Gina Knox: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading My Company

An Interview With Ben Ari

Diversify your income so that you can not feel like your work is the only way to make income.

As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading My Company” I had the pleasure of interviewing Gina Knox.

Gina Knox is a financial coach for entrepreneurs with variable income. She teaches entrepreneurs how to save $100k with her program 6 Figure Saver, then she helps her clients create a 7 figure wealth portfolio with her mastermind 7 Figure Wealth. Over her career as a coach Gina has helped her clients save $4,749,071.90! Gina is a Mexican Mom, an art school grad, a designer, a hobby potter, a world traveler, and a money nerd.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

When I got started, I was interested in sharing the wealth of knowledge that my dad shared with me as a kid around finances and wealth. I realized that I was not as lucky as others, so I really wanted to bring this to other women so that they could have the opportunity at wealth that I was receiving.

What was the “Aha Moment” that led to the idea for your current company? Can you share that story with us?

I really was wanting to help women bridge the gap in financial literacy. A lot of women do not know that wealth can be attainable to them, they just need the education around this. This became my mission when I realized this. I grew up in a family where my dad taught me a lot about money and wealth and I wanted this knowledge and lack of taboo of talking about money to exist for everyone, especially entrepreneurial women.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

I think one thing I experienced was I started my business weeks before COVID. I was worried about how this would work with so many getting laid off and loss of hours, but it was actually a great time for me to start my business. I am so glad I did not quit and that I am where I am today.

So, how are things going today? How did your grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?

Today, things are going well. I have had six figure launches, I have converted to group programs only. I am so proud of the movement that I have created. This last month, my clients hit over $5 million dollars in collective money saved and I am watching my clients build wealth portfolios and change the future generations for the family. It is powerful to watch and to watch their money mindset reset and become a place of strength for them.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I think that my company stands out because I am teaching a sense of unbothered energy around money. A lot of financial coaches are teaching budgeting skills which is great for them, but I want to go beyond that. I want to heal your money traumas with you. I want to help you feel that unbothered energy around money and see it as a tool in your life instead of a source of shame. My clients always joke that I need merch with my phrases like, “Unbothered”, “Debt is morally neutral”. I want my clients to take these ideas on.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?

A mistake I made is I think when I look back on my branding. I was just an average coaching girl with a laptop in my brand. It wasn’t until I really took on this wealth idea and money’s mom idea that my brand became something people connected with. I learned that I really needed to study my business and give these items more thought.

Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. Can you share a story about advice you’ve received that you now wish you never followed?

I think advice received would be hearing about budgeting. I really am not into the idea of budgeting and I am glad that this is something that I do not stress about much now, even though this is advice that you always hear.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

The character traits that have brought me to success are my honesty, my empathy, and my creativity.

Honesty: With my honesty, my clients know that I will be honest with them and share my expertise with them. They also know that I will be honest and encourage them to trust themselves.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

I would recommend of course that you have an investment portfolio building. This just helps so much in relieving pressure and burnout because your investments are like your additional team member that helps you make money. Relieving that pressure is so key to helping you to thrive within your business.

What are the most common mistakes you have seen CEOs & founders make when they start a business? What can be done to avoid those errors?

I have seen founders that are too stressed about money to ever make any investment moves. They want to build their savings but are afraid to ever spend or invest it. Remember that your portfolio is what helps you to be able to invest back into your business, to lighten the pressure on your business and so much more. I want all CEO’s to learn how to build wealth.

In your experience, which aspect of running a company tends to be most underestimated? Can you explain or give an example?

I think you can see how passionate I am about money. I think mastering the money mindset is so key to the success of a business. If we are hung up on things like our thoughts around money, this affects our ability to sell and to market well without the pressure of money. I really think this is such a key skill.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading My Company”?

1. Branding is key to your success.

I saw what happened when I had my old branding that was pictures people did not connect my message to. I taught from this feeling as well and it showed. Once I really thought through how I wanted people to feel with my brand, business exploded.

2. Launching is a selling skill to learn.

I think that forever I thought that one on one coaching was a success so I could now sell anything. I learned that launching is its own separate skill that I invested money through mentors as well as time into. This brought my business to the next level.

3. Learn to lean into what your movement is.

When I started to talk about my movement of having you be able to have a trust fund baby, I suddenly realized my mission, marketing, copy, and so much more. I knew exactly how to make decisions. Your mission is key to this.

4. Diversify your income so that you can not feel like your work is the only way to make income.

You know that I will suggest this through a passive income portfolio! I think having an exit strategy or backup income is so key!

5. Take time for rest.

This summer I took off a month and went away to Greece with my family. I came back clearer, more passionate and a better coach to my clients.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would want to bring a movement of having people feel freedom and unbothered in their money. I want money to have a light feeling instead of a feeling of shame surrounding it. This is the movement I am working in within the work that I do.

How can our readers further follow you online?

You can follow me on instagram @ginaknox. You can also find me on my website ginaknox.co and get my free training on top money philosophies.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!