Why Serendipity?
I wanted my business name to signify that my practice was unapologetically for women. My working name was Savvy Sisters. It began in 2017 by uncovering a core group of clients in my practice who brought me great joy to work with. I wanted to create a safe, fun environment for them to learn about finances and make solid decisions with less stress and worry. The only way to make it on the original Savvy Sister list was to bring me joy, we had to have some connection that went beyond the office. Hobbies, ideals, goals or just a friendship. Savvy Sisters were invited to events that highlighted education and community and were invited to bring a “sister” along. The idea was that if I enjoyed their friend, I may be able to grow my practice strategically by adding more joyful clients to my book. And come on ladies, who doesn’t want to share their best kept secret with their bestie. Bring your bestie, learn some cool things about finance and meet some really fun, kick ass women.
I hosted my first Savvy Sister event over lobster, and it was a hit! Sassy, classy, sexy, savvy: these Savvy Sisters were in love with the concept. One woman’s husband even wrote me a note about how inspired and energized his wife was after attending. They talked about how fun it was to have “sisters” and started brainstorming about other things we could do together. Then something really incredible happened, the Savvy Sisters started networking among themselves and offering each other “Savvy Sister” discounts, and the referrals started pouring in. I was on to something.
In November of 2018 I filed with the US Patent and Trade Office to protect the terms Savvy Sisters and COACH Approach® and continued to jump through hoops. My project to engage women and their finances hit standstill after standstill and roadblock after roadblock as it worked its way up the maze to the head cheese. I’m not certain how many Tom/Dick/Harry’s read my 13-page paper and got involved, but a lot. Finally, in April of 2019, frustrated beyond measure that my project was cubicles away from the boss lady, but not making any head way, I reached out to a mentor for guidance. I knew NOW was the time for women and finance. I was sick and tired of the finance industry talking about helping women but not doing anything different in their approach to accomplish it. The industry was the last holdout of male domination and I had a remarkably simple way to engage and empower women, just by using different WORDS. The shift was attracting clients and business like a magnet. His advice was “Write her a letter already! I’m a busy guy myself and I always attend to my physical mail first, that’ll get her attention.”
My latent perfectionism reared its ugly head, and I wrote a handwritten letter perfectly, on the perfect card, after only 122 tries. I sleuthed out her favorite color (purple) and mailed my letter with my signature gift, a Coach Clutch. The gist of my letter was, “I’ve been with the firm for a very long time and uncovered a very simple way to engage women and their finances like never before. With offices all over the country, we’re positioned to empower women across the country and make our country stronger, I’ll fly myself out on my own dime, I’ll be calling soon to check your schedule.” Her email response back the day she received my package told me all I needed to know about my future at the company I assumed I’d retire from someday. After processing for a miserably long week on my own, I hired a career coach and pitched my idea. He thought it was incredible and encouraged me to think BIGGER. Once I started looking outside the box, the positive responses were astounding and the signs from the Universe, obvious and undeniable. I started hearing words like “Monster Idea” and “Don’t sell this for 2 million dollars!” Every single conversation was motivating and inspiring rather than each one starting out with “Great idea!” but “What will you do when it’s too big for our firm?” I needed to make a massive shift and align myself with a partner who 1) Believes that women hold the majority of investable assets in the US and 2) Want to beat every other firm in the United States to be the first firm to engage women and their finances.
Disenchanted with working for The Man, I explored several independent channels, and I was impressed right off the bat with Raymond James by their discipline, dedication, and willingness to allow me to grow my idea. In July, 2019, a few days before we flew out to interview with Raymond James, I got word that my Savvy Sister trademark was denied. There is a bank in Iowa who trademarked “Savvy” and they were going to stand in my way. For 3 solid days before we flew to Florida, I obsessed on another name to get my point across. I was at a loss. I walked into the meetings at Raymond James with my Savvy Sister name, trademark issue and an open mind. My mind was blown away by our reception and not only the firm’s capability but my capacity to build my OWN brand as big as I want, exactly how I want. One critical meeting during my introduction was with their marketing agency. Wow, did they blow us away. They were super intrigued by my ideas and I could see the wheels start to turn. Yessss, this is what I’m talking about.
On Tuesday, July 16, 2019 I popped a bottle of champagne by myself at home in the evening as I puttered and prepped mentally for the next day, the day my husband Travis stops commuting to his job in Alaska and comes to live in CA full time. Translation: I was about to lose my freedom and I was going to take a pause and enjoy the tranquility and peace. I was also celebrating just how far I had come, not only since I moved to CA, but since Savvy Sisters was born. I wasn’t sure where it was taking me, but I wanted to take a minute and honor just how far I’d already come. Before bed, I took a hottub. My mind started wandering…Savvy Sisters…I am so married to that name, I just can’t even see past it…Raymond James marketing team, boy were they impressive. I bet they could help me get my message across to the right people in the right manner. And just like that, I purposely inhaled and on the exhale, I let Savvy Sisters go. I laid there in complete bliss, for about 10 minutes, not thinking about anything, totally at peace, completely relaxed. And just like a lightning bolt to the center of my brain, came the word Serendipity. OMG! I jumped out of the hottub and ran straight to my bullet journal and dripping wet, wrote the word SERENDIPITY across the page. Serendipity, it’s so much bigger than me, just like my idea.
Serendipity is how I live my life. It encompasses the Law of Attraction, karma, and universal feelings of being in the right place, at the right time, like right now.
On 8/22/2019 at 8:22 am, Serendipity® Securities was born. Right on time.
Any opinions are those of Serendipity® Securities and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James. The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected.
