Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Gibbs.
Hi Rachel, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Financial literacy has been a part of my life since I was a young child. My grandfather, who was the son of a sharecropper with an elementary school education, started teaching me the principles of financial literacy when I was 4-5 years old. My grandfather was a first-generation college graduate and has been an entrepreneur since 1981. When I went to college, I knew how to balance a checkbook, follow a budget, save money, invest in the trade market, and how to obtain a 700+ credit score. What I quickly realized is that my peers did not have these skills. So, while in college, I began teaching my colleagues financial principles and that is when I discovered my passion for it. Upon graduation, I began working for the South Carolina DOI. Everybody knows state salaries are barely livable, so in 2016, I started Gibbs Financial Fitness as a supplement source of income. The mission of this side hustle was to educate and empower my community to become financially literate. So, I did that as a side hustle. In 2018, I had been working as a financial crime investigator for a year and I was burnt out mentally doing those types of investigations and office politics. We did cases involving drug trafficking, human trafficking, embezzlement, corruption, insurance fraud anything involving money for banks around the world. I loved the work but it became too much on me mentally and I gotten diagnosed with work-related depression. At that moment I knew that me being a financial crimes investigator was not going to last long. After consulting with my grandfather, I decided to make Gibbs Financial Fitness a full-time job. I made my annual salary in 6 months after leaving my corporate job. That is when I realized, I was operating in my purpose. I am proud to say in 2022, I have built a six-figure business and helped thousands of people with their finances.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an entrepreneur is one of the craziest things a person can do. It is the whole idea that you can obtain your own customers and generate your own income for survival. I always say that you must be a special type of crazy to believe you can be an entrepreneur. The journey of entrepreneurship has not been a smooth road. There are many ups and downs being a business owner because you are the Finance department, Operations department, HR department, Marketing department, and Development department; you are really a one-man band until you have the capital to expand and get workers. Entrepreneurship is not as glorious as people make it seem, but it is very rewarding. The pandemic really turned my business upside down and it was because people did not see financial literacy and financial planning as a necessity in the middle of a pandemic. People were getting laid off, people were, unfortunately, getting fired, people were sitting at home in the house, and my business just was not a priority. My income drastically declined because of that and for a second, I thought I was going to have to close the door and then talking with my community of colleagues, family members, friends and people who have supported me over the years made me realize, I was going to pivot, one of the greatest skills for entrepreneurs. Pivot means shifting course.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Gibbs Financial Fitness, founded in 2016, is a Consumer Financial services firm. We offer Financial Planning, Debt Management, Life Insurance, Tax Preparation, and Business Consulting. Also, we have a financial literacy credit building program we will be releasing very soon. What sets us apart from others is my passion, education, delivery, and experience. I have put a lot of sweat, blood, and tears into building my company. I want all my clients to become financially literate and amass wealth. Since 2016, I have been able to help thousands of people strengthen their relationship with money, which is our slogan. I have published three finance-related books: Monetize Your Passion, How to Architect Your Kids Financial IQ, and Financial Literacy Decoded. I have been featured in several national publications. I have received many awards and accolades for the work I do in my community. That is what I most proud of with my brand. I want everybody reading this to know, I am here to help you accomplish your financial goals, whatever they may be. And always remember your current financial situation is temporary. We can fix it and we can do that together. There is no financial situation, I have not had a solution for yet and that makes me feel great. So, whether if you have poor credit and you want to buy a house, need to save $20,000, need funding for your business, want to reduce your tax liability, pay your debt off early and etc. We can help you with it and we have testimonies for our work.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something that people who know me or know my work or brand wouldn’t know about me is that I have great ears for music. If I could go back in time and do something completely different than what I do now, I would be a music producer. I’m the person that can sit there and pick apart the production.
Contact Info:
- Email: solutions@gibbsfinancialfitness.com
- Website: https://www.gibbsfinancialfitness.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finlitrachel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finlitrachelsgibbs
Image Credits
Aaron Smalls Photography
Luvjoy Studios
