Time is the Most Valuable Currency with Travers Johnson
Quench Finance: How was money viewed in your childhood? Did it influence your habits as you grew?
Travers Johnson: Growing up, money itself wasn’t discussed as much as work was. My parents and grandparents taught me a lot about purpose-driven work and using your talents to make a positive impact on society. They were small business owners and educators who took pride in their professions and served our community through their work. I got my first job in elementary school when I became a housekeeper for my mom’s small business and was responsible for sanitizing the bathrooms, cleaning the common areas, and taking out the trash. My parents really emphasized that my small role was important to the overall success of her business, so I grew up viewing work — and by extension, money — as a way to serve a greater good. I think that has informed a lot of my career decisions and money habits as an adult.
QF: Have any of your beliefs about money changed in adulthood?
TJ: During my adolescence and young adulthood, I thought of money as simply a result of work. You do a job, you provide a service, you put in the hours, you get paid. However, as I got older and educated myself on wealth creation and capitalism, I began to view money as a tool; something that should work for you as much as you work for it. I realized that wealth and work are not always linked — many of the hardest working people don’t make much money, and many of the wealthiest people don’t work that hard (or at all). In hindsight, this seems obvious. But it’s a lesson I had to learn as an adult because it flies in the face of what we are taught in our society about money and meritocracy.
QF: What if any changes did you make in 2020?
TJ: 2020 forced me to become crystal clear about my priorities in all areas of life. On the money and career front, last year required me to cut out the extraneous and go all-in on the essentials. That level of clarity enabled me to let go of projects and expenses that were draining and to zone in on the ones that were the highest-yielding.
QF: If you could give your younger self advice about money, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self that time and attention are more valuable currencies than money. So, one of my primary questions around money should be, “Will this money decision enable me to focus more time and attention on the people and things that matter the most to me?”
QF: Who are your fave money leaders like blogs, vlogs, & podcasts?
I’ve listened to the MyTaughtYou podcast by Myleik Teele for years and she’s still one of my favorite business voices. Myleik is the founder of Curlbox.com, a subscription service for people with curly hair, and she offers great advice on money, hustle, self-actualization, and career.
Arlan Hamilton, the founder of venture capital firm Backstage Capital, is a great person to follow on Twitter and Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at the world of Silicon Valley and investing. She’s a Black queer woman who’s been able to disrupt the very white, very male-centric world of VC in a relatively short period of time. I recommend reading her book It’s About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated Into Your Greatest Advantage and listening to her podcast Your First Million for countless gems.
K. Kenneth Davis, “The Trans Capitalist” is a great voice in financial literacy for queer and trans people. I recommend checking out his new e-workbook “The Money Talk” for practical guidance in personal finance.
The Queer Money Podcast is another fantastic resource for actionable advice on LGBTQ money topics and debt reduction.
Finally, a person I’ve been following recently is Asa Leveaux, a business coach focused on empowering LGBTQ entrepreneurs. He has a great Facebook Group called Queer Money Gang.
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Travers Johnson is a writer and editor with more than 12 years of experience in digital media, print publishing, and email marketing. He has worked at some of the world’s leading companies and was trained at Morehouse College and Georgetown University. He is passionate about economic empowerment for marginalized communities and his expertise lies in helping people tell their stories across various mediums. Travers is the founder of Queerency, a new digital media company that tells the stories of how queer people mind our business and make our money. Queerency highlights the best queer-owned brands and most inspiring LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and can be found at queerency.com and on Instagram at @queerency.
