Her Story
About Michelle
Michelle Velasquez is a financial coach and trainer with five years dedicated to financial coaching and at least fifteen years in training and development. At Virtuous Wealth Building, she guides clients in building wealth through real estate, with a focus on her niche of Latina moms while also providing extensive couples coaching. Prior to entrepreneurship, she earned a master's degree in criminal administration from Loyola University of Chicago and worked in law enforcement for sixteen years. She completed the Financial Coaches Academy and the Dave Ramsey Financial Coaching Master Training Course, and she maintains active memberships in the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NARUP) as a NARF10 trainer. Michelle attributes her success to obedience to God in leaving her nine-to-five role and the support of her husband in their family businesses. She values family, the freedom to help others, and views money as a tool for blessing others, while advising women entering entrepreneurship to dive in without waiting for perfection and to monetize their skills with the right roadmap and network.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Michelle
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success first to being obedient to God, because God called me to leave my own 9 to 5, and I stepped into obedience. Second, the support of my husband and the ability to work as a team with him on our family businesses while supporting me as a wife to do my own.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received is that you are more skilled than you normally highlight yourself to have. Many times because you don't have the title of a manager, doesn't necessarily mean that you don't know how to manage. So you have more talents and skills than you normally highlight yourself to have.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to women entering entrepreneurship is to dive in. There's no perfect time to be ready. Don't get stuck on paralysis and being a perfectionist, because I know that's where I was a flaw for myself. You can monetize any skills and talents that you have with the proper roadmap and the proper network.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in my field is that schools and organizations do not see the value of financial education and starting early in elementary and high school. By the time people are older we already have our habits in place, our traumas from childhood or life events. If we start people early then they have that foundation.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are family and the freedom to be able to help others. Money is just a tool, not something negative. Having money as a tool to be able to help others and feeling that God has blessed me so I can be responsible enough to bless others.
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