Let’s be honest with each other real quick.
For many of us, we can talk about everything from pop culture to what’s poppin on the gram – but we often neglect talking about areas in our lives that can bring about real change and disrupt generational curses.
One critical topic at hand is MONEY.
If you’re like me, real talk about money was rarely discussed in the household growing up.
I didn’t learn about salary negotiation, how to be fiscally responsible, how to invest, or what money-generating metrics to track in business consisted of until I was learning the hard way – aka learning through pain, lost wages, no sleep, poor dieting, negative bank accounts, and hella stress (I mean edges falling out, bad eyebrow type of week stress).
It’s time that we put an end to the BS.
In order for us to bring about real change, we can’t be afraid or uncomfortable having honest and raw conversations about equal pay, negotiating salaries, and building wealth.
Instead of holding back what we know, or simply not being BOLD enough to speak our real truths, the panelists at the Cubicles to Cocktails event did the exact opposite.
Recently, on October 10th, Christa Clarke, the Founder of Cubicles to Cocktails concluded her 3-city, “money talks” Texas tour in Dallas, Texas. The panelists discussed everything between salary negotiation to building wealth as an employee and entrepreneur.
Oh, and did I mention this was all while drinking cocktails and snacking on light bites? #mytypeofparty
In true boss fashion, the event was held at The Riveter and there were several vendors on-site providing several products and services empowering us to all level up.
While the two-hour event consisted of plenty of laughs, drinks, and most importantly major gems being dropped and lives changed, below are my top takeaways from the event.
“Negotiate non-monetary benefits” – Ashley Cash
Ashley Cash is a career coach and is known for teaching women best practices on negotiating compensation packages and nailing their interviews.
When asked about her tips for women on accepting the job offer, Ashley discussed the importance of negotiating your salary, but she also reminded the ladies to not forget about the non-monetary benefits that can make your job offer event sweeter.
Ashley suggested, “Make a list of what you want, and be vocal about it. At the same time, frame your ask to what’s important to the company when you’re negotiating.”
“Think about the future before you start moving otherwise you’re just moving.” Kendra James-Anderson
Entrepreneurship is sexier than ever, especially to the millennial generation. Because of this, some of us make the “leap” before we’re truly ready.
As Kendra, the money expert known as the Finance Femme shared with the crowd, “People are quitting prematurely. If you’re looking to become an entrepreneur, first create an exit strategy. Look at your spending strategy and habits. Get your business revenue together while you’re still at your 9-5, and make sure it’s consistent. You know you have a viable business idea when it’s profitable, and the revenue generating from it is consistent.”
“Every passion doesn’t have a dollar sign.” – Brittany Bullock
“Do what you love and the money will follow” – faux biz experts on social media claim.
While this sounds nice and makes a cute IG story post for Motivation Monday, the gag is, success in business requires a lot more.
At the event, social media influencer and the corporate boss Brittany heavily stressed the importance of not letting others talk you into a business that’s fun but not profitable.
Before you spend precious time and money on launching that passion project, be sure to do your due diligence to ensure it can actually turn into a profitable, scalable business.
Last but not least, the ladies ended their panel by discussing the importance of metrics in business.
As Kendra shared, “Metrics that early-stage biz owners should pay attention to are revenue, how seasonality affects their business, the profit, and the amount of time they’re spending on their business.”
In her own business, Ashley noted that she’s obsessed with tracking the expense types of metrics. “One thing that I’ve noticed is that you can get tech happy reallllly quickly, so I’m very mindful of tracking what I’m spending and why I’m spending it.”
(that’s right, you don’t need to buy every cool app or software on the market)
To get connected with Cubicles to Cocktails and to be aware of their next event, follow them on Instagram here.
