blindly, however I’m not afraid to experiment if I see potential upside.
I look to thinkers who deal with first rules, as a result of these concepts stand the check of time.
What recommendation would you give to somebody beginning a enterprise in in the present day’s fast-changing digital world?
Get crystal clear on what you need and what you stand for. Don’t anticipate excellent situations, or excellent data, simply begin.
The world modifications too shortly to have a flawless plan. Deal with including actual worth, keep curious, and decide to fixed studying. And most of all, don’t abdicate your energy: keep within the driver’s seat of your individual imaginative and prescient.
The place can our viewers join with you and study extra about your work or choices?
You’ll find me at freedomwarrior.com.au and icanbewealthy.com.au. I additionally share common insights on YouTube and Instagram, the place I break down wealth methods in a means that’s easy, relatable, and sensible.
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