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Financial Freedom

FINCON 18: The Recap from your friendly neighborhood Greenbacks Magnet (Pt. I)

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FinCon 18 ended for me, as I write this post, literally 36 hours ago!

It was so good I couldn’t wait to write this post.

This was my very first FinCon.

I promised Michael, a PF blogger, who runs the website Financially Alert that I would write this post and include a link to the one he wrote for FinCon 2016, as his was so helpful to me!  So, here’s a shout out to you Michael for being so kind.

This post is going to be long, but I promise it will be worth it!

I had to write this post now while I still have the momentum going with everything fresh in my mind.

A strike as the iron is hot mentality if you will.

So here it is.

This should help anyone learn how to navigate FinCon like a Pro.

Happy Reading!

MY VERY FIRST FINCON!

For those who don’t know, FinCon is the ComicCon for money nerds (bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, and the like).

Basically, we talk about finance and anything that centers around money. Bloggers try to help people navigate through the complexity of personal finance. The Founder (PT Money) brought us all together and it was an absolute blast!!!

FinCon has just wrapped up its 8th conference in Orlando, Florida. It was held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort about 13 minutes from the Orlando International Airport.

Next year it will be hosted in my backyard… Washington D.C.!

I actually arrived one day before (on Tuesday) the kick-off of FinCon on Wednesday at noon. And I am so glad I did. Let me tell you all about it.

But first….

I did a little recon before purchasing my ticket to FinCon. This is how I ended up actually deciding to go to FinCon.

I was posting on my blog and tweeting and it was around February I started hearing people being excited about this money conference called FinCon.

Someone even reached out to me on Twitter (another blogger DM’d me: Stephanie from Poorer than You) and asked if I was going.

And please forgive my ignorance to those familiar with the now infamous FinCon, but I had to ask what is FinCon?

So, I started doing some searches online and found tons of information. However, it wasn’t enough. I needed to know more. Therefore, I DM’d someone myself. Another blogger. His name was Drew and he started the blog GuyOnFire.  I asked him about FinCon.

He said it was great! He tries to go every year. He had so much enthusiasm about the conference that it made me want to go.

That’s when I made a decision: I was going to FinCon!

I did some more detective work to see reactions from past attendees and came across the website Financially Alert.

There were photos and other information from other bloggers about FinCon, but I found Financially Alert to be the most detailed. It was not too much or too little information. Like Goldilocks, I found these posts to be just right.

Therefore, upon deciding to go, I was going to put theory to practice and do all the things Michael suggested on his blog posts.

Here is a list of some of the things Michael suggested and discussed on his posts: Why I Love Conferences and How to Milk It for All It’s Worth! And FinCon 16: The Ultimate Recap from One Blogger’s Perspective

 

  • Plan in advance.
  • Sign up for networking Meetings or Meetups.
  • Be Flexible.
  • Network and BE REAL. Be genuine, and friends will flock.
  • Prioritize time interacting with people.
  • Volunteer to help.
  • The first day your voice will probably be raw and hoarse from talking to so many people.
  • As the day’s progress, you’ll find yourself naturally clumping into groups of friends you find common ground with.
  • It’s still a good idea to go out and meet new people every day. You never know who you may collaborate with later on.
  • Furthermore, reach out to others that you want to meet specifically BEFORE you attend. This will increase your chances of meeting them. (By the way, I did this with Michael and that is how I got to meet and hang out with him!)
  • Bring paper and pens.
  • Laptop.
  • Phone and Charger.
  • Bring lots of business cards. (Vistaprint or Moo are good places to get them)
  • Credit card.
  • Water.
  • Get some sleep and be well rested.
  • Take Immediate Action by following up with new contacts within 48 hours. If you don’t, chances are it’s not gonna happen at all.
  • Reach out to those you want to forge a mutually beneficial relationship with. Offer them something first and see where that takes you.
  • Don’t Forget to Have Fun!

Michael also has a Takeaways & Actions at the end of his post FinCon 16: The Ultimate Recap from One Blogger’s Perspective with fantastic advice and information!

I did all of these things and it worked for me!

His posts are what ultimately got me to push purchase ticket on the FinCon website.

After, reading his posts and purchasing my ticket, I decided to do a Yes, Man approach to FinCon. I said yes to everything!

Let me share with you my story.

Pre-FinCon: Day Zero (Tuesday) 9/25

I flew into Orlando from Reagan. Wheels up at 10 am. A quick one-stop layover in Atlanta (ATL). Wheels down at 2:00 pm in FL.

I met my driver right after landing. He was holding a sign with my name on it.

I looked into doing a shuttle, but then thought better of it as I knew I did not want to make any stops and would want to go straight to the hotel.

We pull up at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, I hop out the car, tip my driver and proceed to the lobby.

Once there I check-in at the front desk, pay for my room, get my keys, and head straight up.

While walking towards my room, I see a gentleman in a FinCon shirt. So, I looked at him and asked if he was here for FinCon? He said yes. I told him so was I.

He introduced himself as Sean and gave me his card which read: 2 Frugal Dudes.

Sean (Frugal dude #1) then invited me to a meetup later that night. I gave him my card too and said goodbye.

At first, I was not sure if I should go.

But I was doing Yes, Man. So I was like why not.

Sean was even nice enough to tweet me and to tweet out that they were meeting in the lounge at 8 pm for the mastermind meetup.

https://twitter.com/seanmerron/status/1044674916690391046

How could I refuse such as thoughtful guy? I couldn’t. So I went.

I got there around 830 pm and did not leave until close to midnight! It was so much fun.

I met so many people that I would go on to hang out with and talk to for the duration of the conference.

I met Kevin Griffin (Frugal Dude #2), Amanda (Debt Free in Sunny CA), Kelley (Freedom in a Budget), Justine Nelson (Debt Free Millennials), Jamie (Mr. Jamie Griffin), Cal (Mogo Interactive), Eric Rosenburg (FinCon DJ), Rachel (Budgets & Kale), Liz (Less Debt, More Wine) and others including Sarah the budget girl!

Just before midnight I called it a night and went up to my room.

FinCon: Day 1 (Wednesday) 9/26

I got up around 8 am and headed down for my 930 am mentoring session with none other than podcaster Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation.

Oh yea, FinCon sends you emails leading up to the event. That’s how I found out about the mentoring. They offered and I said: Yes.

We met at the Smooth Java coffee place which also proudly serves Starbucks.

We spoke for about 30 minutes. He answered all of my questions and was a true gentleman and professional.

We discussed the following:

  • #1 rule of podcasting is to have excellent audio quality
  • Audacity audio software is excellent for podcasting
  • Zencaster is an easy way to record interviews with good quality
  • Can use sites that costs as low as $15 monthly for your podcast needs
  • There are audio tutorials that show how to edit on YouTube that are helpful such as Pat Flynn
  • You can submit feed to iTunes and get your message out there
  • Editing podcasts takes a long time and is the hardest part
  • Media host that is good to use is Libsyn
  • Amolto is a good call recorder for Skype
  • Sign up for affiliate programs to monetize site such as Flex Offers and impact.com
  • Be strategic. Look at those that are doing well (Well Kept Wallet, The College Investor, Millennial Money)

By the end of our talk, I knew I was not ready for podcasting as editing is tedious (Brad and Jonathan from ChooseFI said in their workshop it takes Jonathan 8-10 hours to edit each podcast!). Holy cow!

We parted ways and I went to go have some breakfast. On the way down, I ran into Justine from last night who asked if I wanted to grab some breakfast. The answer: Yes.

While at the buffet breakfast which cost $18.50 + tax, we saw just 15 feet away from us, from the Dave Ramsey crew: Rachel Cruze.

After, about 10 minutes Justine was itching to meet her. I had to nudge her to do it. And she did. She even thanked me for pushing her to do it! Hey, glad I could help.

Justine is the person who also pushed me to download the FinCon app. So glad I did. I used this as a resource for the rest of the conference. Very helpful. It lists who is in attendance and where they are speaking.

We parted ways and I went off to check in and get my Fincon ID.

I ran into tons of people from last night and none other than Michael from Financially Alert.

I also got to meet Gia and Brian from The Lazy Man and Money.

I went off to volunteer with NEFE to decorate piggybanks for 3rd graders in local elementary schools. I did this with my new gal pal Rachel (Budgets & Kale).

Then I went to my first workshop.

I ducked into two, but it was in the hallways where the action was happening. You could feel the electricity in the air. I talked so much I got a headache from meeting so many people.

[Workshop] Next Level Affiliate Marketing hosted by Cut Dailey of The Penny Hoarder and Anatomy of a Podcast with Bobbi Rebell (Financial Grown Up) and Steve Stewart of Steve Stewart Podcast Productions.

I met tons of people in workshops and in the hallways like Shani from Purse Empowerment, Dave from Accidental FIRE and Paulette from the F-off Fund.

Some notes are:

  • Elevate your ability to monetize your affiliate marketing
  • Sign up for courses to learn how to do marketing, advertising, book writing, etc.
  • Scalability and think about scaling
  • Be persistent. Ask for help.
  • You need a proper microphone for guests
  • Headset with mike or Apple earbuds with little microphone piece will suffice
  • Can have interviewer do interview in a closet (closets offer no background noise)
  • Watch the amount of space on device your using as podcasts take up a lot of space on computer
  • Write quality content that engages people
  • It’s not your age, its what’s on the webpage
  • Think about the content you are creating
  • What is your message

I took breaks here and there. I also went up to my room, closed the curtains, turned off all the lights and took a short rest. It helped a lot. I also did this every afternoon I was there. Trust me you will need it.

I also met Rachel Cruze in the hallway. She was really nice. She said she was glad I walked up and introduced myself and wished my people would do that because she likes meeting people. You heard it here folks straight from Ms. Cruze herself.

Rachel Cruze gave a great keynote and said a budget gives you permission to spend. She also said don’t try to be the hero when it comes to teaching people about personal finance. Be their guide. Let them decide what is best for them.

She also said she had to work for money. She didn’t get an allowance.

In addition, she would go and speak for free when she started out. Did that for a long time before anyone offered her any money to speak.

You have to take what you can get when you are starting out.

Don’t focus on what someone else is doing or have. It’s okay to start small. Important just to start.

Start where you are.

While taking a break I ran into Jamie and Gina from The Frugal Convert.

We introduced ourselves and Gina invited me to breakfast the next morning. My answer: Yes. We exchanged numbers and agreed to meet at the 18 street market at 9 am Thursday.

I missed the First Timer Orientation at 430 pm presented by Nick True from Mapped Out Money (I’m a big fan of his blog btw) because it was standing room only.

There was another Thursday morning. I figured I would just catch the next one. (No such luck as I was busy that day too)

While I went to get some food at the market I decided to talk to a gentleman in line. I was a stranger, but so what we are at a conference. And you know what? He was very informative.

He said make sure you go to the EXPO on Thursday from 1-5 pm. That is where the brands are. You just say this: Hello, how can we work together? (more to come on the EXPO later)

I also took notes throughout the entire event. Starting from day one. I knew I would not remember everything.

I would look at ID’s and write down names of blogs or podcasts I was interested in looking up. I would also listen to groups and people talk.

That is how I learned about Millionaires Unveiled podcasts, the ChooseFI Meetup DC, and local fincon groups.

Even when I spoke to people I took notes. I would go to my room every night and write notes of things I remembered throughout the day like a journal or diary entry and tweet people I met.

I also followed everyone who followed me. I want to keep up with people. And I like to tweet.

That night I was scheduled to go to dinner at 630 pm for a birthday party for Stephanie from Poorer that You. I met up with her and about 10-12 others in the lobby.

Nope. You got me. My Twitter @mjp2520 is there. So, yep that’s me!

I ended up riding shotgun to none other than J.D. Roth of Money Boss and Get Rich Slowly. I couldn’t believe it. I had been reading his stuff for like the last three years. He could not have been more down to earth.

Also riding were Cara (Military Dollar), Erin (Reaching for FI), Ruby (A Journey We Love), and none other than Liz (Chief Mom Officer)! I was a huge fan of her blog.

We talked in the car and I told them what made me get into finance was reading the book The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach.

I remember one of the stories within one of his books where he told a crowd, that women would have to start taking more control of their finances and not rely so heavily on the men in their lives because if men were so great at finances, then why are so many Americans in debt?

A woman got up and told the crowd that he was absolutely right. Her doctor husband had recently passed away and mortgaged everything to the hilt. Even his medical practice.

She only had $25,000 dollars left and the $1 million home they had a mortgage on was so high it was about to be foreclosed.

I was in shock after I read this. I was like how did she not know this?

It was then and there I decided I would always be in control of my money and would learn all I could about finances.

Liz (Chief Mom Officer) said she remembered that story. And what got her into finance was reading the book The Wealthy Barber. She also said The Millionaire Woman Next Door was a good read as well.

At dinner, there ended up being about twenty of us.

I didn’t get to meet everyone because we were on one end of the table and were all so busy chatting that I missed some people on the other end.

I was sitting near JD Roth (Money Boss), Ruby (A Journey We Love), Kitty and Piggy (Bitches Get Riches), Josh (Josh Overmyer), Andrew (ShiftUpwards), Erin (Reaching for FI), Cara (Military Dollar), and Liz (Chief Mom Officer).

I also met Jimmy and Jennifer (Living Life Loving Us), Lisa (The Get and Give), Annie (Champagne & Capital Gains), Emilie (Wise Mind Money), Holly, Kevin, and Jennifer (Good Life. Better).

Money Women Unite. A list of women bloggers. And there are a ton. More than even I knew and I am one.

I sat next to Kitty who told jokes all night. She and her partner Piggy are a riot. They should be on YouTube or a podcast. They are like a comedy show (duo) together.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel around (you guessed it, midnight) and up to our rooms for bed.

What a fun night.

Stephanie (Poorer than You) reached out to me on Twitter, a complete stranger that I was, and invited me to dinner. She was so nice in her invitation that I just couldn’t refuse. My answer: Yes. So glad I went.

To be continued in Part II…

FINCON 18: The Recap from your friendly neighborhood Greenbacks Magnet (Pt. II)